This novel is written in the form of emails, which I have a fierce dislike of. But it must be said that I never dismiss any story because of the styleThis novel is written in the form of emails, which I have a fierce dislike of. But it must be said that I never dismiss any story because of the style it's written in. Foster's novel surprised me as the emails flowed naturally and I enjoyed the writing. Jess's recipient of the emails is her co-worker, Arthur (who is currently on a sabbatical). The reader isn't privy to Arthur's replies, and curiosity is stimulated. There are secrets that weigh the emails and much of our story hides here. Jess's husband Liam owns Spaceco, a space travel tourism company. A shuttle explodes at launch, with no survivors. To salvage his company's image, Liam agrees to a husband and wife documentary team. Under a microscope from the team, and the scrutiny of the press more is bound to blow than a shuttle. Liam has secrets of his own, and while this novel is a dark one, it manages to be a love story as well. It is a unique approach to love. Pleasurable read and hard to review without giving anything away... ...more
Jeff Manning is hit by a car and killed leaving behind his wife Claire, his son, and a co-worker Tish, that has her own mysterious connection to him. Jeff Manning is hit by a car and killed leaving behind his wife Claire, his son, and a co-worker Tish, that has her own mysterious connection to him. Tish wants to use work as an excuse to place herself into the remains of Jeff's life, a threatening presence that could change everything about who his family thought he was. Claire will spend her grieving days trying to make sense of a mystery, a did he or didn't he? This story-line has been done to death but McKenzie manages to approach it differently. There are strong emotions on each page, but I went from thinking the wife deserved better to not caring about any of them. Sometimes the characters seemed like the same person, and maybe if the women were different the story would have more heart. I kept thinking the women could just be the same person. I spent a lot of time being irritated. Truth is ugly and death shouldn't be a shield from it. Of course some say ignorance is bliss, but is it? The story is certainly real in the sense that real affairs of the heart don't lead to fantastic dramatic events but when I am reading fiction I want something more provocative. I gave this novel three stars because there is a lot of emotion, but I kept expecting something to explode or change everything and it never did. I am mixed here. I think a lot of people will enjoy the story, but there will be some of us left thinking there was so much more for the author to explore. ...more
This book surprised me, which is unusual. More than anything, the teenage girls and the mysterious emotions they stir in men and boys is perfectly renThis book surprised me, which is unusual. More than anything, the teenage girls and the mysterious emotions they stir in men and boys is perfectly rendered, as is the conflicting emotions the girls themselves struggle with. So while there was this contagion making girls ill, everyone in the novel seems to be a mystery unto themselves and each other. It isn't just the wild, unpredictable, animal nature of the contagion that brings the realization that parents cannot keep their children safe. We see in one of the mother's the fear of all the ways we put our children at risk just by simply being alive, and in the girls cases, all the dangers and desires that exist simply for being female. As the illness seems to spread to certain girls, the community looks to different sources as the target of blame. Rumors are unleashed, friendships come into question and the characters come to see what they thought they knew as fact unravel. Desire and fear spread like wildfire and it's a strange mix that the novel deals with complex relationships while also keeping the reader scratching their head over where and what is causing the illness. In the girls, I saw the confusion of friendship and sexual awakening and it read as genuine. With the parents both fear of contagion as much as fear of their little girls growing into sexual beings is easily understood in anyone with children on the edge of adulthood. There is a lot going on here and I stayed up because I wanted to know the mystery- this is a good one....more
Having been granted an arc through netgalley, I finished the novel even though I was scratching my head often. I had high hopes from the blurb of magiHaving been granted an arc through netgalley, I finished the novel even though I was scratching my head often. I had high hopes from the blurb of magical happenings and I expected the mystery of the Furies to be mind-blowing or at least interesting. But the reveal inspired more of an 'eh' for me. I did not like John Rogers and that is a bad thing unless the reason you dislike a particular character is because they stir conflict in you (think of villainous characters that you don't like but are fascinated by). From the start when he is lusting over the girl at the bar I wasn't going to think much of him. Too many silly things happen here to suspend belief, and I am not talking about supernatural occurrences. Without giving away everything, I have to say that I don't think things would run so smoothly stealing from a hospital, or running around shooting off a gun. There has to be believable moments in a novel, at the very least we have to see some realistic reactions. I cannot say I like it just because I think the ideas were good. Having a genetic mutation explain why the Furies were accused of witchery is a very solid explanation. There were times when illnesses were seen as evil and myths blossomed from them. But this novel isn't really true science fiction nor magical realism and to call it that will disappoint people who really love novels of either genre. I was expecting far more magic, and was let down. I think this novel would have been better if I had liked the characters. You have to have a connection to one character, at the very least, in order to really enjoy the journey. I am sure there are people out there who will like this quick read and can overlook the details. I am not one of them. Wanted to like it but it was just okay. ...more
Lolly K Dandeneau
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