The girl in the road

The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne (4 stars, hardback, 323 pages) science fiction, pirate, survival

 Separated by thousands of miles and more, two troubled women undertake epic flights from danger, marked by curious similarities. Meena flees an assassination attempt in India by planning to cross the Trail, a “Blue Energy” bridge that spans the Arabian Sea. In performing this illegal and dangerous act, she hopes to enter Ethiopia and find out who killed her parents. Mariama flees slavery as a child, joining a caravan bound for Ethiopia as well. She comes under the wing of a woman she calls Yemaya. Each of these women are recovering from trauma - there is something that they are not telling us. The journeys build to a compelling series of shocking revelations and conclusions.

 The setting is rich, incorporating the cultures of India and Africa in the near future. Tantalizingly attainable aspects of the future are peppered throughout; things like automated cabs, inclusive legislation, perfect birth and STI control, universal translation devices,  and the very Road that Meena walks. It inhabits and flavors the world, but does not overwhelm it. This isn’t the classic science fiction, with lasers and spaceships. It’s the more contemplative breed found in the worlds of Ursula K. LeGuin. The flexibility of the genre creates a particularly intriguing locale in which to place an essentially human journey.

Byrne has a great sense of literature. The joy in this book is in the journey, in learning new details to slowly uncover a more accurate portrait of the world’s reality. Even if you don’t like every aspect of the characters presented - and you won’t - the slowly unraveling story of the past made it well worth the investment for me.

This is one of those novels that’s hard to talk about without spoilers, and spoilers would harm the expertly crafted narrative. Meena and Mariama were exceedingly well-developed, and their story arcs were perfect, but the actions of a couple of important side-characters seemed off-the-mark. We were left with a massive disruption to the setting that, though it wasn’t without foreshadowing, felt disconnected from the action of the novel. While I applaud Byrne for using non-western characters, I do wonder how their often-unflattering depictions are perceived in the cultures of Africa and India. Despite these misgivings, the well-scripted discovery of the plot made this an excellent read.

Same Beach, Next Year

Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank Audio book 10 hours Book 374 pages

The Stanley family, Adam, Eliza and their twin boys Max and Luke, are the picture of familial perfection. Every year they go to the Isle of Palms and have a great time at their condo. One year a new family is introduced into their lives. Eve who is a former flame of Mr. Stanley and her husband and daughter. Well, where there are former flames there is usually trouble and this story is no different. Is the romance between Adam and Eve still there? Can the families' friendship withstand it if it is?

I enjoyed this book, the characters were believable and enjoyable. I usually don't like the trope of elderly people who say crazy things, but Cookie, Eve's mother did make me laugh with her outrageous lack of tact and discretion. This book went by really fast in a time flies when you're having fun kind of way. The dialogue flowed well and there was only 1 plot left dangling that I can think of, but it was a small one so it didn't ruin the story. Overall for people who like family fiction with lots of love and friendship I would recommend this book.

Gwendy's Button Box

Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar Book 164 pages

From Publisher's Weekly: "It's 1974 when 12-year-old Gwendy Peterson is offered a magic box by a man named Richard Farris, whom she meets at the top of one of the cliffside Suicide Stairs in Castle Rock, Maine. Farris wears a "small neat black hat" and seems to know just who Gwendy is and what she wants. Eight buttons grace the mahogany box he offers to Gwendy, and a lever dispenses silver dollars and intricate chocolates that Farris claims will help Gwendy lose weight and escape being called "Goodyear" by her classmates. Lose weight she does, but that's not all. Wonderful things keep happening in Gwendy's life, and she's happier than she's ever been. But when she decides to press one of the buttons, the consequences are horrendous."

I enjoyed reading this book. However, it did take some adjusting to realize that it wasn't going to be scary despite its authors. It is billed as horror, but I found no horror and also not a lot of suspense. The story reads like a normal life of a young girl who turns into a young woman. The addition of the button box is what makes it slightly different. Of course this is not an original story line, but it was nicely done. The box has some profound effects on Gwendy's life, but I felt sorry for her as the bad circumstances weren't her fault. I did like Gwendy, she was doing the best she could with what she had. As is usually the case with these types of stories, she had to discover a lot of information on her own. Sometimes I find teen characters hard to read, but I applaud King and Chizmar with their writing of the protagonist. After she pressed the red button the first time and blamed herself for a tragedy, I thought that was going to be the theme for this book. I was grateful it wasn't. This was an easy read that keeps the reader engaged. Although there are some holes in the story, I still liked it. The plot of the book suggests that it should have been longer. The black button alone deserved more page time, but that's a novella for you. Throughout the story and at the end, I could not help but wonder what Gwendy's life would have been like if she had never received the button box. I wonder if that was the authors' intent. Hmmm....

Miss Tonks Turns to Crime

Miss Tonks Turns to Crime by M.C. Beaton Audiobook 4 hours Book 152 pages 

This is the second book in the Poor Relation Series and M.C. Beaton did not disappoint. The crazy antics of the poor relations were just an entertaining in this book as the last. The plot was quick and to the point with no dragging. Spinster Miss Tonks has been chosen to steal something from a rich relative so the Poor Relation Hotel may have the funds it desperately needed. Hilarity ensues. Being short, these stories pack a comedic punch and one might even say they end abruptly. As a reader I am grateful when there is another book in the series so I know I’ll be disappointed when I get to the last one. The only thing that really needs to be said about this book is that it is recommended. If you enjoy British humor (or humor period) you will enjoy this series. I definitely recommend listening to them as Davina Porter does an excellent job bringing the story to life. Thumbs up!

The Jury

The Jury by Fern Michaels eBook 428 - read 382 (the rest is an excerpt from another book)

The Jury is Book 4 of the Sisterhood Series by Fern Michaels. The series is about a group of women that get revenge on those who have wronged them. It started because the legal system failed them, so they took the law into their own hands.

The thing about this book and the series is the writing isn't very good, but the stories themselves pull you in. I got invested in each character and cared what happened to them despite the terrible dialog. Michaels wrote boldly in this series, which dates back to the early 2000s, so boldly that it looks amateurish. It's like it's what people are thinking but don't want to say it because it might sound foolish, but it's true nonetheless. So my review of this book is, it was exciting but badly executed. If writing style is more important to you than plot this is not the book or series for you.