I Let You Go

After reading Let Me Lie by former police officer Clare Mackintosh, I was ready to try one of her earlier books and this is her first (also a "Crime Novel of the Year" winner in England). It begins with an innocent-seeming domestic activity: a mom picks her 5-year-old son up from school and is walking home with him to prepare dinner. But as she drops his hand to fish out keys from her purse, he dashes into the street and is fatally struck by a speeding car. As she cradles his body, she sees the driver back up and drive off.
We now follow the story of the police investigation and, separately, that of Jenna Gray, a woman who has lost everything and flees her life to disappear into a small village on the coast of Wales where no one knows her. She rents a run-down cottage, has no phone, talks to no one. And she is debilitated by terrifying nightmares. We know she was a sculptor who has suffered injury to her hands. We know she was involved in the accident. But her identity is not what we are initially led to believe.
Jenna gradually begins to rebuild her life, staying anonymous, taking up photography as an outlet for her artistic nature. The local shop keeper at a near-by summer caravan park becomes a friend and offers to sell cards with Jenna's photographs on them in her shop that. Jenna rescues and then adopts a dog, beginning a tentative relationship with the local veterinarian as a result.

But her past begins to catch up with her and eventually she is arrested for the hit-and-run death of the boy, once again destroying the life she has built. We are misdirected from the very beginning. The plot is cleverly twisty, the settings very atmospheric. I will no doubt pick up her other novel, I See You. Laudatory reviews from The New York Times and Kirkus.

The Dreaming Tree

This is a compilation of The Dreamstone and The Tree of Swords and Jewels by C.J. Cherryh. Although the writing is lovely in places, I found it just confusing and the storyline too condensed in others. This is an astoundingly prolific author of science fiction and of high fantasies. Usually I really like this type of thing but found the heavy use of Welsh/Celtic/Old English names really tiresome at times. Maybe I was just not in the mood. This is the story of Arafel, last of the Elves left behind after the rest have departed the world of "Men." Arafel continues to stand guard over the Faery world of Eald as well as the mortal world of Man with their poisonous use of iron (roughly a Medieval time frame). She is lonely and occasionally tries to befriend a particular human but is often disappointed as humans are both in awe of and in fear of the Faery folk--not without reason. There are still plenty of other magical beings around, some mischievous, some cold and calculating, and others downright dark and evil. Generations of men pass is a blink of Faery time. The main characters in this book have elven blood in their background which allows them a somewhat increased access and affinity--or fearfulness--toward all that is Faery. One has asked Arafel's help in winning a war and she agreed and has indeed continued to exert beneficent oversight on this human, his subsequent family with two children, and the lands over which he is now lord. Farms have prospered, peace has reined. But Lord Cieran's brother, Donnchadh, as well as other lords are being advised by darker beings who foster distrust of Ciaran, particularly with the King. When things don't move fast enough, Donnchadh and the other greedy lords kill the King, and now war--not just among men, but among all things Faery--is coming and sweeping everything before it into destruction.

Among Others

Even the title is intriguing for this YA novel by Jo Walton! Morwenna and Maureen were twins who grew up among an extended family in Wales. Dad disappeared from their lives pre-memory and mom was a witch--literally--but there were grandparents and aunts and uncles. Fortunately they also had the fairies, who inhabited the ruins of mining works, to offer some guidance and also to enable their use of magic. When their mother tries to seize control of something we never truly learn about in the book, there is a confrontation which results in the death of Maureen and a crippling injury to Morwenna. Fifteen-year old "Mori," as she now calls herself, has been sent to live with her stranger of a father and his three spinster sisters in England and they in turn have sent her away to a posh boarding school where she feels like an outcast for so many reasons. In an effort to protect herself from her diminished but still dangerous mother, Mori engages in protective magic spells and also wishes for a community of belonging, which comes about in a nearly perfect way. The local librarian tells Mori about the weekly science fiction book group--Mori has always been a voracious consumer of this fare as a primary form of solace and pleasure. Now she has friends and maybe even one special, very handsome friend. The predictable re-confrontation with her mother on a visit home seems a bit short-changed, but the book is very well written in terms of character and setting and I eagerly dove in each night before going to sleep. Maybe you can learn to see fairies, too! Anyone who has ever escaped social exclusion by being a bookworm will identify with this intrepid young woman.

Back to some old favorites -- Candace Robb

I thoroughly enjoy the Own Archer and Lucie Wilton series, partly because they are a series and the characters develop over time and you feel like you get to know them. I haven't actually read the immediate predecessor (A Gift of Sanctuary) to A Spy for the Redeemer, which apparently sets Owen off to Wales in the company of his father-in-law, Lucie's father. In this book, the impending revolt of Welsh rebels confronts Owen with his conflicting loyalties -- England vs. Wales. A mysterious suicide involves Owen directly with the various political factions and delays his return when he is ordered by the local Archdeacon to investigate. His long absence raises doubts in Lucie as well about Owen's love and commitment to her and their children, especially as rumors begin to circulate that Owen has joined the rebels. She is tempted by attentive men, some with good motives and some not. Lucie is distraught to learn her father has died on the trip and when she goes to check on his estate, run by her aunt, robbers attack, leaving Lucie unsure of what to do. What I like in general about historical mysteries--at least well-done ones like Robb's--is the opportunity to really get a feel for the events and settings and day-to-day lives of the people in a particular time and place, in this case, 14th C England (York especially) and Wales. Graduate work in medieval literature launched her interests in writing about the period and her literary career.

Guy Gavriel Kay still a favorite

Ever since Nancy Pearl turned me on to The Lions of Al-Rassan (see earlier post), I've had a niggling desire to read more of Kay's work and my last trip to Portland and Powell's bookstore offered an opportunity to do just that. The Last Light of the Sun is set in the same world with the same two moons but shifted considerably north and focused on relations between several groups that parallel the Norse, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Celts. Very engrossing story-telling, richly detailed creation of time and place with interesting characters and bits of magic. Faeries take on a vital role and interact with humans in surprising ways in this tale. The rise of a strong English king has put a crimp in the heretofore unimpeded raids from Vikings. Tribes within England have reached uneasy truces, which some seek to cement with politic marriages. The main characters are predominantly a new generation, the sons and daughters of the kings and leaders who waged wars. An interesting twist is offered through side tales of people whose lives intersect those of the main characters, e.g., the miller or a shepherd girl tending her goats. Althogh women are portrayed as resourceful, independent and intelligent, they do not carry the story in the same way they did in Lions. Nevertheless, an excellent read which encourages me to read more of Kay.

Mostly fluffy stuff

Maybe because the books I've been reading to review are SO heavy--lots of non-fiction, self-help, etc.-- I'm doing a bit more escapist reading these days. I listened to another YA fantasy book, a classic set in Wales with ties to Arthurian legend called The Grey King by Susan Cooper. A 10-year old English boy is actually the last of the "Old Ones" who has been called on for a quest to stop the dark machinations of the Grey King. The reader, Richard Mitchley, did an excellent job with the snippets of Welsh dialog and place names.
I also persisted to the end with Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore -- it was a slow starter and I didn't really like it to begin with, but I've enjoyed a couple of his other vampire books (see earlier reviews in this blog), so I kept at it and in the end it was a nice love story with the usual Moore insanity of characters, plot and the supernatural driving it all. This time the supernatural characters center around Native American lore and the tale of the Coyote trickster.
Last but not least this week was the 14th installment of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, Fearless Fourteen, which was a birthday gift from my friend and colleague, Dale. As always, there were laugh out-loud moments and Grandma Mazur is up to her usual tricks--this time getting immersed in online gaming, complete with black leather outfits. I don't think any cars got blown up this time around though and the interactions with Ranger were decidedly less heated, although still filled with innuendo. Not her best effort but still a fun read.
I'm on to more substantial fare, Bangkok 8, thanks to a recent set of reviews by my reading guru, Nancy Pearl.