My eyes light up at psychological thrillers, True Crime & great literary fiction
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 This book is being marketed as having similarities to ATONEMENT, which is true. But an important point needs to be made: that book had romance at its core, whereas THE SURVIVORS is entirely centered on one family’s internal dysfunction.
What struck me most about this book is that the author seems to have an astute understanding of psychology. The dynamics between these three brothers and their flawed mother and father seems incredibly well-thought-out and believable. I was struck most by the characterization of the mother, whom I thought was a brilliantly complex character. I also was impressed at how each of the three boys specifically chose to interpret and manage what was lacking in their childhoods in their own unique ways. Overall, I found the writing to be lovely and enjoyable, but I caution anyone who is drawn to this because of the mystery elements that this is much more literary fiction than mystery. The book summary mentions that this is a ‘thrillingly fast-paced narrative,’ and I find that description very misleading. The story, which is told through non-linear, alternating timelines, feels more like a slow unwinding of a haunting and at times confusing nostalgia. (Which is often how our own childhoods can feel, am I right? Or is it just me?). Yes, it does have some elements of mystery to help keep the reader engaged, and it does culminate in a big reveal, but it luxuriates in descriptive memories on its way there. In summary, I’m suggesting that if you go into this expecting something in the genre of literary fiction (for example, while reading this, the work of John Irving came to mind for me), you’ll most likely enjoy the story and not be frustrated by its slower pacing and nostalgic meanderings. This was a beautiful and moving book that I’m glad I read. I’d recommend it to fans of literary fiction who are not afraid of stories with some depth and sadness. This came out in the U.S. on Oct. 5! Thank you Doubleday for the ARC!
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 I was THRILLED to be able to attend live opera again this past weekend! So I took a pic of this book outside the theater where the LA Opera performs, next to my during-intermission Pinot Noir, since a matinee seems to make day-drinking socially acceptable.
I saw Il Trovatore by Verdi. And spoiler alert: it does NOT end well for anyone. Anyway, about this book, which I really enjoyed... One-sentence summary: Sarah Larsen is struggling to make ends meet in NYC until she is offered the position of Nanny to a glamorous woman who lives in a penthouse on the Upper West Side, but by the time Sarah begins to learn the dark secrets of her employer, it’s impossible for her to escape a job that may very well destroy her. ------- This psychological thriller pulled me in from page one! It was such a treat to read this after a string of upcoming releases I’ve read, over the last few weeks, that didn’t manage to grab and hold my attention. You know what I mean: the types of books that make you feel like finishing them is a chore, and you’re tired after a long day, so you skip the book, go onto social media and scroll through all the posts that come up after you’ve done a search for #brianlaundrie. You get me, right? Anyway, long story short (I know, too late), for me, this book was pure pleasure. I never wanted to put it down at all. In fact, I most likely would have read it in one day if I didn’t have work and other unfair ‘lifing’ obligations that got in my way. First of all, and perhaps most importantly, I LOVED the unique premise of it. Secondly, I really enjoyed the main character. She may not have made the best decisions, but the circumstances surrounding her -- like a desperate financial situation -- helped to lend her choices some solid believability. Overall, I found her very likeable and easily got on her ride. In fact, the character of Sarah, and the desperate situation she finds herself in, reminded me quite a bit of Riley Sager’s LOCK EVERY DOOR, which is also set in NYC and happens to be one of my favorite psychological thrillers EVER. Anyway, there’s very solid thriller plotting here, and the story has a good number of twists and shocks that should keep mystery and thriller fans happy. As an added bonus, it has a nice creepy factor that is perfect for the month of October. This comes out today! Thank you Bantam and Random House for the ARC! |