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3.18 AVERAGE
3.18 AVERAGE
I received a copy of this book free from the publisher via netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
Full reviews available at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com.
Full reviews available at www.coffeeandtrainspotting.wordpress.com.
Well. That was deep and depressing. Not just the kidnapping part and its aftermath, but the whole family dynamics. The entire book seemed to revolve around the many ways in which we fail to save each other and the guilt we carry on forever. I like my endings with a little more resolution and hope, please.
In recent years, many resources have been allocated to the research of the way in which individuals respond to traumatic events. Not only are traumatic events problematic for those who are directly involved, but they are also responsible for affecting those who experience them peripherally; the innocent bystanders, so to speak. While there is much work to be done, one thing is certain: each individual experiences and processes these events in a very unique way; uncovering the various coping mechanisms, symptoms, etc., may prove as difficult as solving a complex puzzle.
Meredith Oliver walks into a local restaurant, Deli Barn, to pick up a sandwich; she has inadvertently walked into a traumatic situation. Her middle school classmate, Lisa Bellow, will be kidnapped while she watches and she is paralyzed from doing anything to either prevent or gather any information about the incident.
While this might be enough material upon which to craft an intriguing story, for author Susan Perabo, and readers of this stunning novel, this is only a small portion of what develops into the deeply moving, funny, relatable journey of not only Meredith and Lisa, but also their families, fellow students and community. The novel includes significant themes such as the power of sibling relationships, mortality, the challenges of motherhood, coming-of-age, forgiveness and, obviously, coping with trauma.
Having thoroughly enjoyed Perabo’s work as an author of short stories (her collection Why They Run the Way They Do was one of my favorite reads in 2016), I felt a little anxious about this first published novel; my fears have been more than sufficiently assuaged. Her talent never ceases to amaze me and I will begin, again, to anxiously await the next work she shares.
With fascinating character development, enough wonder to keep the pages turning at a quick pace, and intelligent, carefully-crafted writing, The Fall of Lisa Bellow will surely land on my list of favorites this year and is already on my list of Best Books to Read on Spring Break 2017.
"There were winners and there were losers. There were people in big houses and people in small houses. There were people who drew X’s through entire sections of school forms and people who had a name for every box. There were people whom others spoke to with respect, and people who others looked past. There were people who had choices and people who did not. Why was this, again?"
Meredith Oliver walks into a local restaurant, Deli Barn, to pick up a sandwich; she has inadvertently walked into a traumatic situation. Her middle school classmate, Lisa Bellow, will be kidnapped while she watches and she is paralyzed from doing anything to either prevent or gather any information about the incident.
"The phone felt strange and bulky against her ear. Why did news so often come this way, plastic boxes pressed against our temples? Half the things that mattered in her life had come through this box. Why was she never where the thing was happening?"
While this might be enough material upon which to craft an intriguing story, for author Susan Perabo, and readers of this stunning novel, this is only a small portion of what develops into the deeply moving, funny, relatable journey of not only Meredith and Lisa, but also their families, fellow students and community. The novel includes significant themes such as the power of sibling relationships, mortality, the challenges of motherhood, coming-of-age, forgiveness and, obviously, coping with trauma.
"She took a deep breath. At the end of the breath she found something, something totally unexpected, something she hadn’t even been looking for, but there it was for the taking, like turning a blind corner and bumping smack into the one thing that could save you. Resolve."
Having thoroughly enjoyed Perabo’s work as an author of short stories (her collection Why They Run the Way They Do was one of my favorite reads in 2016), I felt a little anxious about this first published novel; my fears have been more than sufficiently assuaged. Her talent never ceases to amaze me and I will begin, again, to anxiously await the next work she shares.
With fascinating character development, enough wonder to keep the pages turning at a quick pace, and intelligent, carefully-crafted writing, The Fall of Lisa Bellow will surely land on my list of favorites this year and is already on my list of Best Books to Read on Spring Break 2017.
‘Why? Why would a robber become a kidnapper?’
Two eighth-grade girls witness an armed robbery in a sandwich shop. One of the girls is kidnapped by the robber, the other girl is left behind. Why? Meredith Oliver is the girl left behind, and while she figures that Lisa Bellow was taken because she weighed less and was prettier and more popular, she really can’t move past Lisa’s abduction. What if they’d both been abducted? What if Lisa knew her abductor?
The Oliver family has had a traumatic year. Meredith’s older brother, Evan, a high school baseball star, had his left eye and eye socket crushed by a foul ball. He is still coming to terms with his injury, still trying to adjust. Meredith’s parents, Mark and Claire, are dentists who share a practice.
This novel is about how the Oliver family deal with these events, from the perspectives of Meredith and Claire.
‘Grief and hope were cruel bedfellows, incompatible.’
Claire wants to protect her children; Mark realises that they need space. Meredith becomes obsessed with Lisa’s disappearance; Evan works on his own dreams. And what about Lisa Bellow’s mother? Can the Oliver family survive? How?
Reading this novel was like being an observer, unable to intervene in any meaningful way, in another family’s crisis. I felt for Meredith, as she moves between relief at being left behind and guilt at surviving. I could understand her freezing as the impact of events hit her, and then rebelling. How do parents handle this effectively, without adding to the trauma already experienced or alienating the child? But what about Lisa? I wanted answers which Ms Perabo has chosen not to give.
Did I enjoy this novel? No. Would I read more novels by this author? Absolutely. In this novel, Ms Perabo raises a number of uncomfortable issues, creates less than perfect (and completely human) characters. By focussing this novel on Meredith and her experiences, Ms Perabo reminds us that trauma is varied and complex and that sometimes, even in fiction, there are no satisfactory answers.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Two eighth-grade girls witness an armed robbery in a sandwich shop. One of the girls is kidnapped by the robber, the other girl is left behind. Why? Meredith Oliver is the girl left behind, and while she figures that Lisa Bellow was taken because she weighed less and was prettier and more popular, she really can’t move past Lisa’s abduction. What if they’d both been abducted? What if Lisa knew her abductor?
The Oliver family has had a traumatic year. Meredith’s older brother, Evan, a high school baseball star, had his left eye and eye socket crushed by a foul ball. He is still coming to terms with his injury, still trying to adjust. Meredith’s parents, Mark and Claire, are dentists who share a practice.
This novel is about how the Oliver family deal with these events, from the perspectives of Meredith and Claire.
‘Grief and hope were cruel bedfellows, incompatible.’
Claire wants to protect her children; Mark realises that they need space. Meredith becomes obsessed with Lisa’s disappearance; Evan works on his own dreams. And what about Lisa Bellow’s mother? Can the Oliver family survive? How?
Reading this novel was like being an observer, unable to intervene in any meaningful way, in another family’s crisis. I felt for Meredith, as she moves between relief at being left behind and guilt at surviving. I could understand her freezing as the impact of events hit her, and then rebelling. How do parents handle this effectively, without adding to the trauma already experienced or alienating the child? But what about Lisa? I wanted answers which Ms Perabo has chosen not to give.
Did I enjoy this novel? No. Would I read more novels by this author? Absolutely. In this novel, Ms Perabo raises a number of uncomfortable issues, creates less than perfect (and completely human) characters. By focussing this novel on Meredith and her experiences, Ms Perabo reminds us that trauma is varied and complex and that sometimes, even in fiction, there are no satisfactory answers.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
plot-wise, this was just ok (there was basically no resolution). but i enjoyed the concept and writing style, though at times it dragged and i had to skim (like really do i need paragraphs on how her parents met or whatever).
I don’t have a lot to say about this book so I’m not going to say anything. Well, except for that first sentence. And this one. Oh hell, it was meh. The end.
This was going to be a 3-star book, up until the ending. It lost a star because there is NO RESOLUTION. Do not read this book if you need an actual ending, because you're going to be sadly disappointed.
Things I liked: the big brother was kind, sympathetic, and funny. Some much-needed comic relief. I also really appreciated that he showed us a glimpse of hope for the future: at least ONE of these characters can move on.
Things I didn't like: the bitch of a mom (seriously, one of the more irritating characters I've read lately). In particular: "ooooh noooooo, my son isn't applying to colleges. Pretty soon he'll be stuck with COMMUNITY COLLEGE." The horror! Get off your elitist pedestal and realize that college is not the end-all, be-all of human existence.
The anxious junior-high girl hierarchy, which I generally dislike because it reminds me of how much EVERYONE blows middle school/jr high out of proportion and makes it SOOOOO MUUUUUCH WOOOOOORSE than it actually is/was.
The fact that Meredith was a high-strung wreck (even before the kidnapping) and her mom didn't do anything to help that.
The deal about "gold gladiator sandals" being such a huge status symbol, and apparently they're high-heeled, but we're not told that until halfway through the book? Like seriously, it's never mentioned that they're high-heeled sandals even though that's an important descriptive detail. Poor editing there.
THE FACT THAT THERE IS ZERO RESOLUTION. And did I mention the mom is a bitchy mess?
Things I liked: the big brother was kind, sympathetic, and funny. Some much-needed comic relief. I also really appreciated that he showed us a glimpse of hope for the future: at least ONE of these characters can move on.
Things I didn't like: the bitch of a mom (seriously, one of the more irritating characters I've read lately). In particular: "ooooh noooooo, my son isn't applying to colleges. Pretty soon he'll be stuck with COMMUNITY COLLEGE." The horror! Get off your elitist pedestal and realize that college is not the end-all, be-all of human existence.
The anxious junior-high girl hierarchy, which I generally dislike because it reminds me of how much EVERYONE blows middle school/jr high out of proportion and makes it SOOOOO MUUUUUCH WOOOOOORSE than it actually is/was.
The fact that Meredith was a high-strung wreck (even before the kidnapping) and her mom didn't do anything to help that.
The deal about "gold gladiator sandals" being such a huge status symbol, and apparently they're high-heeled, but we're not told that until halfway through the book? Like seriously, it's never mentioned that they're high-heeled sandals even though that's an important descriptive detail. Poor editing there.
THE FACT THAT THERE IS ZERO RESOLUTION. And did I mention the mom is a bitchy mess?
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really wanted to love this book. I thought the premise was really interesting but I found it a bit underwhelming. While it is well written and I thought Meredith was a good character, I didn’t enjoy the side stories about Evan, and to be honest I wanted a better conclusion. Maybe that’s the point, sometimes there is no conclusion and life just continues. Either way, I did like it but I didn’t love it.