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whatsmomreading's reviews
88 reviews
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Two childhood best friends working in the Mexican film industry are asked by their favorite horror director to help him finish his final film that had been written by a N*zi occultist - what could possibly go wrong?
Silver Nitrate had the feeling of a 90’s horror flick with the witty banter between our friends Montserrat and Tristán & some of the more mild horror scenes, think dead ex-girlfriends appearing and the occult leaders chasing you down with hell hounds.
I enjoyed the two friends but at time felt like their dialogue came across as immature for two people who were supposed to be entering their 40’s. I also think the narrator for the audio book was a bit too dry for my taste so that took some of the life out of the characters but I pushed through because I was enjoying the story! Montserrat was a really fun character with a lot of guts and determination. Tristan was selfish but enjoyable as her companion.
Minor Detail by Adania Shibli
challenging
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
5.0
The first half of Minor Detail is the retelling of true events that occurred at the border of Egypt and the newly established Israel in the summer of 1949, shortly after the war that displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and erased their homes.
What unfolds over a few short days is the capture, torture, rape and eventual murder of a Palestinian woman who is buried in the desert. This story is shared in such a dry, matter of fact way with no emotion or remorse which I think reflects the lack of emotion those committing this crime felt. It was unnerving to follow along those few days with such a removed sense of humanity.
In the second half of Minor Detail our nameless narrator comes upon a news article detailing these crimes & finds they had occurred 25 years before the day she was born. This dark coincidence in dates sets her off on a journey to seek answers about this nameless woman lost to the desert.
The second half was anxiety-inducing as our narrator has to navigate multiple checkpoints manned by soldiers with her borrowed ID that permitted her to travel from her Area A to Area D where the crime was committed. Along her travels she passes through areas that have been renovated, military camps and newly established prisons built upon land that not too long along were the villages and homes of so many Palestinian. Seeing the dozens of destroyed villages listed really brought to life the fact that so many generations were thrown out and their homes destroyed.
I think this is a very important read and for those who may be wary about the contents, it never gets too graphic about the crimes as they are committed which I was thankful for as it is heavy material. It’s a short but very crucial read for those wanting to read more about Palestine. The ending was like a train wreck you can’t turn away from and I’m still sitting with it.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
🚨SPOILERS AHEAD!🚨
The Silent Patient is the story of criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber as he begins his work with infamous artist Alicia Berenson. Berenson had shot her husband 5 times and remained silent there afterwards, only creating one painting that offered any form of communication. No one had been able to breakthrough to her in 6 years.
I am SO late to this book and honestly avoided it for fear it was overhyped. I enjoyed Michaelides writing for the most part, it was engaging and the short chapters were perfect for my short attention span at the moment. 😂 I think Alicia’s story and character were really wonderful and I wish there had been more from her perspective! I think if you’re looking for a fast paced thriller that keeps you on your toes a bit then this would be a good read.
🚨🚨Now spoiler time! 🚨🚨
I was able to guess the twist BUT I think that’s because of two different reasons, one being I went into the book knowing there would be a ‘big twist’ so I was trying to figure it out most of the read. 🙃 The other reason was, as I mentioned in my stories, that the narrator of the audiobook was giving me the creeps! So I was starting to think ‘this guy has something to do with it’ but I wasn’t entirely sure how. As the book progressed I started to change up my ‘theories’ but it was really satisfying to have guessed it during the big reveal and the way it was presented was interesting!
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
After fleeing Palestine shortly after The Six Day War of 1967, Salma Yacoub has relocated with her 3 children; Widad, Alia and Mustafa. Widowed and rebuilding their life, Salma prepares for her middle daughter Alia’s wedding. When she does the ceremonial coffee dreg reading on the eve of the wedding it reveals a life of instability for her daughter’s future family. What unfolds over decades is a story about the family and the ripple effects of war as they grow and change.
I don’t even know where to begin with this novel as it was so beautiful, endearing, tragic and yet hopeful. Alyan’s writing style is so poetic, she managed to make simple actions sound so much more profound. I cannot wait to get my hands on more of her writing.
As for the story, I know the Yacoub family is going to stay with me for a very long time. Each chapter being told by a different family member added so much depth to the story as well as the individuals. It also helps so much with the transitions and covering so much time as the novel begins in 1963 and ends in 2014.
It was heartbreaking to see as generations grew how far removed they started to feel from their Palestinian roots as each generation had to relocate during different wars. They were aching for a home that they never knew and it’s a feeling that’s going to stay with me for a very long time.
I really loved seeing how the relationships between mothers and daughters were also challenged as each generation faced her own struggles and developing freedoms.
There’s so so so much more I could say but I really hope everyone gives it a read because these stories matter more and more every day.
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When her mother dies suddenly on vacation, Casey’s entire world is uprooted. She’s been working on her novel (based on her mother’s life) for the last 6 years and can’t seem to finish after her passing. She’s in and out of relationships, crumbling under a mountain of debt and barely making ends meet as a waitress. As her romantic relationships with two authors develop, her personal writing comes into focus & she manages to navigate the grief of losing her mother while finding her footing again.
I ended up enjoying this more than I expected but there were definitely moments where I felt things were dragging and there were characters I wish had been more developed or given more time. I also felt like there was a lot going on? Between her grieving, her writing career, her weirdo dad and Casey’s failed golf career (??) there were so many elements at play that it felt a little all over the place. That being said once we got into the second half things started to really narrow down into this cute ‘who will she pick’ romance that was nice to get into.
Private Rites by Julia Armfield
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thank you to NetGalley & Flat Iron Booms for this eARC of Private Rites, it’s available everywhere December 3rd 2024
The rain hasn’t stopped in over 15 years. Floodings, homes collapsed, roads closed and ramshackled attempts to piece together public transportation has become the norm in our unnamed city. Everyone is turning to what they can for comfort; protests, religions, cults. An architect, Stephen Carmichael, has been developing and building new infrastructure in order to combat these floodings and lived within a masterpiece he designed himself and where he ‘raised’ his three daughters.
The estranged sisters - Isla, Irene and Agnes - mostly keep to themselves in their corners of the city when they receive the news of their father’s passing. As the sift through his life, his work, the passing of Isla & Irene’s mother and the disappearance of Agnes’ mother shortly after Agnes’ birth, the sisters come together at the end of times to reckon with what was left to them.
I don’t know if I quite got what I was looking for going into this novel but it surely didn’t disappoint. I felt like Armfield was not only examining the dynamics of these three sisters and the way they treated each other into adulthood but how they treated each other under the looming idea that the end of the world was near. There were so many thoughts and feeling expressed by each sister that felt similar to thoughts so many had during the lockdown/stay at home orders so it felt like such a timely novel.
There was so much build up and tension to this feeling of the characters being watched, I was hoping at some points we’d go ahead and get on with what was to come next but when the ‘gotcha’ moment came it did not disappoint!
I’m excited to read more of Julia Armfield’s work and really enjoyed her writing style.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Esther Greenwood is in New York on an internship for a women’s magazine, she’s broken out of her small hometown, made it to university and she has the interest of a well to do college student whose set to be a doctor. While to outsiders everything appears to be perfect for Esther, inside she’s slowly succumbing to a deep depression. She feels no joy, no love for writing, no enthusiasm for her internship. Esther can’t seem to make up her mind as to which direction her life will go and in the 50’s there were so few options for women. When she returns home to find she didn’t make the summer writing program she applied to it sends her off the deep end and into a stay at the asylum.
This book made me so uncomfortable in how realistically Plath was able to write about depression and it makes sense as she based this book around her own life. I could feel myself sinking into that familiar fog, where you feel nothing and everything all at once so all you can do is freeze. At the time the choices for women were so limited and all roads eventually pointed to marriage and a family, which would end any career dreams they had.
I found myself thinking about how now we can “have it all” but in so many ways we still can’t AND we still face the pressures of marriage & babies in the modern day. If you don’t get married and have kids something is wrong, if you have kids there’s always questions about when you’ll have more, if you have kids and go back to work you’re a bad mom, if you stay home with the kids then you’re taking the “easy” way out.
The fig analogy broke my heart as I’ve felt the same way many times. Everything is just within my grasp but I still can’t decide. But I also found it inspiring to remember I don’t have to have everything figured out and there’s still so much time to chase my dreams.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley & Erewhon Books for this eARC! The Eyes Are the Best Part is available June 25th
Ji-won is a first generation college student of Korean immigrants and having been rejected by her first choice school and alienated by friends, she is left picking up the pieces after her parents sudden divorce. When her mother meets someone new - George - she is left scrambling to get her act together to protect herself and her sister. When she attempts to appease and entertain her mother by consuming the eyes of a fish, ‘the best part,’ she developes a sudden ravenous hunger for the unspeakable - human eyes.
Throughout this book all I could think was GOOD FOR HER and I truly would not have had this written any other way. Through the lense of horror and cannibalism Monika Kim examines the fetishization of Asian women in American culture and she does an exquisite job of displaying the ‘nice guy’ trope for us to examine & explore. This being Kim’s first work of horror is astounding and I absolutely have to get my hands on more.
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Vesta Gul is a widow, entering her Golden Years and reflecting on her life when she stumbles upon a note in the forest on her land alluding to the death (or murder) of a woman named Magda. What follows is Vesta spiraling out of control as she attempts to discern reality from her own imagination.
I have always joked that my plan once I’m over 70 is to buy a piece of land in the middle of nowhere and have a dog or two, so I immediately had a soft spot for Vesta. Experiencing her unraveling reminded me of how often we can create these stories and “realities” in our own minds based off of little to no information and get wrapped up in them.
I mentioned in my stories that this was my first time listening to an audiobook and the voice actor does such a brilliant job bringing Vesta to life that I felt completely sucked into the story she was creating, then I’d pause and have to remind myself this was all in Vesta’s head! 🙇🏻♀️