Early Summer Round-Up

Phew, what a busy few weeks it has been! In the ever elusive juggle to get the work / life balance right, I've fallen a little behind in my reviews. However, in such busy times the rush hour read is ever important! So here's a sneak peak at my recent reads.

First up is Nick Hornby's High Fidelity, to tie in loosely with June's film theme. It was a nice, easy read and entertaining; I quite enjoyed the fairly unsympathetic lead, as there's nothing like a flawed hero for me. The supporting cast of music shop misfits was also amusing, but I couldn't quite shake the feeling of familiarity throughout. Part of this was from other Hornby works I've read (notably, Juliet, Naked - perhaps a little unfair as High Fidelity came first...) and also the wickedly brilliant The Average American Male from Chad Kultgen (firmly classed in the "I loved it but I shouldn't" category). I guess this highlights what a pioneer Nick Hornby has been of the genre; either way, it's a fun and nostalgic read - one day we shall study this and marvel at a time when people actually made a living from running record shops!

(available in hardcopy, paperback, Kindle and audio formats)

Next up, A.M. Holmes' May We Be Forgiven. I've always loved a family saga since the first time I read Catherine Cookson's Mallen Trilogy (should that be filed under a guilty pleasure? I'd like to think not - give them a read if you haven't already). The first few pages are black comedy of a grand scale; terrible thing after terrible thing happens as the reader watches a family fall apart, and I found myself wondering just how this exciting pace could be sustained through it's length...which was the problem for me. After a great start, I don't think Holmes really maintains a compelling pace as another less conventional family forms from the ruins. The rest of the novel is a series of random episodes as main character Harry seeks redemption, and I felt it become a little too unbelieveable as Harry's unconventional family accrues more members. I did find the last few chapters dragged a little and at times descended into schmaltz, which didn't really fit with its early promise. Overall, OK, but not much more.

(available in hardcopy, paperback, Kindle and audio)

Finally, I got round to reading Gone Girl after much hype. I think I'm probably the last person among friends to have read it so thought I should get round to tackling it. Thrillers are not normally my thing, but this one really had me gripped. A psychological thriller which focuses on the toxic marriage of beautiful Amy and Nick, the story of Amy's disappearance is not all what it seems. This is a novel which twists and turns so subtly that the reader is never sure exactly what's going to happen next and, until the halfway point, you find yourself starting to doubt everything.

Every detail plays its part and I found myself admiring Gillian Flynn's cunning in her craft. Just when you think you've solved it, boom! In comes another curveball. I did find the end slightly disappointing; this for me was another where the first half wasn't quite up to the initial promise and towards the end I guessed where it was going. Still, overall this was a book that's hard to put down and I regret leaving this as long as I did. This was a book that never quite made it into my bag when my train pulled into the station as I desperately tried to eek out the last bit of a chapter on my walk to the office. Fellow pavement strollers, I apologise - but if you gave this book a read, I'm sure you'll understand why!

(available in hardcopy, paperback, Kindle and audio)

So, these are the reads that have gotten me through the hot summer so far; hopefully not quite so many reviews at once next time!

Gone Again

Yesterday morning an exciting package arrived for me in the post:

So excited by this delivery was I that I thought I'd open and read the first few pages, just to get a feel for the story.

I was gripped. It's now 24 hours later and, apart from participating in the necessities of eating and sleeping, I've not been able to put this addictive read down.

As mentioned in my previous post, this was a break from the typical books I've read this year. I tend not to read too many thrillers; my reads tend to be gentler fare, probably for no other reason than habit. I'm glad I made the break for this one. Gone Again is the story of a family torn apart when wife and mother Lauren fails to pick up son Nathan from school. Told from the perspective of husband and father Mark, we follow the duo as minutes turn into hours and worry builds as Lauren's whereabouts remain a mystery. A shocking discovery is then made which changes their lives forever.

Doug Johnstone's style is brilliantly raw. We observe Mark's thoughts as his worry grows, his doubts peak and he is tortured by memories of what now must be a previous life. Alongside his own torment Mark desperately tries to protect his son. Their relationship forms the heart of this story and as a reader you can empathise with Mark's determination to shield the young boy from the pain of loss as well as the trauma that spills in the latter half.

I loved the simplicity of Johnstone's storytelling. We've all been in those situations where we've watched the clock, wondering where a late loved one is. In this tale we see what happens when our darkest imaginings come true, causing our baggage to come tumbling out the closet as every element of our lives is scrutinised. The reveals about their family history, Lauren's previous disappearance and the mysterious goings on at her place of work are drip fed to the reader so that the novel's pace never flags. As for the last few chapters of this book - these are best tackled when you have plenty of time to read without interruption. I was glad I had the luxury of a day off when reading, as I would have hated to put this down at any point during the thrilling climax.

My only slight criticism would be that I felt there were a few unresolved components at the end of this story. Without wanting to give too much away, we leave the characters at something of a beginning of the end; there are still issues to be resolved, questions unanswered. This isn't necessarily a weakness, as it does leave the reader thinking and wondering what happens next (personally I've been hoping desperately that poor Nathan won't be too traumatised by his early experiences with Edinburgh's criminal underbelly). Ultimately, whether you find this slightly frustrating or highly intriguing is down to personal preference.

Regardless of this, I found Gone Again to be a dark, pacy thriller; you'll find yourself flying through the pages, wanting justice for Mark and his family. I'd definitely recommend it as an entertaining, easy to read commute book which provides both escapism and excitement en route to the office.

(Published 7 March 2013. Available for preorder on Kindle or paperback. Thanks to Doug Johnstone and Faber and Faber for sending me a copy for review.

To learn more about Doug Johnstone and his work, visit his blog.

For another review of this title, or to find out about other crime novels, visit Raven Crime Reads)