Tag: Debut Novel

Remarkably Bright Creatures

Debut Novel

Book Cover of Remarkably Bright Creatures depicting giant octopus and elderly ladyShelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures is remarkably good. Set in the Pacific Northwest, the heartwarming story has generational appeal. Quirky characters represent the populations of small towns across the United States of America, and most likely the world. Relatable and engaging, the reader might be reading about friends and neighbors.

Characters

Tova Sullivan is a widow in her early seventies. She still lives in the house she grew up in built decades ago by her father. Bereft of family due to her only child’s strange disappearance just after his high school graduation, she still meets with a group of friends on a weekly basis. But their numbers are dwindling.

Tova is the epitome of work ethic. She believes in working through one’s troubles. So, she is still working nightly as a janitor of a sea aquarium.

Cameron Cassmore, just turned thirty, is homeless, down on his luck, and searching for answers. Left with an aunt by his addict mother he is determined to find his father. A man who might not even know of his existence. His motive is money. Work is something that he just doesn’t want to…work at. He finds it impossible to hold down a job-of course at no fault of his own.

Marcellus is the third main character. And the hero. The opening chapter, rife with anthropomorphism captures the heart-Marcellus is at the end of his lifespan. But as one of Earth’s remarkably bright creatures, he has one final task to complete.

Remarkably Bright Creatures-Multiple Plots and an Overarching Theme

Books can be driven by characters or by a captivating plot. Remarkable Bright Creatures is most definitely character driven. But the theme and the various plots move the story along. At the heart of the book is family and generations. Yet, the main characters face a future without familial links. In the case of Tova-no descendants. Cameron mourns his loss of parents and grandparents. Perhaps his inability to keep a job and put down roots is an outcome. He certainly blames his circumstances- not himself. The need for family drives the story. Even Marcellus comments on procreation. Not what one would expect from a creature facing imminent death.

Van Pelt does an excellent job of creating small town life and telling of the importance of both family and friends. And yes, community can be built in cities. However, this connection is so much easier to spot in a small town where everyone knows everything. About everybody. Which is also maddening.

Furthermore, the author is wonderful at tying the multiple plots together. Not only does she remind one life spans don’t change, but Van Pelt is also excellent in conveying the importance of work, resilience and personal ethics. Thus, she makes a point of leaving a mark on this world we live in. Not necessarily attaining fame and fortune-just a positive impact on our surroundings and the people we interact with on a daily basis.

Recommendation for Remarkably Bright Creatures

Remarkably Bright Creatures is a warm hearted and uplifting story. The novel is a reflection of today’s world. It is a reminder that tragedy can strike at any time yet the living must continue to lead productive lives. Certainly, that is easier said than done.

Shelby Van Pelt successfully addresses so many modern concerns and still leaves the reader in a positive frame of mind. Buy this book soon and keep it for one of those days when your spirits are low. Remarkably Bright Creatures is the needed antidote. This debut novel is a keeper.

Disappearing Earth Book Review

The debut novel Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips is both compelling and complex. Her writing captures the nuances of life. The reader is exposed to tragedy and loss, maternal love, stoicism, anguish and hope.

Disappearing Earth begins with the kidnapping of two young girls on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Their disappearance is threaded through the stories told month by month for the following year. To a certain extent each chapter could stand alone. Yet there is a connection. Sometimes obvious, and other times only as the novel unfolds.

Russian Background with Global Insight

While the stories involve women from the Kamchatka Peninsula, a remote area of Russia, the stories are cross cultural. There are male characters, but the driving force for each story is a female. Phillips captures the hopes, dreams and fears women face. Lost love, adjusting to motherhood, missing children and divorce are just a few of the themes covered.

Global insight offers readers a chance to bond with the characters. It is easy to imagine the same stories taking place in your own backyard. Each chapter pulls at the emotions. The women in the novel may be fictional but their dilemmas are real.

Disappearing Earth

An underlying theme is how women cope with adversity. After the kidnapping, one would expect the novel to focus on the mother of the missing girls. However, her story does not appear until the end. Instead, Disappearing Earth focuses on a large number of characters, each coping with difficulties in their lives. The characters overlap just enough to allow the novel to flow.

Julia Phillips has an engaging writing style. Her characters come to life. They are the richness of Disappearing Earth. This is not a mystery per se. The kidnapped girls are a background noise for most of the novel. The true wealth of the book is the global appeal and recognition of how women across the Earth have so much in common.

I highly recommend this first novel by Julia Phillips. If you would like to know more about the author, visit her website by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

Where The Crawdads Sing Book Review

Where The Crawdads Sing

The debut novel Where The Crawdads Sing is one you will want to read. This is the first foray into fiction for Delia Owens whose previous works have been in the realm of non-fiction. Her expertise in wildlife creates a wondrous background for the novel. A story so gripping you won’t want to put it down.

The setting is the lowlands of North Carolina. Owens brings to life the creatures of the marsh through the eyes of Kya, the protagonist of Where The Crawdads Sing. The first glimpse we have of Kya is as a six-year-old confused by her mom leaving their swamp shack in high-heeled faux alligator shoes. She waits for her mom to turn around and wave good-bye. The mom keeps on walking, right out of Kya’s life. The first to abandon the little girl.

Owens uses a dual narrative approach to spin her tale. Thus, the riveting saga of Kya alternates with the murder investigation of a local hometown hero. Several characters overlap between the two tales. The modern-day plot takes place in 1969. Kyra’s mom walked out in 1952. Eventually time merges. Along the way the reader glimpses an accurate picture of the Deep South.

Where The Crawdads Sing is hard to classify as far as to which genre it belongs. Yes, there is a murder involved. But the story really isn’t a “who done it?” The bulk of the tale revolves around the young abandoned girl as she matures into adulthood. Of course there is some romance involved too as is often the case with coming of age stories.

Uniqueness

What I liked about the book the most was the uniqueness. I encountered a suspension of disbelief which allowed me to totally immerse myself in Kya’s circumstances. The author has created a character rich in complexity. She is different. How she became different is a critical part of nature. And an integral part of the novel.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. I am amazed that this is a first novel. Furthermore, the ending was a total surprise. Any serious lover of fiction should add Where The Crawdads Sing to their must read list. I sincerely hope Delia Owens produces another work of fiction.