Review: Out by Natsuo Kirino

5 stars for Out by Natsuo Kirino.

Out is not your run-of-the-mill story; definitely not what I have expected out of a Japanese female author. What astound me the most are the author's crafting of characters that go way beyond skin deep and her attention to details in a well built-up world of its own. This is no doubt an author whose work goes well beyond the conventional crime novel.

It starts out like any other day, or more accurately night, for four housewives (Masako Katori, Kuniko Jonouchi, Yoshie Azuma and Yayoi Yamamoto) who work the graveyard shift at the same boxed-lunch factory. Everything is as ordinary as can be for these four typical Japanese women struggling to make ends meet.

But soon enough, the story takes an unexpected turn and spirals into a dark tale filled with vivid ghastly details layered with lies and deceit and violence that chill me to the bone and make my skin crawl. Ironically, instead of being put off, the ruthlessness and heartlessness of it all suck me right into the story and spur me to keep the pages turning.

I highly recommend this crime fiction, but it is a tale not for the faint-hearted. Read it only if you have the stomach for a life lived in the secret embrace of a dark memory. If not, forget about it.

Review: Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy #1) by Jeff VanderMeer

2 stars for Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy book 1) by Jeff VanderMeer.

To say that I am disappointed with this science fiction novel will be an understatement. It is not that the story is slow or boring, in fact, the mystery and suspense intrigue me and motivate me to keep the pages turning. The thing is, I keep on reading and reading, waiting to be sucked into the story. But it never materialise. This is so disappointing because there is so much potential in a story with such a great concept and theme.

In the end, the story is as elusive as it has started off. I expect some discoveries, answers or explanations, perhaps not in all its gory details but at least some to appease my inquisitiveness. Sadly, there is none. Zilch.

The mission:
To continue the government’s investigation into the mysteries of Area X, slowly working the way out from base camp.

The people:
Four women: a biologist, an anthropologist, a surveyor, and a psychologist. All chosen as part of the complex set of variables that govern sending the expedition.

The duration:
There is no hard and fast rule. The expedition may last days, months, or even years, depending on various stimuli and conditions.

The findings:
........

What ahout the findings? Well, your guess is as good as mine. So, either you read this trilogy or you don't. As for me, to spare myself of further grievance, reading book 2 is not something I have in the pipeline.

Review: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

1 star for Into the Water by Paula Hawkins.

I thought I am in for a treat when I finally decide to read this book. Only that instead of a treat, it is a trick. Yes, I feel cheated of my time, reading a story about a messed up town, with a messed up history, with a messed up river, and an equally messed up group of people.

If not for my admiration of the author's debut novel, The Girl on the Train, I will have long given up reading this novel. I feel that the author tries too hard on this one, the way the story is written, the fragmented chapters, the many characters, the mixed up perspectives, they are supposed to generate curiosity but sadly, they only serve to annoy and put me off.

Well, this story may not be my cup of tea, but if you are up for a challenge in the drowning pool, in memory of those who have fallen or jumped, by all means go ahead to read - but be forewarned to fall - Into the Water.

***

Two women who know each other, who are once connected, by place and by people, are found dead in the Beckford river within a few months of the other.

Review: Only Child by Rhiannon Navin

Did Not Finish Only Child by Rhiannon Navin.

I always feel that it is delicate business spinning stories from young children's point of view. It is not easy to write, nor is it easy to be well liked, especially by fastidious readers like me.

Only Child is a story told through the eyes of Zach, a six-year old boy. It starts off really well with Zach's internal thought process running in circles amidst a gunman and the popping sounds he makes in the elementary school. The first person narrative is so childlike against the disturbing backdrop that I cannot help but read the entire first chapter with a heavy heart.

Sadly, the above moment and the feelings it stir up do not last. When Zach talks about his father making partner at his firm the year before, I am reminded yet again that this is actually an adult posing as a young storyteller. And so, my interest to read starts to dwindle.

Not for lack of trying, I find myself unable to go any further beyond the 20% mark.

Review: Force of Nature (Aaron Falk #2) by Jane Harper

5 stars for Force of Nature (Aaron Falk book 2) by Jane Harper.

This is the story of a company retreat that has gone awry. A team of five women enter the Giralang Ranges - to complete some teambuilding obstacles during the day and camp for three nights - but only four return. And not one of them has seen the bushland swallow up Alice Russell...

Force of Nature is a gripping mystery story that keeps me on the edge of my seat. The author does a remarkable job transporting me to this isolated terrain where the trees grow thick and dense on land that is reluctant to let anything, or rather anyone escape. Under the author's skilful penmanship, the sights, sounds and smells of the Australian bushland come alive to encourage my mind to play tricks and give me the creepy, eerie sense of being watched.

Besides the aim of searching for the missing, the story also focuses on relationships between families, siblings, colleagues and friends, and how little it takes for one to turn sour. Due to the exploration of deep-seated mental and nervous tensions among the characters, the author creates so many teasing possibilities that it is hard to guess what actually happens to Alice Russell. Because, yes, it is not any one thing that goes wrong, but many little things, and they keep adding up until it is too late.

Two books down. Now, I guess I just have to wait for at least another year before the third instalment will be available in print.

On a separate note..
Though a series, the only thing linking book 1 The Dry to this book is Federal Agent Aaron Falk. So, the two books can actually be read as standalones. Even then, I will recommend to read the stories in its proper running sequence. Learning the background of Aaron Falk from book 1 is crucial to understanding him and how he has come a long way since leaving his hometown, Kiewarra, some twenty years ago.

Review: The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) by Jane Harper

5 stars for The Dry (Aaron Falk book 1) by Jane Harper.

It has been a long time since I gobble up a book in 2 days' time. Wth a title that sounds dry and dully factual, the story is surprisingly not. Instead, The Dry has this addictive page turning effect, especially when I do not want to be left high and dry in a small, unforgiving town where people are hurt by buried secrets.

Well.. the secrets have now been unearthed and the mystery unravelled since I have obviously reach the end of this thriller. But even so, I am still reeling from the grisly discovery of the truths amidst the author's ingenuity to weave such a simple yet complicated debut novel.

This is definitely one author to look out for.

***

The Dry is set in Kiewarra, a small farming community a few hours from Melbourne in south-eastern Australia, which for the past two years has been drought-stricken.

Everyone is scared and worried about money and drought, no one knows quite what to do or say except keep a watch on one another, trying to figure out who may be the next to snap.

And then, a family is shot dead. Aaron Falk, an old friend - who has since moved to Melbourne for the last twenty years - of the deceased, is asked to look into the deaths.

But in a town that holds a grudge against Falk who harbours his own secret and lies and fear, twenty years is twenty years with some things that are not so easily forgotten.

Truths. Half-truths. Omissions. Lies. Read The Dry to discern which is which through Aaron Falk's third person perspective.

Review: A Local Habitation (October Daye #2) by Seanan McGuire

3 stars for A Local Habitation (October Daye book 2) by Seanan McGuire.

Oak and ash.
Root and branch.

A Local Habitation is definitely a better story as compared to book 1 Rosemary and Rue. There is an air of mystery and suspense as well as some light-hearted humour as Toby, half-Daoine Sidhe, half-human self, gets sent to Fremont, a city near San Jose on a diplomatic mission.

Well, the fae are territorial by nature. And something of a political nature seems to be brewing in the self-declared Tamed Lightning County sandwiched between the two Duchies, Shadowed Hills and Dreamer’s Glass. So when duty calls, Toby answers. But in a faerie knowe where logic does not always apply, things spiral out of hand pretty quickly, and that is when the excitement starts.

With the above said, I still feel that there is much room for improvement. For one, the pace of the story is on the slow side; after a while, the story tends to stagnant and strings the characters along. And then, there is the issue of this all too familiar phrase "here, kitty, kitty" which is a killjoy. Perhaps fans of a certain other series will agree with me.

All in all, this book gives me the hope that the best is yet to be. And it, in turn, translates to keeping Toby on my reading list. At least for now.