I haven't written any reviews for a while, and I thought that rather than post something for each book I've read (which would put me way out in front in terms of eligibility for a prize again this year), I'd post by a couple of different genres.
In the category of mysteries:
When I'm Gone by Emily Bleeker. Publisher's description: "Luke Richardson has returned home after burying Natalie, his beloved wife of sixteen years, ready to face the hard job of raising their three children alone. But there’s something he’s not prepared for—a blue envelope with his name scrawled across the front in Natalie’s handwriting, waiting for him on the floor of their suburban Michigan home. The letter inside, written on the first day of Natalie’s cancer treatment a year ago, turns out to be the first of many. Luke is convinced they’re genuine, but who is delivering them?"
There was so much more to this book than I would have guessed from the description. The poignancy of the letters; the friendship that develops between Luke and Natalie's best friend Annie; the affection for the babysitter whom Natalie made him promise to hire ... and how it all ties together at the end. I felt like I really knew the characters - she portrayed very normal conversations, gestures, etc. and Luke's very real, relatable emotions. One fact that the ending hinges on really stretched the limits of believeability, but I otherwise enjoyed the book.
Before the Rain Falls by Camille Di Maio. "After serving seventy years in prison for the murder of her sister, Eula, Della Lee has finally returned home to the Texas town of Puerto Pesar. She’s free from confinement—and ready to tell her secrets before it’s too late. Enter journalist Mick Anders, who is reeling after his suspension from a Boston newspaper and in town, reluctantly, to investigate a mysterious portrait of Eula that reportedly sheds tears. He crosses paths with Dr. Paloma Vega, who’s visiting Puerto Pesar with her own mission: to take care of her ailing grandmother and to look after her rebellious younger sister."
Love story, family saga, mystery...an easy read with realistic characters and their budding relationship and struggles with their identities and ambitions. Liked it a lot.
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley. "On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are the painter Scott Burroughs and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family. Amid trauma and chaos, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy grows and glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, morality, and the inextricable ties that bind us together."
You'll be guessing 'whodunit' right up until the end of the book!
