Historical Fiction: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The latest book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a tale of witches and magic and spells, spanning 90 years and two countries. The Bewitching offers readers a story about three different women and their fight against an evil that is willing to do terrible things to maintain its power.

The Situation: It is 1998, and Minerva, a graduate student at Stoneridge College near Boston, is struggling with her thesis. Sure, summer is here and that means the campus will be fairly empty, making it easier for her to focus and come up with something she can show her advisor in the Fall. But finding more information on obscure horror author Beatrice Tremblay has proven difficult, even though she also attended Stoneridge during The Great Depression. And once Minerva discovers that one of Tremblay's books was based on a true story, the 1934 disappearance of one of the author's friends, she is determined to find out more. Minerva is no stranger to tales of odd happenings and disappearances, as her great-grandmother, Alba, told her plenty of them, the most harrowing of which happened in 1908 in Mexico, when Alba encountered her own monster.

The Problem: When Minerva gains access to some documents and pictures that shed a little more light on both Tremblay, and the disappearance that inspired her book, she begins to have a strange sense that the same force that plagued the author and her friend, as well as her great-grandmother, may once again be at work as she attempts to learn the truth. In 1934, Tremblay's friend spoke of feelings of being followed and pursued. And in 1908, Alba tells the story of her family farm and the series of terrible tragedies that had most everyone convinced that the land was cursed. Minerva knows that academic stress is real and cannot be dismissed, but she also remembers what her great-grandmother told her, and there are too many similarities between then and now.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel that had also been placed into the horror category due to the discussion of witchcraft, curses, spells, and even seances. The book contains three different stories, during three different times in history. The main story involves graduate student Minerva in 1998 at Stoneridge College. Then there is horror author Beatrice Tremblay, also at Stoneridge College, but in 1934, when the girls' dorms still had house mothers. And in 1908, Minerva's great-grandmother, Alba, tells of the time shortly after her father's death when it seemed the family farm was cursed, and she knew witchcraft was at work. While Stoneridge College is fictional, Moreno-Garcia was inspired by her own time at a New England college, as well as by the myriad of horror authors who lived in and around the New England area.

My Verdict: This is the sixth novel that I have read by Moreno-Garcia, and it is easily my favorite. I will admit to being less interested in Alba's story than I was in the other two, but that was more because of my annoyance with Alba as a character than anything else. I would have liked more of Tremblay's story and more information about her time at Stoneridge, especially since the disappearance of her friend is Minerva's primary focus, but I suppose we did get more information about that through Minerva's research and interviews. The three stories were expertly brought together, allowing the mystery to unfold in a way that is not awkward or forced. 

Favorite Moment: I do enjoy most aspects of academic research, so watching Minerva go through old letters and photos, as well as visit library archives gave me a fair amount of joy.

Favorite Character: For the most part, Minerva prefers to keep to herself and is quickly exhausted by most social interactions. But she works hard, remains focused, and is determined to find the truth.

Recommended Reading: I recommend The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez. 

Contemporary Fiction: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Something I am always on the lookout for when it comes to this blog are books that are worthy of the category of 'door stop.' Five hundred pages or more is all it takes for a book to fall under that label, and the fact that Katabasis comes from author R.F. Kuang, and is also around 540 pages, made me incredibly happy and excited. I thoroughly enjoyed Babel, and was excited for another Kuang book that involved characters obsessed with both academics and Magick.

The Situation: Alice Law is on an incredible mission with a high chance for failure. But she feels she has no choice but to do the seemingly impossible, and certainly unadvisable. If she has done the right amount of research, and learned the right spells, and taken enough notes, Alice should be able to journey into Hell and retrieve her advisor, Dr. Jacob Grimes. All she has ever wanted was to become one of the best in the field of Magick. So far this has meant studying under Grimes, who is currently the best at what he does. With his support, she can graduate from Cambridge knowing that she is pretty much guaranteed a great job and a bright future. So his death must be reversed if she is to stay on track. Also, there is the small detail that she is pretty sure his death was her fault.

The Problem: Descending into hell and casually bringing someone close to you back to the land of the living is not a simple task, and Alice knows this. Her rival, Peter Murdoch, is also well aware of how complicated this task is, but believes they have a better chance of success if they attempt it together. But the last thing Alice wanted was for Peter to tag along. To her, Peter is the annoyingly kind and affable golden boy of the department who can do no wrong, and always comes out on top. He wins all of the awards, gets all of the praise, and most annoying of all, he is incredibly nice and just as brilliant as everyone says. Together, the two of them journey through Hell in search of the advisor that neither of them hold any real affection for, but the search could cost them even more than they realized.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fantasy novel set mostly in Hell, but begins at Cambridge where Alice and Peter first begin their descent. Throughout their journey, there is much talk about philosophy, religion, logic, literature, and even mathematics. To make it through the many courts of hell, Alice and Peter will have to draw on every bit of knowledge they have, across several fields, and it still may not be enough. Naturally, something that is referenced throughout are Dante's thoughts from The Divine Comedy, especially as Alice and Peter have their own beliefs as to how Hell is arranged, and what is the best way to move through it. As the two of them continue their adventure, they must also reconcile who they are to each other, and take an honest look at the person that was Jacob Grimes.

My Verdict: There was considerable excitement surrounding this book, and for me, it was merited. Kuang wastes no time getting the story started, as the reader immediately knows what Alice is up to and why. Once she and Peter make it into Hell, the adventure and excitement do not stop for the next 500+ pages. Sure, the setting does not really change since they are in Hell, but every chapter is a new challenge, or puzzle, or question. And the story is not a simple movement through the different courts or levels of Hell. The pair are thrown off track many times, and the characters they encounter are fascinating (many are horrifying), and add to a story that is fun, but will also make the reader think. There are logic puzzles that Alice and Peter must work through, but they must also think about what they are really fighting for, and what they are willing to sacrifice to get it.

Favorite Moment: For the first half of the book, Peter Murdoch is a bit of a mystery, until he finally gets the opportunity to tell his story.

Favorite Character: In the beginning, it is pretty easy to dislike Alice, and at least be a bit suspicious of Peter. Alice admits, at least to the reader, that she is the type who is fine with favoritism as long as she is the one benefitting. And she is unwilling to believe or admit to any truth in which she is not special, or chosen, or superior in some way. Ultimately, I did not choose a favorite character, and I am not sure I can. 

Recommended Reading: Kuang's Babel deals with a different kind of magic, but also takes place in an academic setting.

Science Fiction: These Memories Do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma

For what could (maybe) end up being my last science fiction selection for the year, I chose Yiming Ma's These Memories Do Not Belong to Us. As the title suggests, the book explores memories, their power, and their value, in a far-off future where they can be shared, but also edited, and even deleted.

The Situation: In a distant future, the Qin empire is in power after a long war and the outbreak of the deadly Chrysanthemum Virus, and every citizen has been outfitted with a Mindbank, a device that allows memories to be stored, shared, and deleted. When a nameless narrator inherits his mother's Mindbank following her death, he makes a surprising, and also terrifying discovery. In her Mindbank are many memories that have been banned by the Qin authorities. By having her son inherit them, she has put his freedom, possibly even his life, in danger. While he believes he will eventually be apprehended, he holds onto his mother's memories anyway, and shares them with the reader.

The Problem: The collection of memories - which are sorted into three categories, Before the War, The War, and After the War - take place in various lands, spanning decades, with both female and male narrators and protagonists. There even seems to be a common thread as certain people show up in more than one memory, or their story is referenced as part of an important event in Qin history. Regardless, despite what the narrator is able to learn about his mother, as well as government he serves, he knows he is in danger, and is not sure if he wishes to simply wait for the inevitable punishment; embrace it by coming forward; or perhaps, attempt to share what he has with the world.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set in a distant future, and after a war that has allowed the Qin empire to take over and redefine the world as we know it. Thoughts and memories can now be monitored as every citizen has a Mindbank, allowing all memories to be shared. In the stories that take place before the war, Mindbanks are only available to the wealthy, with artists and storytellers already lamenting the all but certain disappearance of books and movies. While there is a story and timeline to follow, the format of the book more closely resembles a collection of short stories, especially as they do not appear in chronological order. 

My Verdict: Any premise that deals with the manipulation of thoughts and memory is always immediately interesting to me. And with every big tech and social media company out there after both our money and our information, the idea of a Mindbank is not that far off. Truly, my only real lament about this book is that the stories do not appear in sequential order of when they took place. Even the three provided headings of Before the War, The War, and After the War are not that helpful in placing events when they actually occurred, at least not for me. The ideas presented are interesting and thought-provoking, even if the ending is a bit on the nose.

Favorite Moment: There are several moments when a character must comes to terms with the fact that they are not much better at navigating this world than anyone else.

Favorite Story: "86 Shanghai" is the story of a Chinese immigrant living in New York City, who can only call his family back in China once a month. The details of his life, what he must do to survive and eventually have his family join him, and the progression into the future, are all incredibly well thought out and intriguing to read. 

Recommended Reading: 1984 by George Orwell came to mind many times while reading this book. 

Historical Fiction: The Antidote by Karen Russell

Karen Russell's The Antidote has garnered a good amount of attention for tackling what life was like during the Dust Bowl in the U.S, as well as the displacement of Native Americans, and the displacement of the settlers from their own homes in Europe. With a little added magical realism, Russell's story becomes about more than economic hardship and environmental consequences.

The Situation: After Black Sunday in 1935, the farmers in Uz, Nebraska are facing a crisis. The land that they settled on has turned to dust, and so has their livelihood. Everyday another family gives up and moves away from the small town. Harp Oletsky, a wheat farmer who grew up in Uz after his family relocated there from Poland, has experienced a strange bit of luck as his wheat is growing just fine, despite the drought. But he cannot allow himself to celebrate it as his neighbors continue to struggle around him. Living with him is his niece, Asphodel, who is still coming to terms with the death of her mother, Harp's sister. And then there is the Antidote, a woman in town who can take a memory, any memory, and store it away somewhere deep inside herself until the customer is ready to retrieve it.

The Problem: The Antidote, Prairie Witch, Vault...whatever people decided to call her, is facing her own crisis. Since Black Sunday, she has lost all of the memories that the townspeople of Uz have deposited with her. And because so many of them have decided to leave, there are now lines outside of her door of people wanting to retrieve what they gave her. If they find out she has lost the memories, they will think she is a fake, and the Antidote already has enough trouble with the town Sherriff, who is carrying a secret of his own. But when a photographer from D.C. arrives to take pictures of the people of Uz, her camera may reveal more than anyone bargained for, giving the town a new crisis to grapple with.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel set between Black Sunday in 1935, one of the worst dust storms in the history of this country, and the flooding of the Republican River, which received 24 inches of rain in 24 hours. Front and center in the story is the Dust Bowl and its effects on farmers, such as Harp and his friends. But there is also the titular character of the Antidote and her strange ability to relieve people of their memories. Some may call her a witch, and she may be generally shunned by polite society, but yet so many rely on her to take (and keep) their secrets, as they believe her when she says she never hears a thing when they come to her. But the people of Uz will also be confronted with what happened when the land they now live on was settled, as it was given to them by a government who had to first take it form someone else.

My Verdict: The dust bowl as a subject in fiction has always interested me, and I was excited to see Russell's take on it. The book started out well enough, before eventually feeling like a chore to get through every time I picked it up. Having several different characters take over telling the story as opposed to having only one perspective was a great choice, but even that did little to allow me to get away from a particularly difficult, or even boring part of the story by escaping into a another character's narrative. To be fair, pretty much every aspect of the story is a difficult one, and I give Russell credit for going for it and not shying away from hard topics.

Favorite Moment: As the captain of a ragtag basketball team, Asphodel is committed to winning, but has to confront everything that goes into that, from team sacrifices, to facing down opponents who may have even more to lose.

Favorite Character: I want to pick the cat that makes its way around Uz, but if I am forced to pick a human, I pick government photographer Cleo Allfrey.

Recommended Reading: I always recommend The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, but for a more contemporary read, I recommend The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. 

Classic Fiction: Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende

Continuing my journey through the books of Isabel Allende, today's post is all about Portrait in Sepia, which for me will close out the author's Trilogía Involuntaria, which also includes The House of the Spirits, and Daughter of Fortune. Staying within the tradition of the other two books, this one follows a young woman, Aurora del Valle, beginning before she was even born, and continuing into the early 20th century as she enters adulthood and begins to uncover the buried memories and lost stories of the past. 

The Situation: Before Aurora del Valle is born, her mother, uncle, and grandparents are respected members of the Chinatown community in San Francisco. Lynn Sommers is already known for her beauty, something that greatly worries her mother Eliza, as she insists on escorting the young girl everywhere and making sure she spends no amount of time alone with any of the young men who seek to gain her attention. Despite all of Eliza's attempts and attention, Lynn becomes pregnant and gives birth to a young girl. But for Aurora, the first five years of her life will remain a mystery, as will her maternal grandparents, as she will be raised by her paternal grandmother Paulina del Valle, a woman insistent on keeping her granddaughter's early years a secret.

The Problem: Although she has no memory of the first five years of her life, Aurora is regularly haunted by nightmares of figures in black. It is almost as if her life began when she came under the care of Paulina del Valle, a woman who is larger than life in many ways. Irreverent, proud, envied, but also incredibly skilled in business and money management, Paulina makes sure that her granddaughter wants for nothing, while also remaining ignorant about her past. But even the del Valle matriarch is unable to keep the War of the Pacific, followed by the Chilean Civil War, from affecting those close to her. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction novel set in both San Francisco and Chile, beginning in 1862, before Aurora is born, and ending in 1910. As the narrator, Aurora sets out to tell not only her own story, but the story of her family, while admitting that her memory is flawed. Readers will recognize several characters from the other books in Allende's Trilogía Involuntaria, including some names from The House of the Spirits, the events of which take place in the future. At the forefront are Aurora's grandmothers, Pauline del Valle and Eliza Sommers, both women who insisted on making their own path in life, despite how women were expected to behave in the 19th century.

My Verdict: Of the four books that involve the del Valle family (including this year's My Name is Emilia del Valle), this one has become my favorite. Aurora may be the focus, but the book takes on several members and branches of the del Valle family tree, and I love the choice of occasionally spending a significant amount of pages on someone other than the main protagonist. With so many colorful characters, and its setting of some of the most tumultuous years in Chile's history, it makes sense to go outside of what Aurora would have been able to see with her own eyes, therefore adding to the already epic story of the del Valle family. The book can be read on its own, separate from the others in the Trilogía Involuntaria, but I recommend reading all three.

Favorite Moment: It is difficult to go against the wishes of Paulina del Valle, but Eliza Sommers manages to stand firm in an early decision.

Favorite Character: Aurora's grandfather, Tao Chi'en, is a respected physician and an advocate for the helpless in his community. 

Recommended Reading: Chronologically, Portrait in Sepia is the second book in the Trilogía Involuntaria, but it was published third. Honestly, the series could be read in either the order the books were published, or in the order of the events in the story. Either way would work. 

Young Adult Fiction: Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson

Author Tiffany D. Jackson is no stranger to the YA genre, so I was interested to see what happens when she writes a mystery and suspense novel geared more towards middle grade readers. Blood in the Water follows a young girl who is investigating a mysterious death while away from home on summer vacation. As with all of Jackson's books, nothing is quite as it seems, and the young detective has her work cut out for her.

The Situation: Kaylani McKinnon is not exactly excited about spending the summer at Martha's Vineyard, away from her home in Brooklyn. It means staying with a strange family she has not seen in years, in a house she does not know, and even further away from her dad, who is in prison on embezzlement charges. Every night, Kaylani waits for him to call, always feeling like the minutes run out too quickly, and there is too much time before the next day, when she will get to speak to him again. Despite her misgivings, Kaylani ends up at Martha's Vineyard with the Watson's, and their annoying granddaughter, London.

The Problem: It is clear that London is even less excited than Kaylani about her staying with her family. London's older sister Cassie is not too thrilled either, but she is more distracted by a few of the boys her age on the island. Kaylani does her best to get comfortable, even managing to make some friends, until tragedy strikes the island and a young boy ends up dead. With a few recent shark sightings in the waters surrounding the island, people are not sure if the boy's death is the result of a rare shark attack, or something more sinister. Kaylani is eager to solve the case, but the more she finds, the more secrets are revealed not only about the island, but the people she is staying with.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a middle grade novel set mostly in and around Martha's Vineyard. Kaylani is on the island as a guest of the Watson's, a wealthy family that spends their summers on the island, which means Kaylani is there along with the Watson's granddaughters, Cassie and London. For the majority of the story, the main antagonist is London, whose only interests include clothes, makeup, and being able to be seen with her older sister Cassie, who is less than interested in being around the two younger girls. During her time on the island, Kaylani will learn about the history of Martha's Vineyard, as well as the nature of shark attacks, all while trying to solve the possible murder of a local boy.

My Verdict: When I first realized that this book was going to be geared more towards middle grade readers, I wondered how Jackson was going to tailor her writing for a younger audience. As with several of Jackson's previous books, this one includes a murder mystery, but is not quite as heavy as far as the subject matter, which works well for younger readers. There is still a mystery to solve, very real danger to be avoided, and plenty of suspicious characters that may or not be on the protagonist's side. Almost any reader of any age can recall the feeling of having to spend a summer somewhere other than where they want to be, which is where Kaylani's story starts, and then it devolves from there. This is a smart, quick, and enjoyable read.

Favorite Moment: London is spoiled, stuck-up and annoying, and everyone knows it. It was satisfying to see some of the characters pointedly seek out Kaylani's presence instead, despite her being an outsider, and most everyone knowing her father is in prison. 

Favorite Character: Kaylani is smart, and stubborn when she needs to be. Her father also taught her to be observant and to know her surroundings, something that comes in handy more than once.

Recommended Reading: My favorite of Jackson's books remains to be Monday's Not Coming. 

Contemporary Fiction: Park Avenue by Renée Ahdieh

The debut adult novel of author Renée Ahdieh has been compared to both Crazy Rich Asians and Succession. With the focus of the story being on an ultra-wealthy Korean family, Park Avenue takes readers on a journey with an ambitious lawyer desperate to reach her goals, but her latest case may prove to be too treacherous, and with simply too much family drama.

The Situation: Jia Song has just made junior partner at her law firm, which means she is on the right track to achieving her goals. As the middle child, and only daughter, of Korean bodega owners, Jia has dreamed of the day that she could enjoy the ridiculous luxuries she witnessed others enjoying as she grew up in New York City. And while Jia is well on her way, finding success with her latest case assignment could be the thing that fast-tracks her career towards becoming senior partner. It seems that the extremely wealthy Park family is in need of a lawyer to assist in a family matter, one that involves infidelity, possible fraud, theft, and so many secrets.

The Problem: The Park family's reputation is enough to make them intimidating. And when Jia meets them, she comes face-to-face with Sora's (the oldest sister) icy demeanor, Suzy's (Sora's twin) knack for reckless and destructive honesty, and Minsoo's (the younger brother) preference for decorum and discretion, while also not being all that helpful. Oh and another thing: the three of them do not get along. But they need Jia's assistance in proving that their father is hiding money from their mother. Seven and Jenny Park are going through a divorce, while Jenny is also dealing with terminal cancer. It is the kind of case that only a future senior partner could handle, but with no one wanting to cooperate, and everyone keeping secrets from Jia, she certainly has her work cut out for her.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a work of fiction set mostly in New York City, but also has the protagonist travel to Greece, and the Cayman's, as well as Paris, all as part of her effort to discover what the patriarch of the Park family is really up to. It is clear to Jia from the beginning that she was recommended for this case because she, like the Park family, is Korean-American, but she immediately feels out of place in their family's presence. She may be on her way to owning a Birkin bag of her own (a goal she has long been obsessed with), but it takes one cold look from Sora, and a few small verbal jabs from Suzy for her to know exactly where she stands. Jia also thinks back on her place in her own family as the one who did what needed to be done, but was never the priority. 

My Verdict: This is an intriguing premise that kept me guessing, for the most part. And even the parts I was able to figure out were not so obvious to be annoying, or boring. If anything, the twists and turns often threatened to be a bit too much, a few of them teetering on the edge of believability. A few reviewers have criticized the author's use of a narrator that, in some chapters, chose to address the reader directly to offer cryptic explanations and apologies for their own role in the story. And while this was not my favorite choice, I did not hate it as much as some other readers did. My main issue would be Jia's lack of maturity, or, as I mentioned before, some of the plot reveals that I had a hard time believing.

Favorite Moment: When confronted with a former boyfriend, Jia manages to hold it together when it is most important.

Favorite Character: Pretty much everyone in this story is either deeply flawed, or holding onto some secret that could be their own undoing, or the undoing of someone they care about. Everything is about money, all of the time, even when it seems like it is not, and it felt like the worst side of nearly every characters was on full display.

Recommended Reading: Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González would be a nice follow-up.