BOOK REVIEW: Ordinary People by Judith Guest

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Way back in 1980 or ‘81, I saw the movie Ordinary People, and found it incredibly sad. One of the things that stuck with me was the incredible acting by Mary Tyler Moore – so different from how I was used to seeing her.

At any rate, when I saw on Netgalley that the novel by Judith Guest was being re-released, I wanted to read it. I hadn’t read it when it was first published, so this was new to me.

From the very first page, I was totally immersed. I hated having to put it down because I was so caught up in the story.

Conrad Jarrett is a seventeen-year-old boy/young man, who has just come home from an 8-month hospitalization for a mental health crisis. After the death of his older brother in a boating accident, Conrad had sunk into a depression and tried to take his own life. Now, he is trying to rebuild that life, but the family dynamic is changed and stressful. His father is understandably worried about him, and maybe a bit overprotective, but does not come across as overbearing. His mother is the opposite, completely aloof, rarely even speaking to Conrad. And she is hypercritical of her husband’s concern for their son. The novel is told from the viewpoints of Conrad and his father. His mother is seen only through their eyes, and the reader is left to piece together what she is feeling (or not feeling) through her actions.

One of the stars of the book is Conrad’s therapist, Dr. Berger, who helps Conrad work through his depression and guilt. Dr. Berger is there for him in a crisis when his parents are not.

There are no miracles or dramatic breakthroughs. The healing is a slow and incomplete process. Grief, confusion, guilt, and love are threaded through the plot. Conrad is also navigating the usual stresses of late adolescence: changing friendships, school, extra-curricular activities, and first love.

The novel is as powerful as the movie, if not more so. Highly recommended.

BOOK REVIEW: We Meet Apart by Martha Conway

We Meet Apart by Martha Conway is a beautifully constructed novel combining historical fiction, speculative fiction, and magical realism.

During WWII, American sisters Gaby and Sabine are visiting their grandmother in France when Nazis invade. Before they can flee, the family is stricken with typhus. Everyone dies except for one of the sisters. But which one?

In the reality that we know, one where Ireland remains neutral, Gaby survives. She makes her way to Ireland, and eventually to the small town of Ballyream, to the home of wealthy family friends (really more just connections than friends). She is grateful to be welcomed there, until she learns she is to be a servant, a kitchen maid. She desperately wants to return to America, but ships are not sailing because of the war.

In another reality, Sabine is the one who lives. She is younger by a year, and has a congenitally absent hand, so she is used to being somewhat protected by Gaby. Now, she feels abandoned. In this universe, the Nazis have invaded Ireland, and it is extremely dangerous for the Irish (many of whom were not exactly anti-Nazi because of their understandable anti-British sentiments). But it’s even more dangerous for Sabine, an American with no papers. She, too, is drawn to Ballyream. And she is also taken into the home as a servant, though her experience is different.

The two live parallel existences in the midst of people who are the same, yet not the same. And then, one evening at twilight, the two sisters find one another. For an hour each evening, they are able to connect. 

Of course, this can’t last. The war, whether Ireland is neutral or invaded, intrudes.

The novel is a fascinating look at the possibilities of the multiverse, and how it interconnects with folklore. The characters are fully developed and the scenarios are equally credible in each of the realities. In the end, I found myself wishing, for the sisters’ sakes, that each of the realities could be true.

BOOK REVIEW: Midnight in the House of Commons by Charles Finch

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I really enjoy cozy historical mysteries, so I was glad to stumble across the Charles Lenox Mystery series by Charles Finch. The first book in the series is A Beautiful Blue Death, which I loved. He is now up to book sixteen. I haven’t had a chance to read them all, and I’ve been reading the new books as they come out, but the mysteries absolutely stand on their own. And I’m glad there is more of the author’s backlist for me to dive into at some point.

The newest book is Midnight in the House of Commons. The protagonist, Charles Lenox, is a Victorian British gentleman who has established a name for himself as an investigator. He is the man people come to when Scotland Yard can’t solve their cases. His deductive skills rival those of Sherlock Holmes.

Charles has a close-knit family. He is married to Lady Jane, his perfect mate despite the fact that her social standing is higher than his. His older brother has a high post in the government and is likely to rise even higher. They are recurring characters and their closeness and regard for one another contribute to the coziness of the series.

The first mystery to present itself in this book is brought to him by Miss Violet Goodhue, a woman of good birth but limited funds, who came to London to find a husband. She intended to marry mostly for financial reasons, but ended up falling in love. And the man loves her too; she is certain. However, after they became engaged, he was called to his family estate, and then disappeared. Lenox is skeptical at first. The most likely scenario is that what she considers love was merely a dalliance for the young man. But she assures him the feelings were mutual, and he agrees to look into it.

As Charles is beginning to disentangle this quiet mystery, something shocking occurs. A man is killed in the House of Commons. His death clears the way for the passage of a bill that Charles’ brother and his party have been struggling to see passed for years. Was the murder politically motivated? Or did someone have another reason to want the man dead?

The tension builds as Charles searches for elusive clues as the clock ticks down toward the day of the vote. Can Charles find the murderer on time.

Oh, and what about poor Miss Goodhue’s fiancé?

For fans of historical mystery, grab one (or all) of Charles Finch’s books.