The Lovers by Yumna Kassab

Amir and Jamila may be lovers, but aren´t in love. Education, money, age, social status separate them. They are in a situationship and the shards of their stories are shared in a monologue unfolding over months, into short installments that are touching upon topics beyond their dating. She used to live abroad, they are now in the same place, probably Lebanon, or maybe Jordan.

The Lovers by Australian-based author Yumna Kassab has a dual construction, with the two lovers mostly antithetically exploring their thoughts and feelings. There are some circumstances when it is relatively hard to identitfy at first who is talking, and their thoughts may be completely separated from the love story, adding humanity and context to the characters. 

The Lovers is a relatively short read. Sometimes it shares something very interesting about love and relationships, but the thought is abandoned shortly after for taking a different turn. The short format is limitative in this respect and I wished it had more literary space to explain and extend the thoughts,

A special note for the Art Nouveau-style of the cover.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Random Things Tours: A Reunion to Die for by K.J.Whittle

A school reunion who went terribly bloody wrong. Some schoolday secrets long burried. More than one vilain that may be looking for revenge.

Fast paced and clever, A Reunion to Die for by K.J.Whittle is a psychological thriller that develops as a game between drunks. Six former school colleagues meet in a pub and indulge in thinking about how the bully of their school years may die. But as in the aftermath of their reunion the bully dies following exactly the plan they were talking about. And now, they have a serious project to take care of: solve the crime.

The story advances at the pace of a puzzle, with a search against the clock. Some pieces may come along, some are completely mismatched, some are just leading us in the wrong direction. Hence, my complete surprise at the end of the story, as I did not see it coming. Which means I was fully satisfied with the solution, because how can I not love a book with an unexpected ending?

A Reunion to Die for was clearly an excellent read to start the week. Well written and eventful it is my recommendation for anyone looking for a smart whodunit where the questions are far more interesting than the questions.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

The Doorman by Chris Pavone

A story of murder, sex, race and priviledge - not necessarily in this order, The Doorman by Chris Pavone is an intricated story mostly taking place in a high-end luxury building in the posh part of New York City. 

I´ve read other book by Pavone, The Expats as it insidously catches the secrets of a group of expatriates and their illusions. His latest, The Doorman is keeping the same take on the secrets hidden by glamorous creatures, but goes a bit farther on, as all characters, including the doorman and its manager, do have dark spots that they prefer not to share. 

What most of the posh characters do hide, is the average wishes beyond their expensive lives. They may be safe from worrying about the future, but their present is encumbred by failed personal dreams and broken love stories. Overall, they are lonely, in the ways in which rich people living in posh addresses may be. 

Born and raised in New York, Chris Pavone seized the spirit of the city, with its fantastic diversity and extremes that may co-exist. In the book, you may found a gay-closeted tattoed Ukrainian, alongside an eccentric art collector and a greedy military contractor. 

The Doorman is lengthly allowing the characters to explain themselves, we are introduced into their familiar environment. It feels like we have all the time in the world, including for digressions about capitalism and BLM. A bit too much in my opinion because in this way the narrative is out of control confusing the reader: what are we having here? what is the story about? is there any thriller sub-plot we may expect? The latter actually happens, but in the very few minutes of the book, and we may need a couple of further explanations and angles to really understand what happened. The author keps the keys to all those details, anyway.

Althouugh I enjoyed some parts of the writing - especially when describing places and New York ambiance - from the point of view of the story I wasn´t thrilled. The readig advanced extremely slowly and without any pleasure in really getting engaged into its denouement. 

Rating: 3 stars

Bookouture Book Tour: The French Wife by Ann Bennett

I love to stay close to authors I´ve loved to read. Ann Bennett is one of them, and I feel more than honoured to have been offered the chance of reading and reviewing her latest, The French Wife, set in France, is built around the emotional connection between two women that never met, and will never meet in real life: Emma, recently divorced, who after facing a child loss and a painful divorce, discovers in the cupboard of a cottage she just purchased an old photo of a couple. Amelie, portrayed in the photo, survived the Nazi occupation of France, and together with her husband, Bruno, owned the farmhouse. While Bruno used to hid Resistance fighters in the cellar, Amelie is privy to hidden truths that may stay burried.

From one century to another, the two women, both having known heartbreak and deep disappointment, do connect, with Emma carefully tracing deeply hidden histories and details of a life burried in secrets, during hard times. 

Although dealing with very sensitive topics, the author, as usual, is taking the tension through an empathic and emotionally balanced writing. The idea of deep understanding beyond time and historical circumstances requires a well chiselled way of dealing with words. 

The French Wife was a very interesting read, thoughtful and immersive. Given my reading experience with Ann Bennett, I cannot wait to see where her new book will take their readers to. 

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Rachel´s Random Resources: The River Murderers by Colette Kebell

Jack Wood has a reputation of fiercely fighting the bad guys - and eventually, girls. There is no way someone may escape his passionate dedication for rendering justice. However, he is far from being perfect and as one evening, a rebel teenager with a rented gun used several times in multiple murders, his world may get upside down. Far from being a hero, he is brought in the midst of the dark web of lies and corruption. 

The River Murders by Colette Kebell is an adventurous and fast paced story fuelled with energy of all kinds, and hard to put down. The characters, including Jack, are far from being perfect and their character matches the type of the story they are associated with. No matter their social status and profile, their bad sides are rather revealing which may take us to a dark side of life and human soul.

Despite the heavy topic the author deals with, the writing is coming along smoothly. Kebell was an author new for me, and I appreciated her fresh take on a story otherwise challenging in terms of psychological challenges and complexities.

The River Murders is a recommended read for anyone interested in discovering a new author´s interpretation of an adrenaline-fuelled story. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Random Things Tours: Fallowfield by Nicole Swengley

As Rowan, a journalist trying to cope with the death of her beloved father, is trying to research more about Fallowfield Hall, the school where her parents met, she is soon facing a lot of revelations that may contradict the idyllic story she had in mind about the school as well as about her parents. Faced with the new realities, Rowan is going through a dramatic process of reconsidering her parents narratives and ultimately her own identity.

Fallowfield by journalist and author Nicole Swengley is an accidental search for truth, thourgh a well planned and eventful search. The proceedings are impecable, as one may expect from an experienced journalist and I personally enjoyed the realistic process.

Equally relevant is the way in which the author was able to seize the unfathomable ways in which the past - our own, our parents, the projections we have about the others - may be dramatically altered through the revelations of facts affecting us and our family. 

In addition to being a very well written journalistic approach, Fallowfield asks openly questions about identity and approach to the stories we and the other tell about past. It is fascinating and unexpected, hence my curiosity of not putting this book down until I´ve reached its last page.

A recommended read if you love books with journalists´ characters created around a family story well researched and authentic in its approach.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Rachel´s Random Resources: Audiobook tour - Debt Reckoning. Teetering on the Brink by Jack Meyer

 

There is no secret how much I enjoy listening to audiobooks; for my bookish lifestyle, it fills those moments when I am forced to walk or keep myself busy with non-bookish activities. For me, it is also an exercise of concentration, as I am trying to keep track of what is actually happening in my book while busy with other activities that may be distracting.

With great interest and pleasure, I´ve listened lately to Debt Reckoning. Teetering on the Brink by Jack Meyer, a very fast paced political thriller set in the heart of American politics. The starting point of the story is based on a cruel econnomic and political reality: the enormous burden of the US debt. When I´ve read it for the first time, I was really surprised as no one is ever associating political, military and economic strength with debt. After all, debts are for poor people, or?

In the book, US Senator Rick Taylor is trying to find a solution to solve the huge challenge threatening the Nord American life and society. As he is openly taking stance against it, he is faced with a tremendous pressure and life-threatening situations.

I loved the suspense as well as the political tension that made me always feel guilty when had to take a longer break in between listening sessions. A recommended read if you are into books inspired by political dirty secrets.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Disclaimer: Audiobook offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own