I read this book based on all of the reviews in the front pages, and they were not wrong. It was suspenseful, and it did keep me up reading late into...moreI read this book based on all of the reviews in the front pages, and they were not wrong. It was suspenseful, and it did keep me up reading late into the night.(I read the whole book in just a few hours) I was afraid it would be the type of story to leave me hanging on at the end, with some vague explanation of what happened and no real answers. I wasn't far off. Caitlin Stuart disappears one day while walking her dog, and the resulting story is told by her father, Tom.His wife, Abby, is going through her own grieving process and they are growing apart. ~~~~~~spoilers~~~~~ Unexpectedly, new information comes in about Caitlin, and that she may still be alive. Caitlin does eventually appear, but she is not the same girl who disappeared 4 years earlier. She does not want to discuss where she's been or what has happened. Little by little, the details emerge. She was kidnapped and held by a man she now claims to "love". She was told that her parents didn't want her anymore. She was raped. And this man had done this to other girls before Caitlin. The story goes in 8 different directions at this point. Abby,Tom's brother,the victim advocates,the cops-everyone has an agenda. And at the bottom of it all is Caitlin who wants more than anything to return to her captor and go back to her "life" with him. I was frustrated at the ending , and the lack of details. I guess I wanted more of an explanation. What did happen to make her want to stay with her kidnapper? How did he brainwash her like that? What happens now? I did leave this book with a bit of a dirty,creeped out feeling, so I guess the author did his job. I just wish it was more than a grimier Jodi Picoult-esqe book. (less)
I really like this author, even though sometimes the stories become so far-fetched that you would never believe these things could happen. He manages...moreI really like this author, even though sometimes the stories become so far-fetched that you would never believe these things could happen. He manages to make it plausible and suck you in to the story before he drops the crazy on you. But this one? ehhhhh...I'm still not sure. I think the strength of his other stories are that, even with all the twists, they are still based in reality. This was definitely not. ******SPOILER**** I'm not going to give the whole plot line here but I will say that it starts off fairly normal. You begin to think that something weird is going on with the main character John Waters, but you are sure there is a reasonable explanation to it. Not so much. His old girlfriend Mallory managed to switch her (her what? essence? That sounds like an Emeril spice. Bam! Her soul? Oh,whatever you want to call it...)into the mind and body of the man who is raping and about to kill her. From there she finds a way to pass "herself" along from person to person until she winds up in the body of a realtor in the same town as John Waters. And then she confronts him with the fact that she is Mallory , and hey, how about they have lots of sex? Towards the end of the book, there are lots of alternate explanations offered up (conspiracy to blackmail him,etc....) so you aren't really sure if this supernatural element is going to be the real explanation. Turns out, yes it is. And in the end, Mallory is inside John's wife's brain/soul/subconscious forever. So she could surface and decide she is REALLY pissed off about everything at any time. AND there are some sketchy explanations given involving DNA which made me think "really? Is that a thing? that can't happen" but being at the end of the book, it was a bit late to quit reading. I still like this author, but no more supernatural stuff, please?(less)
**spoiler alert** Just finished the first novella of the book, "1922". This was the spookiest,most unsettling story that Stephen King has written in a...more**spoiler alert** Just finished the first novella of the book, "1922". This was the spookiest,most unsettling story that Stephen King has written in a long time. And that is a compliment,by the way. The huge doorstop "Under the Dome" is still sitting unfinished because I just couldn't get into it. This, however, kept me reading even when I was half asleep. Without giving too much away, it is the story of a man and his son who do a Bad Thing. There is a domino effect of bad luck that stems from the action affecting everyone he cares for,and in the end, the man is left alone---alone with the the spirit of his wife. But is it really a haunting? Is it some delusion in his mind? Is he so overrun with guilt that he's driven himself insane? This story is still on my mind, so I guess Mr. King has done his job.(less)
Just bought this today. Saw Guillermo on Craig Ferguson the other night,didn't even realize he had a book out. Loved pan's Labyrinth,so here's hoping....moreJust bought this today. Saw Guillermo on Craig Ferguson the other night,didn't even realize he had a book out. Loved pan's Labyrinth,so here's hoping...(less)
**spoiler alert** Well. I had hoped this book would be better. It's about a paranoid schizophrenic boy who is no longer taking his meds. There has bee...more**spoiler alert** Well. I had hoped this book would be better. It's about a paranoid schizophrenic boy who is no longer taking his meds. There has been an "incident" with a girl before he was "sent away", and now he is back out on the streets of New York. Lots of time spent riding the subway , interspersed with some odd scenes of his mother and a cop looking for him. (I say "scenes" because it did feel like I was watching some sort of screenplay here). There is a supposedly shocking part where it is revealed that the mom also is schizophrenic, although it didn't seem shocking or interesting. Of course Lowboy ends up finding the girl, who agrees to run off with him. And then there's the ending,which I won't spoil here, but... yeah. I think I groaned out loud. (less)
**spoiler alert** It sounds so cliche, but this was one of those books that you just can't put down... Right up until the HORRIBLE ENDING! The suspens...more**spoiler alert** It sounds so cliche, but this was one of those books that you just can't put down... Right up until the HORRIBLE ENDING! The suspense built over the course of the book, and then it just all dissipated at the end with no explanation. What did happen to the kids? Why throw in the supernatural bits, as if there would be some forest monster that lived in the woods? Why destroy a perfectly good friendship/relationship that was the foundation of the whole story? (less)
As with The Bell Jar,I read this just out of high school. It struck something in me, so that I was reading the poems over and over,trying to understan...moreAs with The Bell Jar,I read this just out of high school. It struck something in me, so that I was reading the poems over and over,trying to understand,and afraid that I knew how she felt.I am not especially a "poem person", but I absolutely loved this book. I need to go back and read it again . (less)
The last time I read this, I was just out of high school ,moody, wrote a lot, and thought "nobody understood me". So obviously I loved this book. I ne...moreThe last time I read this, I was just out of high school ,moody, wrote a lot, and thought "nobody understood me". So obviously I loved this book. I need to re-read it and see if that feeling still stands. (less)
I was angry while reading this book. The things that the (white)author and her (black)adopted brother went through in the name of "christianity" and s...moreI was angry while reading this book. The things that the (white)author and her (black)adopted brother went through in the name of "christianity" and small towns were terrible. And it never seemed to get better. It was depressing and will make you pissed off that these things happen ,but read it anyway.(less)
Having worked and lived with people who have a mental illness, I loved this book. I'm not sure that people realize the insane bang-your-head-against-t...moreHaving worked and lived with people who have a mental illness, I loved this book. I'm not sure that people realize the insane bang-your-head-against-the-wall situation that is finding healthcare/legal assistance for people in need. And how to do it in a way that doesn't strip people of their dignity and their rights. How many people are in prisons right now because they have no control over what is happening inside their brain? Put in another context, would you punish someone for having cancer? And yet repeatedly, funds for assistance and care of mentally ill adults are cut out of budgets , stripped until there is nothing left. And then what? This is a story about a father who starts to investigate all of this as he learns his own son has an illness. I recommend it very highly. (less)
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