Overall, I liked it, but it took a good bit for me to care. I liked the bond between Rachel and James, how vividly the author described the period of the 2008 recession. Still unclear why she wrote the “book.”

Las indignas by Agustina Bazterrica

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

In a world beset by violence and ecological disaster, a group of women are sequestered in the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, a repressive sect led by “Him” and the imposing Sister Superior.

This is a relentlessly grim story that throws the reader headfirst into a suffocating, menacing environment (it opens with an exhaustive description of the narrator using cockroaches to get back at one of her peers). The sect’s hierarchical structure breeds jealousies, and because the women compete to join in the ranks of the “Illuminated," they are cruel toward one another and delight in the others’ punishments. The story reminded me of two dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories: The Road (the world post-collapse/misery) and The Handmaid’s Tale, but unlike the latter, the commentary of social structures fell short for me. However, Bazterrica’s mastery in building tension and visual imagery does not disappoint.

Second Best by David Foenkinos

Go to review page

dark funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

There’s a lot in this book that looks at the “first loser,” from the background/insight into what it takes to make a movie/closing doors/pathos/darkness/acceptance/fulfillment. The story is all over the place and takes some dark turns, but overall I liked it!

The Details by IA Genberg

Go to review page

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

A woman in her 40’s and in the throes of a fever finds herself reminiscing on four people from her past.
I was captivated by the writing and the narrator’s candidness. In her feverish state, the narrator turns her gaze 2+ decades to the past and unspools the details of four people that left an indelible mark. day-to-day in the period just before the internet exploded (particularly for someone who navigated the period just before cell/smart phones) made staying “in touch” convenient and by extension less meaningful/intentional.
Themes: finding people/oneself?

Commonalities: Sally, literature.

“Fever” analogous to “Infatuation” analogous. The moments/small details that up to a life, touched by many and one who in turn will touch many in return

An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten

Go to review page

dark funny lighthearted medium-paced