SJ2B House Of Books: May 2015

I am thrilled that Lisa from TLC Book Tours approached me to ask if I would like to read Disintegration and take part in the book tour. After seeing a recommendation from Brian Evenson whose novels I have read and enjoyed, I was eager to get reading.

‘There are no mirrors in my apartment. I have forgotten my own face. My wife is a distant memory, and I can’t remember what she smells like, the melody of my son’s laugh, the butterfly kisses of my daughter’s soft lips on my cheek. They are shadows that haunt my every movement, and I drown them out, blur them every chance I get.’

This was a real compulsive car crash read. My initial thoughts on finishing Disintegration, were WOW, just WOW.

The narrative was confusing and disorientating mirroring the mindset of the narrator who is also the protagonist. As the story evolves you follow him maybe reluctantly at first, but then compulsively, along his road to self annihilation, retribution or redemption. He doesn't know where the road will lead and you don't know which he deserves.

Our protagonist is a fractured shell of his former self. A devastating incident has resulted in the loss of everything he cares about. Between episodes of brutality and drug induced oblivion he listens to snippets of a recorded message left by his wife just before the said incident. Far too painful for him to listen to in its entirety he craves the void again by means of a drug and alcohol induced coma. Life is a continuous slide between blurred reality and nothingness.

He gives not a damn about himself nor anyone unlucky enough to be drawn to his attention. He is an emotionally dead receptacle, void of any emotion or empathy. He only becomes animated by the aggressive encounters he has with those he believes needs to be taught a lesson. I am not a violent person but the writing draws you utterly into the seedy, dirty world the narrator resides in and I couldn't help myself from siding with him on many occasions.

Although dark and vengeful there are episodes of light and tenderness in the form of 'Luscious the cat' who visits him. Our narrator cares and feeds her during her short stays, but she is ever watchful and wary and leaves at the slightest shift in his mood. Other chinks of light also come in the fleeting sporadic visits from Holly, his girlfriend. The most beautiful and sensual moments in Disintegration are between these two, but you can't help get that niggling doubt in the back of your mind that things aren't as they appear.

The story is as fragmented and confusing as the narrators psyche. Eventually he comes to question what has happened to him, and who his secret benefactor is. Is he being manipulated for sinister and ulterior motives? As he starts to make sense of the puzzle he is left wondering if he will be able to escape his current situation and return to being the man he once was after all he has done?

This was my first read from Richard Thomas and it definitely won't be my last. I look forward to reading 'The Breaker' the second book in the "Windy City Dark Mystery" series when it becomes available.

Pure Noir .... Gritty, unnecessary gratuitous violence...brilliant...loved it!

Disclaimer: A complimentary digital copy of Disintegration was provided by Alibi from the Random House Publishing Group and TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

Here's your chance to win a $25 eGift Card to the eBook Retailer of your choice + an eBook copy of DISINTEGRATION by Richard Thomas by entering the TLC Book Tour Giveaway:

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Sunday, 10 May 2015

REASONS TO STAY ALIVE By Matt Haig

WATERSTONES Link

Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Publisher: Canongate Books (5 March 2015)

Pages: 272 Hardcover

ISBN: 9781782115083

Source: Purchased

Rating:

Book Synopsis:

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL TRULY ALIVE?

Aged 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again.

A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons to Stay Alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth.

'I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven't been able to see it . . . Words, just sometimes, really can set you free.'

My Thoughts:

It is important to mention that you do not need to have suffered a mental illness to benefit from reading 'Reasons To Stay Alive' by Matt Haig.

Enchanting, affirming, poignant and touching, but never self indulgent or 'depressing', 'Reasons To Stay Alive' is a memoir about the depressive episodes that plague Matt Haig's life. He describes the initial onset of the illness and the debilitating and frightening effect it had on him. He goes on to tell us how he eventually came to terms with the illness and his coping strategies for surviving episodes.

Mental illness, and in particular depression and anxiety, is extremely difficult to put into words, especially for the sufferer, however Matt Haig has eloquently articulated these emotions for us to understand.

As a bookseller, I've been asked on occasion which books I've read that have had a profound effect on me, or changed my life in some way. Well this is definitely one of them. I'd certainly recommend purchasing the hardback edition as its a lovely book that you'll definitely want to keep for future reference or inspiration.

This book should be made available on the NHS as I believe it could be of help to sufferers and to those supporting them. A great little self help book !

Tuesday, 5 May 2015

RUBY by Cynthia Bond

Waterstones Link

Ruby by Cynthia Bond

Published by: Two Roads - 7th May 2015

Pages: 368

Format: Digital

Source: Publisher via - bloggingforbooks

Waterstones Synopsis:

THE NEWEST OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB 2.0 SELECTION A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER The epic, unforgettable story of a man determined to protect the woman he loves from the town desperate to destroy her, this beautiful and devastating debut heralds the arrival of a major new voice in fiction.

Ephram Jennings has never forgotten the beautiful girl with the long braids running through the piney woods of Liberty, their small East Texas town. Young Ruby Bell, "the kind of pretty it hurt to look at," has suffered beyond imagining, so as soon as she can, she flees suffocating Liberty for the bright pull of 1950s New York. Ruby quickly winds her way into the ripe center of the city-the darkened piano bars and hidden alleyways of the Village-all the while hoping for a glimpse of the red hair and green eyes of her mother. When a telegram from her cousin forces her to return home, thirty-year-old Ruby finds herself reliving the devastating violence of her girlhood. With the terrifying realization that she might not be strong enough to fight her way back out again, Ruby struggles to survive her memories of the town's dark past.

Meanwhile, Ephram must choose between loyalty to the sister who raised him and the chance for a life with the woman he has loved since he was a boy.

Full of life, exquisitely written, and suffused with the pastoral beauty of the rural South, Ruby is a transcendent novel of passion and courage. This wondrous page-turner rushes through the red dust and gossip of Main Street, to the pit fire where men swill bootleg outside Bloom's Juke, to Celia Jennings's kitchen, where a cake is being made, yolk by yolk, that Ephram will use to try to begin again with Ruby.

Utterly transfixing, with unforgettable characters, riveting suspense, and breathtaking, luminous prose, Ruby offers an unflinching portrait of man's dark acts and the promise of the redemptive power of love

My Thoughts.

'Ruby' has all the elements a Southern Gothic tale should have: It has dark, disturbing racial themes with a supernatural, fantastical edginess; It focuses on damaged, complex and flawed characters; There are a multitude of disturbing acts of violence, cruelty and rape committed by members of the town's community; And an all too willing blindness and indifference from the rest of the townsfolk towards the suffering victim. So why was I not enamoured as the majority of readers were with 'Ruby'?

'Ruby' is the debut offering of Cynthia Bond is set in an all-black hamlet called Liberty Township, in East Texas. It is the first of a planned trilogy. I'm not sure at this juncture whether I'll read any more or not. I didn't feel connected enough to the characters, well maybe with the exception of Ephram Jennings an innocent sweet, bumbling character of a man who is besotted with the stunningly beautiful Ruby Bell. However I couldn't bare to read anymore about Ruby's 'haints', or the spirits that burrowed inside her until she gave birth (or death, whatever it was) to them. It all just seemed so fantastically over the top, and took an age to move along with the story line.

I'm still wondering why I didn't enjoy it more. I didn't hate it I just felt indifferent. I found the dialect difficult to understand and felt that perhaps the author was trying too hard to impress and write a prize winning novel that she lost her true direction and concentrated too much on being overly descriptive. I just know that I didn't connect with any of the characters nor care enough to want to continue reading about them.

Maybe it's just 'wrong timing' so maybe I'll try again sometime, so please do not let me dissuade you from reading 'Ruby' as I'm certainly in the minority with my views and it has received a staggering amount of rave reviews. Even 'Oprah' is championing this one. It just wasn't for me. Book groups would definitely have some interesting discussions and debates over this one.

Disclosure: I received a complementary digital copy from 'Blogging For Books' for an honest, unbiased review. I initially decided to stop reading at 40% but continued after a day's break. Unfortunately I didn't feel any better about it and DNF'd at 60%.