Book Review: 'Her', by Harriet Lane

I picked up this novel, as it was one that the Waterstone's Book Club were reading, and the title just grabbed me. I know books shouldn't be judged from the title but this one seemed so menacing, and a nice easy diversion from the 'heavy' Shakespeare play that I am studying at Uni just now. I'm not a fan of chick-lit but the tag 'psychological thriller' eventually sold it to me so, always glad of a scary suspense novel, I decided to give it a go.

This is a freakishly chilling novel whose clever construction through the mirroring of the events of each chapter from one woman's viewpoint reflected in the following chapter from that of the other woman, allows the reader to fully experience the almost over-friendly 'two-facedness' of Nina, and the trusting naivete of Emma. Now in their early forties, these two women have met in the past; it isn't until the very end of the novel that the reader discovers the reason for Nina's obsessive, grudging and stalking attitude to the oblivious Emma, and the devastating and nightmarish consequences of these emotions. 

The characters were very well written - I got so frustrated with Emma and Ben and kept shouting at her to get him to do more to help her, while Nina just gave me the creeps, even before her darker side became evident. I got so engrossed in the characters and the spiralling events that I ended up reading this novel in just four hours! 

Really enjoyed it, so it gets four stars out of five from me.

Book Review: 'The Girl in the Red Coat', by Kate Hamer.

A fantastic and compelling debut novel by Kate Hamer which I read in one day because I could not put the book down!

The story is related via two first-person narrators, Beth Wakeford, and her eight-year-old daughter, Carmel, with aspects from each narrative overlapping through the author's clever use of motifs (the colour red, spiders, fog, open fields, and "strings").  That a chilling event has occurred is evident from the beginning of the novel with Beth setting the scene for the suspense and emotion which increase as the narrative gathers momentum. The book is extremely well-written, with identifiable and likeable characters - even the 'baddies' elicited a degree of sympathy from me. 

There are gaps in Carmel's narrative at certain points which, although I found a little confusing, actually serve the purpose in reflecting the character's disorientation very well as she, and the reader, adapt to life after her fateful trip when life changed forever for her and her family.

It's thrilling, it's exciting, and it is heart-wrenching - a real roller-coaster which keeps you turning those pages. 

** Thank you Waterstones and Faber & Faber  for sending me an Advance Reader Copy  to read in exchange for an honest review. **

Yet another ARC to review - happy days!

So, this morning I am ploughing through Plutarch's story of  Coriolanus when the doorbell rings. It's my long-suffering post-lady  (she seems to always be delivering me books I have ordered online for my degree), clutching yet another parcel for me. This time, instead of it containing another textbook of critical essays, it contained the above ARC/pre-proof novel direct from the publishers  (Faber and Faber) which I have to read and provide an honest review. What a lovely surprise! Of course that set me off excitement-wise, and subsequently, not much concentration went into Plutarch after this! 

Watch this space for a review; I'm half way through Ready Player One, which I hope to finish tomorrow on completion of which I will get going on it.  

Next challenge is to get through a weekend without buying any books - I have failed so far this year.......

The other books in my life.....

So, when I'm not reading for pleasure, this is what I'm doing. This was what today had in store for me - an analysis of Shakespeare's tragedy, Coriolanus, for Uni. My next essay is a critical analysis of this play and also Brecht's adaptation, talking about context and the image of the body in them. Started off not liking this play too much but the more I am reading it, it is growing on me. So much reading!  So many academic essays to decipher!

In other news, I have just started Ernest Cline's book Ready Player One which I am interspersing with Shakespeare to balance things out. Will write a review when i eventually get it read!