Random Things Tours: Red Water by Jurica Pavičić translated by Matt Robinson

 

I´ve passionately read books set in the aftermath of the Balkan wars and Yugoslavia´s dismantlement, but none of them had a crime-related plot. In the end, everything would have delve into political- and ethnic-related discussions which I am perfectly fine with it, by the way. But I had to wait until Red Water (Crvena Voda, in the original title) by Jurica Pavičić - translated from Croatian by Matt Robinson - published by Bitter Lemon Press, until my love for Balkan histories meet my literary passion for crime novels.

From the fall of communism until the Balkan wars, a former cop is trying to solve a 30-year old disappearance of a teenage girl, Silva. Beloved and charismatic, she hid many secrets, including heroin addiction. Three decades that changed not only people, but also geographies and histories. 

Although the story has a clear red line - solving Silva´s disappearance - the cast of characters created to generate and echo her story do have their own biographies and personal evolutions. The relatively diverse cast of characters - from her parents, her twin brother, the investigators trying to figure out what happened with Silva in that 1989 day, and the possible suspects - do follow an autonomous pathway, influenced at certain degree however by the need of settling Silva´s case. 

I´ve particularly liked the ways in which the author manages to coordinate the personal and geopolitical changes in a way that nurtures the crime story. 

As a reader, I felt fully immersed into the story, enjoying the society and political references, while being curious to follow the narrative plot. As usual, I am happy to be back in this part of the world, although for now only through the pages of a well written and beautifully translated book.

The book was published in Croatian in 2017 and received significant accolades and prizes, especially in the French-speaking realm.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Triste Tigre by Neige Sinno

 

It is hard to properly describe Triste tigre, the autobiographical account by Mexico-based, French-born Neige Sinno, other than a story of horrible child abuse. 

As a first-person story, it offers a rare testimony of the constant sexual abuse she experienced as a small child in the hands of her step father. A rare account explaining directly, or through literary comparisons, the perspective of the victim and the victim only. There is no place for the perpetrator who nevertheless is able to live his life, eventually having a new family and new children. But the victim, herself, cannot live for the rest of her life without being haunted by the abuse. 

Born in the Department of Haute-Alpes, in a hippy family, living in precarious housing situation in the mountains, by far more precarious than the everyday life of Annie Ernaux´s family for instance, she had no childhood memory left untained but the abuse. Her everyday life was marked by the abuse, her physical and mental evolution were stamped by the abuse. 

Indeed, the perpetrator was able to go on with his life afterwards, being greeted by the former neighbours and re-accepted in the society. But what about the victim feelings and pains? No wonder that many victims of sexual abuse end up in the claws of addition or commit suicide.

Literature may be a refuge, but using literary skills to share the story is the gift for refugees without a land. It also may help to change perspectives and perceptions, especially in France where few years ago, the discussions regarding age of sexual consent stirred a wave of discussions both in the political and civil sphere.  

Triste tigre, who received significant awards in France, and was translated in several languages since its publication, including English - as Sad Tigre - it´s a book of infinite and hopeless sadness. A necessary book, nevertheless.

Rating: 5 stars 

We Would Never by Tova Mirvis

I´ve read almost everything Tova Mirvis wrote, but I haven´t been prepared for a crime novel. The only visible connection between her previous books and her latest We Would Never is the Jewish - although discrete - identity of the main characters. The rest is pure psychological crime novel, inspired by a real crime that the author herself confessed being obsessed about for a long time.

First, we have a happy young family, middle class Jewish intellectuals, Hailey and Jonah, and their little daughter Maya. But suddenly Jonah decided to leave and a painful divorce proceeding is starting, that gets more complicated by the day, once Hailey´s mother, the stong willed Sherry, insisted to have Hailey and Maya returning to Miami.

The complex family dynamics and the inherent secrets are revealed once we are advancing into the story. The past - neutrally recreated from the interventions all the main characters - intertwins with the present, told in short installments from Hailey´s perspective. 

´It´s almost funny, isn´t it? I dedicated my entire life to my kids, but apparently have no idea what any of them need (...)´

Except the little Maya, none of the characters are likeable. Some are despicable, although their intentions may be altruistic and pure. But the question of how far one mother can go for her children - even against their own will - is followed by the discussion about evil in the name of good. 

In subtext, there is also a temptation of being priviledged, as Hailey´s family believes that their money advantage can be a way to achieve no matter how and what. 

The story has a strain of high predictability as 60% into the book I was sure where it heads, and the story followed a certain expected pattern, despite a slight story twist. However, what really disappointed me was the fact that the characters live in a bubble, without any social connections and network, besides the family members. The book has a big cast of characters, indeed, but after a while you feel that the characters co-exist in an artificious environment. The most promeminent character who is not a family member is Tara, who is lacking any serious ground as it is difficult to imagine her outside her working role in the family equation.

Despite the shortcomings, I´ve read We Would Never in a long weekend reading rush, as it offers food for thought about family obsessions and diversion of maternal love. I would definitely interested to find out more about the real crime that inspired the book as well.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: Joyful June Journeys by Stephanie Wood

It feels very much like summer in Europe and my mind is only part time working. I dream about sunny mornings and long warm nights spent surrounded by the buzz of undefined languages. As usually, before I am really on a plane to a place I never been before but dreamed about my whole life, I am hiding in my reading corner with a book. 

Joyful June Journeys by Stephanie Wood was my escape this week. My second book set in Greece in less than two weeks - maybe there is a sign that should be read properly - it has a likeable story and an empathic character that one may fancy meeting in real life.

Desperately looking to get away from her parents´ problems, Chrissie is finding her peace on a beautiful Greek island. But while focusing on her emotional recovery, there are some cute tentations that may challenge her promise of a peaceful refugee. Would she give up to the friendly calls of the interesting locals she mets along the way?

It´s a sweet, ´joyful´ story that I loved to follow. It is relatable and hopeful, with events just as it may happen in real life and characters full of life and shortcomings. 

If your life is overloaded by heavy stuff and overwhelmed by high expectations, Joyful June Journeys may offer you a sunny escape and a chance of normality.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

The book is part of a trilogy but reads easily as a stand alone story. 

Alkohol by Kalin Terzojski and Dejana Dragoeva, translated into German by Viktoria Dimitrova Popova

I always keep my literary promises to myself. In the last 24 months or so, I´ve constantly improved my knowledge about authors and literary realms usually outside the English-speaking areas of interest. Thankftul to translations into German or French, I had access to an impressive number of Bulgarian authors,some of them I already reviewed on my blog, some to be soon introduced to my readers. I do have many other authors on my to-read and to-review list, representing languages and countries rarely approached, that hopefully will write about in the next months. 

My latest book representing the Bulgarian literature has a name that resonates a lot with the post-communist daily life - Alkohol. My loved ones warned me that that´s maybe not something really worth reading it, but little they knew about the life after dictatorship for many intellectuals. Indeed, there were Hemingway and Poe and Jim Morrison before them, but for those enjoying the freedom of life without political restrictions, drinking had a completely different meaning. 

Kalin Terzojski wrote both an autobiographical as an insighttful account of life of an alcoholic. A psychiatrist by profession that abandoned the field for dedicating himself to literary endeavours - meagre financial resources were an important reason, among others - Terzojski is sharing in his debut novel the sudden challenges of the Bulgarian society, especially in the literary field. 

Alcohol is the steady companion through the changes and frustrations. Drinking comes in all sizes, colours and prices. Cheaper, because it suits the budget of a literary scribe. Strong because one needs a slap early in the morning. In small bottles because you can hide it and take a sip when no ones watches.

I have a lot of memories of post-communist people and their alcohol companionship. Until today I am wondering what a brain trick allowed them to keep a decent writing and ideatic coherence. 

Alkohol, translated into German by Viktoria Dimitrova Popova, is full of humour, relatable - especially for someone with some fresh memories of post-communism, and precise in its symptomatic outline. I was so pleased with this author that I already ordered his second book, alo translated into German, that will probably start reading in the next ten days. Until then, there is another Bulgarian author I am preparing to review so stay tunned.

Rating: 4 stars

Random Things Tours: Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi

Some books are just staying with you for longer, both through the story and the characters. I´ve heard and read so much about Alka Joshi´s storytelling but it took me such a long time to get to read her books. I wanted to read her bestselling The Henna Artist but got caught with other books from my never ending pile of TBRs. But Six Days in Bombay convinced me that I really missed reading beautiful stories.

Sona, the inquiring main character of Six Days in Bombay, is embracing against her will into an adventure around the world to fulfill the wish of a late painter, Mira Novak. A nurse when Novak arrived for a miscarriage, she is accused of malpraxis and forced to leave her job, her own source of revenue for her and her mother. As she is visiting Mira´s friends to bring them a last gift, Sona is trying to understand the painter´s mysterious death as well as prove her innocence. As expected, the journey will bring Sona closer to her real self and understand the world and women´s place in it.

Alka Joshi has a captivating way to create situations and characters part of a world apart. She is delving slowly into each character, dedicating all the time in the world to bring it closer to a reality. All the physical, emotional and mental details are added to each characters, who are finelly introduced to various ambiances, professional contexts - there are so many medical details that  and various geographies. 

Six Days in Bombay is a magic story, putting on the front women one step ahead of their times and refusing to accept the rules of societies ´consumed by the judgement of others´. 

Now, I just need the time to read other books by Alka Joshi, particularly The Henna Artist. 

Rating: 5 stars

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

The Collaborators by Michael Idov

 

I have a very serious confession to make: I do not come along at all with classical spy writers, like Graham Greene or Le Carré. Especially Carré. Maybe because there is a certain level of intellectual meta-thinking to the spy entertainment that does not work for me. Maybe because both of them were actually a bit too much into the spy life therefore used to being allusive and rather reproducing realities mechanically.

I don´t think too much about those writers, but I had them on my mind a lot while reading The Collaborators by Latvia-born author and screenwriter Michael Idov. 

Only that The Collaborators is taking place in the tumult of post-Cold War, otherwise the USA and Russia do keep hunting their agents, some paying for the naive game of getting involved in internal Russian politics unaware of the real rules of the game. 

A Russian millionaire in the US may not be as death as it was assumed and a journalist who went deep into the state secrets dies poisoned after being released from a KGB-like interogation. The characters from The Collaborators are trying to find the truth or at least to reach more clarity, they are reflexive, thinking about moves and what went wrong, therefore the pace of the action may be slower but the results are shocking.

The book reflects very much the geopolitical world we are living, counting up as usual, the mistakes of the past, with a Russian presence at least as predominant as during the peaks of the Cold War. An interesting topic nevertheless not my favorite cup of literary spy tea. A matter of taste though, but I see this book as a good movie, maybe even better.

Rating: 3 stars

Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

Although I waited for a long time to read this book, I may confess this is by far my last favorite books by Ian McEwan. For my intellectual development, Ian McEwan played an important role in developing my critical reading skills. Many years ago, together with a bookish friend I used to have, we spent hours reading on Xerox copies the last McEwan´s novel, challenges both our literary and English language knowledge. I used to work with miserable people a miserable work and those literary exchanges were the only reasons I was going to work then.

Machines Like Me, told by the main male character who we are told halfway through the book that his name is Charlie is set in a dystopian 1982 Britain where the first humanoid robots are created. 1982 the year of the Falklands war, and in fact this is one of the few accurate historical references to those times. Others details of the everyday life may be misleading, especially if you are a contemporary reader: no, there were no laptops or WWW where one can search for various information and there are no social networks either. Also, the famous mathematician Alan Turing with whom Charlie met on several occasions died many years before, at the end of the 1960s.

Charlie, a middle class gal with a desire to earn money without too much physical work, is in love witht Miranda, a hardworking anthropologist. With the money left by his late mother, he purchased himself a robot whose neuronal connections operate at a larger scale, similarly with ChatGPT. But besides his informative part, the robot, called Adam, has feelings and as in the case of the legend of the Golem, once let by himself, he is acting in a very unexpected aggressive even way, as he fell in love with Miranda.

The topic regarding the limits of Artificial Intelligence - ´artificial´ stays for something here - is very challening even though we may be more familiar with robots nowadays than the characters from Machines Like Me but the story is such is very limited, with few turns whose details are getting lost in the robot´s emotional drama. 

McEwan´s gentle writing is always a win though although the story did not impress me at all.

Rating: 3 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: Summer Paths. An Anthology

Summer is coming and what could it be more rewarding than spending the sunny days discovering new topics and authors? A collective of North Atlantic authors - English speakers - had the bright idea to create an anthology of short stories inspired by the best season of the year: Summer Paths. 

The volume is the forth from a seasonal collection inspired by the year´s seasons, with summer closing the yearly cycle.

The volume itself is short, easy to read in few hours, but covering a diversity of topics and styles. There are some taking place on against a travel background, but summer paths may lead the reader to many different directions, such as family memories, ancient beliefs, love, mysterious encounters with strangers in airplanes.

I enjoyed the diversity of styles and topics and the overall dynamics of the volume. There are some ideas I would love to read more about. The idea of seasonal story collections resonates with my own desire to bring more bookish meaning around the year, therefore most probably I will be interested in reading the other volumes as well.

Rating: 4 stars

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

The Resisters by Gish Jen

I am regularly avoiding two genres: SF and vampire narratives. SF may jump into my TBR once the year or less though, especially when I am looking for some new intellectual challenges. 

The Resisters by Gish Jen appealed to me because I aminterested in the topic of resisting dictatorships in a subversive way and dystopian ambiance is the best recommended for such settings. However, the author not being a SF writer herself, it complicated a bit the reception, at least on my side of the story.

We are projected into an AutoAmerica, governed by an AI-generated Aunt Nettie, split between Netted - connected in different ways to the AI-government, and the Surplus - caught between survival and deprivation. And there is Gwen, born with a golden hand, subverting the system through her baseball passion as part of the NetU community. 

The AutoAmerica is challenged by the climate change and the most important geopolitical change ist that Russia and China are one.

I may confess that although I enjoyed the reading, it was very difficult for me to put together all the pieces of the story. The dystopian details per se are not necessarily clear and took longer to understand the intricacies - for instance, related to the cllimate change aspects, among others. The references to sport - particularly baseball - as a medium of freedom and dissent was interesting and ignited my interest but sometimes it felt artificious to connect it with the rest of the story.

The Resisters was not a displeasant read but also didn´t changed my opinion that SF of any kind may simply not be my genre of choice.

Rating: 3 stars

Compulsive Readers Blogtours: The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose

 

Two marriages, two divorces, two mistresses that disappeared. As Sarah is about to divorce her second husband, Bob, after discovering his one-night stand, the other woman disappears. Meanwhile, there may be some new details in the case of the murdered mistress of her first ex-husband, she defended in court. Where will all of this lead to?

The Perfect Divorce by bestseller author Jeneva Rose skillfully combines psychological suspense with matrimonial misadventures, in a very gripping ambiance novel that is hard to put down. The book is a sequel of The Perfect Marriage that I haven´t read, nevertheless there are enough details from the previous story shared that do not affect the overall understanding of the current narrative.

Divorces may make it into suspense thrillers, and the escalating conflict between Sarah and Bob are just another example in this respect. The fight is fierce and it may just put into motion a very basic emotion: revenge. How Sarah ended up again caught into the net another womanizer, it´s hard to explain and maybe herself feels angry as well for being all over again the victim of unfaithful men.

I enjoyed very much the twists of the story and the gripping suspense of The Perfect Divorce and would definitely read soon the first book in the series. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Bleed by Paul Barrell

 

I love fast-paced thrillers set in cities I love. Inspierd by real events, The Bleed by Paul Barrell is a race against death set in the worlds of South London´s dangerous gangs.

When an undercover cop trying his best to get a foot in the underworld falls for a charming Chinese masseuse, nothing prepared him for the gateways suddenly opened to him. A pathway that may also bring him close to the truth regarding the killing of his brother. 

The Bleed is a relatively short book, but it keeps you awake and alert from the very first until the very first line. Alert, well written, with pertinent ambiance descriptions and complex realistic characters, it is hard to abandon it until the ending - which comes with a twist. 

I was particularly pleased by the psychological complexity of the situations described, as well as by the ways in which the moral ambiguity of the characters influenced the track of events. The descriptions of places where the action takes part, mostly South of London, it takes the reader to the very heart of the events and it is also very relatable.

This book is like a gatetway to a world that we may read about it, hopefully not get to know directly, but nevertheless always inciting. Good books can take you anyway, even in the darkest corridors of the South London gangs.

A recommended read if you are looking for a short yet unforgettable crime thriller read for a long weekend.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Zwei vernüftige Erwachsene die sich mal nackt gesehen haben by Anika Decker

There is so much to say about German literature nowadays. One of the latest things that I´ve noticed lately is the humongous length of the titles. As long words taking one line at least were not enough. This one, by screenplay writer Anita Decker´s book - Two reasonable adults they´ve already seen each other naked (this is my personal translation and I am always happy to read creative translation alternatives) takes upon another common issue in many books with women authors in German: the protagonists, women, do have bad sex, guilty sex or no sex at all. For years. 

They may give a chance to sex - love is overrated, it seems - but then there are so many social tabus and second thoughts that the ladies will end up, again, with no sex at all. (There are more than one reasons why I love French literature, by the way).

Nina just met David, a handsome 20-year younger man and they seem like a great match - not a Tinder-one, she got no chance as she entered her real age, dangerously close to 50. She is divorced, with two grown up children, a mother that loves alcohol and a small apartment, where she is back after working a precarious job for a film producing company. Her husband left her for a much younger influencer, that her sister Lena fancy a lot. Lena is in a sexless marriage, but keps herself busy immersing into the glamorous lives of Grünewald by the way of Berlin riches. 

As a #MeToo situation is unfolding at the production company, and her mother is going through a medical emergency, Nina is faced with the open rejection of her burgeoning relationship. A period during which she will revisit all the wrongs of her and her mother´s and as a projection, many other women´ relationships. 

Although I may differ in many respects from this mindset, I enjoyed the book for the humour, funny characters and the unfolding story which is captivating and engaging. 

Rating: 4 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: A Greek Island Gift by Mandy Baggot

 

How would you feel to find out, completely out of the blue, that there is an inheritance waiting for you on the famous island of Corfu in Greece. Molly Adams was the lucky one, although she was unable to connect the dots of the relationship between her and the generous Vaggelis Vlachos who included her in her will.

Taking the challenge though, she may find surprinsingly that she may need to share the unexpected inheritance with the the handsome entrepreneur Christos, completely uninterested in sharing 50% of a boat, apartment or 25% of a cat. At least he knew Vlachos, as his godfather, therefore half of the mystery in this case was solved.

Would Christos and Molly be able to work together? Or would this surprising summer lead to something equally unexpected few months ago?

A Greek Island Gift by bestseller romace writer Mandy Baggot is a sweet rom-com set on the inviting background of Corfu´s Kassiopi. A recommended read for armchair travellers and romance lovers or just if you are looking for your literary inspiration for your travels. 

Traveling to a new place may be as challenging as an unexpected life change, and the ways in which characters in this book embrace change is analysed in its complexity by the author. Far from idealizing the changes, it shows the challenges and the human ways in which we can adapt. 

In the end, not all of us may inherit 25% of a cat, but at least we can get used with the idea that things out of our control may happen, although not necessarily bad ones. 

For me, A Greek Island Gift was a full immersion into the dynamics between characters and the unique Greek life, an unexpected romance for anyone that will never give up believing that love may appear most probably when you are not looking for it.

Rating: 4 stars

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