Review of 'The Teacher' by Katerina Diamond

 

I read The Secret by Katerina Diamond a few years ago and really enjoyed it, but remembered that they alluded to a whole series of events from this book which is the first in the series, and I wanted to get to grips with it. Naturally I then bought this and left it sitting on my shelves forever and now I've forgotten what happened in The Secret, but I'd like to read the rest in the series.

The Teacher is a gory crime novel. Someone is killing different men in violent, torturous ways, using a different MO with each one. Each chapter in the book focuses on a different character: we follow each victim to their death, see insights from DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles, and even from the killer as we get further into the book. The victims are all connected, and when the link between them becomes clear, the detectives aren't sure whose side they're on anymore.

This was a gripping murder mystery with a whole lot of gore. I found myself looking forward to reading it and seeing what linked everyone together, and why some of the characters were involved in the book. A very graphic thriller, the book comes with a trigger warning for sexual assault, gore and torture. It was a good January read, matching the dreary weather, and I now really want to see what happens next with Detectives Grey and Miles.

I gave this three stars because it was quite clear who the murderer was very early on in the book, but I was very torn between a three and four star rating. 

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Review of 'The Vanishing Half' by Brit Bennett

 

There has been SO much hype around this book all over social media that I couldn't wait to get started on it, but the book just really wasn't what I expected. It's always been described as either a romance of a coming of age story, and I just felt like neither of those descriptions really hits the spot. Don't get me wrong, there were elements of it that were great and that I really loved, but it was so slow that I really struggled through at least the first half.

The Vanishing Half is a story about a pair of twins who grow up in a rural Southern black community. They run away as teenagers and Stella leaves Desiree behind in the big city. Desiree never stops searching for Stella, never knowing what really happened to the other half of her. Told over a number of decades, the book shows us both Desiree's and Stella's stories, and how one decision can change the lives of generations to come.

This book started off really slow for me and I struggled to connect to the writing. I felt as though the back story to the twins' adult lives (them running away as teens, finding their first jobs and then separating) was completely rushed through and I didn't get much of a sense of either of them. Desiree's life as a mother to Jude was then equally rushed through whilst at the same time feeling a bit too slow. I think the writing just felt a little bit more like fact-telling than anything emotive.

However, things improved a lot when it came to Jude's (Desiree's daughter) and Stella's stories. Stella's decision to pose as being white was an interesting one, and something I've never seen discussed in a book before. And then we had Jude, who falls in love with a trans man. I've read very few books with trans characters in, and this was the most nuanced example I've ever seen. We are always presented with Reese presenting as male, and learn the difficulties of being trans through Jude's eyes. Binders, hormones, gender affirming surgery and dysphoria are all discussed in the book in a sensitive way. 

These two aspects of the plot were the most interesting for me, and the second half of the book saved the first half, which is why I've given it three stars.

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Review of 'Rich People Problems' by Kevin Kwan

 

I always avoid reading the final in a book series that I'm enjoying for ages, because I don't want the series to end. I loved the first two in this Crazy Rich Asians series and was excited to get round to this (though a little intimidated by its size). It didn't quite have the same draw for me as the other books did though, and I found it a bit of a struggle to get through at times.

This final installment in the series is told through different locations: each chapter is focused around a character in a particular place. The book's plot is centred around Su Yi, Nicholas' grandmother, who is dying. The whole extended family flock to her home, desperate to make a good impression on her in the hope of being left something in her will. Nick is faced with a difficult choice: swallow his pride and reunite with the matriarch of his family, or protect his perceived honour and stay in the US. The book takes us all over the world and is just as gossip filled as the other two in the series. 

I really wanted to love this. A meaty ending to a series is usually great, but this fell a bit flat for me. I think the main issue was that we completely moved away from Rachel and Nick, the two main characters of the last two books, and spent a whole lot of time with some pretty unlikeable characters. I struggled to get on with Kitty or Eddie, and their chapters were bits that I felt like I wanted to skip through, and unfortunately they made up quite a chunk of the book. Don't get me wrong, I love a character that I can hate, but I prefer to do so without them being the main subject of the book.

I missed Rachel as a character - it felt like she was inserted in now and then to remind us that she actually existed, but we really did move far far away from the plot at the heart of the first two books. The book also definitely dragged a bit. At times I found myself absolutely wanting to read on, especially when they were discovering who inherited Su Yi's house, belongings and wealth, but it did seem as though the plot was stretched thin over so many pages.

I'm glad I read it and completed the trilogy, so I gave it 3 stars.

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Review of 'We Need New Names' by NoViolet Bulawayo

 

My first read of 2021! I'm so excited to *actually* be up to date on book reviews at the start of the year for the first time in years. The weight has lifted! Anyway, 2021 has already knackered me so much I feel almost delirious. 

We Need New Names is a coming of age story about 10 year old Darling. Originally growing up in Zimbabwe, Darling has to say goodbye to her country to move to America with her Aunt and Uncle. The book details the games she plays growing up with her friends, the dangers they face (and only somewhat understand), and the difficulties she faces as an unofficial citizen in the US who cannot go back home.

I really enjoyed the plot of this, but struggled to get on board with the writing style. The book was told from Darling's perspective, which obscured the story a little and I felt like I lost what was going on, or the meaning behind things at times because of it. The book was very well written, it was definitely my poor knowledge of Zimbabwean history and dislike for this kind of writing style that was the problem. The book did give a really interesting perspective into what it's like living in the US and being expected to send money and resources to your home country when things aren't as rosy in the US as you'd hoped, which I loved.

I would recommend reading this as the book gave some important insights to issues such as overseas aid, white saviours, childhood pregnancy, life without papers in the US, US racism, and the struggles of losing your childhood dreams. 

I gave this three stars

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Review of 'The Cousins' by Karen M. McManus

 

I am a big Karen McManus fan, and every book she brings out just seems to get better. I read this over the period between Christmas and New Year and it made for the perfect read for this time of year. It was gripping and an easy read to get through

The Cousins is told from the perspectives of three cousins: Milly, Aubrey and Jonah Story. They've been brought to Gull Cove Island by their estranged Grandmother Mildred Story, who has refused to see their parents since before they were born. The three all go with their own agendas, and are hoping to discover the family secrets, win their grandmother over and finally reunite the Story family. However, more secrets are revealed and the family's background gets darker than they ever anticipated.

I loved this book. Each of the cousins had their own interesting stories and secrets propping them up and spurring them on which I got totally wrapped up in. Mildred Story's last letter to their parents said 'you know what you did' and the flashbacks in the book to their parents' teenage years gives us little titbits of insight into what they did that adds to the tension. Karen McManus always manages to somehow write books that feel like a total comfort blanket and that I end up reading for hours on end trying to find out exactly what's going on. I gave this five stars and can't wait to see what she releases next!

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