Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey Published by Tor Books on July 19, 2022 my rating: 4.5 stars Goodreads avg: 3.53 (as of 2022-09-14) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever loved a monster.
I can’t seem to stop reading divisive books! This was my fourth Gailey read and I have to say that I am so impressed by their range. From historical fiction to thriller to horror, it seems like they can do it all. Just Like Home is about a woman named Vera who returns to her childhood home at the behest of her estranged dying mother. Vera’s father was a serial killer and her memories in this house are slowly revealed to us over the course of the book. There is also a horror element that readers seem to either love or hate — I loved it. There were just a handful of things I wish Gailey had done differently, but I found this so atmospheric. I had to tear myself away from the book at night because even though I was getting so spooked, I didn’t want to put it down. I found both the characters and the story itself incredibly compelling and really can’t wait to see what Gailey comes out with next.
The Perfect Nanny by Leïla Slimani transl. by Sam Taylor Published by Penguin Books on January 9, 2018 (originally 2016) my rating: 4 stars Goodreads avg: 3.39 (as of 2022-09-08) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
Already the rumor is spreading. Something terrible has happened to the children.
I picked this up after listening to a re-run of an interview with the author on the podcast Literary Friction. I was a little anxious seeing the average rating (apparently the last month or so has been me accidentally reading plenty of lowly-rated books), but decided to give it a go anyway. I’m glad I did. This is a book following Louise, a French nanny who seems perfect in every way. But the book begins with the death of the two children Louise has been nannying. This is a retrospective, more literary than thriller, giving us the greater context for this tragedy.
I could have easily read this in one sitting. I found the story and its characters utterly compelling, even if none of them were particularly likeable. Louise is outwardly perfect in every way, going above and beyond, but privately she is drowning in the debts of her late husband and is completely estranged from her daughter. I liked how we were exposed to voices from Louise’s past as we follow her in the very recent past throughout her career with these two children. The tone of this book was immaculate, with creeping dread building steadily as the family and the nanny become increasingly more codependent in their relationships.
This will be a particularly horrific read for parents and I caution you to make sure you’re prepared if you have or want kids. But Slimani is an excellent writer who is able to pack so much into such a slim novel and I will absolutely be recommending this.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Published by One World on January 12, 2021 my rating: 5 stars Goodreads avg: 4.00 (as of 2022-08-31) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
[…] her life as a woman arrived with pain; pain that had to be endured, withstood, pain that was the same as being alive, and so was without end.
This was really incredible. Torrey Peters is an incredible writer and I was constantly awed by how clever this was. ‘A whipsmart debut’ indeed. Reese is a trans woman living in New York who is figuring out herself and how to get what she wants in life. Ames is her ex-girlfriend, now detransitioned but not quite a cis man, trying to live a ‘normal’ life. Ames has gotten his current partner, his boss, pregnant and is frantically trying to decide what to do.
Before I knew this was authored by a trans women, the inclusion of detransition concerns me. I mean, we’re surrounded with right-wing rhetoric about how allowing trans children to be themselves will lead to all these horrible things, and how soo many people detransition. But Peters is trans and I felt that she handled this topic gracefully, emphasizing how so many trans folks are forced to detransition because it is so difficult to live in such a transphobic world.
While I am not a trans woman, as a member of the queer community I did find a lot of comfort and familiarity in this book. I’m also polyamorous and seeing the development of this triad warmed my heart — even if they have far to go when it comes to communication. But this book deals with a lot of dark topics, things that I don’t think could have been left out of a story like this. There is an interesting commentary about various forms of colonization and oppression; Ames’ partner Katrina is a cis woman but is biracial. Reese is used to viewing all cis women as privileged, but has to confront the fact that not all cis women are cis white women.
I also appreciated that Peters didn’t pause the story to introduce concepts of Gender 101; she used in-group language without explanation in a way that I found immersive and important. I appreciate when authors do this for any kind of culture — sprinkling in definitions often feels forced or pulls a reader out of the story. We all have access to Google and are able to look up anything we don’t understand from prior knowledge or context alone.
There were so many fascinating explorations of misogyny and transmisogyny and I’m excited to come back to this someday to pick up on more than can be processed via a first read. I feel like each page could spawn dozens of essays. Peters brought a remarkable book into this world and I’m looking forward to picking up her next one.
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker Published by HarperCollins on January 30, 2014 (originally 1992) my rating: 3 stars Goodreads avg: 4.20 (as of 2022-08-30) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
Harvey had climbed the porch steps by now, and stopped in front of the open door. This was a moment of decision, he knew, though he wasn’t quite certain why.
This was a quick little MG/YA fantasy read with a pinch of horror. Harvey Swick is a kid dealing with the dreariness of mid-winter who wants some excitement in his life. And he gets exactly what he wishes for — kind of. Harvey is whisked away to a magical house, where he can play with other children and where all his wants are met. But, of course, things aren’t quite what they seem. This wasn’t a new favorite, but it was a fun little novel to zip through. I definitely recommend it to those looking for some lighter horror
Dark Circles by Caite Dolan-Leach Published by Ballantine Books on April 19, 2022 my rating: 2 stars Goodreads avg: 3.41 (as of 2022-08-29) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. Quotes have been taken from the advanced copy and may differ from the final publication.
The stories told about us are not our own.
I had to pick this up because I really liked We Went to the Woods by the same author. I found it well-written and compelling at first, so the average Goodreads rating confused me, but We Went to the Woods also has a low average so I brushed it off. I really enjoyed the setup, meeting Liv and the House of Light. Olivia is an actress who had a recent public outburst that prompts her assistant slash best friend Jess to send her to rehab. The House of Light is more of a spiritual retreat and Liv thinks she knows exactly what she’s in for. Since this is a literary thriller of sorts, I think we all know that things end up taking a turn.
After the first third, this began to drag for me. I felt like the various elements didn’t quite mesh and some things began to get repetitive. It was just missing that something to make it feel compelling. It was a bit of a disappointment for me because I did like the concept of integrating a podcast into the narrative (which I think was done well here) but I struggled with the novel as a whole. I also found one of the final twists to be unsatisfying and wasn’t convinced by some of the character motives. I’m really hoping I get along better with Dolan-Leach’s next book.
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon Published by MCD Books on May 4, 2021 my rating: 2 stars Goodreads avg: 3.83 (as of 2022-08-21) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. Quotes have been taken from the advanced copy and may differ from the final publication.
The forest didn’t mind illiterates and mad girls. Didn’t mind that screaming was sometimes a person’s only language.
This was my first Rivers Solomon and I hate to say it but I was definitely disappointed. I went into this pretty cold and wasn’t really expecting the extreme fantastical elements — which I’ll admit is on me. It’s definitely a book that some people will love, but it was a little too out there for me. I had difficulty following some things and just didn’t get along with the writing in general. I did appreciate how queer this was, though, as well as the messages Solomon was conveying. I have a copy of The Deep which I’ll definitely also be trying out.
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily R. Austin Published by Atria Books on July 6, 2021 my rating: 4 stars Goodreads avg: 3.86 (as of 2022-08-19) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
I don’t really owe anyone anything. I am an animal, brought into existence without my consent, left scrounging to get by.
This is a dark little novel about depression and anxiety and the things they push us to do. Gilda is already halfway to a breakdown when she’s in a ‘minor car accident’ that leaves her with a broken arm and a destroyed car. She’s given an ad for therapy, which leads her to a Catholic church, which leads her to a job where she has to hide the fact that she’s a lesbian. While Gilda was pushed to extremes here, I found myself relating strongly to her character. Avoidance as a result of extreme anxiety can lead us to do a lot of ‘weird’ things and I understood where she was coming from, even as I knew her actions were in no way sustainable.
I really enjoyed reading this, as much as someone can ‘enjoy’ something so anxiety-inducing. Austin is able to convey the difficulties of mental illness so well and is a fantastic writer who I look forward to reading more by.
The Odyssey by Lara Williams Published by Zando on April 21, 2022 my rating: 4 stars Goodreads avg: 3.26 (as of 2022-08-18) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. Quotes have been taken from the advanced copy and may differ from the final publication.
I was already feeling kind of slumpy when I picked this up and when I saw the average Goodreads rating (an abysmal 3.26), I was nervous. I thought this would edge me further into my reading slump and that I’d have another DNF on my hands. Instead, I found myself pulled straight in to Ingrid’s story. A crewmember on an immense cruise ship, Ingrid is a strange person having strange experiences. It’s hard to say more without getting into spoilers, but I found this to be a delightfully messy and confusing book. There both is and isn’t much in the way of plot and the characters themselves are odd and difficult to connect with. I can see why this isn’t for everyone, but I felt like Lara Williams did a great job here and I’m glad I finally got around to picking this up.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston Published by St. Martin’s Griffin on June 1, 2021 my rating: 3 stars Goodreads avg: 4.02 (as of 2022-08-06) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. Quotes have been taken from the advanced copy and may differ from the final publication.
Jane is spun sugar. A switchblade girl with a cotton-candy heart.
I wish I could put my finger on why this didn’t quite work for me. Maybe I went in with my expectations too high: I loved Red, White and Royal Blue and I was so excited for McQuiston to put out a sapphic romance as well. Most of my friends — people I share reading tastes with — gave the book five stars. But I was able to put this down for four days after hitting the halfway point because I didn’t feel compelled to continue.
Looking back, I think I found August a little unbelievable as a character. In fact, her whole group of friends made me feel more like I was reading a sitcom than a story I could really immerse myself into. I read plenty of sff and horror, so I don’t necessarily need realism in my books but I do need to feel like the characters are real people and I just didn’t get that here. I found myself skimming a lot throughout the second half of the book because I really just wanted to finish it.
That being said, this book still made me really emotional! That McQuiston can tug on my heartstrings in a story I’m not attached to is a testament to their writing. I had to put down the book at one point because I was reading during downtime at work and didn’t want to cry in front of any customers. I think if I had read it earlier, I may have gotten along with it better so I would definitely take my outlook with a grain of salt — especially because I’m in a clear minority.
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill Published by William Morrow Paperbacks on September 16, 2008 (originally 2005) my rating: 3 stars Goodreads avg: 3.94 (as of 2022-08-03) Spoiler-free review Goodreads
She is saying something about home. She is saying something everyone knows.
This has been on my TBR for years so I’m disappointed that I wasn’t a huge fan of it. Joe Hill is one of my favorite authors, but this was his first book and it just didn’t hit like I had hoped it would. The fatphobia in this is absolutely rampant and really destroyed my interest in a few of the stories. The f-slur and the n-word were also both used at some points. As for the stories themselves, a lot of them didn’t do much for me. I’ll include my full ratings here:
Best New Horror – ⭐⭐⭐ 20th Century Ghost – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pop Art – ⭐⭐⭐ You Will hear the Locus Sing – ⭐⭐ Abraham’s Boys – ⭐⭐ Better Than Home – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Black Phone – ⭐⭐ In the Rundown – ⭐⭐⭐ The Cape – ⭐⭐ Last Breath – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dead-wood – ⭐⭐⭐ The Widow’s Breakfast – ⭐⭐⭐.5 Bobby Conroy Comes Back From the Dead – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ My Father’s Mask – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Voluntary Committal – ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Scheherazade’s Typewriter – ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A few of them were hard-hitting in the best of ways, but overall I found the collection somewhat forgettable. I do think My Father’s Mask and Voluntary Committal both could be expanded into novels or series and make for a good time. I’m also very intrigued to see how they adapted The Black Phone because it didn’t feel to me like something that could be expanded into a full-length film. Overall, probably wouldn’t recommend this collection highly, but it’s probably worth reading if you want to see Hill’s earlier works.
Sarah Ames-Foley 