Book Review: Far From Here: A Novel by Nicole Baart

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . April 1, 2012 . 2:30PM

When Goodreads.com sent me a free copy of Far From Here: A Novel, written by Nicole Baart, I was really looking forward to reading it. The premise of the novel is one that is written from the perspective of someone who has been left behind when someone they care about turns into a missing case. Was the person lost or did the person leave and will he return? Will he be found? What caused him to go in the first place and what happened when he did?

As someone who thrives on a good conspiracy theory, I know, I know, I should know better, but I do thrive on them, I couldn’t wait to see what Nicole Baart’s take on what it might be like to be in that uncomfortable position of loving someone and then having them disappear would look like. I tend to live vicariously through my books and would never, ever want to experience this firsthand, but I have frequently wondered about the people that just drop off the face of the earth. Did they choose it? Did something happen to them? Are they still there?

With these questions in mind, I opened up the beautifully illustrated cover of Far From Here and settled down for a good read. Danica and Etsell have been married for the majority of their adult lives. Etsell is a passionate pilot and Danica is his flight-phobic support system. On the surface, their marriage is perfect, even after ten years, and though Danica cannot share Etsell’s dream of flight, they begin to discuss having a family.

Etsell takes a flight job for a friend and will be in Alaska for two weeks flying, which is his dream job. Etsell has always wanted to work there on a permanent basis but Danica is set in her feelings of staying where they have planted roots and avoiding flying at all costs. It is with this dissonance between them that Etsell leaves for his two week business trip.

Danica focuses on his return until her doorbell rings and she gets the news that Etsell has gone missing. The remainder of the book, without giving anything away, is spent determining what has happened to him, if he meant to leave her, and exactly what was happening in their relationship when he left. Ultimately, Danica looks within herself and looks at how you can live with someone for ten years and never really know or understand them or yourself.

Does Danica ever find out what happened to Etsell? Does he return? Did he mean to leave her? Far From Here is a book that kept me entertained and moving through it at a rapid pace. The writing was well done and the characters were dynamic. With every page turn I felt like I needed to know more. I wanted a neatly packaged ending, but we don’t always get them in real life. Many books neglect the secondary characters and this book was an exception. The secondary characters in the novel are those that are used to show us who Danica truly is and they were not just thrown in there to add “filler” to the book. This was a nicely done book and I’d honestly like to see a sequel to it, if for no other reason than to tidy up the ending and to find out what Danica chooses to do from here.

Book Review: Solomon’s Oak by Jo-Ann Mapson

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . December 30, 2011 . 9:47PM

Usually, I don’t jump right into my reviews, but Solomon’s Oak by Jo-Ann Mapson was so compelling that I feel like I need to get right down to it today. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of this from an early review program, which is odd because this book actually came out in hardback in 2010 and is available on Amazon.com for a bargain price right now! Frankly, I’m shocked that the price was lowered because this was one of my favorite reads this year.

Solomon’s Oak introduces us to Glory, a newly widowed woman who is still grieving for her husband and desperately trying to make ends meet. When the local social worker comes calling and asks her to take on a new foster child, something Glory and her late husband had frequently done with open arms, Glory isn’t sure that she has it in her to help Juniper through her adolescent issues. With the help of Joseph, an out-of-towner who has some issues of his own, Glory and Juniper discover that family is often who you make it.

This book has a lot of backstory for each character and that makes it a fascinating read. Almost all of the characters have some sort of dynamic movement throughout the novel, including the minor characters. Sometimes when an author goes that route the book because a busy mish-mash of too many spoons in the soup. However, Solomon’s Oak is written with a perfect, delicate balance that left me bouncing between the characters and while I was on one part of the story I found myself longing to know what another character was doing. Jo-Ann Mapson did a lovely job tying these characters together and really weaving a beautiful picture of what life is like for them.

None of the stories are easy to read. The characters in this book are struggling to deal with issues that are real world issues. However, the empathy that Mapson allows the reader to feel is more than adequate to allow for a bonding between reader and character without making the book overly sappy or the characters overly pitiful or pathetic in their griefs.

I think this is a lovely book that is worth a read. It may not be your favorite of the year, but you won’t forget it. You may find yourself wondering where the characters are heading and if they realize what they’ve gained in the process. It’s a nice journey.

Edit: I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions on it!

Book Review: The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . November 17, 2011 . 7:15PM

I’ve read quite a few books by Chris Bohjalian, and one of my favorites of his is The Double Bind. I haven’t read anything until this point that compared to that book as to how it evoked feeling within me. I was curious as to this book, The Night Strangers, when I read the synopsis because I do enjoy a good ghost story. When you throw in the aspect of psychological trauma and mental thriller, well, I wonder if Chris Bohjalian tailor-made this book for me? I began reading this book right around Halloween and that made it even better for me in that the skies around my house were turning gray and the wind was blowing and the day I finished this book it was a dark and spooky night that was pouring rain. It was one of those nights that gives you the shivers by its very nature and it added to the drama of this book. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s talk about the plot for a minute.

The public fascination with a pilot’s heroic landing in the Hudson is at the forefront of every pilot’s mind. Some pilots have looked at “Sully’s” real life landing as the fantasy job–the chance to show off amazing skill, save the passengers and fly the best planes while gaining fame for being the best at his job. Chris Linton is one of those pilots. He’s fantasized and read about everything Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger did since he heard about the landing. What Chris doesn’t realize is that he is about to have his chance to pull a Sully.

The beginning of the novel takes us into the cockpit of a plane heading for disaster. Chris and his co-pilot Amy are flying a routine flight when they hit a flock of geese who are sucked into their engines, causing a stall-out and forcing Chris to make the decision to land in the local lake. When Chris makes a solid landing, a ferry sends a wave over the plane and capsizes it breaking it into pieces. Thirty-nine passengers die, including his co-pilot, and Chris is deeply traumatized. This trauma seeps into his homelife with his wife, Emily, and twin daughters, Hallie and Garnet. Emily makes the decision to leave her law-firm and move the family to the sleepy little town of Bethel, far from the paparazzi, so Chris can find himself again and the family can have some peace. What Emily doesn’t know is that the town of Bethel has secrets of its own.

Emily is immediately confronted by a couple of the townspeople who attempt to warn her about the “herbalists” that she spends her time with and the house that she and her family bought. They say little, though, and seem fearful to give her details. Eventually, these interactions will come back to haunt Emily as her family becomes more and more drawn into what is happening in the town greenhouses and a story of a murder that took place in her own home. Will Emily be able to save her family and keep Chris from falling into the madness that threatens to consume him?

The book was full of twists, paranormal turns and small truths. There were times that events in the book were incredibly plausible yet so far-fetched that it made me question the line between sanity and insanity and reality and fiction. Could it happen? Yes. Could it be true? Maybe. The ending was shocking to me, to say the least, and never did I feel like I knew with absolute certainty what was happening at any point. I did feel a couple of events were predictable, but only because Chris Bohjalian is a master at putting out the fishing line and then reeling me in.

If you like a thriller with a little bit of psychological mischief and little bit of shivering your timbers, grab this book. If you want a book that is entertaining and yet you might need to take a break from it at night, grab this book. If you want a book that is worth the money you spent on it because it will entertain you over the long haul, grab this book. By far, his best work to date.

Note: I got this book for free in order to review it. Thank you for allowing me to share my opinions with others.