"The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman

Synopsis: After returning from war, Tom Sherbourne takes a job as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island off the coast of Australia.  On Janus, Tom and his young wife, Isabel, are cut off from life on the mainland with few visits from a supply boat and even fewer shore leaves.  After two devastating miscarriages and one stillbirth, Isabel can't quite believe her ears when she hears an infant's cries one evening.  She and Tom discover a boat that's washed ashore and in it, a dead man and a tiny baby.  Isabel quickly feeds and swaddles the baby, and against Tom's better judgement, the couple takes the baby in as their own.  The devastating consequences of their choice become clear two years later on a shore leave to Isabel's hometown.  This heartbreaking book is about right vs. wrong and what happens when two people find themselves in the gray area between the two.
Review: This book was excellent.  The author painted a beautiful picture of the island of Janus and of the isolated, blessedly simple, life of the Sherbourne family.  The characters came to life quickly and I felt a great kinship with each of them.  After Isabel agonizingly lost three babies, her decision to keep the infant that washed ashore was not all that hard to fathom.  After all, the signs pointed to the fact that the child's mother was deceased as well so Isabel felt she was simply saving its life and not causing any harm.  Tom's unease at keeping the child was something I was able to sympathize with as well.  There's no clear cut right or wrong here and it's a very thought-provoking tale.  Stedman threw a twist into the story just as I felt I'd figured it out and had me second-guessing myself again, after I'd finally decided whether the Sherbournes had done the right thing.
Spoilers:  I really enjoyed this book and the fact that there was no clear good guy or bad guy.  I found myself siding with Isabel, then with Tom, then back again.  I didn't guess that Lucy's birth mother was alive and I most definitely didn't expect her to be from Isabel's hometown.  It's a little farfetched, but this book was so well-written that I believed it.  My heart broke for poor Hannah and then again for poor Isabel, having her child ripped away from her like that, especially at the hands of her beloved husband whom she trusted so deeply.  I also felt so sorry for Tom who tried to do the right thing, but ultimately hurt his wife, his daughter, and even Lucy's birth family.  I was pleased that Isabel and Tom were able to forgive and live a long and happy life together.  I only wish Isabel had lived long enough to see her Lucy come back her.

"Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him" by Luis Carlos Montalvan

Synopsis: Luis Montalvan, a highly decorated captain in the U.S. army, returns home from two tours of duty in Iraq a broken man.  To cope with his chronically-painful physical injuries, which have left him with a limp, and his debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder, Montalvan drinks heavily and cuts himself off from his family and friends.  In his darkest days as he considers succumbing to his pain he meets Tuesday, a beautiful service dog trained to aid the disabled.  Despite Tuesday's loving spirit, he too has been hurt and finds it difficult to trust.  Montalvan and Tuesday, both burdened with invisible wounds, become a support for one another as they each begin to heal.
Review:  There is much about this book to like.  It is interesting to read about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from someone who suffers from this debilitating condition.  It was heart wrenching to learn that Montalvan, like many PTDS sufferers, is unable to disconnect himself from the mentality of war and that his mind is constantly in "fight or flight" mode, whether he's at the grocery story, dinner out, or at home.  The author paints a clear and very honest (and often unflattering) picture of what his life is like post-Iraq.  Luckily, it all changes when he is paired up with Tuesday.  Montalvan brings Tuesday to life on the page, describing his quirks and unique personality with anecdotes, and it's easy to fathom the author's deep love and devotion for this fun-loving and compassionate dog.  Readers will be incited to read that Tuesday and Montalvan were sometimes discriminated against and asked to leave restaurants or shops, but in the end the book is touching and heart-warming (it has its hilarious moments too; be sure to find the section on Tuesday and his distrust of cats), especially for dog lovers. Ultimately, I liked the book, but its narrative wandered in too many different directions (from Iraq, to the tale of dog training, and back, etc.) to receive four stars.

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

Synopsis:  As a young child, Jacob delights in his grandfather's fanciful tales of his childhood spent in an orphanage on a Welsh island surrounded by children with truly unusual talents (among them: levitation, invisibility, incredible strength).  His grandfather's magical tales are brought to life by eerie photographs that he shares with Jacob, but as Jacob ages, he begins to doubt the strange stories.  When his grandfather is violently murdered, his final words to Jacob compel him to travel to the island and search for Miss Peregrine, the school's headmistress.
Review:  Grandfather's tales of the peculiar children he grew up with are fascinating, the photos are downright creepy, and this story piqued my interest quickly.  Riggs' collected the bizarre photos used in this book with the intention of making them into a picture book, but was encouraged to flesh them out into a novel, which he's done here.  The eccentric photos set the book's frightening tone which continues throughout the first few chapters, when Jacob arrives on the island and finds the remains of Miss Peregrine's school, an apparent dead end.  The book takes a strange twist about halfway through the novel and its eerie undertone is replaced with an X-men style battle of good vs. evil which is both silly and a bit gruesome at times.  Don't expect a satisfactory ending either; this book is the first in a series. 
Spoilers:  I loved the first half of this book and zipped through its first few chapters, but I lost interest with the introduction of ymbrynes (how do you even pronounce this word?), loops, hollowgasts, and wights.  As I mentioned before, this book became like a cheesy version of X-men, although without the interesting characters.  I found Jacob to be a bit spoiled, continuously trying to get fired from the family business and insisting on getting his way.  The other characters in this book, especially the peculiar children, whom I wanted to like, fall flat.  Jacob and Emma's relationship seems forced and, to me, gross since she'd also loved his grandfather.  Leaning in for a kiss while squatting in sheep crap is not romantic, even for teens.
      For a young adult novel, I found the language a bit crass and the action a too violent and gruesome.  It should have been made into a stand-alone novel rather than leaving a few loose ends to allow for a sequel.  I didn't care for any of the characters enough to continue reading about their fight to save the ymbrynes from the wights and hollowgasts in the leap-frogged loops....er, whatever that entails.

"Love Anthony" by Lisa Genova

     Synopsis:  Olivia, a young mother mourning the loss of her autistic son and the subsequent break up of her marriage, has recently moved to the island of Nantucket.  Also in Nantucket is Beth, a mother of three, who recently separated from her cheating husband.  Although the two are strangers to each other, their lives become connected when Beth rekindles her passion for writing and begins work on her first novel about a boy with autism, a boy eerily reminiscent of Olivia's son, Anthony.

Review:  It's quite ambitious to write from the perspective of a severely autistic and non-verbal child, but Lisa Genova does just that in "Love Anthony."  It might help that she is a Harvard-educated Neuroscientist who also has an autistic family member, surprisingly or not, named Anthony.  Whatever the reason, she is able to bring the title character's emotions and quirks to life, many of which are typical for people with autism (Anthony likes routine and cannot tolerate change,  he has an obsession with the number three, and "flaps" his arms to show his emotions).  This book serves as a great introduction to autism despite being fiction.

   Genova's writing is simple and the book is an easy read.  Most of the novel is dedicated to Olivia, struggling to understand the purpose of her Anthony's short life, and Beth, unsure whether or not to forgive her cheating spouse, with Anthony's story weaving them together.  All in all, it was an interesting book and I recommend it, especially for anyone interested in learning a bit more about autism.

    Spoilers:  Initially, I wasn't wild about this book, but Anthony's final chapter won me over.  Olivia was so desperate to know what purpose Anthony's life had served and I wasn't sure there would be a satisfactory answer to her question, but for Anthony to have taught her (and Beth) unconditional love is truly a life well lived.  I could see that with Anthony's message, Olivia could move forward with her life and perhaps find another loving partner and, hopefully, have another chance at being a mother.

   I found Genova's chapters written from Anthony's perspective to be very interesting.  I found myself wondering if someone so severely affected by autism, no matter how bright, truly views their voice as "broken" or if they are even aware that this is something they are missing.  I liked the idea that Anthony's brain is like a house divided into rooms and he can only go into one room at a time (be it the sight room, the hearing room, etc.  I loved the scene when Olivia sees Anthony lying in the grass and she decides to lie with him.  The love he feels for her is very apparent despite his inability to say so.

   The book's synopsis also led me to believe that Beth and Olivia would form a friendship and I wish Genova had developed this part of the story a bit more thoroughly.  It seemed so strange (and mostly unbelievable and creepy) that Beth was channeling Anthony and even more bizarre that Olivia didn't immediately ask how Beth knew so much about her son.  If the two had formed a friendship and Beth had been a bit closer to Anthony through his mother, this part of the story would have made better sense.

The Good and the Bad (and the Very, Very Ugly) Books of 2012

The Great

"Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed

Synopsis:  Twenty-two year old Cheryl Strayed is left reeling after the death of her beloved mother from lung cancer.  Four years later, as her grieving family drifts apart, her marriage collapses, and her life begins to spin out of control, Cheryl decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State, an eleven-hundred-mile trek, and to do it alone.  With no backpacking experience, Cheryl faces many obstacles, from searing heat and then record snowfall, to rattlesnakes and bears, on her journey toward piecing her life back together. 

Review:  I loved this book.  Even though its premise seems to be a bit cliche (broken-hearted woman sets out an adventure to find herself), it strikes a chord all its own.  Cheryl writes with a real honesty, looking back on her twenty-six year old self with candor.  She struggles with the weight of her pack (which she gives the moniker "Monster") as often as she struggles with the weight of her grief.  I found myself feeling very sympathetic (if not exactly empathetic) toward Cheryl as she set out on her long and lonely journey toward happiness.  

Spoilers:  One of the things I liked best about this book was Cheryl's ambiguous character.  Her tales of promiscuity and drugs don't make her lovable and she seems to be almost solely responsible for the demise of her marriage to a good man.  She is nuts for heading out into the wilderness with no backpacking experience and a very half-assed plan (no, a trip to REI is not adequate preparation).  It's a dangerous plan and pretty poorly executed.  On the other hand, her pain at the loss of her mother is tangible and her downward spiral is probably not all that uncommon after such a terrible heartbreak.  She is selfish to just pack up and leave her life behind, but who wouldn't want to escape a life that seemed to be coming undone?   I, for one, loved Cheryl and was glad to tag along on her life-changing adventure with her monstrously heavy pack and too tight shoes.   

The Just Plain Ugly

"The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis:  Barry Fairbrother dies in a seemingly quaint English town called Pagford, leaving his neighbors scrambling for the parish council seat he leaves vacant.  The council will soon vote on whether to keep "The Fields" (the slums of Pagford, if you will) or hand it off to the neighboring town of Yarvil which would mean the certain demise of the town's methadone clinic.  With the current council in a deadlock, Barry Fairbrother's successor will decide the fate of the clinic.
Review:  I wanted to love this book.  I tried, I really tried.  At one point, I just wanted to like this book.  Then I just wanted to make it through this book.  Then I just wanted to be finished reading this book and move on with my life.

   J.K. Rowling has very successfully distanced herself from her magical Harry Potter series for children and adults alike.  Her language is as crass here as her characters are foul.  The topics are undoubtedly adult and range from domestic abuse, teenage promiscuity, suicide, self-mutilation, drug use, to rape, and much, much (much) more.  The plot is minimal and most of the book's 500+ pages are devoted to revealing the backstories of the many loathsome characters, whose lives often intersect.  I struggled to keep each character (and his or her many faults and demons) straight.  Each of the 20+ characters is flawed, but not in a way that makes them seem real or relatable in any fashion and I felt a great distance from their insipid lives. 

   It isn't as if I mind dark stories, but I felt like this book just wallowed in its characters' horrendous lives (which, for the most part, it seemed as if they created and, thus, duly deserved).  Despite reading many positive reviews, I can not see what made this book worth reading.  Avoid it! 

Spoilers:  While I could not have cared less about the characters, I was still fairly disgusted that Rowling chose to kill off the youngest and most innocent.  Reading about little Robbie living in squalor was hard enough, but his drowning felt very sensationalistic to me at the end, like Rowling was trying to get a rise out of her audience.  I suppose that death was better for he and Krystal than the life they were meant to live, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes a bit at the conclusion.  I did get a bit of a laugh at the "Ghost of Barry Fairbrother" schtick, but ultimately found the rest of the book intolerable.