Book of the Week: March 18 to 24

 The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw

This week I've devoured the following books:

• The Cybernetic Tea Shop, by Meredith Katz
• Only Human, by Meredith Katz
  
• Smoke Signals, by Meredith Katz
• Flowers for Dead Girls, by Abigail Collins
• The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw
• The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James
• A Dark and Endless Sea, by Blaine Daigle

Last week was definitely a Meredith Katz week but, out of all of these, The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw was my favourite (although The Cybernetic Tea Shop, by Meredith Katz was a close second: a charming, light and simple story but full of sentiment; a little cozy novella for those who'd like to read something pleasant and refreshing). 

The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw is a beautifully eerie, haunting tale. I wish I had the same level of vocabulary as the author to describe just how beautiful her writing is. I know some reviewers have complained about the diversity of words used and how it makes it hard to understand the story. To me, at least, it made me see the portraits painted by her words more clearly. It allowed me to immerse myself in the story and in a sea of poetic descriptions. The story itself is a lot like a tale, which I suppose makes sense since the whole book is based (slightly) on the concept of "The Little Mermaid" and often refers back to it. The story is as solid as the sea from where the mermaids come: not really a conventional story, more a flow of moments that build a picture.

However, a word of warning: it's a very dark tale. There's a lot of violence, gore and general unpleasantness. It's not a kid's tale or a lullaby. It's a manifesto of rage and fury, of passion and devotion, or love and hate. It's a cry against the men who have stolen our voices and ripped out our teeth, as arrogant as they are afraid (and they really are afraid of us). It's a siren song for the daughters, the mothers and the sisters of the world. There is both anger and love in this story. There's a harshness and a sweetness to it.

I really liked this book.

Upcoming Books: A Dark And Endless Sea, by Blaine Daigle

A Dark and Endless Sea, by Blaine Daigle 

Publication Date: June 7th, 2024

ARC by Net Galley

Keywords: dark, thriller, psychological horror, sea, storm, amnesia, sea shanties, fishing, mystery, Cthulhian.

What a ride! It's a mostly psychological horror story with some violence on the side, that reminds me a bit of a Cthulhian tale. Following the main character in his descent into madness, you join him on a journey through the horrors of stormy seas, as well as those within his own fragmented mind. I just had some issues with the ending: I didn't dislike it, but I felt there were some holes in it. I want to keep this review spoiler free so I won't go into detail. I think it could either have gone in another direction (there were so many possibilities!) or it could have been done a bit better, so it made more sense and felt right.

But, it wasn't a bad ending. I wasn't disappointed. I still very much enjoyed the book. Not only is it still worth reading but I'll probably read it again at some point. So please, don't be put off by my opinion of the end: read it yourself and form your own opinion. Even if you end up agreeing with me, I still had fun figuring out all the ways the pieces fitted together and imagining what other possibilities might have worked. It's a haunting book either way, perfect for any fans of thrillers, horrors, tales of the sea and, well, Cthulhu. 

A Tale a Day: A Picture from the Fortress Wall

 A Picture from the Fortress Wall

 

 This is a very short tale, just a little tiny morsel of a thing and it reads more like a slice of life, nay, a slice of moment kind of thing. 

A prisoner, apparently one of many awful, hardened criminals that inhabit the prison, sits in his dark cold cell when he's visited by a ray of sun and a little chirping bird.

" A ray of the sinking sun shoots into the bare cell of one of the captives. The sun shines upon the good and the evil. (...) A little bird flies towards the grating. The bird twitters to the wicked as to the just."

The prisoner's mood starts to improve, noticing what is good and pleasant in the world outside, a small part of which seems to momentarily slip into his uncomfortable cell. And, even when the sunbeam and the bird are gone, and he's left with a cold dark cell again, he is somehow changed by the memory of that moment.

Now, what does this mean? That good deeds will improve one's heart, bit by bit, like water against a hard rock? That if we treat everyone with kindness and respect, even the evilest of humans will be touched by our behaviour in some small way? That our mood and tendencies are heavily influenced by our surroundings? By how we're treated? By the beauty and kindness we experience? Or perhaps this tale is about redemption? About how the possibility of redemption is available to everyone and anyone who sees "the light"? Knowing how religious Andersen is I wouldn't be surprised if it were simply this last one. Or might there be more depth to it?

What about you? What do you think this little tale is about?

Upcoming Books: Flowers for Dead Girls, by Abigail Collins

 Flowers for Dead Girls, by Abigail Collins

Publication Date: April 9th, 2024

ARC by Net Galley

Keywords: teenagers, young love, ghosts, disability, lgbtq+, mental health, OCD, friendship, no sex, flowers, cute, outcasts, cozy, fast paced.

A beautiful, touching story about not fitting in, finding your people and allowing the people who care about you to get closer to you. It's definitely a teenager/YA story though, and the simplicity of its prose doesn't try to be anything else. It's a pleasant, cozy read, and it explores the main character's inner world. In fact, I found that most of the young characters are pretty well fleshed out, especially when seen through Astra's eyes. Not so much the adults, but it's a YA story so I suppose that's to be expected. Kind of like the adults in Cow and Chicken, if you're old enough to have watched those cartoons. However, you do get a good sense of Astra's mom, as seen from her point of view.

The plot felt a bit predictable at one point, but I actually love what the author did with it, and it ended up being a refreshing read until the end. I wish they had explored Isla's dilemma a bit more though. The author touches on a VERY important aspect of a certain community (I'm trying to keep this review spoiler free) and it would have been interesting to have explored that in more depth. Preferably after the author had talked to several voices within that community. It lacks a certain context and further development for it to be fully considered "raising awareness", especially to young people going through that same dilemma. I think the author missed a very good opportunity to help improve the mental health of young people going through something similar. 

All and all, it's definitely a book I enjoyed (even though I usually don't enjoy YA books and hadn't realised this was one when I chose it) and I'd recommend it to anyone into this genre. 

P.S.- A note to the editor (or whoever was meant to revise the novel): there are a lot of repetitions that should have been cut out and/or replaced. Expressions, sayings, description of actions, sentences... Maybe not everyone will notice it as much as I did, but my reading experience would have been a lot better if the writing hadn't been so repetitive. It's normal for writers to favour certain expressions and it can be difficult for them sometimes to notice they are overusing certain words/expressions. It's the job of whoever is revising (that is, a new fresh set of eyes) to point this out. I feel that a lot of times there could have been suitable alternatives, or that the same thing could have been said in a different way to avoid repetition. Probably not a big deal for most people, I don't know, but it bothered me a bit.

A Tale a Day: The Pigs

 The Pigs

 

"The Pigs" is a very simple, amusing little tale about appreciating the beauty of what's right in front of us instead of dwelling in the past. It's about the changing of the seasons, not just in terms of weather, but the seasons of life. How things change. And how we tend to view the past as being better than the present.

 

"Raven and crow sat on the high bough; and they had a large family, who all said, 'Good, good!' and the majority is always right."

I suppose that dwelling on the past can also lead to a tendency to do things the way "it's always been done", or to be slow to adapt to new ways of thinking, especially if those changes come from the new generations.

"(...) it's always the young who come out with their new-fangled notions."

Regardless of what happens in life, it's the ability to notice the beauty around us, and to dream of better days, that can help us through hard times. Or even just through life in general.

"'There is always someone who has a soul for the beautiful!'"

There is always someone who seems to focus on the negative about everything and often complain about it all the time. And then, there are those who see the beauty in the world, even in the smallest of things. Like Oscar Wilde said: "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

Book of the week March 11th to 17th

 Mammoths at the Gates, by Nghi Vo

 

 

The books I devoured this week:

•  Into the Riverlands, by Nghi Vo
• A Room With a View, by E.M.Forster 
• Mammoths at the Gates, by Nghi Vo
• Caesar: The Life Story of a Panda-Leopard, by Patrick O’Brian
• Automata, by E.T.A. Hoffmann
• The River Knows my Name, by Mortada Gzar

Out of all these books, my favourite was, by far, Mammoths at the Gates, by Nghi Vo, the latest book in the Singing Hills Cycle. We start the book with Cleric Chih returning home to the Singing Hills Abbey, after being away for four years. However, they are shocked to discover that there are war mammoths standing at the gates of the Abbey. What is going on? Will they bring down the walls and flatten everything under their massive round feet? And why are all the neixing acting strange?

It’s an incredibly touching story about loss, mourning, friendship and the stories that make up our lives, the stories that make us “us”. And it makes you wonder: what stories will you be made of when you die? What stories will keep your loved ones company? What tales will come together to form your ghost? 

I cannot recommend this book enough! Even if you don’t read any of the other books in the series, which you don’t have to, they are all independent stories (although you should, because they are all great books!), please read this one. You won’t regret it.

Oh, and for the fans of the series: you’ll learn a lot more about neixins. And will get to enjoy Almost Brilliant's remarks again. Who can resist that?