Life is hard, but it's harder for some. Take Joe Talbert, for example. He's a college student from a poor and toxic home environment who works harder than most to get an education and build a better life for himself. But no matter how hard he tries to win his race against the past, it keeps catching up with him.Carl Iverson also had a hard life, but of a different nature. … [Read more...]
‘Bitter Orange’: A Delicious Slow-Burn of a Read
Shy and socially awkward, Frances was not one who made friends easily. For most of her life, she avoided social situations that would highlight her awkwardness and instead withdrew into her immediate surroundings. But when a job documenting the architecture of a rundown mansion came along, she took it. Remote and secluded, the mansion offered the exact type of living Frances … [Read more...]
Silence Speaks Louder Than Words in Heart-Thumping ‘The Silent Patient’
Have you ever finished a book and wished you could start over to see what it is that you missed? That's how The Silent Patient, a debut psychological thriller by Alex Michaelides, was for me. Gripping and fast-paced, I flew through the chapters and when I got to the end, I realized I was completely and utterly unprepared. I feel like I need to reread it straightaway so that I … [Read more...]
‘How to Walk Away’ a Touching Tale of Tragedy
Margaret Jacobson's life was nearly perfect. In her late 20's, she was set to start her dream job and enter into the next phase of her relationship with a man she adored. But despite her years of hard work and doing everything she was supposed to, it took only a few chaotic minutes to throw it all into disarray.How to Walk Away by Katherine Center tells the story of … [Read more...]
The End of Loneliness and How the Past Blinds Us to the Future
When Jules was in elementary school, he lost both his parents and was shipped off to boarding school, along with his two older siblings. Awash in grief and disbelief, he folded into himself, casting off his previous self in an effort to simply survive the new life fate had thrown at him. For his siblings, coping manifested in different ways - his sister's cool detachment and … [Read more...]