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JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

March 19, 2022

Hovering by Rhett Davis

March 19, 2022

The city was in the same place. But was it the same city? Alice stands outside her family’s 1950s red brick veneer, unsure if she should approach. It has been sixteen years, but it’s clear she is out of options.

Lydia opens the door to a familiar stranger – thirty-nine, tall, bony, pale. She knows her sister immediately. But something isn’t right. Meanwhile her son, George, is upstairs, still refusing to speak, and lost in a virtual world of his own design.

Nothing is as it was, and while the sisters’ resentments flare, it seems that the city too is agitated. People wake up to streets that have rearranged themselves, in houses that have moved to different parts of town. Tensions rise and the authorities have no answers. The internet becomes alight with conspiracy theories.

As the world lurches around them, Alice’s secret will be revealed, and the ground at their feet will no longer be so firm.

Rhett Davis’ debut novel Hovering is an ambitious and imaginative novel straddling the border between literary and magical realism. It feels like one of those literary novels that is so clever in its imagery and symbolism, you can’t quite capture it all in one sitting.

Rhett’s novel feels unique in its form — with short chapters resembling a staccato stylistic technique, Rhett experiments with form throughout the novel. From HTML code to chat room or forum conversations, interview transcripts, text messages and spreadsheets detailing movements and dialogue, Hovering does make you feel like you’re moving through some sort of surreal tale.

“Some on the forums recommended exercise, so if he felt an attack coming, he tried to go for a run. When he ran, the noise of his blood drowned out the noise of what he thought might be the universe.”

Anyone who has lived away from home, or spent some time living away from where they were raised, will recognise some of the feelings and emotions brought to life in this story — the strange complexity of returning home and feeling like it’s different to what you remembered.

Written in what feels like a staccato voice — short scenes and chapters — we gain glimpses of the main characters like puzzle pieces. Two sisters with damaged history, and a teenage boy who won’t speak. A town that feels disrupted and fractured, like it’s shifted in recent years. It throws the reader into a sense of (intended) unease.

“The next day, the front door of Fay and Luis Montana’s house had been moved several metres to the left. It now opened on their bedroom. Fay stood at the door in a Malinda Banksia Festival 20—t-shirt, looking out at the street in some confusion.”

Themes in the novel include climate change, climate collapse, art and identity, artistic morality and legacy. Hovering explores urban development and how a city can adapt or reconfigure over time, soon becoming something you don’t even recognise.

Admittedly, the novel feels really slow-paced, but I sense that’s intentional. The short scenes counteract this and help keep the story moving without making the reader feel like events are happening too slowly.

“Alice had left Fraser in a rage. She was angry at her sister, at her parents, at her friends, at the city itself. They were all so backwards. They wanted nothing but comfort and gourmet burgers and new screens. They lived off the proceeds of a land that wasn’t theirs and permitted it by acknowledging if before public events and occasionally raising the Indigenous flag.”

Taut and original, Hovering is recommended for readers of literary fiction. Readership skews 30+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hovering
Rhett Davis
March 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

Leave a Comment · Labels: 8/10, Adult Fiction, Book Reviews Tagged: adult fiction, book review, fiction, review

March 17, 2022

The Trivia Night by Ali Lowe

March 17, 2022

From the outside the parents of the kindergarten class at Darley Heights primary school seem to have it all. Living in the wealthy Sydney suburbs, it’s a community where everyone knows each other – and secrets don’t stay secret for long.

The big date in the calendar is the school’s annual fundraising trivia night, but when the evening gets raucously out of hand, talk turns to partner-swapping. Initially scandalised, it’s not long before a group of parents make a reckless one-night-only pact.

But in the harsh light of day, those involved must face the fallout of their behaviour. As they begin to navigate the shady aftermath of their wild night, the truth threatens to rip their perfect lives apart – and revenge turns fatal.

Ali Lowe’s debut novel The Trivia Night centres around one booze-filled night where a group of married adults decide to partner-swap. Married but fractured, each couple has something to overcome in the wake of the disastrous trivia night.

The novel explores perfection, identity and relationships. It’s about how we see ourselves, how we wish others saw us, and the complexities surrounding adult friendships. The Trivia Night is guilty-pleasure book club fiction — each chapter leads well into the perspective that follows, keeping the reader engaged and moving through the plot with quickened pace.

“Back in the hall with Alice, I was suddenly aware of my empty hands. I needed a drink. Anything would do. I picked up a half-drunk glass of punch from a chair beside the photo booth, complete with a fuchsia lipstick print on the rim, and downed it.”

At its core, The Trivia Night is about relationships and marriage. One couple have been trying so hard to fall pregnant it’s practically a chore now. Another couple are still reeling from the sudden departure from their child’s previous school, and one mother is drinking an alarming amount of alcohol. When these four couples are seated together at a trivia night, it triggers a series of events that force them to each look at their relationship and decide, what do they really want out of their marriage?

The novel very easily slots into the commercial book club category — the events of the story are salacious, sordid and scandalous. But there are many layers to this book and its characters that readers will relate to. Some of these characters are trying so hard to pretend they’re happy, they’re disastrously miserable. Some of these relationships may appear strong at first, but it doesn’t take long to see the cracks. Young parents will recognise the setting of the book as well as the sorts of parents you might meet at the school gate.

“Did she want to destroy me so much that she would do something like that? I must have been wearing a mask of terror, because Alice read it perfectly, as she often did by virtue of the length of our friendship.”

Ali Lowe does spend considerable time setting up each of the characters and their circumstances. Admittedly, it’s not until about halfway through the book that the trivia night actually kicks off, which does feel considerably delayed.

Perhaps there was more room to delve into the aftermath of the trivia night, because there were eight adults present on that night and I felt there wasn’t enough real estate in the latter end of the book to realistically delve into all that occurred. Additionally, the death that’s teased in the blurb definitely appears too late in the novel, almost like an afterthought. The death could’ve been teased throughout the novel from very early on, reeling the reader in with each delicate clue.

Despite this, one of Ali’s strengths is capturing the setting as well the gossipy nature of its residents. From posh households to fast-moving rumours, parents will be able to relate to this setting with ease.

“Let me say at this juncture that Pete was never much of a romantic, so I wasn’t surprised. Neither of us were particularly demonstrative beyond the odd hug and a handhold. We didn’t need to be. We’ve always been pretty secure in our relationship.”

Recommended for readers of commercial domestic fiction — scandalous tales of marriage and sex. The perfect beach read or airport purchase. Readership skews female, 30+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Trivia Night
Ali Lowe
March 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

Leave a Comment · Labels: 7/10, Adult Fiction, Book Reviews Tagged: adult fiction, book review, fiction, review

March 11, 2022

The Cane by Maryrose Cuskelly

March 11, 2022

ONE MISSING GIRL. NO SUSPECTS. A TOWN ABOUT TO IGNITE.

Quala, a North Queensland sugar town, the 1970s.

Barbara McClymont walks the cane fields searching for Janet, her sixteen-year-old daughter, who has been missing for weeks. The police have no leads. The people of Quala are divided by dread and distrust. But the sugar crush is underway and the cane must be burned.

Meanwhile, children dream of a malevolent presence, a schoolteacher yearns to escape, and history keeps returning to remind Quala that the past is always present.

As the smoke rises and tensions come to a head, the dark heart of Quala will be revealed, affecting the lives of all those who dwell beyond the cane.

Set in a Queensland sugar town in the 1970s, Maryrose Cuskelly’s rural crime The Cane centres around a missing teenage girl amongst cane fields. Weeks pass and with no real leads, townsfolk are growing nervous and anxiety is building. What happened to Janet? And could it happen to another young girl in the town, if they don’t catch the person responsible?

The 1972 disappearance of fourteen-year-old Marilyn Wallman in Mackay was the inspiration behind The Cane, as well as countless other unsolved teenage abductions that have occurred in small Australian towns.

“Carmel would have preferred to wear a cotton shift, but the pantsuit gives her a more professional look, more masculine too, which she knows translates to authority. At least Patterson hasn’t insisted she wear a uniform.”

Stylistically, we move between different perspectives in the novel. Each voice allows for a different perspective on the town, its inhabitants, its history, and its secrets.

Maryrose captures the racism and sexism of rural 1970s, largely through the attitudes from townsfolk when speaking with female constable Carmel Maitland, who arrives in town to investigate Janet’s disappearance.

A common thread in rural crime is a sense of mistrust between locals and the character tasked with solving the mystery. Often that investigator is an outsider, arriving into the fractured community and attempting to penetrate the close-knit community to find out long-held secrets or information that may solve the crime. In The Cane, whilst there are some characters willing to help Carmel, many of the townspeople have given up hope of finding out what happened to Janet, and they’re not too quick to trust that Carmel will be the one to uncover answers.

“Janet McClymont’s disappearance has brought back memories — not just for the Creadies, but for all of us locals. Except for the younger kids and a few of the blow-ins, all we could think about was the day Cathy Creadie went missing while swimming off Danger Point.”

Admittedly, I did find the pacing a little inconsistent in the novel. We spend a lot of time moving between past and present, and I feel like Carmel’s presence in the novel felt a bit thin. I even felt like the ending of the novel was a bit of luck for Carmel — she seemed to stumble upon the truth rather than deduce it entirely herself. There is a lot of description in the novel and I think more could’ve been captured in terms of characterisation and potential suspects. The cane fields, for example, were a big focus in the novel and I would’ve loved more attention to characters and their place in the town.

Additionally, there was a sub plot involving a male teacher that felt out of place in the novel. I’m not sure if his presence in the novel, and the suspicions raised about him, were supposed to act as a red herring in the story, but overall I felt his character didn’t seamlessly gel in the story. Other than that, I did find myself absorbed in the story and the mystery — this is certainly a genre I enjoy reading, and Maryrose has crafted an engaging rural thriller that will entice fans of the genre.

“What happens between bodies is dangerous, the contortions grotesque and strange. What she had caught a glimpse of in the barn was the least of it. When people speak about what might have happened to Janet, it leaves Essie with the same sick feeling.”

Recommended for readers of rural fiction — crime, mystery and thriller. This is Maryrose’s first foray into fiction after a string of non-fiction publications. Readership skews 25+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Cane
Maryrose Cuskelly
February 2022
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

Leave a Comment · Labels: 7/10, Adult Fiction, Book Reviews Tagged: adult fiction, book review, crime, fiction, mystery, review, rural crime, thriller

March 7, 2022

Only A Monster by Vanessa Len

March 7, 2022

Only a monster would kill a hero. Right?

Every family has its secrets, but the summer Joan Chang-Hunt goes to stay with her Gran in London, she learns hers is bigger than most. The Hunts are one of twelve families in London with terrifying, hidden powers.

Joan is half-monster. And what’s more, her summer crush Nick isn’t just a cute boy – he’s hiding a secret as well; a secret that places Joan in terrible danger.

When the monsters of London are attacked, Joan is forced on the run with the ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family who are sworn enemies of her own. Joan is drawn deeper into a world that simmers with hostilities, alliances and secrets. And her rare and dangerous power means she’s being hunted. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.

Vanessa Len’s debut urban fantasy Only a Monster is an exciting release for fantasy readers, particularly fans of young adult fiction. Set in the real world, we meet a cast of characters labelled ‘monsters’. They’re able to travel through time by stealing time from other humans. Amongst the monster population, there’s a myth of a human hero who is destined to destroy their entire existence.

Despite a slow start, Only A Monster is fantastic. The premise of the novel fits comfortably in the urban fantasy genre but features enough originality to surprise even the most avid of genre fans. I genuinely felt unsure of where the story was going, surprised by the twists, engrossed by the characters, absorbed into the world building, and I finished the book feeling like Vanessa was bringing something unique to the readership.

“Joan lay there for a moment, trying to breathe through the pain. On the ground beside her, the dead woman lay, eyes wide open, looking up at nothing. Joan felt a sob rise in her throat like bile. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second and then forced herself to her feet.”

Set in London, Only A Monster incorporates the known trope of the anti-hero. Sixteen-year-old Joan Chang-Hunt discovers that she’s inherited her family’s ability to steal time from another’s life span and after finding herself alone, hunted and incredibly naive about this new ability she has, she teams up with an unlikely enemy. He is able to aid her escape, and then her plight as she attempts to right the wrongs inflicted at the beginning of the novel. Only A Monster explores the blurred boundary between good and evil and what it means to be a hero.

What transpires is a race through time, largely set in the 1990s, as Joan tries to flee those who hunt her. What starts as an urban fantasy soon turns into a fast-paced thriller with heightened stakes and well-crafted, multi-layered characters. There is an even balance of character driven and plot driven stylistic devices.

“Joan tried to remember, and panic bubbled up inside her again. The whole day was missing from her memory. There was just nothing there.”

Vanessa sets up the ending of the novel for a sequel, with enough questions left unanswered to keep you gripped. The mechanics of the time travel do remain a bit unanswered, and I think some readers will find the logistics a little blurry. But accepting the storyline and the characters and allowing yourself to fall into the story and let yourself be swept up into it will result in an engaging and enjoyable reading experience. When done well, time travel novels are a guilty pleasure of mine.

“She imagined Nick waiting for her at that cafe. She hadn’t responded to any of his messages. But she knew him. He’d have waited and waited, just in case. How long had he been there before he’d realised that she wasn’t coming?”

An exciting new story from an Australian writer. Engrossing and original, Vanessa Len’s Only a Monster can be devoured in quick succession. Recommended for YA readers and urban fantasy fans. Readership skews 13+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Only A Monster
Vanessa Len
February 2022
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

1 Comment · Labels: 10/10, Book Reviews, Fantasy, Young Adult Tagged: adult fiction, book review, fantasy, fiction, review, urban fantasy, ya fiction, young adult

February 27, 2022

The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher

February 27, 2022

PARIS, 1919.

Young, bookish Sylvia Beach knows there is no greater city in the world than Paris. But when she opens an English-language bookshop on the bohemian Left Bank, Sylvia can’t yet know she is making history.

Many leading writers of the day, from Ernest Hemingway to Gertrude Stein, consider Shakespeare and Company a second home. Here some of the most profound literary friendships blossom – and none more so than between James Joyce and Sylvia herself.

When Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses is banned, Sylvia determines to publish it through Shakespeare and Company. But the success and notoriety of publishing the most infamous book of the century comes at deep personal cost as Sylvia risks ruin, reputation and her heart in the name of the life-changing power of books…

Effortlessly capturing the atmosphere and world of 1920s Paris, Kerri Maher’s The Paris Bookseller is set during a pivotal time for Western literature, following bookseller Sylvia Beach as she endeavours to publish James Joyce’s controversial novel Ulysses, which had been banned in the United States. This is a fictional take on the events that transpired from 1919 through to 1936.

Written in third person, Sylvia Beach is crafted with depth and layering. The real Sylvia Beach has long been considered a pioneer and champion in the world of literature not just because of her bookshop Shakespeare and Company, but her involvement in assisting James Joyce on his plight to publishing his now infamous novel Ulysses. I suspect many readers who pick up this book will be largely unaware of who Sylvia was and how involved she was in bringing Joyce’s novel to life.

“Whether his characters were sitting in an outhouse or discussing Hamlet, Joyce spared no detail, leveling the vulgar with the sublime. Here was a book that brooked no compromises, and was unwavering in its clear-eyed portrayal of Stephen’s and Leopold’s minds and bodies.”

The book follows two plotlines. The first is Sylvia’s relationship with fellow bookseller Adrienne Monnier, and the second is her determination to publish James Joyce’s banned novel Ulysses, which presents itself a wealth of complications and hurdles, even after it’s completed.

Sylvia’s relationship Adrienne is probably the least enticing element of the book, and that’s purely because there wasn’t any drama in that storyline and so it felt a little dull. They were both incredibly supportive of each other, and those around them were supportive of their same-sex relationship. Nothing was really at stake between them, so I never felt overly invested in their relationship.

Sylvia’s friendship with James Joyce was the most engaging in the novel — her selflessness and his encompassing talent. He comes across unsure, anxious and at times, obsessive over his writing. And Sylvia remains loyal to him, even when she doesn’t need to be. Even when she must make sacrifices — largely financial — to continue working with him. Over time, Sylvia starts to realise Joyce’s true nature as his ego inflates and his success grows.

“She wasn’t sure how Adrienne did it, but no matter how late she’d been up, she was always in her store by nine, awake and smiling. Sylvia sometimes didn’t drift in until eleven, at which time Adrienne would her tongue at her, then give her some task to complete.”

The Paris Bookseller is very much about the emotional journey for Sylvia Beach and isn’t intended to focus too heavily on the journey of those around her. Whilst I would’ve loved a bit more of an exploration into James Joyce’s character, I understand that’s not what the author intended.

Admittedly, sometimes it did feel a little like a convergence of genres — part historical fiction, part women’s fiction. This was about bringing to life the time period and the setting, but also the bookshop and its journey, the significance of some of the literature we come across. But it was also so heavily rooted in Sylvia’s relationship with herself, her family, her career, her own insecurities, and her relationship with Adrienne. At times it just felt a little like the book wasn’t entirely sure where it wanted to sit within genre.

“Sylvia was touched by this scene of domestic tenderness, and all her questions about the hitherto seemingly mismatched man and wife were suddenly and forcefully answered.”

Poetic and emotional, The Paris Bookseller is recommended for readers of historical women’s fiction. Readership skews female, 30+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Paris Bookseller
Kerri Maher
February 2022
Hachette Book Publishers

Leave a Comment · Labels: 7/10, Adult Fiction, Book Reviews Tagged: adult fiction, book review, fiction, historical fiction, review, women's fiction

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