Chapter 35: A Book Set Somewhere You've Always Wanted to Visit

Trail of Broken Wings, Sejal Badani

I'm not sure if it's northern California that I want to visit, or India, but those are the two places this book takes place and I'd be happy to travel to either. Not why I picked this title, but, hey, I'll use whatever I can make work.

The title led me to believe that this would be a rich text full of evocative language. It's not. I'm beginning to think that I need to lower my literary standards. Again we have a book with so much potential that never is fulfilled. I hate that I am, once again, writing about an unimpressive book, but here goes.

Broken Wings is the tale of three women and their mother, as they reunite around the deathbed of their father, who has fallen into an inexplicable coma. The family immigrated to the States from India when the girls were still young, only one having memories of their life there. Instead of finding the American Dream, daddy flips a switch and becomes an abusive tyrant to his family, except the middle sister who remains adored.

So now daddy is unresponsive and the women are facing a very complicated situation. Do they want him to live? Do they want him to die? Should he suffer? Does he still have control over them? What role does each play in the family and can that ever change? All some really great questions. All of them pretty much ignored, too. I was so disappointed in the shallow treatment of so many complicated things.

First, there is much time taken repeating pseudo-poetic metaphors that bore me, but there is very little exploration of how being an Indian family in the United States gives this story any flavor. Make me feel the pain of being an outsider in your own home. Make me long for a life that is idealized by time and distance. Give me more insight into Indian culture and how it makes this story happen. Don't just keep serving chai and roti. There is so much more to your voice than an old sari and some naan. I'm getting frustrated all over again just thinking about it.

Next, give the characters some personality. There's the successful, driven executive who is a control freak. There's the pretty and loved one who does her duty to family. There's the rebel artist who pushes people away. It's so cliche. Give me some flawed humanity. Give me hidden anguish. Or, explain to me why these women are so one-dimensional and rigid. And don't tell me it's because their dad was an abuser. I kept wanting more, hoping for a breakthrough, and it never happened. This is probably why I couldn't pursue a career in phsychology- I would lose my temper on people who held back.

As the youngest of three daughters, I would have loved to relate to the women as their relationships grew over time. But they didn't. They are all stuck in their ways and only make superficial growth throughout the pages. Ranee, the mom, is easily my favorite character because she does allow for changes. Her revelation was not a surprise for me, but was foreshadowed elegantly enough that I only knew what would happen, not how. That was one part of the writing that I felt was well-developed. Otherwise, it was mostly immature and heavy-handed writing.

Part of me hoped that this would connect me to the part of my family that came to the States from India. Though I haven't seen them in over a decade, there are some bonds that exist forever. They did not suffer the kind of torment as the family in the novel, but there are definitely some complicated relationships there.

I mentioned complicated grief earlier. This is a term a friend introduced me to while she was coping with her mother's death. I find the idea so fascinating and also comforting. It's a phrase I wish to give to many people I know who feel conflicted about the end of relationships or lives near to them. Maybe that will be a theme in something I write one day. Until then, I hope it at least gives people something to think about.

Trail of Broken Wings gets a disappointing two Marias. Wish me luck that the next one is worth recommending.

Chapter 34: A Book Based On a True Story

Booth's Sister, Jane Singer

What's it like being related to an infamous criminal? How do you juggle love of family with hate of their crimes? What lengths would you go to in order to protect your best friend?

A novelization of the real memoirs of Asia Booth, this book seeks to frame her story in the context of a bizarre childhood of theater and seclusion. At times magical, at others devastating, the Booths grew up in a peculiar family to say the least.

I typically enjoy historical fiction, but I've never read much about this era and nothing about John Wilkes Booth. Aside from his cry of "Sic Semper Tyrannis" I don't really know much about the man. Viewing his spiral to infamy through the eyes of his devoted yet jealous sister is intriguing. The disparity between what boys and girls can do, between each one's moral compass, and ultimately between their fates makes me wonder at the depth of love.

I don't want to give much away, because those who like historical fiction will also probably like this novel. Asia, as a woman and as a social outcast, can get away with some things that others would never attempt. In that way, she shapes the future of the entire nation- whether she's a willing participant or not.

I might refer back to this one as I attempt to portray sympathy for characters that are not always sympathetic. Singer portrays Asia Booth with humanity, neither elevating nor diminishing her. Booth's Sister gets 3.5 Marias.

Chapter 33: A Book By an Author You've Never Read Before

The Good Neighbor, A. J. Banner

This story has so much potential. The writing is well-paced to build tension and suspicion. But it all kind of falls apart in the end. Like, really falls apart.

It's been compared to Gone Girl, a book I have serious issues with. So, maybe I should have skipped it. But I wanted a thriller so I downloaded.

Sarah lives in a quiet neighborhood in the Pacific Northwest. Everything seems pretty normal until the next-door-neighbor's house burns to the ground and Sarah rescues the four year old daughter, but fails to save the parents.

Then the secrets start to be revealed. That's sort of the formula for this type of novel. Some are laid out for the reader to ponder, others are just hints and glimpses of potential terror. But the terror comes too little, too late. It's out of nowhere. The breadcrumbs leading to the villain must have been eaten by mice because the Big Reveal comes out of nowhere.

So, not only does the antagonist just snap and put people in danger, but the other storylines are not resolved. Ok, I get it. You plan to write more about these people, to develop them more. Then do that. I don't enjoy reading a series that does not allow the individual pieces to stand alone. Especially when there are no other installments! Make me fall in love with the characters and then let new conflicts arise. Don't leave me hanging with a runaway, a possibly cheating spouse, and whatever other nonsense you didn't bother wrapping up in the first.

It was entertaining until the last quarter of the book. But instead of being like an awesome illusion where you are left wondering how the magician pulled it off, you're just scratching you head wondering why he even bothered. I feel like I've been trapped in an Arrested Development gag. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Nvxv2R01po

I won't read this one again. I won't recommend it to anyone I like. It wasn't a total waste of time, in part because I keep thinking of what I would do to make the ending more satisfying. Neighbor gets two Marias.

Chapter 32: A Book Set at Christmas (Thanksgiving)

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeline L'Engle

I'm fudging this one a little. The challenge says Christmas, but I read one that takes place Thanksgiving Day instead. Sue me.

Planet is the third in L'Engle's Time Trilogy, which became a Quartet then Quintet. But the central characters of the first three are the same, those of the following two are not.

It's been years since we last met Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace. Meg and Calvin are now married and Charles Wallace, a teenager, is constructing models of a tesseract. The whole Murray family has convened for a traditional holiday dinner together, when father gets a disturbing call from the president.

Thus begins Charles Wallace's journey through time to see if it is possible to change one moment to affect change in the future. Unlike butterfly effect theories, Charles Wallace, with the help of Meg via kything, seek to pinpoint and alter one tiny moment to save the future without changing everything else.

Through their mental and spiritual connection, Meg watches as Charles Wallace travels through the genealogy of Mad Dog Branzillo, looking for the right moment to rescue the future. For now I will ignore the moral and ethical criticisms of the novel and just focus on what I specifically liked and disliked.

Well, of course, there is Meg. She's not the same kickass teenager that I love. She's become pretty and content and lacks all the angsty fire I used to love. She's no longer blazing, just some glowing embers. Which, you know, is actually a fine way for a woman to grow. I just don't find much to cheer her for now that she's all mature.

I like that L'Engle blends science and religion without putting them at odds. In this episode, she adds some Paganism to the mix, which is like seasoning an already delicious dish. So many times, I think we get caught in a fallacy of mutual exclusivity, that we miss the duality in nature of the world around us. (There will be more discussion of this at a later date because it ties in to another theme of a different novel.)

I like the family histories. Even when the oft repeated names became confusing. The mystery of which branch the final antagonist will come from is an interesting exercise in word play.

As someone with vertigo, I love the title. It perfectly describes those moments.

It's not my favorite in the series, but I'm sure I'll read it again (and again). Meg's transformation and weak role don't help this one earn any extra Marias. Planet ties up this trilogy with just 3 Marias.

Chapter 31: A Book With a Love Triangle

Drums of Autumn, Diana Gabaldon

I have a love-hate relationship with the Outlander series. Years ago, I was at a Mommies Network event and someone handed me a copy of Outlander that she had won. She had a whole box of them and knew I like to read. It sat on the shelf until a night of insomnia and no new books. I'm still not sure whether I should be thanking that woman or sticking pins in a voodoo doll. For now, I'm going with thanks.

Drums is the fourth installment of the preposterous tale of Claire Randall-Fraser, a war-time nurse who stepped through a gap in stones and ended up in the middle of the Jacobite Rebellion. After cheating death time and again, she goes back through the stones to spend time with her modern-day husband, Frank. When he dies, she goes back to her historical husband, Jamie. So two of the points of the triangle don't even exist in the same century. Confused yet?

In this episode, Jamie and Claire have been blown to the Colonies by a hurricane and are looking to start a homestead in North Carolina, where Jamie is technically not allowed to own land because of his involvement with the Rebellion. But rules of physics and man really just don't apply to these people. It's funny, I can suspend disbelief about time travel and many of their narrow escapes, but I found Jamie surviving a bear attack and killing it with his hands utterly ridiculous.

The first three books ended with a big cliffhanger. I quickly picked up the next to find out what was going to happen. I'm quite happy that I could stop at Drums, even though there is more story to be told. It was very satisfying to feel that I can pick up the next one when the mood strikes me, instead of needing to know right away.

So. What I loved about this book- North Carolina. I lived in this state longer than anywhere else in my life. It's beautiful, interesting, and home to some of the best people I have ever known. I loved reading about people for whom many places in the Tarheel State are named. (But go Devils! because I'm no UNC fan.) Imagining the colony from the point of view of the Scots who settled in the mountains, where there are still annual Highland Games, was fascinating and believable. There also isn't a whitewashing of relations with the Native Americans in the region. There's no kum-ba-yah scene where they share a meal in peace and decide to remain loyal friends. There's just a tenuous understanding between the lone settlers and the travelers through the lands.

What I don't love about this book/series. I've mentioned this before, but seriously everybody gets raped. Or almost gets raped. It's exhausting. It happens, yet again, in this one. Though not as graphic and repeated as earlier stories, I find myself wishing that Gabaldon would come up with some other type of danger for her characters.

With that warning, I do recommend the series to people. It's engrossing, entertaining, and a little bit of several genres- historical fiction, fantasy, romance. Plus, Starz produced it as a series and the theme song, a variation of The Skye Boat Song, is beautiful. My friend just bought a Mitsubishi Outlander, and every time I see it, I start singing.

I'll probably keep these books so I can lend them out to friends, but I doubt I'll read them again. Maybe. Drums is probably my second favorite of the four I have read, but this isn't the kind of series you can hop around. I'll give it three and half Marias.

Chapter 30: A Book You Own But Have Never Read

A Wind In the Door, Madeline L'Engle

This is one of those books that I can't believe I never read before. I mean, I've read Wrinkle so many times that I forget other people have not. But for some reason, I've never finished the trilogy/quartet until now.

A Wind In the Door brings us back to Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin together in the backyard trying to solve another major dilemma that no one outside their sphere knows about or understands. Charles Wallace is sick and having trouble adapting to school. This time, Meg's love alone will not save her brother. She'll have to control her temper and ask from help from the one man she believes incapable of caring.

The dragons in the twins' garden are a new fantastical creature that will pair up with Meg and the others to solve, not only the mystery of Charles Wallace's health, but provide proof of the hypothetical farandolae- if only to those who already believe.

L'Engle is a masterful storyteller. Unlike many series, she does not get bogged down in repetition. Each journey is completely new, yet related to earlier adventures. They build on one another in a way that makes theoretical science accessible and entertaining. At the same time, she leaves you believing in a little bit of magic with a dash of generic religion. The three co-exist seamlessly in her skillful hands.

Meg continues to be one of my all-time favorite heroes. She's a real adolescent girl- confused, emotional, unsure. And when she's done saving the planet from doom, she keeps the secret to herself and goes about a normal life with cocoa and tomato sandwiches. I will definitely come back and reads these books again when my own daughter is in this stage.

On its own, Wind would earn a solid four Marias. It's not my favorite in this series, but as part of the series and because it stars Meg, A Wind In the Door earns five Marias.