Reading Surprises
I read two books recently that really surprised me, in different ways. But first… I finished the Kate Atkinson book. I really liked this book, but felt that it was falsely advertised as a “locked room mystery.” It was not that- but I liked the characters, the writing style, and the humor. Too bad I started with this, the most recent book in the Jackson Brodie series! I should have started at the beginning- but that’s okay, I can go back and read the earlier ones. Next up- Meredith on the Currently Reading podcast recommended this book so highly, I immediately put a library hold on it: When I got it, I hesitated. The entire story is told through letter writing. Sybil is a woman in her 70s. She corresponds with everyone- her children, siblings, friends, authors, and pretty much anyone who will write back to her. Wait a minute- is this book going to be… boring? Am I really going to like this? Fine… I’ll try it. You guys… I LOVED it! The writing is beautiful. There are multiple compelling storylines that are slowly revealed, through the letters Sybil sends and receives over the course of several years. It was not boring in the slightest- I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen with Sybil’s adult daughter, her neighbor, and also wanted to know about some murky incidents from Sybil’s past (all is revealed in the end). Seriously- I can’t recommend this book highly enough. You know me- I love mysteries and science fiction. So you know if I absolutely loved a book about an elderly woman writing letters, it has to be amazing. Next up… I book I thought I was going to love: I read two other Wally Lamb books years ago- She’s Come Undone and I Know This Much is True. I loved both of those and was excited to see that he has a new one. I waited a long time to get it from my library, but finally my hold came in. Here’s the premise: Corby Ledbetter, a father of toddler twins, experiences the worst thing a person can imagine- he’s responsible for the death of his son in a DUI accident, and sentenced to three years in prison. This book had so much potential. Corby joins AA, but having been raised by an atheist father and agnostic mother, he struggles with the spiritual aspect of the program. This could have been explored in a fascinating way, but everything in the book felt very superficial. At one point he checks out a book on Buddhism from the prison library- we hear one quote from it, but then it’s set aside. How does a person find peace after causing such a horrific tragedy? What a great question, and you won’t find any answers in this book. Instead we hear a lot of details about prison life that just weren’t very interesting. I found myself reading on angrily, just to find out what happened at the end (although I almost didn’t care). I will say the ending was unexpected, but- I still didn’t like it. Am I a different reader than I was 20 years ago? If I read Wally Lamb’s earlier books now, would I dislike them? I’m very curious to know if anyone else has read this book. Tell me what you think! Up next: My son has been bugging me to read this book, so I moved it to the top of my stack! Top photo by Matias North on Unsplash