Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Being a trauma survivor is one of the hardest things a person can endure. Imagine being the sole survivor after your older brother slaughtered your two sisters as well as your mother for some sort of satanic sacrifice. Meet Libby Day, Kinnakee Farm House Massacre survivor, who is selfish and cynical, as well as running low on money from not having worked a day in her life. That’s when she gets a call from Lyle Wirth, the head of the Kill Club.

The Kill Club is a place for people fascinated with serial killers to go and talk about them without the judgement of society. Libby was the sole testimony that locked her brother Ben away with a life sentenced and her certainty of him being guilty begins to wither away as she and Lyle travel across Kansas to do their own investigation. Ben Day was going to go down for the murders, whether he actually committed them or not, because on that dreaded day in 1985, a rumor started that Ben was molesting a 5th grader named Krissi. If he wasn’t going to go down for the murders, the town itself would’ve lynched him. While diving deep into the past, Libby has to face her own demons, and all she wants is to get out of the Dark Place she calls her mind.

I personally would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a murder mystery. The characters are believable and Gillian Flynn constantly keeps you on your toes guessing as to who actually committed the murders. Each chapter reveals new information and before you know it, you’re so invested that you’re making up your own theories as to who had done it. It’s interesting to see how past actions can very easily cause a ripple effect that you cannot get out of. 

Abnormal Adolescence

Mirna Marroquin
Breath to Breath - Craig Lew

The amount of strength it takes to successfully suppress and forget traumatic memories is almost inhumane, but it’s seen in the novel “Breath to Breath” by Craig Lew.  As 17 year old William is uprooted from his grandparents home in Kansas due to his troubled behavior in school, he’s sent to go live with his estranged father in California. Completely immersed in an unfamiliar environment, William has to now redefine who he is in the teenage society, and ends up befriending a nerd named Ollie and a beautiful girl named Shasten, whose jock-head boyfriend, Needlemier, seems to hate William's guts. As the story progresses, William, Ollie and Shasten get closer, however one relationship that constantly nags William is the neglected child named Patches, who always appears when William is alone, saying disturbing things. William persistently tries to chase down Patches, as he is worried for the safety of this child but is never able to catch him. When Patches reveals that he's being sexually abused, William worries about him even more and continues the chase. Towards the end of the novel, William ends up in the house that Patches always disappear in, and a sudden flood of memories hit him. The abandoned and eerie house that he's in was once the house he lived in as young child with his childhood dog named "Patches". Unfortunately, it was the same house that William's own mother sexually molested him and basically prostituted him off to pedophiles in order to receive money. These deeply disturbing memories leave William extremely lost and torn, and almost leads him to a violent end. However, one of the final quotes in the book was "A breath only allows you to exist/You must engage/Venture forth/ Tangle yourself with others to to have a life/But life needs a purpose or what's the point?" (prologue).  As the quote states, a life cannot be simply lived, as it does need its own obstacles to overcome, even if they are extremely difficult.
This book was certainly nothing close to what I've ever read, but I am very glad that I did end up reading it. The harsh and sudden realization of what actually to William shocked me as a reader, but it also made me take a step back to realize the severity of sexual abuse/assault. Living in a world where rape culture does exist ( for women and men), it actually does suck that not many notice of how normalized it was become. This year however, seems to be the year that the aging Band-Aid is being torn off and revealing the nasty topic that majority of society tends to neglect. Social media has played a major role and even though it's a disturbing topic, it must be brought to light that this issue cannot continue and that all survivors of sexual abuse/assault are incredibly strong. I would strongly recommend this book to those who are interested in being enlightened of a sexual assault survivor's perspective, and for those who need a literature connection to some tragic event in their own past.

Two Worlds

Two Worlds

Jessica Conrad

Letters from Skye

By Jessica Brockmole

    Two worlds, separated by the Atlantic, have a clear distance, one that was even farther during the era of World War One without the technology of today. The island of Skye, off the coast of Scotland, and America seem like they cannot be further apart, yet two people somehow find a way to become closer than anyone could imagine.

Elspeth, a poet from Skye, receives a letter from an American named David, which starts off as innocent praise coming from a fan and turns into something more. Despite Elspeth being married and David being engaged, the two write countless letters back and forth. Readers can see the progression of their relationship as the closings change from normal parting phrases to “Love you” (Brockmole 140). As their relationship through the post intensifies, their home lives crumble when David’s fiance finds his letters and breaks off the engagement, and Elspeth’s husband goes off to war. David then enlists in the war in France, and Elspeth conquers her fears of riding the ferry to see him.

In the story’s present setting (World War Two), Elspeth disappears one night after Margaret, her daughter, discovers her letters due to an air raid that shakes their house. Margaret then converses with her fiance and her long lost Uncle Finlay to try and learn about her mother’s past, who her father is, and why her mother’s relationship destroyed their family.

The organization of this novel is very interesting. The whole story is told through the letters passed between Elspeth and David and between Margaret and her fiance, Paul. The chapters alternate between Elspeth’s point of view during World War One, and Margaret’s view during World War Two, thus switching between past and present. Telling the story through letters with no other narration is very different than any other book I have ever read. Doing so strengthens character development because the story is literally being told through the character’s own words. Readers can see Elspeth, David, and Margaret all change and develop throughout their correspondence.  

In terms of characters, I like and can relate to Elspeth. She starts off very rigid and proper, and is simply following through with what people expect of her. She stays home and cooks, cleans, and takes care of the animals. Showing the roles of gender in her society, she explains “they thought I was mad as a March hare for even wanting to read a book not on the suggested school curriculum, let alone wanting to attend university” (Brockmole 44). However, we can see that Elspeth secretly longs for more than the life she is living because she submerges herself into her poetry, something out of the norm for women in her home at that time. As the letters from David continue to come, Elspeth’s craving for love and adventure sprouts itself. As she begins to realize it, she struggles with how to handle it.

The difficulty of living up to expectations, yet living your best life is something I think a lot of people can relate to. Elspeth wants so badly to have a life off of her small island, but her fears and anxieties get in the way, and she needs David to remind her that she can continue to push herself towards what she wants, writing “you keep me going, how you keep me waking up, simply because I know you’re thinking of me” (Brockmole 101) . The desire for adventure also relates to so many people, especially teenagers. With a world of possibility just at our fingertips, we are eager to get out and find adventure, and enjoy life while we’re young.

This novel can attract adventure seekers, romantics and Nicholas Sparks readers, and mystery solvers. The book includes an intriguing blend of all these themes, somehow without being cliche.  Margaret’s search into her mother’s past, thus her own life, provides mystery, and Elspeth’s letters to and from David provide the romance. This book is one sure to read if you are someone who enjoys any of these topics.

The Eye of the Storm

Cara Ferguson

Burn For Burn

written by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Welcome to Jar Island High School: the center of jealousy, rivalries, and betrayal. The novel is told from three different perspectives: narrated by Lillia, Kat, and Mary. All of these girls are pulled together by the string of lies spread by their peers. The story of their high school experience mixed with the themes of friendship, lust, and temptation create an alluring novel that entertains the young adult audience while also reflecting the reality of adolescence.

Although this book is enjoyable and interesting, the plot tends to be drawn out due to the shifting perspectives.  As you are reading the novel, you will read about Lillian’s internal struggle with her relationship with her younger sister, then in an instant are thrown into Kat’s frustration with her damaged reputation. It takes the reader extra time just to catch up on what is happening, and what has already happened. It is very unique for an author to include this type of narrative; it adds complexity to the storyline while also allowing for several instances of dramatic irony to take place.

Another point worthy to note is the extremity of the feelings shared by each of the characters. Logic seems to fly out the window in many scenarios throughout the novel, especially when emotions come into play. The three main girls, for example, are consumed by either their resentment or anger towards their peers. While the heightened emotions do add to the plot, at certain points it is unnecessary and takes away from the story development. The author tries to make it relatable but also forgets that not every girl is the head cheerleader whose sister is sleeping with her best friend. It seems to be unclear exactly what tone the author has, and this can be attributed to the shifting perspectives. Once again, the creative idea to utilize all of the characters ends up becoming very dull and confusing over time.

I would recommend this book. Despite its downfalls, the plot is intriguing. I hope that as the story progresses, it will all tie together in the end. The style of writing is very descriptive and captures the reader within only a couple pages. The storytelling narrative draws the reader in, making them feel as if they’re a bystander to all the drama taking place.

As Kat tells Mary “Karma’s a bitch. He’ll get his” Prepare yourself, because there’s a storm brewing on Jar Island, and not everyone may escape the destruction. Are you brave enough to jump into the eye of the hurricane?

The Dream Team

The Dream Team
Gerard Jelloe
“The Boys of the Winter” by Wayne Coffey

    For those who are interested and in hockey you probably know about the 1980 Winter Olympics and how the U.S.A hockey team won the tournament. The author somewhat talks about the “untold story of a coach, a dream and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team” from what I have read. In the start of the book, Coffey offers background information like many authors do. The book first talks about some events that happened prior to the big game ,then how the soviets became a superpower in the sport of hockey and information about the players of both teams. I could tell you about all this background information but you would be less interested in reading the rest of this review. The background information of the players helps the reader understand what kind of person they are but it is not what the reader wants to read about when picking up the book hoping to learn about the great story. He switches in the book from the game itself to life stories of different players, whenever they make a big play in the game, multiple times which was kind of confusing and annoying when reading it. If Coffey focused more on the story and what makes it so significant rather than where all the players are from and what their life was like as a young boy. Throughout the book, Coffey’s time and voice doesn’t really change; The whole time his voice is really bleak and not really exciting. It is hard to sound exciting when you are talking about someone’s life but the whole time you read text like “Buzz Schneider would pass through Embarrass on his trips to Eveleth, where his wife, Gayle, grew up” (page 51) and “he lives outside the Twin Cities, but when winter finally lifts, he and Gayle and family spend as much time as they can in the family cabin”(page 52). When Coffey offers some excitement, it is kind of out of nowhere; he will be talking about Buzz Schnieders life and then says “Schneider’s goal sent a surge of excitement in the crowd”(page 53) in the next paragraph. The parts that seem exciting are just in the wrong places in the plot which cause a loss in interest.

I  have not read all of the book but from the portion that I read, I can not say that I have enjoyed it. For those who would like to know more about the players, this could definitely be a good read but i was hoping to read more about the significance of the game and less about where Buzz Schneider is from and what his first job was. To sum everything up, I personally would not recommend this book to people who just want to know a little more about the great triumph by the 1980 U.S.A olympic Hockey team, but I would recommend this book to someone that is doing a report on the event or someone who really wants know about every player and other relevant facts and details to the event.