Review: Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington

I read Karen Harrington's first novel, JANEOLOGY a few years ago and really liked it and SURE SIGNS OF CRAZY is the follow-up to that book.  However, it is a great stand alone novel.  Its now ten years after Jane Nelson's mental collapse when she drowned her two-year old son, Simon and nearly drowned his twin sister, Sarah. Its now ten years later and Sarah lives with her father, Tom, in Garland, Texas and her mother is in a mental institution.

Life hasn't been easy for the Nelson's with all of the publicity surrounding not only Jane's trial but also Tom's trial.for not doing enough to protect his children, even though he was at work when it happened.  Though Tom is a loving parent, he still struggles with what his wife did and his way of dealing with it is to bury it, never talk about it and try to drink it away. Every once in a while, people find out who they are and all the publicity starts all over again, so they move to a place where no one knows them. All their moving around has been hard on young Sarah and it takes a toll on her relationship with her father. His refusal to talk about it and Sarah's need to get answers drives a wedge between them and makes Sarah feel like she has no one in her life she can talk to. So when her teacher offers a voluntary summer assignment to write letters to a favorite fictional character, Sarah turns to her favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Atticus Finch. Through her letters to Atticus, she divulges her secret thoughts, wishes and plans not to mention her fear of being crazy like her mother.

Aside from her letters to Atticus Finch, Sarah is dreading the summer because her dad always makes her go to Houston to stay with her grandparents. But she has big plans and she's sure they won't happen in Houston.  If only she could convince her dad she's old enough to stay with him in Garland she could have the summer of her life. She may even be able to show him she's old enough to know more about the mother she barely remembers.

My Thoughts:

SURE SIGNS OF CRAZY has a young protagonist that reaches in and grabs your heart. Sarah Nelson is also the narrator and Harrington does a fantastic job of writing this story from her twelve-year old perspective. In my opinion, she nailed it. She may be young and unsure of herself, but Sarah is bright, articulate and she loves words, which makes her even more endearing to me.

As a young adult novel, this is a home run but Sarah's story is appealing to mature readers as well. Her family has suffered a tragedy and since Sarah feels like she can't talk to anybody about it, she writes letters to someone she trusts, even if that person isn't real. Her conversations with Atticus have a child's honesty in them. I loved reading those letters.

Another part of the story I loved was Sarah's friendship with elderly next door neighbor, Mrs. Dupree. That was an unexpected nugget and it even reminded me of a relationship I shared with an older neighbor after moving to Florida and not knowing anyone. That was one of my favorite parts of the book. I also loved another neighbor, Finn. What a great character! Even though he is nineteen and obviously much older than Sarah, he took the time to realize that she was a very intelligent girl. He was kind and he made time for her.

There is so much about this book that I loved. It was engaging, had great characters and the story was believable. The issues Sarah deals with are so current: peer pressure, single parenthood, alcoholism - all dealt with very well in this book. Sarah also has a great sense of humor and the way she explained things made me laugh sometimes.  I think this is a great book for young readers.  In fact, I'm giving a copy to my friend's 13-yr old daughter, who also enjoys reading, with the hope that she will share it with her friends.

It doesn't even matter if you haven't read JANEOLOGY, although I highly recommend it! This is a great second novel for Karen Harrington. It proves to me that there is a definite place for her in the literary world and I'm excited to see what's next from her.  I'd like to thank Karen for sending me an advance copy of this terrific book. I enjoyed it immensely.

By the way, you can read my review of JANEOLOGY here and check out Karen's website at www.karenharringtonbooks.com.

SURE SIGNS OF CRAZY 
Author: Karen Harrington
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published:: August 20, 2013
Genre: YA
Length: 304 pp
Source: Author, Karen Harrington
Recommend? Absolutely Yes!!

Review: The Good House by Ann Leary (Unabridged Audio Edition)

When I first noticed this book going around the blogs people were raving about it.  Then I started hearing how great the audio version was and since I was due for a new audio book, I chose that format. Boy, am I glad I did! Mary Beth Hurt was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S as Hildy Good! But hold on, I don't want to get ahead of myself  First, for those who aren't familiar, here is a bit about the book:

Hildy Good grew up and has lived in a small town on Boston's North Shore for all of her life. I guess you could call her a townie. She knows everyone and everyone knows her. She's had a good and successful life as a Realtor and is currently the only independent Realtor in town. She is divorced with two grown daughters, one married with a child and one not married.  For the most part Hildy lives a happy life. There's only one problem: Hildy is an alcoholic. When her family held an intervention, Hildy gave in to their demands and went into rehab. It's now the beginning of the story and Hildy has been sober for about a year. She says its not a problem and she can handle it, but inside she feels it was all blown out of proportion. 

Hildy is an outspoken but friendly sort but she does like her privacy.  Like many small communities, its hard to keep secrets so when Hildy begins to backslide from her sobriety, she is careful to keep it to herself and justifies it with one excuse after another. Hildy's denial of her drinking problem grows and before long she is back to having blackouts and suffering from hangovers on a regular basis until one night the unthinkable happens and she has to face that she may have been the cause.  If only she could remember . . .

My Thoughts:

I purposely left out a lot in my synopsis because I wanted to let Hildy tell her own story. Let me start by saying that Hildy Good is one of my favorite characters of all time. She is really something. Hildy is the one telling this story so it is her insights and perspective that is given to the reader. At first, I have to admit, I thought she came across a bit haughty and snobbish, but quickly changed my view. It's just her way. She is very opinionated, sometimes prickly but certainly not a bad person. She is deeply flawed however, and in such denial it is rather scary. I saw her gradual slide down that slippery slope and felt that helpless feeling but she is so convincing in her justifications that I wanted to believe her when she repeatedly said she had it under control.. There's no mistaking that Hildy is the star of this story but the supporting characters and sub plot added another element and were authentic and very believable.

But just know, THE GOOD HOUSE is not just a novel about an alcoholic, it is also about an unlikely friendship, an affair, a rekindling of long ago love and bonds. This book has it all and is told in perfect pitch. I chose to listen to the audio version and I am so glad I did. Mary Beth Hurt was the perfect Hildy Good. No one else could've portrayed this character in my opinion. She interpreted all of Hildy's characteristics flawlessly.

I can only imagine that writing a successful novel centered around alcoholism must be a daunting task. The way Ann Leary wrote Hildy's perspective and her continual justification of her drinking can only come from someone who knows alcoholism intimately. I feel she did an outstanding job. Once I got started I didn't want to stop. Hearing Hildy's voice with my own ears was such an authentic experience. I didn't want to leave her when the book was done.

The bottom line is THE GOOD HOUSE is one of my top reads this year and the audio is probably my favorite of all. If you're looking for an audio that you can get sucked into right away with great characters and great story, then you should definitely listen to this latest from Ann Leary. It was a real treat. Just one more comment about this author: Am I the only person on the planet who didn't know Ann Leary is married to Denis Leary, the actor from Rescue Me?  Saw her on an MSNBC program and they mentioned that and I was shocked!

THE GOOD HOUSE (Unabridged Audio Version)
Author:  Ann Leary
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Published: January 2013
Length: 10 hrs 12 min
Recommend? Absolutely 100% YES!!!

The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne

By looking at the cover of Teri Coyne's novel, nothing is given away.  There is no way to know that within the pages of this debut novel is an intense, emotional story of a woman tortured by her past. Once you read this book, you can look again at the cover and even the simplicity of it is understood. 

THE LAST BRIDGE is the story of Alexandra "Cat" Rucker: abused, alcoholic, damaged.  After being gone from her Ohio family home for ten years, she is forced to return when her mother commits a carefully planned suicide hours after her father suffers a critical stroke.  For ten years Cat has been living with demons she isn't strong enough to face.  Her sad life is a mix of booze, nightmares and self disgust.   

As a child, Cat suffered at the hands of her father and swore that as soon as she made it through high school she would leave and never come back.  She hated her father and kept all of the hurt and abuse inside.  The plans she made to leave did happen, but not quite the way she thought.  Her last night with her family turned out to be something ugly and traumatic with heartbreaking and frightening consequences that she has carried around with her ever since.  Now she's back at her family home with her brother and sister, whom she's had no contact with and feeling very out of place.  She tries to deal with her mother's suicide and her father's declining health at the same time that old family secrets are being revealed. Cat also has secrets of her own and questions that were left unanswered long ago after that last night on the bridge. 

I don't want to give too much away but I will say that Cat's story is a difficult one to read.  Teri Coyne's writing is bold, intense and holds nothing back. This is not a book for the faint at heart.  From the beginning, Cat's self-destructive behavior and debilitating alcoholism is front and center.  The story is told from her perspective both in present time and in flashbacks to her teenage years in alternating chapters. 

Once I started reading THE LAST BRIDGE I found it very hard to put down.  I wanted to keep going to see what would happen next.  It is a dark and troubling story told in a precise manner.  It's not filled with a lot of description and airy details. Teri Coyne paints a realistic picture of Cat's life as a lost soul.  For some, it might be too dark, but I find myself drawn to these types of novels and appreciate the poignancy in them.  As a debut novel this one is a winner in my opinion.  At first, I didn't think I was going to like Cat.  I couldn't relate to her alcoholism and her attitude, but the more I got to know her the more I liked her. 

THE LAST BRIDGE is an easy read and with only 240 pages, many could finish it in one sitting.  It has so many facets that make it truly engrossing:  family; loss; sacrifice and even deep love.  For all of those reasons, I would recommend it for your book club as well.  Visit Teri Coyne's website to learn more about her.  To read an excerpt from the book click here.  The release date for this dramatic novel is July 28, 2009.

THE LAST BRIDGE

Author:  Teri Coyne

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Published:  July 28, 2009

Pages: 240

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars