It was quite a few years ago that I borrowed e. lockhart's We Were Liars from the library. Amber was in grad school, Katie was a senior at UMaine, Adam was finishing Bangor High, and I was in my ninth year of school committee and hadn't yet heard of the grad school program that would provide my post parenting salvation.
It was a grey quite dreary day. I had the flu or something similar and was wisely staying in bed, cuddled up with precious Joey cat. The moment I opened the book I was transported from a central Maine trailer coop to a privately owned Massachusetts island where the rich and famous Sinclair clan summered in castles and beneath a carefully maintained facade damning secrets lurked. Coming to the last page, I hoped that would not be the last I'd hear of the dynasty.
I had to wait quite a few years for the reunion. When I got my hands on the sequel the grad school year I thought would be my last was rushing to an end. I'd hung my wind chimes. I read the book outside, nibbling on gourmet chocolates Katie had given me that I'd been saving for just the right book. It lived up to its predecessor and left me again wanting more.
I took you on this stroll down memory lane to show you how singular those books were. In my 14 years maintaining this blog I've reviewed almost 3,000 books. Those are the only two that I can recall the exact circumstances under which I read them...
...So imagine my excitement when We Fell Apart dropped. Thanks to Minerva and inter library loans I got it from Lewiston Public Library as soon as they'd acquired and processed it. Believe me when I say it's a worthy successor.
Matilda has survived an unusual childhood and adolescence, raised by a mother who was never been there for her and just went through the motions of parenting...
...that is until mommy dearest met a hottie and departed for Mexico, leaving her underage daughter to fend for herself...
Imagine how Matilda feels when she gets an email from a world famous painter claiming that he is her father and wants to be involved in her life. He invites her to visit her at Hidden Beach and accept one of his paintings.
It seems that her mother was a college student when she posed nude for a painting by the famous artist who left her pregnant. Mom tells her she shouldn't accept the invitation. According to her he's not a very nice person.
Of course you know she's going. There'd be no book if she stayed home. She arrives at a beachfront castle with four tall turrets in eyesight of a burned down castle on the Sinclair island. It's inhabited by a rather large dog and four humans. There's June, the artist, Kingsley's significant other; Meer, their son and Matilda's half brother; Brock, a former child star, Tatum who drives a cab, and Glum (short for Puddleglum, the canine.
Kingsley is absent even though he sent Matilda the invitation. None of his housemates know when he'll be back. He evidently comes and goes as he pleases. Only Meer and Glum are really eager for her to stick around. But she's come all this way.
Right off the bat she notices strange things. June bosses the boys with a set of rules she passes off as suggestions even as she enforces them. Electronics are locked away except for short periods of time. June is dosing people with strange herbal tinctures.
And why is the home of an artist whose paintings sell for millions in continual fiscal stress?
And how are Kingsley and his family related to the island Sinclairs?
Only one way to find out.
You'll be glad you did.😀😁
On a purrrsonal note, back in 2011 I started this blog for the people who missed reading my book reviews in the Bangor Daily News when they no longer had freelance money and for myself because I missed writing reviews. I didn't want to come across as erudite or witty or cultured. The ambiance I went for was telling a friend about a book I was excited about over coffee. That's why purrrsonal note was there from the first post. (They're what some readers like the most.) Over a decade later it's still the same. I'm getting so much joy out of writing reviews of books I'm excited about in an intimate, personal voice. I feel truly fortunate to have this opportunity. Just to be functionally literate and have access to books and libraries is a privilege denied to so many people.
A great big shout out goes out to the writers and illustrators of the books I review and the readers of this blog, especially those who have communicated with me. Next year we're going to hit the 3,000 book milestone. Won't that be something?
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
No comments:
Post a Comment