The Night Watchman

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich   451 pages

Confession: This is my first exposure to Erdrich, despite her award-winning reputation, and I was not excited about the experience. I didn’t connect with the novel, but I was interested in the historical elements of the story, with the prospect of historical fiction that follows indigenous characters reckoning with another attempt by the US government to erase their tribal presence. While some might call Erdrich’s writing style immersive and sweeping, I just found it too slow and my attention kept waning. However, without succumbing to Hollywood theatrics, she skillfully portrayed the determination of indigenous people to not be rendered invisible, and adeptly exposed the insidious practice of human trafficking as applied to modern Native women.

Posted By:   Regina C.  

Disappeared

Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork, 326 pages

“Four Months Ago 
Sara Zapata's best friend disappeared, kidnapped by the web of criminals who terrorize Juarez.
Four Hours Ago 
Sara received a death threat - and with it, a clue to the place where her friend is locked away.
Four Weeks Ago 
Emiliano Zapata fell in love with Perla Rubi, who will never be his so long as he's poor.
Four Minutes Ago 
Emiliano got the chance to make more money than he ever dreamed - just by joining the web.
In the next four days, Sara and Emiliano will each face impossible choices, between life and justice, friends and family, truth and love. But when the web closes in on Sara, only one path remains for the siblings: the way across the desert to the United States.” This was an excellent story.  It was just scary enough to be interesting while not being terrifying.  It was realistic, which increased the fear factor, and it is timely, considering the issue of immigration right now.  I would give this to teens who like realistic scary stories.

30 Red Dresses

30 Red Dresses by Johan Twiss   152 pages

Today is Veata’s eighth birthday. She hopes that her uncle remembers. Instead he sells her.

Across town, American author James Moore is on a book tour in Cambodia. He’s wildly famous there and has just finished a five-hour book signing appearance. After the event, he just wants to go to bed. Instead of taking him back to his hotel, his translator, Munny, takes him on an insider’s tour of Phnom Penh. A sudden downpour drenches him and Munny.

As hail begins to pummel the two men, who are on foot, they try to open any door along the alley they are in. When they finally find one that opens, they are some rather dangerous looking dudes inside. They want money for the two men to enter.

While they are making their way through the building, a loud roar begins to shake the walls and the floor. It’s not an earthquake. Then James realizes what it is; the new dam has burst and a wall of water is heading their way.

The water soon starts to rise rapidly. They head up the stairs, trying to race the rapidly rising waters, while trying to stay out of the way of the snake and rats that are also desperate to escape.

Saving others trapped in the building, the two men finally make it to the roof, where they find thirty women in identical red dresses, cowering near the ledge. Veata is one of those irls and one of the youngest.

James knows he must save them---from the flood and from the life they have been forced to live.

The first five chapters are harrowing. After that, the pacing slows down and the plot becomes stale and expected. Still, I was interested in what fate would be allotted to the girls, James, and Munny.

The story ends on a happy note, which was rather disappointing. I was hoping for a more realistic ending. After the end of the story, there is a short story that takes place eight years later when Venata turns sixteen. I found that confusing and awkward. Why not call it an Epilogue?

30 Red Dresses gets 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Guest Room

The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian   336 pages

I’ve been a huge fan of Chris Bohjalian’s since he burst onto the literary scene with his Oprah Book Selection, Midwives. The Guest Room is his 18^th book, and, I believe, his finest.  As I Facebooked to Bohjalian: Oh Wow! Oh WoW! Oh WOw! OH WOW! 

Richard Chapman, his wife, Kristin, and their young daughter, Melissa, live in Bronxville, New York, a suburb of Manhattan. Richard is an investment banker, and Kristen is a history teacher. Richard’s idiot younger brother, Phillip, is finally getting married and Richard and Kirstin agree to let the bachelor party. Kristen takes Melissa into Manhattan to spend the weekend with her mother, as the couple is sure strippers have been included in the evening’s festivities.

Phillip’s friend, Spencer, doesn’t just hire strippers; he hires call girls. The girls, Alexandra and Sonja, arrive with what the guys believe to be bodyguards. As the evening progresses, stripping turns into sex. Richard finds himself enamored with Alexandra and alone with her, both naked, in the guest room. No spoiler here, so you’ll have to read the book to find out what happens.

It’s after Alexandra and Richard return to the party that all hell breaks loose. Sonja jumps one of the bodyguards and repeatedly plunges a knife into his neck. Blood is everywhere. Everywhere. The gunshots are heard and the other bodyguard’s blood is adding to the horror. The girls throw on some clothes and escape before the guys can come to their senses enough to call 911.

The story is told in alternative chapters: Richard and Kristen’s point of view and Alexandra’s viewpoint. Readers soon learn that the girls aren’t college students trying to earn money for tuition; they are Armenian girls who have been kidnapped and used as sex slaves.

There are so many threads in this one story. How did Alexandra and Sonja get caught up in this life? Where are they now? Are their kidnappers, the Russians, looking for them? Will Richard and the guys go to jail for having hired prostitutes? Will Richard and Kristen’s marriage survive? What will Melissa think of her father? How will the family ever go back to their home and life, knowing that it had been a crime scene?

Be prepared to stay up late as Bohjalian ties all the unanswered questions together into a riveting novel that left me gasping by the end. I give The Guest Room, 6 out of 5 stars.

Up For Sale: Human Trafficking And Modern Slavery

Up For Sale: Human Trafficking And Modern Slavery by Alison Marie Behnke, 72 pages

This was a short but introduction for younger readers about the modern day slave trade that is still happening in the world, even in the United States.  It is easy pretty easy for older elementary readers to understand and doesn’t hold back on the real difficulties that people, especially women and children, in many countries face.  It talks about people being forced to work for little wages and having to pay off huge debts, but also talks about the fact that these people may be beaten or raped if they don’t do enough work or earn enough money and also talks about the people forced into prostitution.  It’s definitely not for very young readers but older kids who are looking for some information will definitely find this a good start.

Weight of Blood

Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh
306 Pages

Set in the town of Henbane, this novel tracks the progress of Lucy Dane trying to find out what happened to her friend Cheri and to her own mother who disappeared when she was a baby. The narrative is split between the past with Lila, Lucy's mother narrating, and Lucy narrating in the present.  Family secrets are revealed as the plot progresses with an explosive ending.

Laura McHugh is a Missouri author (a category that might have been a better wildcard category instead of Gaiman).  While reviewers want to compare the book with Gillian Flynn's novel, it really isn't that similar but is still an enjoyable read.