The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern

 

My branch library is only a few blocks away, which makes it a key destination whether I’ve gone walking on the beach or biked over to the produce market. Did I mention that my branch is newly renovated with a view of the ocean and huge windows that let the sun stream through?

Like a good bookstore, I can’t seem to pass by without popping in see what’s on the new arrivals shelf.  I have a miniature library card on my key ring in preparation for any serendipitous book finds.

The People in the Photo was just such a find.  The cover drew me in and the book was on it’s way home with me after this blurb:

The chance discovery of a newspaper image from 1971 sets two people on the path to learning the disturbing truth about their parents’ pasts.

Parisian archivist Hélène takes out a newspaper advert calling for information about her mother, who died when she was three, and the two men pictured with her in a photograph taken at a tennis tournament at Interlaken in 1971. Stéphane, a Swiss biologist living in Kent, responds: his father is one of the people in the photo. Letters and more photos pass between them as they embark on a journey to uncover the truth their parents kept from them.

Epistolary novels are one of my favorite literary genres, but it’s a difficult writing style to pull off.  Often it can be gimmicky, but when done well — riveting.   Hélène Gestern has achieved the latter, all the more impressive as a translated French novel.

The story unfolds in a mixture of letters, emails and texts between Hélène and Stéphane as they uncover and exchange  photos and revelations about their respective parents.

The characters evolve, as does their relationship, through their correspondence.  At first they are reserved and cautious which we discover is due in large part to the secrets and unresolved feelings of their childhoods.  But as they uncover new family histories, they also begin to share their feelings and soon develop a relationship they both believe will save them.  But, perhaps, these discoveries are revealing a truth they don’t want to accept…

This is a quick read – not only because of its page-turning story line, but many pages contain only a short email or text.  When I turned the last page of The People in the Photo, I turned back to the beginning to re-read parts of it again.  I wanted to revel in the craft of the author – how carefully the characters are developed, the teasing bits of secrets revealed and the import of each piece of correspondence.  In the end, I reluctantly returned this engaging novel to the library —  but its impression remains.

 

 

 

 

 

Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny

You may remember my previous post when I went to see Louise Penny at a local author appearance…and came away with a big author crush and her newest book, signed.

She gave a wonderful talk, answered questions (Myrna and her bookstore actually exist in Ms. Penny’s own village) and charmed everyone in attendance.

The next evening I made myself some bedtime tea and tore right in.  Two nights later I closed the book and pondered these last two books —Long Way Home and this latest one.

Ms. Penny is clearly taking Gamache into a new direction. His life, after all, has changed.  He is retired from the Sûreté and settled with his wife in the bucolic village of Three Pines.  Gamache is content with retirement on the outside, but little by little we are learning his internal struggle with his new purpose in life.  For Gamache, evil seems somehow – well all the more evil – when it invades his cozy existence in Three Pines.  And it does just that in Nature of the Beast.

Evil doesn’t just invade, it gallops into his sanctuary of Three Pines with the murder of a village boy with a vivid imagination, a menacing missile launcher is discovered abandoned in the woods down a country lane — even the local drama group is putting on a play authored by a now-jailed serial killer  — one of Gamache’s most horrifying past cases.

The dark threat prevails as Gamache and his former Sûreté colleagues work  to untangle the secrets in this intertwined case. A villager with a hidden identity may have been involved in a My Lai type Vietnam massacre, Ruth is revealed to have a dark past, and the Whore of Babylon is an on-going theme, adding yet another layer of apocalyptic tension to the story line.

Most importantly, a nemesis is introduced — John Fleming – – the serial killer playwright, now in jail who taunts Gamache with penetrating insights.  I suspect John Fleming will be back…

“I’m not the only prisoner in this room, am I?”,  Fleming asks (Gamache), “You’re trapped in that village, you’re a middle aged man waiting out his days”

Then, there is the darkness of grief and Ms. Penny’s elegant writing brought tears to my eyes.

“..all my bones will dissolve and one day I’ll just dissolve.  But it won’t matter, because there’s nowhere to go and nothing to do, no need of bones…”

I was fascinated by the depiction of Gamache’s new civilian role and the insightful writing depicts his internal conflict.

…(she) called Gamache ‘Monsieur’ rather than ‘Chief Inspector’.  It was natural, healthy, true — but to Gamache it felt like having a tattoo scraped off.

Ms. Penny breathes humanity as fresh air into the tension — a long running Canadian miseries glues everyone to their TV sets and provides valuable alibis, gardening gives respite from grief, there is frustration with the village’s lack of cell or Wi-fi services and the bistro scenes made this reader raid the cupboard for that tin of hot chocolate mix.

I’m pleased with the development of  Gamache’s wife, Reine-Marie and seeing her come to life as she moves beyond a supporting role to a key influence in Gamache’s thinking and actions.  

I read Nature of the Beast with some incredulity, wondering how a huge “super gun” could be hidden in the woods so near the center of Three Pines and none of the long-time villagers remembers it being built or anything about it?  Ten years ago the gun was strategically placed in Three Pines  (close to the Vermont border) so that the Iraqis could bomb the U.S.? Really?  After I finished the book, in the afterword, Ms. Penny reveals that the hidden missile launcher was based on true Canadian events — there really was such a gun and such a plan. Could have fooled me.

The story strained credibility even further when the final chapters depict a melodramatic race against time to save …whoops no spoiler here.

I kept thinking of the Murder She Wrote television series wherein Cabot Cove, Maine had a long running parade of far-fetched characters, seen-better-days actors and improbable story lines.

But just as I watched Jessica Fletcher to the bitter end (don’t judge), I won’t stop reading Ms. Penny’s books – ever.

The Gamache series is clearly going in a new direction and the last two books’ plots may often strain credibility — but her series still gift her readers with the some of the best writing, most elegant insights into art and humanity, and (not forgetting) the most idiosyncratic, loveable and interesting cast of characters in mystery fiction today.

True confessions,  I have decided to re-read the series in order from the beginning. As Nature of The Beast refers back to Still Life – the first in this wonderful series.

I’m yours Ms. Penny, where ever you take me (see author crush above).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Barmy is Back

I’m certain the legions of Book Barmy readers out there have been wondering at the lack of activity this last month*

Book Barmy has been having some technical difficulties, but as of today, it’s back.

Many thanks to my intrepid web designer, who was finally able to reconnect me with my dashboard on WordPress.  It only took hours of frustration with less-than-helpful tech support and delving into the bowels of WordPress to finally uncover the problem.

 

I read piles just a few books while Book Barmy was down….

So, stay tuned, as I organize my notes and book piles and start posting here again.

I don’t know about all of you, but I surely missed Book Barmy.

 

*Full disclosure, there were only two inquiries and one was from my mother.

The Lost Garden, by Katharine Swartz

You may be surprised (nay, perhaps shocked) at how little I read when traveling.  All those flights, train trips, early evenings – one would think I’d be in book heaven…but afraid not.  I gaze out at the scenery during train journeys holding my book (or kindle) unopened. I find myself catching up on missed movies during long flights and, as a typically tired tourist (all that walking, exploring, eating, navigating and translating) I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.  So my reading falls by the wayside.

I wanted an easy-going book for this most recent trip.  Nothing too complicated with multiplying characters or, even worse, a family tree to keep straight.   I knew while in Switzerland, I would be happily distracted and pleasantly tired.  I would only be reading in short bits and pieces.

I’d been saving the The Lost Garden just for this trip.  I eagerly awaited this historical novel of a hidden garden with secrets, a dual time-line (present day and just after WWII) and set in rural England.  (I know, I’m  boringly quite predictable.)

It also held charm because it brought to mind The Secret Garden one of my all-time favorite and cherished children’s books.

The Lost Garden is both a mystery and family saga set at Bower House, on the edge of a village church property with a hidden walled garden. In 1919, nineteen-year-old Eleanor Sanderson is grieving the death of her brother so her father hires a young gardener, Jack to restore the walled garden to comfort her.  Eleanor falls for Jack especially once he reveals the garden to her.  (I won’t give away the special garden he created – just know it’s magical.)  Problems arise, secrets are kept and the garden is at the center of it all.

In the present day, Marin Ellis has taken on the custody of her sulky 15 year old half-sister, Rebecca.  They move to Bower house to try and start a new life for themselves.  They, too, are grieving the sudden accidental death of their parents.  When Rebecca shows a spark of interest in the now decrepit walled garden, Marin hires Joss, a local gardener to help them restore the garden.  Together, they uncover the garden’s past and its secrets – and again friendships and romance evolve around the lost garden.

I found the characters authentic and the setting just so darn dreamy (I want my own secret garden…).  For those readers who want a fast moving plot and high drama – this is not a book for you, as The Lost Garden moves gently and slowly along.  I found myself living with its characters, breathing in the rooms of the house and seeing the garden transformed in both time periods.

A purely pleasant read for total escape to a magical secret garden  — some times that’s all you need.

Digital review copy provided by Lion Fiction via NetGalley.

 

 

 

Louise Penny – in person

Last night I went to an author event at Keplers Books in Menlo Park (a great bookstore)…but this was not just any author event – it was LOUISE PENNY — author of the  Chief Inpsector Gamache series based in the fictional village of Three Pines outside of Montreal.  If you don’t know of Louise Penny it is advised that you immediately get yourself to a bookstore or library and get your hands on her first book, Still Life.  You’ll thank me later, or maybe not —  because there is a warning – you won’t be able to wait for the next book in the series to come into the library, and you will happily spend your hard-earned dollars on the next book … and the next.

Here’s some photos from the event.

Ms. Penny is just as I imagined her – warm, funny, self-deprecating, smart, wise, gracious and very very real.  I want to be her new best friend – (but not in a creepy stalking kind of way).

I also got this – see what I mean about spending your money?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her new book – signed.  I started it last night and once I’ve finished I will give it away to any Book Barmy reader who can answer the following question:

What gift did Ms. Penny receive last night from an adoring fan? (And not from me, an originally from Canada fan…)

Submit your answers in the comments section and I’ll announce the winner in a future post.

Meanwhile – I’m leaving now to return to Three Pines, the bistro, Ruth and her duck…I know you’ll understand.

N.B.  If more than one reader has the correct answer, trustworthy husband (he was an Eagle Scout you know) will pick the name at random.

Memoirs as Salvation

~~First an apology for the radio silence. I’ve been neglecting Book Barmy lately.  Last minute travel preparations dominate right now, as we prepare to leave on a grand trip next week.  As a result, my reading has dwindled to a few pages at night- (sometimes the same pages from the night before) until I can’t keep my eyes open. Stay tuned for more on our travel excitement in an upcoming post. ~~

What is it about memoirs?  I gravitate toward them in anxious times and decided it was because I’m a bit of a guilty voyeur combined with a dash of schadenfreude.   I seem to gain solace from dipping into the disastrous lives of others.   So when I came across this wonderful Mary Karr essay HERE , I knew I had a chum — another memoir lover out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One of my all time favorites is Eat Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert.  Read this memoir for it’s depiction of a trip of a lifetime and Ms. Gilbert’s personal journey.  Rediscovering joy, peace and love while gaining friends, insights and few extra pounds along the way.  It’s really not as sappy as I just made it sound – honestly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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And now for something similar yet completely different … Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs.  Once again we witness a nightmarish youth and the reparations, but in this case Mr. Burroughs tells his tale in such a way that it is both entertaining and outrageous.  So entertaining, in fact that some studio attempted to make a film based on the book. Just terrible, give it a miss – the film that is – not the book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I was recently reminded of the classic Testament of Youth –  an autobiography of a independent woman who volunteers as a nurse during WWI. I missed many a wild club scene evening buried in its pages back in the 80’s. It’s been adapted into what looks to be a promising film (trailer HERE).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The other evening I started this unique memoir.  Grieving over the unexpected death of her father, Helen MacDonald rediscovers her love of falconry with a prickly and murderous goshawk —  named Mabel.  I’m only a few chapters in and it’s riveting (at least for as long as I’m able to stay awake these recent nights).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not forgetting the other memoirs here on Book Barmy –THIS or THIS

What are your favorite memoirs or autobiographies?