The Survivors by Jane Harper

 

I'm absolutely thrilled I was able to actually read all of my February TBR books. It seems like a long time since I've been able to meet my monthly reading goal. The Survivors was my last read, and I powered through it the past few days. Once I got past the first hundred pages, it wasn't hard to stick with it until the very last shocking reveal.

You should know I've read three of Jane Harper's novels, and her first novel, The Dry, remains one of my favorite books to recommend to readers. I read it and realized I was reading something amazing. Jane Harper's ability to create a setting that becomes a character in her thrillers is something that sets her novels apart. Nature--whether it's a summer of drought and dust, or a forest where the rainy season keeps it wet and miserable for weeks--or, in the case of The Survivors--a small beach town in Tasmania where the ocean dictates every day life; nature is always big, present, and demanding. 

The Survivors takes place in the small beach town of Evelyn Bay. The tourist season is rapidly ending, and Kieran and his partner Mia, along with their baby Audrey, return to help Kieran's mom and dad pack up to move away from Evelyn Bay. His father, Brian, is suffering from dementia, and his parents can't live in the beach community as his condition grows worse. Kieran hasn't been back for years. Twelve years before, a horrible event took place that has haunted him, his family, and the community. Twelve years before, Kieran's brother Finn and his friend Toby were killed in a terrible boating accident during a freak storm. They were killed trying to rescue Kieran, who was in danger of being swept out to sea. Not only were they killed, but at the same time, young Gabby went missing, and was never found. The storm was a bizarre, once in a generation storm that took everyone by surprise, and in all of the chaos, a lot of questions went unanswered. Gabby's disappearance has always left a huge question mark hanging over Evelyn Bay. 

Now it's twelve years later, and the memory of that storm and the loss of life still haunts Evelyn Bay, and effects Kieran's relationship with his parents, who blame him for their son's death. Kieran's friends from childhood-Olivia and Ash, as well as other familiar faces, gather to reminisce and welcome Kieran back. 

Another horrible death soon happens. Bronte, a waitress at the local Surf and Turf restaurant, is found dead on the beach-drowned. She was living with Olivia, and working on an art project over the summer. Shaken by another death in the community, Bronte's murder evokes that horrible summer twelve years before, and everyone starts looking at each other, trying to figure out who did it and why. Does Bronte's death have any connection to Gabby's disappearance?

The atmosphere in this novel is definitely well drawn out. I could feel the freezing ocean water, the strong currents, and the lure of the water. Everything is tied to the ocean-it is a place that gives life, and also takes it away pretty swiftly. Kieran swims daily in order to be able to cope with his guilt over his brother's death; but always just under the surface is the knowledge that the water is capable of turning on anyone who enters its depths. As the investigation goes on, it seems like there is no way Bronte's murder will be solved--and certainly no way it is connected to the tragic events of years ago. Yet somehow the author weaves a story that will keep you guessing as memories, photos, and secrets are slowly exposed and dots are connected. I was surprised at the ending--the who and the why, for sure. 

If you like reading thrillers that build slowly, incorporate the whims of nature, and don't necessarily guarantee a  satisfactory happy ending, you will like The Survivors. The uneasiness, small-town tension, and grief thread throughout the story and make it really hard to put down. It would make a good book discussion. 

Rating: 4/6 for a thriller that keeps you guessing while the tension builds and you keep moving towards an ending that will not be what you expect. Harper's use of nature as a character is brilliant and adds an extra dimension to her plot. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Survivors by Jane Harper

Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

Anyone who scoffs at the notion of reading a graphic novel simply hasn't read one. They are just as powerful and impactful as a book that's full of words, page after page. Roz Chast had me reliving some painful parental moments in her graphic novel, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

We all hope our parents live long lives, and that we have time to get to know them as people when we grow up and become adults ourselves. But as our parents age, and live longer than their parents and grandparents did, we're faced with increasing angst as parents who always were strong, independent, sharp, and ruled the household become frail and forgetful. 

Roz Chast outlines that very situation. For her, it's even more difficult, as she's an only child who doesn't live near her parents. And her parents are a handful. Elizabeth and George have been married for decades; her mother is a force, while her father is quiet. They do everything together. They've lived in the same apartment in Brooklyn since Roz was a baby. And neither of them want to talk about death, wills, money, or future care. Their routine is set in stone and they don't like change. 

There were times when I felt like I was reliving some of the same conversations I had with my Mom when I was reading this memoir. And it's always one significant medical issue that is the start of the end, and you know it when it happens. The end can be years away, but you're aware of that one specific moment when you realize it's the beginning of the end. Roz's memoir is full of that tug of war between parent and child as their mental acuity declines, and is replaced with anger and bewilderment. Faced with cleaning out her parents' apartment, Roz is just overwhelmed, and realizes that most of it is just junk. What her parents refused to throw away, and what they thought valuable, was only valuable to them, and now they don't need it or even remember they have it. I can say going through your parent's lifetime (and your family's lifetime) of things is both frustrating and heartbreaking. It adds a permanent bit of sadness to your soul. 

Roz's relationship with her mother is a strained one, and there is one moment where she says:

I left her room. Walked through the tasteful lobby of the Place as if everything was fine. Walked to my car. When I got in, I cried. The bellowing quality of the sobbing and the depth of the sadness I felt surprised me. I was angry, too. Why hadn't she tried harder to know me? 

But I knew: if there had ever been a time in my relationship with my mother for us to get to know one another--and that's a very big "if"--that time had long passed.

**Cue the ugly cry**

I found this graphic novel to be powerful and poignant. Roz mixes in photos of her parents, along with some of her mother's poems. I'd recommend it to anyone who has aging parents, or has already gone through this process and feels they were all alone and feeling the frustrations and sadness that no one else would understand. There are plenty out there who do understand. 

Rating: 5/6 for an accurate portrayal of caring for aging parents, and the struggles both emotionally and financially that adult children face--without the guidance of those we look to the most-our parents. Don't be put off because it's a graphic novel. That's what makes it a powerful memoir. Read it. 

Available in hardcover and paperback. This was a National Book Award Finalist. That's a pretty amazing accomplishment. 

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Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast

I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around by Ann Garvin

My friend Mad loaned me her copy of this novel, otherwise I would have missed it completely.  It took me awhile to get around to reading it, but it is a quick read once you start.  It is funny, sad, and captures the stress of trying to take care of an aging parent while still attempting to have a life.

Tig Monahan is a woman in the middle of a whole lot of change.  Her job as a therapist is ending, her boyfriend Pete is moving to Hawaii and expects Tig to come along with him; her mother Hallie is suffering from dementia and has just been moved to a nursing home.  Tig is unhappy, and the world is moving way too fast for her to cope. 

It's especially hard for Tig to reconcile the woman her mother is now with the woman she used to be.  A successful veterinarian with her own practice; a single mother bringing up two girls after her husband's unexpected death.  A take charge, no fear kind of lady.  But that's all gone now; Hallie is lost in her memories and sometimes can't even recognize Tig.  Wendy, Tig's older sister, lives away from her sister and mother, but comes home unexpectedly with a surprise:  she's very pregnant and a bit lost herself.  Giving birth to Clementine, Wendy can't cope at all with a colicky baby, postpartum depression, and her feelings of inadequacy.  She takes off, leaving Tig to take care of Clementine and Hallie.  Garvin perfectly captures the hardships of being a sandwich generation adult; coping with elderly parents and children and trying to have a life of your own.

 It's a huge juggling act, and Tig struggles.  Her relationship with Pete is still up in the air, but there's Alec, a cute widower who's mother is a sassy resident at the nursing home. There's also her stint as a radio show host for a call in therapy show.  It's growing in popularity, but Tig feels like a fraud.  

I enjoyed this novel; there were certainly parts that had me teary-eyed and nodding my head in agreement.  My experience with my mother, who had dementia and health issues that lead to her death in December 2015 had some similarities to Tig's experience.  It is heartbreaking to realize the parent you knew is no longer the person in front of you; that they sometimes don't recognize you, and revert back to people and places that are far back in time.  There were many times I left my Mom's apartment in tears.  Taking care of a parent is a huge struggle, and it can create issues between siblings you never thought would ever happen.  It forces you to look at life differently, and think about your own mortality.  

I liked Tig; she annoyed me occasionally, but overall I could understand her motives.  It seems when your life is chaotic, the most change happens and propels you forward whether you're ready or not.  That certainly happens to Tig.  I also enjoyed seeing the change in her relationship with Wendy from one of anger and resentment to one of friendship and solidarity.  Tig has a rocky road, but plenty of people around her who support her and push her forward.  

Rating:  4/6 for an entertaining, touching, and wise look at life's beginnings and endings and all the stuff in between.  

Available in paperback and ebook. 

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I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around by Ann Garvin