First Time Author Does It Right

The Life We Bury, a first novel out by Allen Eskens, is a fantastic read hands down, and one of the best novels that I have read from a new author recently.

     Joe is a college student who has enrolled in classes at the last minute, and has to take one English class that still has available space. The problem is, his assignment over the semester is to interview and write a biography of someone who is elderly. Joe has no family who fits this category, so he goes to a local nursing home attempting to find a subject to write about. Enter Carl, dying of pancreatic cancer, and who has been paroled from prison for committing a rape and murder of a teenage neighbor thirty years before. Joe begins doing research on the murder, and begins to see that the evidence against Carl, while at the time of his trial seemed ironclad, some of the details don't quite add up. Joe meets Virgil, one of Carl's army buddies in Vietnam, and Carl's only supporter, and he begins to look at Carl's case in a different light. Now Joe is racing against time and Carl's impending death from cancer to try and clear his name, and persuade the authorities to reopen the case for a second look. Along with trying to determine the truth about the night of the murder, Joe is also dealing with his alcoholic mother, who pulls frequent "disappearing acts", leaving Joe to look out for his younger autistic brother. The story sweeps the reader along at a fast pace, and leaves you hoping that Joe can determine Carl's innocence before it is too late. I am looking forward to reading more from Eskens after reading his debut novel.

Eskens, Allen, The Life We Bury, Seventh Street Books, New York, October 2014. 

Isbn: 978-1-61614-998-7

Unbroken: A Story of Survival during WWII

I picked up a copy of Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand yesterday, and while this is an adaptation of Hillenbrand's bestseller of the same name for young adult readers (Disclaimer here-I haven't read the original version),I think that this version will be appealing to both young adults and adults as well. This is the story of Louis Zamperini, who was ingenious in breaking rules, and looked to be on a fast track to reform school or jail for his exploits in his youth. He discovered running, and worked to travel and compete in the Olympics in 1936. He was due to also compete in the 1940 games, but World War Two arrived, and he, along with many others of that era, joined the fight. He became a bombardier airman, and when the B-24 he is flying in is shot down over the Pacific, the true story begins. Along with two other survivors of the crash, the struggle to survive in a life raft at sea amid circling sharks with no supplies takes its toll on Louis, and by the time they reach land 46 days later, only Louis and one other man makes the shore. Unfortunately, they land at an island occupied by Japan, and are promptly taken as prisoners of war. Moved from POW camp to camp, Louis struggles to survive under horrific conditions. Both Louis and his family, who is informed by the military he has been declared missing and presumed dead, refuse to give up hope, and at the end of the war, Louis survives to return to his family. Even though this version is for young adult readers, the descriptions of the prison camps and the abuse the prisoners endured at the hands of their captors is vivid and brutally depicted, but there is also hope, with the stories of the POW's efforts to survive and sabotage their captor's efforts to break their spirits. 

Hillenbrand, Laura, Unbroken: An Olympian's Journey From Airman to Castaway To Captive. Delacorte Press, New York. November 2014. Isbn 978-0-385-74251-1

A Question of Life after Death

Judy Bachrach is a journalist who has interviewed people who claim to have had NDE's, otherwise known as near-death experiences. In a new book out this coming September, she raises the questions we all have of what happens after we die, and is there actually something out there for us to look forward to when we do pass on. 

Those who have had a NDE, seem for the most part, to have the same types of experiences. Are NDE's real? Is it an experience that occurs when the brain is dying or is it our way of making sense of the the electrical impulses that occur in our brain when deprived of oxygen. What do doctors and scientists term as clinical death? Is it when the heart stops, the brain stops functioning, or is it when our consciousness leaves our bodies? With advances in medical techniques, we can attempt to slow the process of death-a couple of centuries ago when someone drowned, they were dead. Now with CPR techniques, we can manage to revive them and cheat death. There have been accounts in our not so recent history where coffins were reopened to discover scratch marks on the inside when people were buried accidentally, as their state of death was misinterpreted. (Giving rise to fears of the existence of vampires as late as the 18th century) One case that Bachrach cites is that of an individual who was determined to be clinically dead, the family was discussing funeral arrangements in the next room, and the person "came back to life" hours after they had been determined by medical staff to be deceased. Bachrach interviewed individuals from different backgrounds, from those who were religious to those who were not, and regardless, they all seemed to have similar experiences. Until very recently, the scientific community has not really wanted to really look at and review cases of NDE's from a research standpoint, and unfortunately most individuals who claim to have had an NDE were either not believed, or told that it didn't occur. There are many questions on whether NDE's exist due to the failure of the medical and scientific communities to properly document and research this issue. I began reading this not knowing whether NDE's actually occur, and I finished the book with the same questions about NDE's, as we really don't know what happens after we die. The reality is however, we will all learn the answer eventually at some point, and unfortunately, the rest of the world won't know until then as well it seems. The book gets you to think about the possibility of an afterlife, but honestly, I got more information and insight on death and a possible afterlife  from reading Spook by Mary Roach than I did from Bachrach's perspective on this topic.

 Bachrach, Judy,  Glimpsing Heaven: The Stories and Science of Life After Death. National Geographic, Washington D.C. September 2014. Isbn 978-1-4262-1454-7

The Forgotten Girl

I finished reading The Forgotten Girl, by David Bell this morning,

and I think the title is a bit of a misnomer here. While the story centers on a younger sister who has returned unexpectedly to her brother's doorstep, the story is really about her brother, his past, and events that took place one night during his high school graduation. Jason has returned with his wife to his hometown that he grew up in, with the hopes of rekindling their marriage by leaving the large city they had been in. Things seem to be going well, but the return to his old town starts to bring back memories of Jason's best friend Logan, who disappeared after graduation, and who no one has seen to this day. When Jason's sister turns up at his house, with her teenage daughter, asking Jason to keep her daughter there while she makes amends with her past and her recovery from addiction, Jason begins to think his sister and Logan's disappearance are somehow connected. He beings delving into the past, talking to Logan's remaining family and others who knew Logan, including Regan, a girl who both he and Logan had wanted to be romantically involved with during school. While trying to keep an eye out for his sister who has disappeared to take care of loose ends, worrying about his niece who is concerned about her mother, along with dealing with memories about the night Logan disappeared, he also has to deal with the bully from school, who is still living in town and has more to do with that night than Jason originally thought. The novel isn't really about a "forgotten girl" but more about confronting the past, and small town secrets that come to light years after the fact. Despite the title, the novel is an interesting read, and keeps you guessing until the final chapter about the truth of Logan's disappearance. 

Bell, David. The Forgotten Girl, New American Library, New York. October 2014.
 Isbn: 978-0-451-41752-7

Marines on Mars

    War Dogs, by Greg Bear is coming out this fall and is bound to make his readers happy with his latest novel. The first of a planned trilogy, the novel takes place mostly on Mars, which is the setting for a war between the Skyrines, Earth's version of Marines who battle on Mars, and the Antags, a race that is coming to take over the planet and eventually Earth itself.

     Upon reaching the planet on their latest mission, "Vinnie" and his squad soon learn that things aren't all they seem, and they are quickly ambushed on their way to landing. Survival looks grim for the squad, until they are rescued by a second landing party who arrived earlier, and then when their survival looks grim again,  they are rescued again by one of the colonists from Mars, who has left her colony rather than face death. She leads them to a rock formation to safety, where they learn the formation is actually an underground mining complex. Shortly after their arrival, other parties come to the mine , more teams from Earth, and also more colonists from the planet, both who have plans for the underground mining chambers. Soon it becomes a matter of survival for the Skyrines, both within the mine and outside it. Left on their own by the government, the squad and Vinnie try to figure out why the mine is so important to their government, the colonists, and the Antags, and at the same time, try to stay alive long enough for hope of rescue from Earth. I thought this was a fascinating read, and look forward to reading the next two novels in the series.

Bear, Greg. War Dogs. New York. Orbit Books. October 2014. Isbn 978-0-316-07283-0 

Full Measure-and brother's bonds

     Okay readers, I just completed reading Full Measure, a new novel due out in the coming fall  by T. Jefferson Parker. Fantastic read! Patrick is a marine recently home from his deployment in Afghanistan, and expected by his family to help run their avocado growing operation,

and take over the helm from his aging father. Unfortunately, upon his arrival he learns that a fire in the town has destroyed much of the crop's trees and it is going to be a long battle to save any of the farm. While trying to adjust back to civilian life, Patrick is also tasked with overseeing his brother, who looks up to Patrick, and continually keeps getting himself into trouble with people in the town, especially the mayor. When it turns out that the fire was deliberately set, suspicion sets in and Patrick's brother winds up being in the middle of the firestorm. His brother buys a gun and begins hanging out with the local white supremacists in the town, while looking up to Patrick, taking his stories of battle as his own. The novel is a fast paced read, and I think really helps the reader to understand from Patrick's perspective the anxiety and stress that faces soldiers returning to life after serving in battle. Along with illustrating the problems that farmers can face with banks, crop failures, and investments, the novel is truly about family, and the bonds that holds families together. 

Full Measure, T. Jefferson Parker, St Martin's Press, New York. October 2014. Isbn: 978-1-4668-5299-0