Title: Wish You Were Here

Author: Jodi Picoult

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Random House

Publication date: 30th November 2021

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Summary:

“Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. The whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.”

My review:

It is no secret that the pandemic was an extremely difficult time for many people around the world, especially healthcare staff. In Wish You Were Here, Jodi Picoult highlights some of the struggles that many of us faced by introducing a main character, Diana, who is hoping to soon be engaged to a doctor, Finn. As the pandemic sets in full force, Finn has to stay behind and work on the frontline while Diana decides to travel to the Galapagos for the holiday they had originally planned. This forced separation is one that many couples can relate to with the imposed travel restrictions during the pandemic and is a significantly important turning point in their relationship.

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the Galapagos islands and the characters that were introduced during the first part of the story. This was done exceptionally well and it truly seemed like all of the sites and landmarks were carefully chosen to fit well into the storyline. I felt fully immersed in the beautiful surroundings and could imagine the vivid backdrop that Diana was experiencing for the first time.

Unfortunately both the character development and plot fell flat for me. There were times where Diana seemed selfish and immature and not in love with Finn. While the story is told in Diana’s point of view, Finn is a key character in the plot and is told through her eyes in both a glorified way and towards the end in a somewhat malicious way. It almost felt like this was done on purpose and rather unwillingly as, apart from one incident in the Galapagos islands, there were no other concrete reasons on why their relationship took the turn it did.

Jodi Picoult is renowned for her incredibly moving novels that shed light on important and often times controversial topics where the main characters are forced to make difficult decisions. This trait is usually what sets her books apart from others in the market and she somehow manages to do this with ease. However, her writing has recently transitioned into a different format, tackling themes that are not as hard-hitting as in the past. Wish You Were Here is the perfect example of this. Although I was slightly disappointed with the storyline and not too impressed by the characters, I loved the setting and was pleased to read a book set during the pandemic that focused on some of the difficulties that society faced.

Title: A Man Called Ove

Author: Fredrik Backman

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Sceptre

Publication date: 3rd July 2014

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Summary:

“The word-of-mouth bestseller causing a sensation across Europe, Fredrik Backman’s heartwarming debut is a funny, moving, uplifting tale of love and community that will leave you with a spring in your step.

At first sight, Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots – neighbours who can’t reverse a trailer properly, joggers, shop assistants who talk in code, and the perpetrators of the vicious coup d’etat that ousted him as Chairman of the Residents’ Association. He will persist in making his daily inspection rounds of the local streets.

But isn’t it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so? In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible..”

My review:

“A time like that comes for every man, when he chooses what sort of man he wants to be. And if you don’t know the story, you don’t know the man.”

A Man Called Ove takes the reader on an adventure from the first page. Ove lives a simple life and doesn’t care for nonsense. He strives to complete his duties and doesn’t understand his neighbours who drive lavish cars and work fancy jobs. I soon began to admire Ove’s outlook on life and was intrigued to find out more about his background.

This book marks some of the most distinct traits of Fredrik Backman’s writing. His main strength is the ability to develop a main character to such an extent that by the end the character seems like a close friend to share secrets with. I often found myself laughing along with Ove at some of the mishaps and events written in a similar fashion to other books by this author. The highs were contrasted by lows when we discover that Ove’s wife had died years ago. Despite the trauma and suffering, Ove bounced back to become a dutiful neighbour and citizen in his own bizarre way.

I admire Fredrik Backman’s unique way of combining tragedy and humour to create a genuine connection and hint that there is always something to look forward to even in our darkest moments. Few authors are able to achieve this without it seeming distasteful yet somehow Fredrik Backman manages to do it with ease.

There are not enough superlatives to use when describing this book. For me it was simply marvelous and a delight to read from beginning to end. I didn’t want it to finish and by the end I could already imagine myself as Ove’s neighbour.  I highly recommend it to readers of all ages and tastes as I am sure that there are many messages to reflect upon no matter what stage of life. Ultimately, it is a celebration of life and a reminder that every moment with loved ones matters.

“Time is a curious thing. Most of us only live for the time that lies right ahead of us. A few days, weeks, years. One of the most painful moments in a person’s life probably comes with the insight that an age has been reached when there is more to look back on than ahead.”

Title: My Dark Vanessa

Author: Kate Elizabeth Russell

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: William Morrow

Publication date: 10th March 2020

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

“‘ALL HE DID WAS FALL IN LOVE WITH ME AND THE WORLD TURNED HIM INTO A MONSTER

Vanessa Wye was fifteen years old when she first had sex with her English teacher.

She is now thirty-two and in the storm of allegations against powerful men in 2017, the teacher, Jacob Strane, has just been accused of sexual abuse by another former student.

Vanessa is horrified by this news, because she is quite certain that the relationship she had with Strane wasn’t abuse. It was love. She’s sure of that.

Forced to rethink her past, to revisit everything that happened, Vanessa has to redefine the great love story of her life – her great sexual awakening – as rape. Now she must deal with the possibility that she might be a victim, and just one of many.

Nuanced, uncomfortable, bold and powerful, and as riveting as it is disturbing, My Dark Vanessa goes straight to the heart of some of the most complex issues our age is grappling with.“

My review:

Not all books are supposed to be entertaining and easy to digest. Some books strive to bring out all forms of humanity and incite the most complex array of emotions in its readers. My Dark Vanessa is most definitely one of those books – daring and ambitious with the intention of delivering a strong message to its readers.

Sexual abuse is hardly ever explored to this degree in books and media. When I originally read the blurb and reviews I was surprised to see that this is the main subject matter of the book with Vanessa, a 15 year old schoolgirl, as the main character. I certainly didn’t expect it to be discussed in such detail and can only admire the author for the courage to explore it to this extent despite the stigmas attached in our modern day society. Although the book was extremely disturbing and difficult to read, it is equally powerful and fearless in its attempt to remove barriers and analyse the deepest and darkest thoughts from the victim’s perspective.

One of the most meaningful strategies used is the first person narrative. There were moments where I felt I was in Vanessa’s shoes, living through the horrors she was facing and that made it even more real and horrifying. It also delivered a more genuine and raw perspective during the parts where Vanessa was left on her own to reflect on some of her choices and try to rationalise the relationship. This would have been less effective without the use of the first person narrative so I am glad that the author decide to use this technique.

The dual alternating timelines is another fundamental technique and one which highlights the effect of sexual abuse later on in life. The impact which Jacob Strane had on Vanessa, even years after finishing school, is tremendous and the way which the author handles this with the introduction of some other characters is noteworthy. I didn’t agree with some of her choices as an adult but upon reflection I believe that this is exactly what the author wanted to emphasise after all the trauma Vanessa experienced as a child.

I struggled a lot with this book but ultimately finished it with the firm idea that, although it is a distressing book to read, it is also a very necessary addition to bring attention to some of the dilemmas in our society. It is technically excellent and emotionally involved which makes its message even more powerful. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone due to the dark nature of the subject matter but readers who are aware of the triggers and are expecting a raw and profound book will likely not be disappointed.

Title: Every Note Played

Author: Lisa Genova

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 5th April 2018

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Summary:

“‘An accomplished concert pianist, Richard has already suffered many losses in his life: the acrimonious divorce from his ex-wife, Karina; the estrangement of his daughter, Grace; and now, a devastating diagnosis. ALS. The relentlessly progressive paralysis of ALS begins in the cruellest way possible – in his hands. As Richard becomes more and more locked inside his body and can no longer play piano or live on his own, Karina steps in as his reluctant caregiver.

Paralysed in a different way, Karina is trapped within a prison of excuses and blame, stuck in an unfulfilling life as an after-school piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman. As Richard’s muscles, voice and breath fade, the two struggle to reconcile their past before it’s too late.

With a strong musical sensibility and the staggering insight of Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You, Lisa Genova has delivered a masterful exploration of what it means to find yourself within the most shattering of circumstances.“

My review:

Sometimes life takes an unexpected course, for the better or worse. Unfortunately for Richard, his diagnosis is a serious one and he already foresees his distressing future as we are introduced to his character in the first chapter. ALS is a debilitating disease and a particularly awful one for Richard, a professional pianist who cannot imagine life without music and his piano.

I was hooked right from the first page although I had my reservations about how the author would navigate the complexities surrounding terminal illness and end of life care. My worries soon dissolved as I realised that Lisa Genova has a particular way with words. Her carefully chosen vocabulary was just right for this story as she didn’t overload the plot with too much medical language but successfully explored the illness from both Richard’s point of view as well as those around him in an expressive and coherent manner. There were elements of sarcasm scattered in however this was done in a tasteful way to show Richard’s coping mechanism with his sudden and painful diagnosis. I applaud the author for the way she handled this sensitive topic in a way many others would be unable to.

Character development is key in Every Note Played and I was interested to hear the viewpoints of Richard’s ex-wife, Karina, and his daughter, Grace. Although Karina almost immediately stepped into the role of Richard’s carer, Grace was less forgiving of some of her dad’s past actions and the way he treated her mother. This created a series of compelling and at times heartbreaking interactions between the broken family which only further highlighted the hardships of terminal illness and its impact on relationships.

The final few chapters were incredibly hard to read however celebrated Richard’s life in a way I could never have imagined at the start of the book. Each character, including Richard himself, ultimately came to terms with the undeniable outcome in their own way and this incited in me a range of emotions which were difficult to control.

Every Note Played is an emotionally wrecking read however it is an important one as it emphasises how short and fragile life is and how practising forgiveness is sometimes the only way to heal. Although it is a book that some may struggle with, it is one that I will be recommending to many friends and family members as there is a lot to learn and reflect on.