December Reads

Let's dive into what I read in December!

 

The Family Upstairs, by: Lisa Jewell

I kept reading rave reviews about this book, from people who have the same taste as me, so I had to give it a try. I remembered enjoying the other Lisa Jewell book I read this year. The main character, Libby, never knew her birth parents as she was found abandoned at the scene of a crime. Now, on her 25th birthday, she inherits the abandoned mansion she was found in which leads her to investigate the truth about her past. Spoiler warning: her birth family became involved in a cult, and there are others who've been waiting 25 years for this day to come too. What I liked most about this book is the plot was unique (at least to me for a thriller). I would recommend it if you like this genre.

 

A Hundred Suns, by: Karin Tanabe

This book hits the shelves on April 7, 2020 - thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance reader copy. This book was a bit slow for me, but still had interesting aspects. The main character, Jessie, is an American turned Parisian who married into the Michelin family. When her husband is appointed to oversee the rubber plantations in Vietnam, Jessie is excited about the experience to live there since it means putting further distance from her troubled past. But, not all of her new friends are as they seem, as some have a bad history with the powerful family and the working conditions in their country. What I enjoyed most about this book was the colorful description of expat life in the 1930's in such an exotic place.

 

Our House, by: Louise Candish

A friend passed this book onto me, and it caught my eye because of the unique plot. It's about a couple who separate because of infidelity, but the wife decides she does not want to upset the lives of their 2 boys so they keep the house and take turns living there, rather than shuffle the kids back and forth. Not to mention, the value of their home has gone up quite a bit since they bought it. This book had a lot of twists and turns as the husband continues to dig himself deeper and deeper into lies - so much so that the wife comes back from a weekend away to find a new family moving into the beloved home! It also left a cliffhanger at the end.

 

The Girls, by: Emma Cline

A much hyped book, I couldn't help but pick this up for 50 cents at a thrift store! Since I was already in a cult frame of mind from The Family Upstairs, I decided to read this right away. Loosely based on the Manson cult in the late 60's, the story follows 14 year old Evie as she becomes wrapped up in their crazy lifestyle. It's easy to understand how Evie is drawn to the group as she is being shuttled between divorced parents, and during that pivotal coming of age time. She always seems to stay enough on the outskirts though, but is haunted/affected throughout her entire life by these people as she watches them go to jail for grisly murders and become such an example in society. The writing was oddly descriptive at times - almost overcompensating - but I feel Emma did a good job in depicting what it is like for a girl that age, especially the insecurities. What was most interesting to me in this book and in The Family Upstairs, is how much people are willing to give up when they get involved in a cult. I just can't imagine what would change a persons mind so much that they would give up proper nutrition, personal hygiene, decent living conditions, etc...… Very shocking and unsettling.