[BOOK REVIEW] Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a novel which consists of four stories all set in a small Tokyo café. This café is unique because it offers its customers a chance to go back in time but with this come certain rules that can’t be broken because the consequences are severe. Travelling back in time comes with a price! We meet four visitors who wish to embark on the journey of time-travelling and follow them through the whole process.

This novel was such an interesting and fast read filled with joyful and tearful moments. Japanese literature is something I need to read more of because I enjoy the way Japanese authors write and craft sentences as well as how introspective they are. The concept of this book is quite refreshing to me because I don’t usually read books that feature time travel and are considered magical realism. The story that got me the most was the third one where we meet two sisters and the way Kawaguchi wrote it made it feel so real and so heart-breaking. I loved how Kawaguchi made the side-characters part of all of the stories and how he intertwined them in every story so we got to see them as well. The stories were short and straight to the point yet I can’t help but wish for more from them, more details, more backstory, more history.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is touching, funny and heart-warming. It’s a read that will stay with me for a while and its characters as well!

My rating:

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Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.

Find him on: Goodreads

[BOOK REVIEW] The Good Ones by Polly Stewart @harperbooks @pollystew #TheGoodOnes

The cover of this book is so eye-catching, wouldn’t you agree? Yes, that’s what caught my attention first, then having read the blurb I knew that this was the type of book I would like to read. Having read the book now, I appreciate the cover more because it’s not just there to be pretty. Well done, book designer and author!

The Good Ones is about Nicola Bennett who, after nearly twenty years, comes back to her Appalachian hometown to finally shed some light on the disappearance of her friend Lauren Ballard. Lauren mysteriously vanished one night and the last time Nicola saw her was when she was keying someone’s car. The next day, she was gone, there were traces of blood and signs of struggle. Nicola believes that going back to her hometown and getting a job there will help her uncover more information relating to her friend’s sudden disappearance.

“What choice did you have, after all, when the person who had stood at the center of your sense of self wasn’t there anymore? You grew around that loss like a tree wrapped in barbed wire. You let it bite into you. You shaped yourself to the new reality, until it was hard to tell what was you and what was the hole she’d left.”

What I found to be most interesting when it comes to The Good Ones was the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Lauren and how we got to see the main character investigate many possible leads and explanations as to what might have happened to her because it lead the reader to many interesting possibilities. The book being set in a small town provides the author with tools to go in-depth when it comes to examining the characters and what role they play in it. I feel like the author did a good job when it comes to showing us each character and their role in the book. Our main protagonist Nicola is a character one doesn’t sympathize with very much (at least in my case), I found her willingness to find out the truth to be more about herself rather than truly getting the answers she was looking for and putting the whole story to rest. When it comes to certain twists, I have to say that I enjoyed them, although some were very predictable and they made me want to yell at the main character, I was pleasantly surprised by other twists though. The author knows how to write and create an engaging story which I find to be very important in these kinds of books. What surprised me was the ending! Although I had a feeling that something wasn’t right in my judgement, I was pleasantly surprised by the last twenty pages!

“It was always a surprise how vulnerable people were in sleep, even the ones who showed you almost nothing of themselves during the daylight hours.”

The Good Ones has everything I look for in a mystery novel and I found it to be completely enjoyable! If you’re someone who likes reading thriller/mystery books I’d recommend adding this one to your TBR!

I would like to thank the publisher (Harper Books) for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions reflected in this review are my own and aren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book for free from the publisher.

The Good Ones by Polly Stewart comes out on June 6th 2023 from Harper Books

My rating:

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Polly Stewart is the author of The Good Ones, forthcoming from Harper Books in June 2023. As Mary Stewart Atwell, she’s also the author of Wild Girls (Scribner 2012). Her essays have appeared in the New York Times and Poets & Writers, among other publications. She runs the Craft of Crime Fiction interview series, formerly published on Fiction Writers Review and now appearing on Instagram.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] You Can’t Stay Here Forever by Katherine Lin @harperbooks #YouCantStayHereForever

You Can’t Stay Here Forever has a striking cover, the gorgeous colours, the photograph of a person diving into a pool and that stunning view from the pool – that’s evident, and yes that’s what first attracted me to this book. After taking a look at the cover I then went on to read the synopsis and found it to sound like something I’d enjoy reading. If you’re wondering, yes I did enjoy reading You Can’t Stay Here Forever but I also had certain issues with it.

You Can’t Stay Here Forever is about Eleanor Huang who goes by Ellie, an attorney at a prestigious law firm in San Francisco. When Ellie suddenly becomes a widow and on top of that finds out that her husband had a mistress, her reality begins to blur. Crashing in on her late husband’s insurance policy, she books a three week stay at a luxurious hotel called Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France (google it, it looks so fabulous and mesmerizing) with her best-friend Mable Chou. Coming to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc Ellie believes that she’ll be able to find balance and escape the craziness that she left in the U.S. but she’ll soon realise that moving oneself from one place to another won’t resolve any issues. This vacation will influence her and shape the course of her future.

The novel deals with a story that is interesting but slow-paced in a way, hence why people who are looking for a book that has more dynamics will be left unsatisfied. It’s more of a psychological study of a character rather than a novel that’s plot driven. While reading You Can’t Stay Here Forever, I could tell that the author was a debut author but I have to say that Katherine Lin has talent, certain passages and observations written in the novel left me speechless. Especially the following one:

‘At some point it became clear to me that we weren’t exactly hanging out together, more that I was following her around and she let me. I felt like an observer to her life, and almost felt compelled to take notes, as if I were a ghostwriter on assignment.’

I felt like the character of Ellie Huang was the most fleshed out in the book out of all the characters and I found her to be interesting – with flaws as well as virtues. Her decision making was somewhat questionable at times. When it comes to the side characters, specifically Fauna and Robbie, I have to say that they felt one-dimensional, they had no depth to them other than the perception that Ellie and Mable had of them. I didn’t find them to be as interesting as Ellie and Mable did. The progression of Ellie’s story was something I was interested in the most because I was rooting for her to make the best decisions and deal with real-life. Something I found to be touching was the friendship between Ellie and Mable because the author showcased the many layers that a friendship has – from the falling out, to the not-talking, to reconciliation. Their friendship was the beacon of the book, in my opinion, it was something that provided the reader with many observations about how a friendship works and how individuals connect with each other. The book touches on the topic of race, Ellie being an Asian-American woman and Ian being a white American man, married to each other, and it approaches it in a real way, it showcases the issues that are set in reality. The last hundred pages of the book I didn’t find to be convincing because of how unreal I felt they were but mostly because of the pace, the fast realisation of the main character was something that felt unrealistic to me. I feel like the author could’ve spent more times fleshing that part out because it would’ve been more cohesive.

I feel like a rating of 3.5 stars is something I find to be realistic for this novel because of the issues I stumbled upon while reading it, but that doesn’t devalue the book as a whole because I’ve enjoyed my experience with the book. I’m curious to read other people’s opinions on the book and will follow upcoming reviews.

I would like to thank the publisher (Harper Books) for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions reflected in this review are my own and aren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book for free from the publisher.

You Can’t Stay Here Forever by Katherine Lin comes out on June 13th 2023 from Harper Books

My rating:

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Katherine Lin is an attorney and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and a graduate of Northwestern University and Stanford Law School. You Can’t Stay Here Forever is her debut novel.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Instagram.

[BOOK REVIEW] Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn #SharpObjects

I watched the TV mini series back when it came out in 2018 and was just floored by it! I found it to be so enjoyable and captivating! I bought a paperback copy of Sharp Objects a few years back and have postponed reading because of I don’t know why but I’m glad I picked it up and read it now! I have to say that the mini series is quite close to the book so kudos to Flynn for getting involved with it and providing the readers with what we deserve.

Sharp Objects follows Camille Preaker, a reporter for a small newspaper press in Chicago called The Daily Post. Her first assignment is to investigate the strange murders of pre-teen girls that happened in Wind Gap, a town she grew up in. Camille is reluctant to take the assignment but knows very well that she can’t say no so she goes in – but going in means reconnecting with her strange mother Adora and her step-father Alan as well as seeing her step-sister Amma who she doesn’t know well at all. Visiting Wind Gap won’t be easy for Camille because it’ll open up old wounds and might even open new ones… will she be able to overcome her past and focus on the task she’s been assigned to or will the past catch up with her and influence her investigations?

Flynn is someone whose writing I love and whose mind I find to be so fascinating. She comes up with great and complex female characters and stories. I just loved reading Gone Girl and was amazed at how someone could write such a good thriller that makes the reader gasp and be speechless. I’m so glad I read Sharp Objects because once again Flynn showcases her crafting skills and comes up with such interesting, flawed and complex characters. I found all the characters to be very well-written especially Camille, Adora and Amma. I wanted to learn more about the latter two because I found their psyche to be something so fascinating. Although the book was 400 pages I wished she gave us more of a backstory involving certain characters because that would’ve been even more enjoyable and fun. The book is very dark and it won’t be for everyone because it involves certain trigger warnings such as cutting, mutilation and more. I don’t wish to discuss this book further because of potential spoilers hence why I’ll leave you with this: for anyone who enjoys reading good psychological thrillers and mystery books this one is for you.

Sharp Objects is a fantastic thriller featuring very complex and unlikable characters that’ll make you read-on until you get to the very end and then wish for more.

My rating:

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Gillian Flynn is an American author and television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She has so far written three novels, Sharp Objects, for which she won the 2007 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller; Dark Places; and her best-selling third novel Gone Girl.

Her book has received wide praise, including from authors such as Stephen King. The dark plot revolves around a serial killer in a Missouri town, and the reporter who has returned from Chicago to cover the event. Themes include dysfunctional families,violence and self-harm.

In 2007 the novel was shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Writer, Crime Writers’ Association Duncan Lawrie, CWA New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Daggers, winning in the last two categories.

Flynn, who lives in Chicago, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated at the University of Kansas, and qualified for a Master’s degree from Northwestern University..

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell #MyDarkVanessa

The more I mull over this novel and think back on my experience with it I’m struck by the wrongness of my rating hence the change from 4 to 5 stars. Having previously read Putney (see my review here) I felt the urge to (re)read My Dark Vanessa after it, in order to see how the two works relate to each other and to provide a long due review for MDV. I have to admit that my experience with MDV felt more intimate but I don’t wish to undermine the importance of Putney because it was such an important novel.

My Dark Vanessa follows Vanessa Wye, a fourteen/fifteen year old girl who becomes involved in a sexual relationship with a much older English teacher (eighteen-year difference between the two) Jacob Strane at a boarding school she’s enrolled in. Almost two decades later Jacob is accused of sexual abuse by a former student of his but Vanessa’s perception of that subject and of her relationship with Jacob is quite different. Vanessa becomes conflicted, begins questioning what’s right and what’s wrong because her experience with him didn’t involve sexual abuse, did it?

So, Kate Elizabeth Russell can write! I never felt a dull moment while I read the book because everything was connected to the larger plot points. What I really appreciated was the depth the story had. What I felt lacking in Putney was what I found in MDV and that is the slow realisation of things happening to the main character. Yes, Putney had three characters and MDV had one but I still wished for Putney’s main character (Daphne) to have that deep introspection when it came to the realisation that abuse had taken place. I absolutely loved how Putney had three characters because we got more POVs and more details and I sort of wish MDV had Jacob’s perspective at least (although we got to see the speculation behind his behaviour). Both novels feature very dark, heavy themes and are very interesting in their own ways so I’m glad that I read them both (one after the other). Going back to MDV, Vanessa’s character was very multi-layered and real – from her teenage, rebellious teens to her slightly older thirties. Her problems and dilemmas were realistic (in my opinion) and added complexity to her character. It was interesting seeing the relationship between Vanessa and Jacob through her (V) eyes because I became so invested in her story and wished to help her. I don’t wish to discuss the book further because I feel like I’ll ruin the experience to the future reader. This novel, as well as Putney, is very heavy in its themes and subject matter but also very important. Stories like these are real and need to be told.

If you’re an individual who is interested in the heavier novels that deal with important topics such as sexual abuse, mental health issues and much more then this (and Putney) is the book you’ll want to add to your TBR and read.

I would like to thank the publisher (4th Estate) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.

Have you read this book? Does it intrigue you? Please, let me know down below in the comment section.

My rating:

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Kate Elizabeth Russell was born and raised in eastern Maine. She holds an MFA from Indiana University and a PhD from the University of Kansas. My Dark Vanessa is her debut novel.

Find her on: Website and Goodreads.

[BOOK REVIEW] Putney by Sofka Zinovieff #Putney

The story centers around Ralph Boyd a gifted composer who upon being asked by a famous novelist Edmund Greenslay to score his most famous work becomes invited into Greenslay’s world where he meets Edmund’s nine-year old daughter Daphne and becomes infatuated with her. What ensues is a dark, twisted relationship and complex bond between Ralph and Daphne. We also meet Ralph when he approaches his seventies and Daphne in her fifties who looks back on her time with him and starts to realise what happened was far from innocent. Within the story we have a third voice, the voice of Jane, Daphne’s best friend whose role in the book gives us more insight into the psychological effects of the complexity of this relationship.

Putney is a gorgeously written novel, Zinovieff can write! I just love how she described things in the book. She’s definitely a skilled writer. Putney is a dark tale, a spine-chilling one when you look back on it. She doesn’t shy away from delving deep into the complexity of the relationship between Ralph and Daphne. I enjoyed how she gave Ralph flaws and issues of his own instead of just presenting him as a straight-up abuser (which he is). The whole story had depth that I look for in novels that deal with such intricate and hard subjects. My issues with the book might be spoiler hence why I won’t share them but I’ll say that certain small portions of the novel weren’t believable to me, the sudden change of opinions/realisations of things. I wished they were fleshed out better. Zinovieff does a great job at describing the atmosphere, I especially enjoyed reading about Greece. I feel like this story was told very well and that this book should be read by everyone interested in this subject matter, it’s just so important. The author doesn’t as mentioned before shy away from dealing with hard topics such as r*pe, abu** and I think that’s very important because it challenges the reader and makes them think.

If you’re interested in the subject matter this book deals with I’d urge you to get a copy of this book and read it because it’s important and well-written.

I would like to thank the publisher (Bloomsbury UK) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.

My rating:

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Sofka spent most of her childhood living in London, where her father, Peter Zinovieff, had an electronic music studio (EMS). Visitors to the house during the 1960s and ‘70s included composers and musicians as diverse as Harrison Birtwistle and Pink Floyd. Both her paternal grandparents were from St Petersburg and escaped to England after the 1917 revolution. She was named after her Russian grandmother, the subject of Red Princess: A Revolutionary Life.

After attending schools in London and Oxford, Sofka studied social anthropology at Cambridge. She carried out research for her PhD in Greece, which marked the beginning of a lifelong involvement with the country. She later lived in Moscow and Rome, where she worked as a freelance journalist.

Sofka is the author of five books, the latest of which is Putney (hardback 2018, paperback 2019): ‘Lolita in reverse: a novel for the #MeToo age which addresses the minefield of sexual consent.’

She is married, has two daughters and lives between Athens and London.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson #TheKindWorthSaving

The Kind Worth Saving (2023) by Peter Swanson is the sequel to his popular thriller The Kind Worth Killing (2015). Before I begin, I would like to note that this book can’t be read as a standalone because it spoils the happenings of the first one, so be aware of that when deciding whether to go into this one. I would definitely recommend The Kind Worth Killing because it’s quite fast-paced and thrilling! When it comes to The Kind Worth Saving – well, I found it to be fast-paced and interesting but somehow rushed. This review will be spoiler-free. Before I go in: there’s a trigger warning regarding a school-shooting which plays a role in the book.

The Kind Worth Saving follows Henry Kimball (a character from TKWK) who is hired to investigate a cheating allegation from a concerned wife (Joan). While investigating he begins to form some sort of a relationship with the woman being suspected of having an affair with Joan’s husband. From then on things turn upside down and nothing is what it seems. Having some issues Henry calls for Lily Kintner (character from TKWK) to lend a helping hand. Basically this sounds like a reiterated blurb from Goodreads but oh well!

What can one expect from Swanson? Mystery, yes. Thrillery feels, yes. Fast-paced novels, yes! Swanson knows how to craft a nice thriller and keep the reader engaged. I read this book in three days and found it to be very enjoyable. Whenever I stopped reading I kept coming back to the book, always thinking about what’s going to happen next. Although The Kind Worth Saving was an enjoyable read for me I found it to be a bit rushed, especially the ending and actions of the characters. Having built the psychology surrounding each character I expected more cunningness, more reasoning, more psychological battle that leaves the reader gasping and guessing. I must say that the twists were interesting although after the first one I found the rest to be fine, they didn’t WOW me as much. I absolutely enjoyed reading the first part featuring Joan and her “tender age”. Such an interesting character yet I wish we got more from her. I like how Swanson combined the story from the first book and we got a bit more information regarding our returning characters. I don’t wish to spoil anything so I’ll have to refrain myself from discussing the book further for fear of ruining the experience for future readers.

The Kind Worth Saving is a thrilling fast-paced book, something you can always expect from this author. It will definitely keep you entertained!

My rating:

The Kind Worth Saving is out on the 2nd of March 2023.

I would like to thank the publisher (Faber&Faber) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.

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Peter Swanson is the author of four novels: The Girl With a Clock For a Heart, an LA Times Book Award finalist; The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year; and his most recent, All the Beautiful Lies. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine. A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and cat.

Find him on: Website, Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] The Children’s Crusade by Ann Packer #TheChildrensCrusade

Compared to my previous read Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler this book had more depth and more meat. I also don’t get the low ratings and reviews but some reviews make a good point – still, in my opinion, I feel like this is a solid family saga novel.

The book follows the Blair family, four siblings: Robert, Rebecca, Ryan and James but also the parents: Bill and Penny (it’s mostly focused on the children but it has many interactions with the parents because we follow the children from a very young age). Now, you know there’s going to be drama because the last kid isn’t named with a letter R!! I’m kidding but not really. The novel deals with issues which are real such as sibling rivalry, attachment, detachment, jealousy, distant parents… The synopsis on Goodreads does a good job of giving you the skinny of the novel. The novel is an interesting exploration of a family with many layers in it from the above mentioned sibling rivalry, to the jealousy, distancing from the parents, damaged relationships etc. Every time I sat down to read I read around 80-100 pages in one sitting because of how invested I became in the story. Let’s discuss what I found the book was lacking: explanations, certain scenes which would help give the reader even more depth in regards to the ways certain characters felt towards one another. Having set the story where there’s a psychiatrist and two doctors in the family I expected more complexity when it comes to the intra and interpersonal relationships. I wish the author gave us more context rather than leaving us wondering about what might’ve caused this reaction and this scene. Maybe that’s me being lazy because I know some people love to wonder and analyse but I’d rather have more complexity inside the novel so I could analyse the characters better.

Issues aside I felt like this novel did a nice job in following the family saga rule: provide the reader with many years/decades and many situations where we can see the family interact and see the family grow in many ways (those are my rules at least). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the story and in the genre.

My rating:

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***I am in no way compensated by these sites. I am simply sharing it so people can find this book easier.

Ann Packer was born in Stanford, California, in 1959, and grew up near Stanford University, where her parents were professors. She attended Yale University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has received fellowships from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, the Michener-Copernicus Society, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

She is the acclaimed author of two collections of short fiction, Swim Back to Me and Mendocino and Other Stories, and three bestselling novels, The Children’s Crusade, Songs Without Words, and The Dive from Clausen’s Pier, which received the Kate Chopin Literary Award, among many other prizes and honors. Her short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker and in the O. Henry Prize Stories anthologies, and her novels have been published around the world.

Beginning in 2016, Ann expanded her writing into film and TV, collaborating on these projects with her husband, the novelist and screenwriter Rafael Yglesias. They divide their time between New York, the Bay Area, and Maine.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo @ClaireLombardo #TheMostFunWeEverHad

There’s something about family dramas/dysfunctional families that immediately catches my attention but even so I’m very picky because I prefer family dramas set during a longer period of time because I feel like they cover more ground and get more precise or dissect the family better. The Most Fun We Ever Had was that book, it ticked all of the boxes for me. Family life in itself isn’t that much fun but adding to it the ‘getting into the psyche of the characters’, discussing certain topics over decades is what makes it fascinating (at least to me). The Most Fun We Ever Had offers so much brain food with the topics it discusses (familial bonds, affairs, adoption etc) and that’s what I appreciated a lot.

The story revolves around Marilyn and David Sorenson and their four children. It goes from the present (2010s+) where we get to see an ‘arrival of a newcomer’ to the past (1970s+) where we get the story of Marilyn and David. The way Lombardo switches from past to present is gorgeous, she manages to keep us in the loop on all happenings which I appreciated while reading. The way Lombardo writes about siblings is so accurate and fascinating. While reading I highlighted many quotes and my copy is filled with sticky notes. The perception of children is something I was surprised to see in the book whilst reading and it’s something I loved because oftentimes we’re oblivious to how much information children absorb and how much of that information stays with them like a scar, etched in their brain. The main topic of the novel is love. Sibling love, spousal love, parental love. It all stems from Marilyn and David and it was so interesting reading about how their daughters lives are followed by their love. Each one is aware that Marilyn and David are something else, something special, that their love is something special. Their daughters are Wendy, a widow and a bit of a drunk, Liza, an educator who’s pregnant but not sure if the man she’s with is the right one, Violet, a retired litigator who has a new role as a housewife with two boys and Grace, a college-aged youngest daughter who hasn’t been telling the truth to her family. Lombardo presents the reader with a lot of information but does it in a way that isn’t overwhelming because you find yourself wanting to know that information, even more than what you’re presented with.

The novel as a whole works beautifully and presents the Sorensons in all their glory – their failures, hopes and more. I couldn’t stay away from the Sorensons because I always wanted to know more, to get another peek at their lives.

This review is a bit of a mess I believe so moral of the story – read it! If you love family dramas this is a MUST READ.

My rating:

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Claire Lombardo is a fiction writer, teacher, and Post-It enthusiast. Her debut novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had, was released in June 2019 and debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List. It has been translated or is forthcoming in over a dozen languages, and is currently being adapted for a series on HBO with Laura Dern and Amy Adams co-producing and Lombardo writing.

Claire is a 2017 graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and has been the recipient of an Iowa Arts Fellowship, a Sun Valley Writers’ Conference Fellowship, and a Key West Literary Seminar Scholarship. She has taught fiction writing at the University of Iowa and the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio. Her short fiction has appeared in or is forthcoming from, among others, Playboy, Barrelhouse Magazine, Little Fiction, and Longform. Her short story, “I Only Want to Talk About the Nice Things,” was one of 2016’s Best of the Net, and was #1 on Longform‘s 2015 fiction list.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] Schrödinger’s Dog by Martin Dumont transl. John Cullen @otherpress

Schrödinger’s Dog is Martin Dumont’s debut novel. Told in first person it follows Yanis, a cabdriver, who is a single parent to Pierre. In the early days when Pierre was younger his dad used to take him everywhere in his taxi and they had fun together – but the one thing they both love most  is diving. Their mutual love for diving is something they both come back to even now when Pierre is in his twenties. Yanis mostly works nights as a cabdriver so that he can have time to see his son during the day. Pierre has friends, he goes out and Yanis can’t always watch him carefully. Yanis and Pierre are great divers, Pierre (because of his age) is even better than Yanis and can last longer underwater. One day when diving Pierre complains that his back hurts and that they should stop – this is worrisome to Yanis because Pierre never complains when it comes to diving. From this moment on, Pierre begins to get worse and ends up in hospital. Yanis does his best to help his son, but at what cost?

Schrödinger’s Dog is a short book but a powerful one. The writing style in it is gorgeous so kudos to the translator! The chapters are relatively short so you can definitely read it in a few hours but the story inside is quite sad. I found Yanis to be so dedicated to helping his son and I loved that about him. I feel like his actions could be justified because if a person is brought into that situation they’d always do things to make their loved ones feel better. I really loved hearing Yanis talk about the times spent together with his son as well as Yanis’ descriptions of what diving means to him, how it transports him. Ah, that ending…

Definitely recommend.

I would like to thank the publisher (Other Press) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.

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Martin Dumont was born in Paris in 1988 and spent many years in Brittany, where he fell in love with the sea. In addition to writing, he works as a naval architect. Schrödinger’s Dog is his first novel.

John Cullen is the translator of many books from Spanish, French, German, and Italian, including Susanna Tamaro’s Follow Your Heart, Philippe Claudel’s Brodeck, Carla Guelfenbein’s In the Distance with You, Juli Zeh’s Empty Hearts, Patrick Modiano’s Villa Triste, and Kamel Daoud’s The Meursault Investigation. He lives on the Shoreline in southern Connecticut.