Disclaimer: I know the author. Which is one reason why I didn't want to read the book, afraid I might dislike it and get caught in that awkward place Disclaimer: I know the author. Which is one reason why I didn't want to read the book, afraid I might dislike it and get caught in that awkward place of finding the right thing to say. Reason number two is because I'd heard the story was "dark," and I normally avoid that type of content.
However, curiosity got the better of me, and I sat down and read Asylum cover to cover in almost one sitting. I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed and admired the book. It was crisp, interesting, fun, thoughtful, well written, passionate, and informative; had likable characters with unusual jobs and dynamic relationships; did an excellent job linking history with a contemporary story; and no, it wasn't dark.
Well, the history was. A very dark, sad, ghoulish chapter in Montreal's history. The city -- and country -- should be ashamed of itself. However, we can say that about most cities and countries; and thankfully the abuse and torture of orphan children and other "inmates" in the asylum of title was stopped many decades ago. But its ghosts linger in the present, and fesity Martine LeDuc finds herself digging out the story to help solve a current string of murders.
The story is structured so that the dark history parts are separate sections from the main narrative, and though they send shivers down your spine and nausea into your stomach, they do it with suggestion rather than graphic description. The worst part is knowing the events really happened. The author did her homework thoroughly, and leaves the reader with links to more information.
The author also brought modern Montreal, a dual-language, dual-culture city, to life in an understated fashion. Her technique gave the story a solid setting without overburdening us with details, allowing the action to proceed smoothly and swiftly. The murder mystery was challenging to figure out ahead of the heroine, though if you read a lot of mysteries, you'll recognize from the pacing when the climax is about to happen and who the likeliest suspect is. That didn't spoil the effect, though. And left this reader eager to follow Martine's next adventure. ...more
DISCLAIMER: I edited this story so can be considered biased. Beyond that, I do not know the author personally and he had nothing to do with prompting DISCLAIMER: I edited this story so can be considered biased. Beyond that, I do not know the author personally and he had nothing to do with prompting me to write this note.
However, the reason I want to give The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed five stars and let people know about it is because I thought it was an outstanding story, very well written. This is meaningful because I generally dislike short stories and avoid them. Yet I was captivated by this one and think it's worth a read for anyone who enjoys meaty, clever stories with surprise endings.
My opinion is identical for the author's other story, Stasis, posted here on Goodreads. Let's hope he keeps them coming!...more
DISCLAIMER: I edited this story so can be considered biased. Beyond that, I do not know the author personally and he had nothing to do with prompting DISCLAIMER: I edited this story so can be considered biased. Beyond that, I do not know the author personally and he had nothing to do with prompting me to write this note.
However, the reason I want to give Stasis five stars and let people know about it is because I thought it was an outstanding story, very well written. This is meaningful because I generally dislike short stories and avoid them. Yet I was captivated by this one and think it's worth a read for anyone who enjoys meaty, clever stories with surprise endings.
My opinion is identical for the author's other story, The Girl Whom the Dragon Tattooed, posted here on Goodreads. Let's hope he keeps them coming!...more
This is a book you have to slow down and pay attention to, because there’s a lot going on. Layers of story. Complex characterization. Rich details of time and place.
The title is our guide to what to expect: mayhem. But it’s not the loud and drastic kind; rather, except for one event, it’s the insidious kind that arises from breaking the rules of a strict society.
During the early 1900s in southern Texas, a tight group of German immigrants brings its lifestyles and ethics with them to build new lives in a new land. One of their cultural imperatives is, “What people think of you, and your family, matters.”
Oh, how it does. Part of this concept is everyone has their place, including woman, whose job is to be submissive helpmeet and breeder. The depersonalization of woman into voiceless property is what causes this sad tale.
Evelyn Gant, a compliant and nurturing person, attempts to communicate to her husband that another man is giving her problems of a threateningly sexual nature. The husband dismisses her concerns, until the day when things go too far and she is irrevocably compromised—and the husband takes revenge in “a crime whose mention makes men cross their legs.”
The author, who participates in the story as a nameless narrator between alternating characters’ viewpoints, sneaks us up to this crime. Most people in contemporary America are familiar with stories of rape and retribution—violent to begin with and violent to the end.
In this case, the first crime is coercive but nonviolent and much less appalling than the punishment. What the woman’s violation means is more important than what actually happens to her. The prosecutable crime comes from another man’s revenge, and its fallout poisons the community. As Evelyn marvels, “how much has followed from how little.”
But because of it, “when she ceased to be his wife, she had ceased to exist,” giving her nowhere to go and no one to be.
Although Mayhem is her story, she seems more like a figurehead for the real story, which is the backstory. It is presented as a tapestry showing that this happened because all that happened, but you have to know it all in order to understand the one thing that changed everything.
The trigger event is about “that few seconds of a thing in a hole that male animals lived for and women were stuck trying to regulate. Because of babies. Because people believed a woman’s honor resided at the entrance of that hole. Because—there was another reason, but in the growing roar all civilization seemed to have broken down and she could not think what it was.”
Each scene of the narrative is built around day-to-day tasks, capturing simple yet compelling moments that bring alive the setting and period. Sometimes it gets confusing, because there are so many generations and relations and viewpoint changes and tense switches. Evelyn is offstage for chunks of the book, making it difficult to know who or what to focus on.
But that’s our cue we’re in a story about family and culture as well as the person who is a product and victim thereof. She feels like an iceberg tip in a dark and stormy sea.
Mayhem is an old story of injustice brought creatively to new life by an award-winning writer. Thoughtful readers who enjoy literary historical fiction will add it to their must-read list. ...more
The next installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Not as strong as some of the others, but still a good read. See my review at NY JouThe next installment of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Not as strong as some of the others, but still a good read. See my review at NY Journal of Books: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-... ...more
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