Hurricane Girl

This short novel by Marcy Dermansky left me asking, what's the point? Here's the book blurb:

"Allison Brody is thirty-two and newly arrived on the East Coast after just managing to flee her [abusive] movie producer boyfriend. She has some money, saved up from years of writing and waitressing, and so she spends it, buying a small house on the beach. But then a Category 3 hurricane makes landfall and scatters her home up and down the shore, leaving Allison adrift. Should she go home from the bar with the strange cameraman and stay in his guest room? Is that a glass vase he smashed on her skull? Can she wipe the blood from her eyes, get in her car, and drive to her mother's? Does she really love the brain surgeon who saved her, or is she just using him for his swimming pool? And is it possible to ever truly heal without seeking some measure of revenge?"  None of these questions really seem to matter to me.

However, several reviewers liked the book, including my go-to source, Kirkus. They offer this assessment: "Small comic gems sparkle in their deadpan settings on every page. No matter how bad things get, Alison's running joke to herself—she still has her health—never ceases to amuse her, though at a certain point, 'she did not think anyone else would think it was funny.' She’s wrong about that. The only bad thing about this book is that you will likely finish it in one sitting." Library Journal says "The ending is satisfying, if unconventional." The New York Times says the book is "hilarious. Dermansky’s offbeat humor and spare prose make Allison’s mind a thrilling and wholly unusual place to be." and they go on to conclude, "This is a wickedly entertaining read from first to last."

On the other hand, Publishers Weekly agreed with me. "In Dermansky’s lackluster latest (after Very Nice), a young woman contends with a certain well-worn millennial malaise. Allison Brody, 32 [is]'sick of everybody and everything...There’s some deliciously dry humor...but the surreal aura doesn’t really develop into anything substantial or comprehensible. Readers are left with a Moshfegh-like vibe, but without a strong character or story. This one is safe to skip."

Two NIghts in Lisbon

This twisty mystery by Chris Pavone was chosen by my mystery book group and had me guessing until the end. And the ending has made me and others in my book group feel like we need to re-read the book to see how the author tricked us about so many things. Kirkus Reviews delivers an admirable intro duction to the plot and provokes potential readers' curiosity. They conclude by saying, "This high-stakes drama grabs your attention and doesn’t let go." Publishers Weekly likewise gushes that the book is a "superior, elegantly crafted yarn."  The New York Times is more positive about the author than the book itself and concludes with these comments about Pavone and his writing: "this smart, calculating author remains many notches above others in his field. He is worldly and inviting when it comes to the book’s mostly European settings. His book captures a vacation’s escapism even as its heroine feels walls closing in."