Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

Behind Closed Doors
by B. A. Paris
Hardcover, 304 pages
9 August, 2016, St. Martin's Press
4 stars

This is the first book being compared to Gone Girl that has lived up to the hype – not because they were anything alike in terms of writing style, plot, or book construction, but because it was the first book since Gone Girl that I couldn't put down. I sat down one evening and read the first half, only stopping because it was time for bed, and then I waited grumpily all day until I could sit down again and finish it. It was incredibly fast paced and, as fast a reader as I am, I was still irritated that I couldn't read it faster. That earns it the comparison, in my opinion. 

This debut novel presents the perfect couple, Jack and Grace. They met one day in the park when Grace's younger sister Millie was dancing by herself and Jack stepped in to be her partner. After a whirlwind romance they were married and rushed off to an exotic honeymoon in Thailand. Upon their return Grace loses touch with her friends and quits her job, seemingly content to stay at home in the beautiful mansion that Jack bought for them and decorate, garden, and enjoy her new wonderful life. Soon, their friends notice that Grace and Jack are inseparable and Grace is now unavailable for lunch dates alone. 

Do you see where this is going? Don't worry if you don't because Paris shows you before long. By the time that happens you won't care, though, because you'll want to know how the situation is going to resolve itself. The story flips back and forth between two timelines, the first following Grace as she meets Jack, falls in love, and accepts his proposal, and the second as she details what her life is like in the present. This moved the story ahead in a way that highlighted the frantic rush Grace was in. I also genuinely enjoyed the scenes with Millie, too. Her portrayal as a person with Down's Syndrome but still as smart as a whip, fun, and present in her sister's life felt very authentic.

The book was not without flaws. Without giving too much away, it did require a slightly higher-than-normal suspension of disbelief because one of the characters was SO extreme. The circumstances were so perfectly plotted that it seems impossible for anyone to be as well-coordinated as would be necessary to pull off their plans. There are a lot of trigger warnings in this book – nothing graphic but a lot of allusions to things – and they're scattered liberally throughout the book (not problematic but something to keep in mind before deciding to read it).

I recommend it but don't pick it up when you have places to be or things to do. You won't be able to put it down.

(Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Come Closer by Sara Gran

Come Closer
by Sara Gran
Hardcover, 168 pages
July 1, 2003, Soho Press
5 stars

"What we think is impossible happens all the time."

It starts with a simple tapping in the apartment, explained away as a drippy pipe, or perhaps a mouse. An urge to start smoking again and more frequent bickering with her husband. Amanda, a successful young architect, feels a vague sense of unease at the changes in her life. As time passes, Amanda refuses to accept the improbable cause for these changes, with horrifying results.

I initially chose this book to host for my book club with more than a little trepidation. While I love a good horror story, especially the tale of "creeping dread" you expect from Alfred Hitchcock or Shirley Jackson, it's not everyone's cup of tea.  Frequently just saying a book is "horror" is enough to send potential readers running.  This book,  however, provided some interesting discussion about whether the narrator was suffering from some sort of supernatural possession or if she was having a mental breakdown.  While it still may not be for everyone,  if you're choosing a book for a club with somewhat eclectic taste, this could be a great option that's just a bit off the beaten path. 

At 169 pages, it's a short book, and Gran's writing is so clean and succinct that it feels even faster. The sparse writing creates a breakneck pace that causes a sense of panic for the reader, who cannot stop racing toward the same terrifying end as the protagonist. The ambiguity in the story is one of the novel's best qualities and is what draws the reader in. Is the overshadowing of Amanda's will and her seduction the result of insanity or something more supernatural - and does it matter?  The terror Amanda feels is palpable and Gran easily transfers this terror to the reader through prose that is both subtle and hypnotizing.

This is a truly horrifying story that is not about cheap scares and gory scenes but rather a literary approach to an easily dismissed and often unappreciated genre.

What to Drink: A good stiff vodka tonic is probably in order here. You'll need it to stave off the urge to check behind the door and in that dark corner across the room.

Backlist Bump: For a book with an unreliable protagonist who may or may not be going crazy, read The Shining by Stephen King. Jack Torrence's descent into madness is either his alcoholism getting the better of him during a bad case of cabin fever or it's the result of ghostly influences. Either way, don't read it after dark.

Fast Friday Review: Confessions by Kanae Minato

Confessions
by Kanae Minato
Hardcover, 240 pages
August 19, 2014, Mulholland Books
4 stars

"I do not want to be a saint."

Confessions is the dark, disturbing, and sometimes humorous tale of Yuko Moriguchi, a middle school teacher whose daughter has been killed at the school. The police have ruled it a tragic accident but Yuko believes that her daughter was murdered by two of her students. Because these students are too young to be prosecuted even if they were caught, Yuko decides that she needs to take matters into her own hands.

There are the usual bumps in this book that happen with translated fiction - certain phrases that sound a bit off and cultural differences that take a bit to get used to. Once you get past those difficulties, however, Confessions is full of plot twists that will make you cringe...but you'll want to keep reading to see what happens next. The story is told from multiple perspectives, allowing each character to explain his or her behavior, but it starts and ends with Yuko framing the narrative with her thoughts on punishment and revenge. Hearing each character explain why they behaved the way they did brings to light exactly how disastrous misunderstandings can be in the wrong circumstances and highlights just how twisted the climax is, once all the puzzle pieces come together.

Confessions is a creepy read that will leave you contemplating where the line between justice and revenge exists and how far is too far to seek revenge for a murdered child.

Fast Friday Review: Snowblind by Christopher Golden

Snowblind
by Christopher Golden
Hardcover, 320 pages
St. Martin's Press, January 21, 2014
3.5 stars

Any book that gets blurbed by Stephen King gets immediate attention from me and this book deserved it. Reminiscent of The Mist the concept behind this book is a rather simple one: A giant snowstorm sweeps into the small town of Coventry, people claim to see strange figures in the snow, and people walk into the storm never to be seen again. Fast forward twelve years and another giant storm is headed their way. As they make their preparations the residents of Coventry are haunted by the events of the previous storm and fear the return of whatever evil may accompany it. Sounds good, right?

The book initially takes off at a great pace, introducing characters in the form of short vignettes, describing the storm and the chaos it causes, and is just generally scary. Golden successfully captured the suffocating feel of a snow storm which added to the overall discomfort you experience as a reader. Because the story concept was a familiar one, the focus could be on the characters and their emotional responses to the terrifying circumstances in which they find themselves. The jump forward in time did cause some initial confusion since many of the characters from the opening pages were now in new relationships and...for other reasons that I cannot disclose without spoilers.

All in all this was a very good horror novel. There weren't any flashy gimmicks or twists, just a solid concept and successful execution. It was a fast read for a book over 300 pages, which was good since it wasn't the kind of book you'd want to set aside mid-read. If you like horror that has the feel of early Stephen King and Dean Koontz (Phantoms comes to mind here), give this one a try.

Fast Friday Review: Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

Missing Pieces
by Heather Gudenkauf
Hardcover, 288 pages
MIRA, February 2, 2016
2.5 stars

This is my first book by Heather Gudenkauf, so I went in blind, knowing only that she writes suspense/thrillers. The short summary of this book is this: Jack Quinlan's aunt Julia, who raised him after his mother was murdered and his father disappeared, has fallen down the stairs and is in a coma. He and his wife Sarah rush back to his hometown of Penny Gate, Iowa to be with her and his uncle. When his aunt dies the police suspect foul play and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Jack's mother resurfaces, placing the family under scrutiny. Sarah, who is a journalist by trade, finds herself drawn into the awkward circumstance of investigating her husband, sister-in-law, and other relatives for murder. There is a lot of small town drama, several creepy abandoned barns, and scarily dark cornfields involved along the way. 

To be honest, this book read like a domestic drama almost as much as it did a mystery. Sarah and Jack do not feel like a couple that have been together for 20+ years with two daughters in college. They seem awkward and uncomfortable when they interact and came across as much younger then they apparently are. They don't seem to have a solid marriage despite there being no real reason they wouldn't prior to Julia's death. That aside, I did like that Sarah was portrayed as a strong female character, though I would have liked to see a bit more from her, especially considering that she's an investigative journalist by trade. She seems to ignore what felt like fairly obvious red flags throughout this book. Also, her strange jealousy over her husband's ex-girlfriend from high school seemed absurd. 20 years and two kids and she's jealous of some girl he was "in love with" as a high school student? It unnecessarily weakened her character and felt like it was tossed in to create drama where it didn't need to be.

The plot was full of twists and turns (some made more sense than others) until the "bad guy" was finally revealed.  I found the ending so convoluted and confusing that it dropped my rating an entire star. I thought I knew who did it. The author was pushing readers in a very specific direction (almost too hard) and then the real killer came out of nowhere. Don't get me wrong, I'm all in favor of twisty endings...when they make sense. There were several suspects who had *actual* motives for wanting Julia dead and yet the Gudenkauf manufactured a weird "they're just crazy" reason for her murder. It felt like a stretch and I found it unsatisfying as a reader.

The book was a fast and entertaining-enough read if you're looking for a suspense/thriller that is neither too creepy or too tense. I prefer either a fast-paced plot or thoughtful, well-developed characters and this book had neither. I'll probably pick up another by this author (I own a few, as it turns out) but I'm not in any hurry to do so. 
(Thank you to MIRA and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Fast Friday Review: The Nest: Middle-Grade Mental Health

The Nest
by Kennet Oppel
Hardcover, 256 pages
Simon & Schuster for Young Adults, October 6, 2015
3 stars

Steven is an anxiety-ridden young boy whose coping mechanisms have developed into OCD rituals - saying prayers twice, making lists, and repeatedly washing his hands. When his parents bring home a new baby brother with severe disabilities and chronic health issues, the whole household becomes a sad and worrisome place. Steven's anxiety worsens and he begins to have repeated dreams again, this time of a fairy-like creature this offers a solution to all of his problems.

                      ********************

I didn't mean to read this book. I meant to read the other book by the same title that everyone has been raving about. That being said, I'm glad I took the time to give this middle-grade book a quick read. I liked the way it touched on issues of mental health in a way that I think children could relate to, with an overall message of "nothing is perfect." Steven's gradual shift during the story from not wanting to refer to his brother by name to his final embrace of his new brother as a part of their family was touching and believable. 

That being said, there were time when the plot dragged and the story got repetitive. Steve would dream, wake up, be upset, go to bed, and the whole cycle would repeat. It was written in a simple, direct writing style that I liked, especially alongside Klassen's beautifully stark illustrations. Overall, I'm still not into middle-grade books, but this one was well-done.

Pair this book with a cold glass of lemonade - just lemonade. It's a kid's book, after all.

Fast Friday Review: River Road: Snow, Snow, and More Snow

River Road
by Carol Goodman
Hardcover, 288 pages
Touchstone, January 19, 2016
3 stars

Nan Lewis is driving home from a faculty holiday party at the university in upstate New York where she works after learning she has been denied tenure. Upset and tired, she's startled when she hits a deer, but even more startled when, after exiting the car, she can't locate the animal. Nan eventually gives up, instead heading home, eager to avoid the ensuing snowstorm. The next morning she is woken with the news that one of her students was hit by a car and killed – in the same location as her accident with the deer. Nan, as a result of the damage to her car, is a suspect. Shunned by the school community and haunted by memories of her daughter's accident at the same spot six years earlier, Nan must investigate to clear her name. 

                                                                  ********************

I really enjoyed Goodman's Lake of Dead Languages so I was eager to dive into this one. It's a face-paced read, with twists and turns coming fast and hard almost from the start.  The writing was atmospheric and moody, though the constant descriptions of trudging through snow got repetitive after a while. My biggest struggle with this novel was entirely wrapped up in the plot. There are enough characters with secrets to entertain the idea the idea that any one of them could have been the murderer, but I figured out the "whodunit" fairly early on. Even worse, the murderer quite the melodramatic monologue explaining her dastardly plot.  There was a touch of a romantic story line that, surprisingly, didn't feel forced. Unfortunately, I didn't like Nan, as she was a bit of a snob, looking down on her fellow coworkers and being surprised that the police officer investigating her student's death was a reader. Ultimately this book was an okay read but wasn't my favorite by Goodman.

My recommended beverage of choice for this book is a hot toddy. There is *so much* talk of snow and cold weather that just reading it was making me cold. There are many ways to make a hot toddy, but I'm a fan of the traditional version. If it ain't broken, and all of that.


The Classic Hot Toddy

1 1/2 oz brown liquor (rum, whiskey, or brandy)

1 tbsp honey

1/2 oz lemon juice

1 cup hot water

lemon wedge and cinnamon stick for garnish (optional)

Combine the first four ingredients into a warmed mug. Add the garnishes if desired.