JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Spill by Imbi Neeme

In 1982, a car overturns on a remote West Australian road. Nobody is hurt, but the impact is felt for decades.

Nicole and Samantha Cooper both remember the summer day when their mother, Tina, lost control of their car – but not in quite the same way. It is only after Tina’s death, almost four decades later, that the sisters are forced to reckon with the repercussions of the crash. Nicole, after years of aimless drifting, has finally found love, and yet can’t quite commit. And Samantha is hiding something that might just tear apart the life she’s worked so hard to build for herself.

Winner of the 2019 Penguin Literary Prize, Imbi Neeme’s debut novel The Spill is an exploration of family, sisters, memories, and how the past can sometimes unconsciously define our futures.

We meet Nicole and Samantha after their mother — Tina — loses control of the car in remote Western Australia and their father is forced to come and pick them up. It is assumed that Tina was drunk, or at least had been drinking, when she lost control of the car. Nicole and Samantha’s parent split soon after, and the accident causes a noticeable ripple affect within the family.

The Spill toys with memory and past events very well. As readers would understand, people can’t always remember events from their past very clearly. Conversations get misquoted and events get distorted over time.

As we move between past and present and come to understand more about Nicole and Samantha’s adult lives, they often bicker or disagree over memories from their childhood. Was Tina actually drinking that day? Why were they on a remote West Australian road? Where were they going? Why did their parents split up?

“Samantha closed her eyes and tried not to think of her husband drinking wine back in the dining room, or of the wine itself. But after a few seconds, the sound of rapid gunfire on the television made her open her eyes again.”

Imbi has crafted an incredible cast of characters in The Spill, each one incredibly fleshed out and three-dimensional, with layers of complexity and depth.

Characterisation is a key part of the story, and it would be incredibly important from Imbi to capture these two sisters differently. The narrative moves between past and present, but it also shifts focus between the sisters. And over time, we come to understand just how different each of these women are.

Both of them blame Tina’s alcoholism for her death. They both had strained relationships with their mother, and only after her death do they start to fill in some of the gaps in Tina’s life.

“Given how many career drunks were in attendance at Tina’s wake, precious little alcohol was being served. All around our large front living room, people were nursing empty glasses, their eyes occasionally darting towards the kitchen.”

The biggest ‘relationship’ explored in the novel, is that of Nicole and Samantha. Sisterhood is a funny thing. There sometimes seems to be more hate than love, particularly during childhood and adolescence, and then there’s a time in your adult lives where you might be too different to ever feel like you fully understand the other.

In The Spill, sometimes it’s the thing left unsaid that speak volumes. Samantha harbours a secret she feels she can control on her own, and Nicole has evidently struggled in past relationships but is reluctant to open up.

The shift between past and present allows for a slow build-up, a well-structured release of tension as secrets start emerging and buried conflicts rise to the surface.

“Their eyes met briefly and then Samantha looked away. She didn’t know why she’d brought up that Christmas. She knew neither of them wanted to think of the fight they’d had and how she’d gone to Nicole’s without him.”

The Spill is an incredibly satisfying, engrossing read. A warm, moving portrait of family and sisterhood. There are moments of humour and lighthearted fun, but there are also moments of tenderness and heartbreak, events that force you to really take stock and reflect as a reader.

Recommended for fans of literary fiction, family sagas, and quality Australian literature.

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

The Spill
Imbi Neeme
June 2020
Penguin Random House Publishers

Six Tudor Queens: Katheryn Howard by Alison Weir

At just nineteen, Katheryn Howard is quick to trust and fall in love.

She comes to court. She sings, she dances. She captures the heart of the King.

Henry declares she is his rose without a thorn. But Katheryn has a past of which he knows nothing. It comes back increasingly to haunt her. For those who share her secrets are waiting in the shadows, whispering words of love… and blackmail.

My favourite series has returned for the year. Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen is the fifth novel in the Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir, well-known historian and author.

You can read my reviews of the other books HERE.

In each novel, Alison presents a fictional account of each of Henry VIII’s wives, from their childhood all the way through to their death. Whilst each book is considered fiction, it’s clear how much research and factual information has been used to paint these portraits — Alison always explains her basis in the Author’s Note at the end of each novel.

Written in intimate third person, Katheryn is portrayed as a naive, whimsical girl with no real thought to the consequences of her actions. She means well, but she’s quick to dismiss the possibility that her rather controversial actions will catch up with her in the years to follow.

“A maiden should be shamefast, she told herself, as she lay abed the next morning, thinking about the night before. Chastity is to be prized. But what was wrong with taking your pleasure where you found it? Why should she deny herself the delights she might know…”

The plot moves quickly, spanning close to twenty-one years in only a few hundred pages. Katheryn’s childhood is skimmed over, and most of the book focuses on her teenage years.

Katheryn’s actions are a reflection on her upbringing — her mother died when she was a little girl and whilst her gambling-addicted father remarried, he sent her away to be raised by relatives. Katheryn never really had a strong, maternal figure to guide her through her teenage years and so when she meets men she fancies, she makes foolish decisions that are difficult to keep hidden.

“After that, Tom seemed to be everywhere Katheryn went — in the gardens, at the tennis play, at the butts. Always, he was hovering. It was flattering to be the object of the attention of such a dashing gallant, and Katheryn was strongly attracted to him.”

I don’t feel like I could relate to Katheryn as much as the other wives, and I found her likability to be quite low. A couple of the other Queens were naive as well, but Katheryn felt particularly punishing at times. She was ignorant, wasn’t very educated, and had little interest in understanding what was happening around her. All of the Queens were flawed in some way, but Katheryn seemed to lack intelligence and maturity, and for that, she died. And when she died, so did those few around her that the King saw as complicit in her behaviour.

Poor Alison Weir had a difficult tasks trying to make this wife seem interesting! She was Queen at 19 and beheaded at 21, so you know it’s going to be one of the least interesting tales (Jane Seymour is probably a close second).

“It seemed that the future held nothing for her. It was not enough that she could still meet him in secret, for their trusts left her wanting and unbearably unsatisfied, and made her feel as naught in the world, as if this was all she could expect.”

As with the previous books in the series, the writing is heavy on description and internal dialogue. Towards the end of Katheryn’s life, the reader is shut out a lot because Katheryn herself didn’t know what was going on. She was locked away for months before her execution. This was an interesting stylistic technique to keep the reader guessing, and allowing the reader to understand how Katheryn must have felt.

I’m excited for 2021 to read the account of Henry’s sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction. I recommended you start at the beginning of the series and make your way through each book — the books are all worth your investment. 14+

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

Katheryn Howard: The Tainted Queen
Alison Weir
May 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

The Viennese Girl by Jenny Lecoat

In June 1940, the horror-struck inhabitants of Jersey watch as the German army unopposed takes possession of their island. Now only a short way from the English coast, the Germans plan their invasion.

Hedy Bercu, a young Jewish girl from Vienna who fled to the isolation and safety of Jersey two years earlier to escape the Nazis, finds herself once more trapped, but this time with no way of escape.

Hiding her racial status, Hedy is employed by the German authorities and secretly embarks on small acts of resistance. But most dangerously of all, she falls in love with German lieutenant Kurt Neumann — a relationship on which her life will soon depend.

The Viennese Girl by Jenny Lecoat is WWII literary fiction, inspired by the true story of a young Jewish girl who evaded capture on the island of Jersey.

The novel paints a clear picture of life under German rule — fear, control, lack of food and amenities, and dwindling populations. Hedy is an anxious and impulsive protagonist. She’s quick on her feet and she’s resourceful, but she also keeps herself at a distance. She’s scared and frightened — she’s a Jew living in German-occupied Jersey.

When she gets a job as a translator for the Germans, she must hide her status but she’s also determined to defy the reign and do what she can to rebel.

“Anton smiled, but Hedy saw there was nothing behind it. He looked distant, remote. Now that she thought about it, Anton had been in a strange mood since they’d met earlier that afternoon. The volume of her singing dropped a little, and she began slipping her friend sly looks.”

The Viennese Girl is heartbreaking at times, but it’s also filled with hope and courage. Hedy must hide who she is from her German employers, but she must also keep her wits as the war progresses and danger approaches. The threat of being exposed bubbles under the surface of each chapter, keeping the reader engrossed until the final page.

The novel is heavy on prose, most conversations told through description instead dialogue. Whilst this technique doesn’t always work, it’s quite effective in this novel. It allows for quick pace and heightened tension — this may be a short book but it packs a punch.

“No reason, no explanation. Hedy had rushed down to the bureau in the faint hope that they might offer some kind of strategy or information. But the registrar had merely scratched his head, shrugged and said that if the Germans wished to see her, she’d be advised to comply.”

The Viennese Girl is incredibly emotion, tugging on readers’ heartstrings and pulling them along for a really engaging story. Whilst the romance felt a little weak and underdeveloped, there are many other elements to this story that readers will love.

Friendship is dominant in the story. After a rocky start, Hedy and her best friend’s girlfriend Dorothea form a close bond over the course of the novel. Whilst Hedy can be brash and judgemental, Dorothea is full of optimism and encouragement. She is always quick to help Hedy, even when punishment could be brutal.

“Another brilliant smile and he was gone. Hedy turned and continued down the path out of the compound. Her legs seemed to swing weightlessly beneath her, and the lane swam unseen in front of her eyes.”

With vivid imagery, three-dimensional characters, and engrossing prose, The Viennese Girl is recommended for fans of literary fiction and historical fiction. The readership skews female.

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

The Viennese Girl
Jenny Lecoat
May 2020
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay

It all started with one little lie . . .

Jane and Marnie have been inseparable since they were eleven years old. They have a lot in common. In their early twenties they both fell in love and married handsome young men.

But Jane never liked Marnie’s husband. He was always so loud and obnoxious, so much larger than life. Which is rather ironic now, of course.

Because if Jane had been honest – if she hadn’t lied – then perhaps her best friend’s husband might still be alive . . .

This is Jane’s opportunity to tell the truth, the question is: Do you believe her?

Elizabeth Kay’s Seven Lies is a mystery thriller novel exploring two women and their incredibly complex bond. One woman’s desire to maintain their friendship quickly turns into a deadly, unpredictable obsession with frightening consequences.

Seven Lies explores jealousy, love and grief, and the thin line between devotion and obsession. The book is written from Jane’s perspective, who is an unreliable protagonist — she’s a compulsive liar and she twists events to make herself look better, so the reader is never really sure what’s true.

There is a frequent amount of foreshadowing in the novel, which successfully builds tension and anxiety and plants this seed of dread with the reader that just keeps on growing with every passing chapter. Honourable mention goes to the ending of every chapter — there’s always some plot progression or stylistic manipulation to keep the reader engaged and desperate to keep going.

“I had discovered the ring a few months earlier. Marnie and Charles were about to go on a holiday for a week. They were going to the Seychelles, I think — or perhaps it was Mauritius — and we were due to have a heatwave in London.”

Slowly, Elizabeth moves the plot towards present day so we come to understand all about Jane’s friendship with Marnie — their history — and Marnie’s marriage to the insufferable Charles.

The further we progress through the story, the more unhinged and dangerous Jane seems. But she’ll never know it. She’s conceited and self-centred, always making excuses for her behaviour. She lets her emotions control her, and she can never seem to understand her actions or what causes them.

Seven Lies is the kind of book you devour on a plane or on the beach, when you have a dedicated length of time and you’re in the right space to be sucked into a really great mystery. Is the story flawless? No, a couple of the secondary characters — including Marnie — feel like cardboard cut-outs and there’s an anorexia storyline that seems to heighten just for dramatic effect.

But Seven Lies will draw in a wide readership, and keep them hooked. Jane and Marnie don’t have a lot in common, but both of their husbands are dead. And that alone will make you want to know more.

“It had always been that way. I was loved too little and she was loved too much, and it might surprise you to know that both are equally unbearable. She was often seeking space, suffocated by being the favourite. I became her ally, her safe place.”

Jane is unapologetic. If she were an animal, I’d imagine her as a shark or a killer whale — intelligent, ruthless and quick. She thinks ahead and she plans, and she’s not about to trip up and derail all that she’s worked hard to build.

We see other characters through Jane’s perspective, so it’s hard to know if she’s giving us the entire picture. Is Charles as awful as Jane makes him out to be? Is Marnie really as naive as Jane thinks she is? Elizabeth Kay crafts a storyline and a protagonist that really forces us to doubt what we’re reading. What is the truth, and will we ever find out?

“I let myself into their flat that evening and stood again in the dark hallway. This would be my home now — just for the week, but my home nonetheless. I turned on all the lights — exactly how Marnie liked it — and made up their bed with my own sheets and pillowcases.”

Stylistically, the novel moves between past and present frequently and it’s often a little clunky. Chunks of prose will take you out of the present and to a time in Jane’s life from years earlier. And then just as quickly as we left the present, we’re back. The transitions were rarely seamless.

Additionally, and without giving too much away, I felt the ending and final climax was a little brief. The pacing of the novel is quite slow — careful, full of anticipation — but those final couple of chapters move through at speed. It’s unexpected, and doesn’t feel like a natural conclusion.

An impressive, whirlwind debut. Recommended for fans of crime, thriller and mystery novels.

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

Seven Lies
Elizabeth Kay
April 2020
Hachette Book Publishers

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth

They were the Chosen Ones. Saving the world made them heroes. Saving it again might destroy them.

When Sloane Andrews and her friends defeated the Dark One, and saved the world, it nearly cost them everything. Ten years later, they are still struggling to put the battle behind them and reclaim their lives. After all, the rest of the world has moved on . . . so why can’t they?

Of the five, Sloane has had the hardest time adjusting. Everyone else blames the PTSD – and her huge attitude problem – but really, she’s hiding secrets from them . . . secrets that keep her tied to the past and alienate her from the only four people in the world who understand her.

On the tenth anniversary of the Dark One’s defeat, something unthinkable happens: one of the Chosen Ones dies. When the others gather for the funeral, they discover the Dark One’s ultimate goal was much bigger than they, the government, or even prophecy could have foretold – bigger than the world itself.

Last time, it took everything she had. This time, it might not be enough.

Veronica Roth’s Chosen Ones is a standalone fantasy novel that reimagines the stereotypical plot device of the ‘chosen one’, flipping it on its head and fast-forwarding 10 years into the future. When a chosen one, or chosen ones, have completed their destiny and saved the world, what happens next?

Chosen Ones illustrates the mental, physical and emotional strain that would be placed on young people if they were expected to save the world like they do in books and movies. Ten years after defeating the Dark One, Sloane and her four friends are still trying to adapt and move on from what happened. Not all of them have thrived since they defeated the Dark One.

“She wanted to comfort him, but she didn’t know how. She had never seem him so tired, so…disappointed. In the world, in himself, even in her. She sat next to him on the couch, her hands clasped over her knees.”

Structurally, the book switches between prose in Sloane’s POV, and document clippings — articles, essays, news reports, interviews, classified government files, and police investigations. Whilst it doesn’t necessarily feel like it adds much to the plot, the documents help give context to the setting and the ‘world’ that they’re in, and will give readers a greater understanding of the danger that Sloane faces.

Unique, interesting and well-paced fiction, Chosen Ones feels fresh. Stereotypes are challenged, and the novel plays with the concept of alternate universes. With transformative imagery and descriptive locations, the novel’s setting feel grand, in-depth and well-developed, something that allows the reader to sink into and devour with each passing page.

At times, Chosen Ones is dark and complex. Explored themes include drug use, mental health, torture and physical disability, among many others. Fans who grew up with Veronica’s young adult novels will feel this is a natural progression — Chosen Ones is diverse and inclusive, with a strong core cast of characters and engrossing magic woven throughout.

“The Drain had driven a crater deep into the ground, so deep that some of the workers looked child-size from where she stood. When Sloane first saw a Drain site, she had expected it to be a uniform substance, like the surface of the moon. But there were still remnants of what had been there: broken planks, crumbling bricks, chunks of asphalt, bits of old fabric.”

Set in Chicago, readers will appreciate that this is a standalone novel. Veronica draws out as much from the world and the storyline as she possibly can, and pulls all threads together for an explosive finale.

Stylistically, whilst the book follows the five Chosen Ones, the book focuses primarily on the character of Sloane. Written in third person, Sloane is sharp, bitter and at times unpredictable, desperately trying to understand where she now fits in the world and how to process her life up until this point. Over time, the reader comes to understand the other characters through Sloane and her experiences, allowing for a greater understanding of her motivations.

“Sloane reached for words and came up empty. He had a point — she had been kidnapped by the Dark One, too, but he hadn’t done to her what he had done to Albie, hadn’t attacked her body and left her with no feeling in her hands and no way to rejoin the fight.”

At times, the science behind the world and the explanations behind the magic felt a little too complex and hard to swallow. Additionally, there were a couple of twists that felt a little predictable and were foreshadowed too much for an adult readership — particularly around the character of Mox — but there are definitely enough surprises in the plot to intrigue readers and keep them enthralled in the story.

Whilst this is being marketed as Veronica Roth’s first book for adults, young adult readers will also enjoy Chosen Ones. Truthfully, it feels more YA than adult. The concept of superheroes and the ‘chosen ones’, the magical elements woven throughout the book, the emotional angst between the characters, and the budding relationship between two characters felt reminiscent of a YA novel.

Recommended for fans of fantasy, speculative fiction and young adult. Aged 14+

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

Chosen Ones
Veronica Roth
April 2020
Hachette Book Publishers