Review: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

Purchase Price: $12.99 on Amazon.ca
We Need New Names [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Authors of Color, Women's Fiction, Fictional Memoir, Cultural Experiences

Book Description: Darling is only 10 years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends steal guavas, try to get the baby out of young Chipo's belly, and grasp at memories of Before. Before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the school closed, before the fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad. But Darling has a chance to escape: she has an aunt in America.

She travels to this new land in search of America's famous abundance only to find that her options as an immigrant are perilously few. NoViolet Bulawayo's debut calls to mind the great storytellers of displacement and arrival who have come before her--from Zadie Smith to Monica Ali to J.M. Coetzee--while she tells a vivid, raw story all her own.

Review:
We Need New Names was nothing that I could have anticipated, and it was everything one could wish for when reading contemporary non-fiction. NoViolet Bulawayo intrigues with a unique writing style that alternates from the honest observations of her main protagonist, 10 year old Darling, and then spliced in sections that pertain more to the group experience of living in a country where there is political decay, civil war, and poverty to the extreme. She takes both these styles and weaves the tale of Darling, as she lives in a Zimbabwean shanty town called 'Paradise', and later as she comes to America to live with her Aunt, and her Auntie's family.

Although it takes you a while to adjust to her writing style, lack of punctuation, and stream of consciousness mode of expression, NoViolet Bulawayo quickly draws you in with her honest and innocent portrayal of young Darling as she navigates the dangerous terrain of the Shanty Town, it's broken people, and the constant hunger that plagues her and all her friends. The innocence of a child combined with the real desperation of a people suffering from political upheaval and civil breakdown, give you such a clear view of exactly who Darling is. While she and her friends wander the streets and steal guavas from the local gated community populated by affluent foreigners, there is so much that breaks your heart for these children. They are roaming un-monitored since schools have been closed down, and they try to think about games to play as they make observations about the world around them, and speak about what they will be when they are grown.

Meanwhile, Darling finally makes it to America and lives with her aunt and 'uncle', and her cousin who was born in the States. Her adjustment to this new and strange country is described with the true culture shock one might only imagine, but observed through Darling's eyes, it is somehow more real, more sad, more heartbreaking. She is bullied at school, has to adjust to using English - and at the same time adopt the slang and accent of her peers so as to fit in. A huge task for anyone, but particularly a young girl, coming of age, torn from a country she loves and the people and culture she knows. It is amazing just how many aspects of her life she is forced to alter, yet on the inside, she stays the same observant and honest soul.

This book verges on poetry more often than not. No sugar coating, there is so much pain expressed about the immigrant experience that I had never really considered. As a nurse, I have treated patients from all over the world, many of them refugees to Canada, who have very little experience with the language. Yet these new-comers are expected to communicate clearly even during the most stressful of situations, and it is hard to find translators in an emergency. I never really took all these items into account, but now I see that the children they deliver on my obstetrics unit represent so much more than a new baby, it gives them a tie to their new home. This book will forever change the way I interact with these patients.

At many points in the novel, I found myself wanting to cover my eyes and scream, "Please no, please no, please no!"; which makes no sense until you read about the horrors and the violence NoViolet describes with such startling clarity. I won't spoil these parts by describing them, but placed next to the innocent and inquiring nature of Darling, they are than much more shocking. This book picks up speed as it rages on, and you will have difficulty putting it down.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

Bottom Line: I recommend this novel to anyone who works with new immigrants to America, or any other country that takes in refugees and students visa's into it's embrace. My eyes were thrown wide open to issues I had never considered, and I had a pretty solid idea of how difficult the transitions can be to begin with, working in the area of nursing I do, Obstetrics. It is more than a story about a girl's journey to America, it is a story about loss, true sorrow, fractured families, and the cruelty of the "Promise" of the American Dream. There is good and bad in both the before and the after parts of Darling's journey, but it is her unflinching honesty and manner of observing the world that makes this book such a winner. NoViolet Bulawayo is one to watch, a "must read" for me.

** This Review is based on an ARC obtained through Goodreads First Reads Giveaways. The opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influences by Goodreads, The Author, or the Publisher of this material. **

Review: A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story by Qais Akbar Omar

 

Purchase Price: $14.99 on Amazon.ca
A Fort Of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Memoirs, Biographies, Non-Fiction

Book Description: The surprising, stunning book that took the publishing world by storm; a coming-of-age memoir of unimaginable perils and unexpected joys, steeped in the rhythms of folk tales and poetry, that is as unforgettable as it is rare - treasure for readers.
 
Qais Akbar Omar was born in Kabul in a time of relative peace. Until he was 7, he lived with his father, a high school physics teacher, and mother, a bank manager, in the spacious, garden-filled compound his grandfather had built. Noisy with the laughter of his cousins (with whom they lived in the typical Afghan style), fragrant with the scent of roses and apple blossoms, and rich in shady, tucked-away spots where Qais and his grandfather sat and read, home was the idyllic centre of their quiet, comfortable life.

But in the wake of the Russian withdrawal and the bloody civil conflict that erupted, his family was forced to flee and take refuge in the legendary Fort of Nine Towers, a centuries-old palace in the hills on the far side of Kabul. On a perilous trip home, Omar and his father were kidnapped, narrowly escaping, and the family fled again, his parents leading their 6 children on a remarkable, sometimes wondrous journey. Hiding inside the famous giant Bamiyan Buddhas sculpture, and among Kurchi herders, Omar cobbles together an education, learning the beautiful art of carpet-weaving from a deaf mute girl, which will become the family's means of support. Against a backdrop of uncertainty, violence and absurdity, young Qais Omar weaves together a story -and a self - that is complex, colourful, and profound.

Review: 
A Fort of Nine Towers is Qais Akbar Omar's heartbreaking and inspiring true revelations about the turmoil and trauma he, and his family, experienced over the course of 12 or so years of great upheaval in his homeland of Afghanistan. This novel is truly eye opening, life changing, and searing to the heart, but is told with no embellishment, no tools to create unnecessary drama, the stark and honest tone of Qais's story is rending to the heart and spirit. At many points, the reader has to wonder how Qais survived all he did, and how he came out of it with such a strong connection to his homeland, his family, and his own sense of right and wrong.  This story is one that will show you a glimpse of life in a country, Afghanistan, that many have misconceptions about, and reminds us all that people are people no matter where they are born, what they believe, and underneath it all, most just want to be free to live a life of peace and freedom from violence and war. An exceptional story by an exceptional writer, who just happens to be an exceptional human being.

**WARNING, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS**

Qais Akbar Omar begins his true-life tale as a child in a very large and tight-knit family living in a large compound in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan at the time the Russian forces are finally leaving the country in 1989. Afghanistan, after years of Socialist influence, is in political turmoil, but Qais and his family are optimistic that the change will bring with it positive changes in his country.

Qais lives in his Grandfather's home, a compound of rooms that house his large extended family, many uncles and their wives and children. He looks up to his father, a well respected former boxer and a physics teacher, who also sells and trades precious antique hand-knotted rugs. He is very close to his Grandfather, and looks up to him with great respect, as does the community he lives in. His Grandfather is well respected, and often advises people on business matters as well as works to ensure that the community provides support for members in need. It is clear that Qais has a good life, his family is well established and relatively wealthy, but they are richer for their close relationships between siblings and cousins. Their days consist of learning, sharing meals, flying kites, and enjoying the beautiful gardens of the city of Kabul.

The first signs of change occur when the shouts of the Mujahedin, or Holy Warriors, can be heard in the streets in 1991. From this point on, nothing and no one is safe. Snipers hide in the nearby hills, rockets pound the beautiful city of Kabul and the city once known for it's gardens and tree lined streets becomes the center of civil war that rages for years to come.

Qais Akbar Omar relates his tale of escaping the city and leaving behind his beloved home, while his entire family tries to find a way to safety. Food is scarce, danger is everywhere, and it seems that no matter how hard Qais father tries to find a way out of the country, their attempts to flee are thwarted at every turn. With no money and no connections, the family moves from place to place with only the guidance of the BBC World News radio reports. Many times I felt dread as Qais tells his story, the violence he is exposed to is frightening, and one wonders how anyone survived the civil war that lasted so long between warring factions of the Mujahedin. Family losses are heavy, and weigh heavily on young Qais's developing sense of self.

When the Mujehedin is ousted by the Taliban, things go from bad to worse. Now the dangers are not bombs and sniper bullets, but a twisted take on the Islamic religion that means no one is safe from judgement, and following ever tightening rules becomes almost an impossibility. This unique inside view of how the Taliban seemed to come out of no-where and gain a strangle hold on the entire country is frightening. Qais describes something that only an insider, a survivor, could share. The wild swings of fortune, and more often, misfortune are visceral and pulsating with dread.

If you have ever wondered what it was like to live under Taliban rule, you must read this book. If you have ever wondered what living in a war-zone, where infighting between different factions of a Holy War literally decimate a population and a country, you must read this book. If you have wondered about the people of Afghanistan, the people just trying to live day to day, then this book will give you a glimpse that is fascinating. Most of all, this book is an amazing personal memoir of survival, and a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the connections of family and culture.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

 

Bottom Line: I highly recommend A Fort of Nine Towers by Qais Akbar Omar, it is so many wonderful things all in one gripping and riveting novel. It will change your view of a people, a country, and the amazing strength of one boy growing up in the most unsettled of times for this one country, Afghanistan, in all of it's history. Simply remarkable.

** Note, this review is based on a copy that was obtained as part of the Goodreads, First Reads giveaways. The opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influenced by the Publisher, Author, or Goodreads.com **

Review: Mother: A Novel by Angel Gelique

Purchase Price: $2.99 on Amazon.ca
Mother: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Literature & Fiction, Family Life

Book Description: When her husband abandons them for another woman, Jane Winston is left to raise their teen-aged daughter as a single mother. She loves Emma more than anything in the world and would do anything for her—no matter how high the cost. Emma, on the other hand, hates her mother and goes out of her way to make her life miserable. What will it take to restore the loving relationship they once had and can it be mended before it’s too late?

This story will take you on a tearful journey as you explore a volatile mother-daughter relationship. Sometimes things aren’t better left unsaid…sometimes love doesn’t conquer all…and sometimes you don’t get a second chance at a happy ending….

Review:
I wanted to like this book, I really did, but I had a lot of trouble liking and developing a connection to the characters and some of the story points, although I do appreciate what the author was trying to do here. <b>Mother</b> is the story of an adult parent, Jane, and her soon to be 16 year-old daughter Emma. After the break-up of Jane's marriage due to infidelity on the part of the now absent Gregory, her self-esteem takes a beating and her relationship with her daughter becomes at first contentious, and then outright combative on the part of Emma. As the relationship between the two fractures further, we see both Jane and Emma fall apart in their own respects, and the wear and tear of the emotional climate takes it's toll on both.

First, let's look at Jane, the around-forty-ish mother of Emma, an only child. Sometime during the marriage, Jane discovers her husband in bed with another woman, in her own bed no less. For some reason, Jane decides immediately that her marriage is over, and while agreeing to co-habitate with Gregory for the sake of their daughter, does not pursue any counselling (for herself or as a couple), and does not pursue a divorce, nor do they share any of their difficulties with their daughter. When Gregory eventually leaves, no explanation is forthcoming from him as to his reasons for leaving, and Emma is not given any information by her mother. This is my first real issue with the story. A child of 14 is old enough to understand divorce and separation without having to hear explicit details about infidelity. In any case, Jane doesn't offer any explanations, and in the void, Emma comes to the belief that it is her mother's weight problem that has driven her father from the home. Despite several allusions to this belief, Jane makes no attempt to clear up the misconception, and receives a great deal of verbal abuse from her daughter alluding to her being 'fat' and 'gross'.

This is where my biggest issue with the character of Jane. She is an adult, and while we all suffer from low self esteem, the way Jane deals with this is entirely puzzling. She accepts the abuse in increasing frequency, from her daughter, and there is no rational thinking at any point. She cries, she feels bad, she still caters to her daughters every whim, she never indicates that she does not wish to be spoken to in this manner, and she becomes a victim. I found her whole person to be oriented to very little introspection, and entirely in the mode of rationalization of her behaviour and her daughter's. She really seemed to be another teenager in a relationship with her own teenage daughter. She sets no boundaries, no restrictions, and no consequences. We also are given frequent allusions to Jane's health status, her fainting and feeling frequent pain, yet she at no time seeks medical attention for herself. Lack of self-care is common in 'battered-woman's syndrome', so on one level, I can see this as a possibility. However, as the sole caretaker for her daughter, financially and physically, I would have thought her health was of more importance than to be rationalized away as indigestion over and over and over despite failure to respond to antacids.

While we watch Jane flounder about, reeling from her daughter's abuse, we also find Emma in her own turmoil. She is one angry girl, and she is clearly suffering from a body-dismorphic disorder, particularly anorexia. She internalizes the belief that her father has abandoned the family as a result of her 'fat gross mother', and has adopted a pattern of starving herself in an attempt to prevent herself from getting fat.  She takes out her anger on her mother, physically, and by destroying her mother's property, and by heaping verbal abuse on her mother in full view of others. She is never disciplined for this, never meant to face any consequences. Rather Jane seems to think she is a good mother by simply patiently awaiting her daughter's outgrowing of this stage, and stands by ready to cater to her daughter's needs - be it chauffeuring her about, making meals for her, buying her special gifts, planning elaborate surprise parties, etc. - this desire on Jane's part to be a "Good Mother" seems to miss the point entirely. She notices her daughter is getting dangerously thin, yet never actually addresses the issue with Emma, or even speaks to a doctor until it may be too late.

I hate to say that the most mature character in the entire novel, the only one who seems to see the problem, is on of Emma's teenage friends, Sarah. She is the only character who has any grasp on reality, on a normal mother-daughter relationship, and that her friend is in trouble. By the time I reached the point of the novel where I could no longer tolerate the unreal relationship between Jane and Emma, and on the sidelines, Emma's father Gregory, I decided to just push through to the end to see if there was any redemption coming for any of the adults, or anyone clued in enough to reach Emma before it was too late. I just found myself rolling my eyes again and again, I was so glad to be done with the story.

I am not a mother, but I am a 40 year-old woman who has a mother who is far from perfect but has always loved me. My parents were separated when I was 16 years old, and though I was angry at both of them at various times, I did not get a free pass to treat them badly. I still had rules to follow, I still had a curfew, and I still respected my parents enough to call them, even when I was breaking the rules, just to let them know where I was, and that I was safe. I find the relationship dynamics between the mother-daughter pair to be absolutely broken, that does not happen overnight, somewhere along the line Emma was given the impression that her vote was equal in the running of her life, and that she drove the boat, so to speak. While parents going through divorce are almost certain to make mistakes, to err on the side of wanting to be liked, of reducing conflict with their children, they do not take leave of their senses. If we are to believe that Jane was a college educated woman who works and supports herself and her daughter, there is no explanation for this altogether juvenile view of the parenting role, unless there is some back-story that might indicate that.

As a nurse, I can say that at best, this novel works wonderfully as a psychological case study for a dysfunctional family dynamic, but that is about all I can say to it's credit. I hate to provide any negative reviews, particularly to a first novel, but I really found that there was so much more that could have been done with this story. Most of the writing is solid, it is just the character flaws that are hard to get around as believable in any way. There were a few editing issues, mispelled words and such, that were missed, this is a pet-peeve of mine, but perhaps my novel was a preview copy and that can be remedied.


Fired Up Rating: 2/5 Flames

 

Bottom Line: I cannot in good faith recommend this novel, based on a thorough reading, for the reasons stated above.

** Note: This novel was provided as a review copy through a Goodreads, First Reads giveaway. The opinions expressed are my own, and have been in no way influenced by Goodreads, the publisher of the novel, or it's author. **

Review: Apocalypsis: Book 4 (Haven) by Elle Casey

Purchase Price: $4.96 CDN on Amazon.ca
Apocalypsis: Book 4 (Haven) [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Young Adult, Action Adventure, Series

Book Description: My name's Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I'm alive at a critical time in our world's history, unlike all the adults and babies who didn't survive the virus that almost wiped out the human race. Alliances are building, enemies are gathering, and everything's about to reach the boiling point. I'm in a race against time to get Haven ready for the final showdown, a confrontation that could very possibly destroy everything my friends and I have worked so hard to create. People I trusted have betrayed me. People who I thought were my enemies are not. Nothing is as it seems, and nothing will ever be the same for me, now that I've embarked on this one last adventure that could be the undoing of everything that is me. [From Amazon.ca]

Review:
This last book in the Apocalypsis Series, Haven was so much more than I could have expected, which is exactly what I have come to expect to the fabulous Elle Casey.

Picking up precisely where were left in the third book in the series, this final novel brings us in with no gentle embrace, we find Bryn, Peter, Bodo, and the rest of the 'survivors' finding shelter behind the chain-link and razor wire fences at the Florida prison they have come to call 'Haven'. With a steady influx of starving and wounded children, and work to be done, the group begins the unpleasant and often horrific work of 'cleaning' out the leftovers from the previous inhabitants of the prison. One scene in particular was so gruesome and shocking that I found myself feeling ill. I was really surprised to find myself reacting thusly, as I am a nurse and in no way unfamiliar with all manner of body exudates and have seen and handled many deceased in my time on the job. This was supremely gross, and I am impressed by Casey's ability to craft horror into a story that has been largely shocking, but not necessarily creepy and scary.

Bryn and friends realize that with the arrival of news that the kids in the Glades have been besieged by the hideously evil 'Canners', they must leave their sanctuary and go to try to get as many as they can to safety. As a small group heads out on the road to reach the Kahayatle, meeting trouble almost the entire way. There are some new friends, and new connections that serve to be monumentally important for the survival of the 'peace-minded'. But there are also cruel twists, malevolent individuals that have turned to such a dark place they are beyond reach.

Throughout the story, we are met with the conflict brewing between Bryn and her boyfriend Bodo. While Bryn decides to 'come clean' with Bodo about her small romantic indiscretion when he was lost to the group and likely dead, he refuses to forgive her, and piles on additional problems by refusing to speak to her and then becoming more secretive about his past. The tension is palpable, and it is finally a real teenage relationship. Of course, the communication troubles are compounded by the stress of attempting a rescue of friends where trust is essential.

When the Bryn and Bodo eventually reach the swamps, the signs are ominous. The boats are gone, and they must get into 'gator infested waters to get deeper into the area. There is a lot of loss in this novel, perhaps more than in all the other "Apocalypsis" series books combined. It is filled with violent struggles, society's breakdown now beyond repair as far as the "Canners" go, and people are fighting for land, food, resources, and just to stay alive. The consequences of a system breakdown on this societal level has left things like medication and other necessities of life scarce and disappearing rapidly. Casey has clearly thought about this deeply, and it is presented with the drama and dark humour one would expect, but also the sadness that cuts through it all.

Though there seems to be a challenge erupting the moment they adjust to the previous trauma's tremors, the group is tight knit and seem to be so well equipped to work together to create the world they want to live in, the kind of world that Bryn's father would have wanted for his daughter, and the one Bryn so richly deserves. While there is always trouble on the horizon, and room for new stories to be spun from all over the continent, by all the teens who are facing the horror and joys to be found in the 'new world', this book is immensely satisfying.

As others have hinted, the ending is not one most expected, not one that I saw coming, but it is precisely why Elle Casey is such an exceptional writer. You care about her characters, you root for the under-dog, you are horrified - thrilled- overwhelmed - and overjoyed as they all move through their individual journeys. Not everyone has a happy ending, not everyone makes it through the struggle, others are beyond hope, but they are all remarkably real, and you can understand on some level how they became the way they have after the tragedy that has befallen human-kind.

The scenes are fleshed out with the kind of detail that makes them so visually accessible, almost immediately, without being weighed down with too much flowery or filler words. The words have purpose, they move the story along, but there is also so much there to flesh out the story and make it feel real. It falls precisely into that perfect wedge of balance few authors get right. Elle Casey got it right in this novel, and in all the other works I have read from her. You shall not be disappointed.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

 

Bottom Line: Highly Recommended. Read the whole series, you will absorb these novels into your soul, and they are fast reads - and they will stay with you. You will wonder what the characters are up to, even when you know that their world is not our world, it is just too real to ignore. Amazing read!

Review: WOOL by Hugh Howley

Purchase Price: $3.99 CDN on Amazon.ca
Wool [Kindle Edition]

Genre: Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic Fiction, Mystery

Book Description: This is the story of mankind clawing for survival, of mankind on the edge. The world outside has grown unkind, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they profess to want: They are allowed outside.

Review:
WOOL is a meticulously crafted world that will wrap you up and carry you along, sometimes against your will, to the dark places in human history yet to come.

Hugh Howley's WOOL is a magnificent piece of writing, steeped in mystery and hidden corners, the depths of the human psyche and the desire we all have to understand the world we find ourselves in, to look for meaning where we find it lacking. Written in a series of five novellas, now united in a heavy tome, both literally and figuratively, Howley's New York Times Bestselling Novel is now available in paperback format.

We start off with with the end of Holston's story, and the beginning of the mystery of the Silo in which he lives and works with a thousand other souls. We are given to understand this Silo is underground, and a carefully constructed environment, self-sustaining, after an unexplained 'uprising' that forced these last surviving humans underground, away from the toxic air above. Holston's wife was sent out to 'Clean' the Silo's sensors nearly three year's earlier after seemingly going mad, with talk about something that doesn't make sense, a mystery that is driving her in dizzy circles. After years without her, Holston himself makes a decision to join her outside the Silo, to become a Cleaner himself, leaving his position as Sheriff of the Silo now open to another applicant.

While we consider the mystery of Holston's choice, we find ourselves on a trek down into the depths of the Silo, as part two of WOOL looks for the individual to fill shoes. We meet the Mayor and the Deputy of the Silo, as they make the long trek down through the levels of the Silo, floors upon floors below, to meet with the candidate they have selected to become the next Sherrif. Juliette, or Jules as she is known, a worker in the Mechanical section of the 'Down Deep' is the pegged applicant of choice, but she is an individual that becomes the catalyst to a number of events and discoveries that change everything for the people of her Silo.

The mysteries begin to weave together, thick and tangled, as the momentum of WOOL picks up and carries you to a most shocking ending. Nothing ends as you would have hoped in this stark and unforgiving world crafting with masterful skill by Hugh Howley. How could it, when everything is a lie, and the truth is more dangerous than anyone could have expected. Somehow, the ending is even more satisfying than one could imagine, and yet leaves so many unanswered questions. There is so much to offer in this carefully crafted world, and even more left to the imagination. You can see the story winding and weaving in so many possible directions, and yet it doesn't leave you unsatisfied in the end, just wanted more, as all good books should.

This is a novel that is worth the time to tuck in to, and will make you think about issues affecting all of us, in our own lives, right now. It is not preachy, nor blaming, but provocative and engaging, and it will have you winding up and down the stairwells of arguments in your mind, over and over. Is this a bleak prediction of a post-apocalyptic future? Is this a warning about the things that separate us from our neighbors, and prevents us from engaging with those we could gain so much from? Is it a exercise in studying human nature, and our tendency to seek out sanity from chaos? It is all of these things and so much more.

While I make this novel sound like some grand study of the human mind, make no mistake. WOOL is meant to be read by fans of science fiction, or post-apocalyptic genre fiction, in it's purest form. It is an enjoyable and fascinating read, but if you wish to go deeper, and if your mind tends to that kind of analysis, you won't be disappointed on either count.

Fired Up Rating: 5/5 Flames

 

Bottom Line: I highly recommend this novel to those who love a good mystery, a thoroughly new science-fiction world, or a post-apocalyptic adventure. There is drama, action, true horror, and at times the most gentle of loving gestures when you might least expect them. There is something wonderful about WOOL that will make is last longer than it's 500+ pages, it will hit you somewhere deep in your sense of being human and fragile, and as human, ultimately capable of both wonderful of terrible things. It is an experience not to be missed.

**This review of WOOL by Hugh Howley is based upon a copy received through Goodreads First Reads. Although the book was received as a review copy, the opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influenced by either Goodreads, the publisher, or the author of the novel.**