Review of "The Marsh King's Daughter: A Novel" by Karen Dionne

When Helena Pelletier hears that Jacob Holbrook has escaped from prison after killing two guards, she freaks out. Jacob, also known as "The Marsh King", is Helena's father. 

Jacob kidnapped Helena's mother when she was 14-years-old and held the girl captive in the marshes of Michigan's Upper Peninsula for many years. 



During that time, Helena was born - and raised in isolation for 12 years.....until she ran away. Afterwards, Jacob was captured, convicted, and sent to prison. 



As a child, Helena adored her father, an Ojibwa Indian who taught her to identify the local flora, gather edible plants, trap rabbits, catch fish, hunt deer, track animals, chop wood, and so on - everything one needs to know to live off the land. 



Although Jacob was cruel at times, Helena was content and - as far as she knew - had a good life. 

Then, at the age of eleven, Helena happened to glimpse a happy family with two playful children - and a seed of dissatisfaction was planted in her mind. Helena 'named' the children she'd seen 'Cousteau' and 'Calypso' and they became her imaginary friends/muses. A year later a terrible incident led Helena to escape.

Since then Helena has (more or less) acclimated to a 'normal' life. She learned to socialize with other people, got married, had two little girls, and established a business making homemade jellies and preserves. 





Now that Jacob's on the loose, Helena fears for herself and her family. Though the cops are searching for the escaped convict, Helena believes she's the only person who can track Jacob down and capture him - and she sets out to do exactly that.



Helena's hunt for Jacob is interspersed with flashbacks to her childhood. From scenes in the past we learn that: Helena's family lived in a primitive cabin with no electricity or modern conveniences; winters were horribly cold and summers brought hordes of mosquitoes and biting flies; the family rarely bathed or washed their clothes; Helena had a stash of old 'National Geographic' magazines that provided a peek at the outside world; Jacob was a sadist who exerted total control over his 'wife' and daughter - inflicting severe punishment for any disobedience; and Helena's mom was a downtrodden 'housewife' who cooked, sewed, slept with Jacob, and tried to provide little treats for her daughter.....though she didn't show much outward affection toward the girl. 







In the present, Helena searches for her father, but running him down is a tough call. Jacob knows the local geography inside and out, and plays a skillful 'cat and mouse' game with his daughter. For her part, Helena has formidable tracking skills - and knows how to use a knife and gun. So it's a pretty fair contest between father and daughter.



As Helena traipses through the marshes and reflects on her life, she seems to retain a spark of love for her dad. However, any affection is hard to maintain in the face of his behavior. And Jacob's feelings for Helena seem to be ambivalent as well. 

To add another element to the book, excerpts from Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale, 'The Marsh's King Daughter', are interwoven with Helena's story. The fable - about a princess who's a wild, selfish girl by day and a quiet frog by night - didn't add much to the book for me. 



Many readers gave this book glowing reviews, and some consider it one of the best books of the year. It's true that the book is well-written, and the story is compelling. Nevertheless, for me the book is just okay. The problem is, I don't like any of the characters.....and Helena doesn't (completely) ring true to me.

- Jacob is a criminal and sociopath, so he's an unsympathetic character (which is okay). 
- Helena's mother is a victim - and garners sympathy - but has no traits that make her likable. I felt like I should have cared about her more. 
- As for Helena.....what I have to say requires a spoiler alert. 

SPOILER ALERT

As a child, Helena's attitude toward her mother is unnatural. For example: When Helena's mother asks for help with some chores, Helena disdainfully walks away.....figuring her mom can't do anything about it. Helena pulls a knife and threatens her mother. Helena finds her mother's treasured hidden magazine and refuses to return it. When Helena's mother makes a doll for her fifth birthday, Helena uses it for target practice. Helena seems to care nothing for her mother's suffering. Moreover, in spite of Helena's disrespect for her mother, she obtains animal skins and expects her mom to make them into mittens and hats - very labor intensive endeavors. 

Of course Helena is following Jacob's lead, but a child has a biological imperative to attach to (love?) her mother.....so this nasty behavior made me dislike Helena. 

As an adult, Helena doesn't tell her husband about her past. This doesn't ring true to me. Helena periodically goes off alone - for weeks ate a time - to hunt bears, go fishing, shoot deer, camp out in the woods, etc. And one time, Helena does this right after having a child. I can't fathom how her husband would think this was normal without a really good explanation. (I mean hunting for bears? Really??)


END SPOILER ALERT 

Though I have criticisms, I think the book is well worth reading and would recommend it to fans of thrillers and literary fiction. 

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "A Second Death: A Josef Slonský International Thriller" by Graham Brack

In this 5th book in the 'Josef Slonský' international thriller series, the detective investigates the death of a young girl. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Newly promoted Captain Josef Slonský of the Czech Criminal Police has two main interests in life: solving his cases and filling his stomach - usually with beer and sausages or coffee and pastries.







Slonský's team has been severely depleted because of transfers and suspensions, but he still has three detectives, including Jan Navrátil - his personal protégé. Slonský also gets part-time assistance from his former officer, Kristýna Peiperová - who's been temporarily seconded to Colonel Urban, the Director of Criminal Police.





It so happens that Navrátil and Peiperová are engaged to be married, and Slonský feels he has to keep a close eye on them, to forestall excessive canoodling on the job. 💞



Slonský knows he needs to supplement his detective ranks - and increase the number of women on his squad - so he uses innovative (and sneaky) techniques to get exactly who he wants. Slonský's maneuvers in this regard are quite entertaining, as are his frequent stops at canteens and cafes, where he (constantly) 'replenishes his energy.'

Slonsky needs good cops because he has an especially troubling case. The body of a ten-year-old girl, showing signs of long term sexual abuse, has been fished out of the Vlatava River.



DNA evidence shows that this is a girl who disappeared seven years ago, when she was three-years-old. The toddler vanished from her nursery school at dismissal time - while her mother was waiting out front to pick her up.

Slonský learns that the original investigation of the girl's disappearance was shoddy at best, and the nursery school director was more interested in covering her butt than helping the police.



While Slonský and his crew are investigating the case of the dead girl - which includes a probe into her original disappearance - Slonský gives himself an additional job. Slonský's been expecting to get Officer Kristýna Peiperová back for good when Colonel Urban is promoted to Director of Police for the Czech Republic. However, it's starting to look like a different administrator - with important government connections - will get the job. So Slonský recruits some police buddies to help him rectify the situation. Once again, Slonský's clever strategies are on display.



Slonský and his detectives have to interview people all over Czechoslovakia to solve their homicide case, and they learn some disturbing things along the way.....but they're successful in the end. We also get a peek into the personal lives of the main characters, which adds to the book's interest.

This is a fun suspense novel, with an interesting setting and an engaging lead detective. Fans of humorous mysteries would probably enjoy this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Graham Brack), and the publisher (Sapere Books) for a copy of the book. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Finders Keepers: Bill Hodges Trilogy # 2" by Stephen King

"Finders Keepers" is the second book in a trilogy that begins with "Mr. Mercedes." The trilogy features detective Bill Hodges and his makeshift (but capable) group of amateur helpers. In "Mr. Mercedes" the team assists in the capture of psychopath Brady Hartfield, who briefly shows up in this book as well.

"Finders Keepers" is a long book with a lot happening so I'll just summarize the main points.

The story begins in 1978. Morris Bellamy - a vicious young criminal - breaks into the home of famous, reclusive author John Rothstein.



Morris is obsessed with Jimmy Gold, the protagonist in Rothstein's "Runner" trilogy. In the first couple of "Runner" books Jimmy is a rebellious, young man that Morris identifies with. In the third book, however, Jimmy 'sells out' by having a family and working in advertising. This infuriates Morris and compels him to confront the author.



Morris ends up killing Rothstein and raiding his safe for money and a huge stack of moleskin notebooks that contain Rothstein's unpublished writings - including two more "Runner" books. Morris buries his stash just before he's sentenced to life imprisonment for another crime.



Jump ahead to 2010. The economy is bad and thirteen-year-old Pete Saubers is distressed because his parents are constantly fighting over money. Pete comes upon Morris's buried treasure and keeps it.



Pete then anonymously starts sending the cash to his parents, $500 a month. The money helps the family get back on its feet. Pete also becomes obsessed with the writings in Rothstein's notebooks, especially the last two "Runner" books.

By 2014 the money from the buried treasure is gone and the Saubers can't afford to send Pete's little sister, Tina, to the private school of her dreams. Thus Pete cooks up a scheme to sell some of Rothstein's notebooks. He contacts a rare book dealer named Andrew, who happens to be Morris Bellamy's former acquaintance. This turns out to be a bad idea.



Also in 2014, Morris finally gets out of prison on parole and tries to retrieve his buried treasure. When he discovers it's gone, Morris - who's been obsessing about reading the Rothstein notebooks for over 35 years - goes nuts. A violent man with no conscience, Morris will do anything to get "his" notebooks back.

Enter Bill Hodges and his team, which includes African-American computer whiz Jerome Robinson (currently a student at Harvard) and eccentric Holly Gibney (a gifted amateur sleuth who has Asperger's syndrome).







Through Jerome's little sister Barbara, who's friends with Tina Saubers, the team learns that Pete is in some kind of trouble.



Hodges et al. - being sympathetic, do-gooders - decide to try to help Pete. The inevitable confluence of Pete, Morris, and Andrew (the book seller) - plus the detective team - lead to a series of events that are dramatic, violent, creepy, and horrific.

"Mr. Mercedes" is a mystery/thriller and "Finders Keepers" (more or less) follows along those lines as well. "Finders Keepers", however, has a little more of the horror vibe that King is famous for. The character Morris Bellamy is reminiscent of the crazy book lover in "Misery" and his greedy book dealer pal Andrew is a devilishly dislikable guy.



For a detective novel, Bill Hodges and his compadres show up late in the story and play only a minor role in resolving the situation. The story also goes a bit long detailing Morris's boyhood, his relationship with his controlling mother, his feelings about Rothstein's writing, what happens to him in prison, and so on. There's also a lot of exposition about Pete - his concerns about his mom and dad, his reactions to Rothstein's journals, his worries about his sister, etc. All this made the book seem rather lengthy, but I was never bored.

All in all, the story is engaging and Morris and Pete are compelling characters. I know there are a wide range of opinions about this book, but I'd recommend it as entertaining and worth reading.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "The Wangs vs. The World: A Novel" by Jade Chang

This humorous novel centers on Charles Wang, an immigrant who had tremendous luck and success in the United States.....until he didn't.

Growing up, Charles Wang couldn't have predicted the direction his life would take. Charles' family lost their ancestral lands in China to the Communists, fled to Taiwan, and started a company that sold chemicals for fertilizer.



When college graduate Charles is dispatched to the United States to expand the family business, an airplane bar of soap triggers an epiphany.



As a result Charles launches a cosmetics business that becomes a phenomenally successful empire - and multi-millionaire Charles soon has a wife, three children, and an uber-luxurious lifestyle in southern California.







Charles is on vacation with his wife and kids, one of whom is a baby, when his spouse dies in a tragic accident. Hearing about this, a young Taiwanese woman - who's always hankered after Charles - abandons her life in Taiwan, hurries to America, and becomes Charles' second wife....and the stepmother to his children. The woman, who renames herself Barbra, quickly adapts to the upscale life she's inherited.



Things seem to be going smoothly for Charles until the financial crisis of 2008, when his luck runs out.

SPOILER ALERT                  SPOILER ALERT               SPOILER ALERT 

Charles' new 'minority cosmetics line' is a colossal failure, the huge loan to finance it is called in, and Charles is bankrupted. He loses EVERYTHING - from houses, furniture, boats and cars to computers, watches, jewelry, clothing, toiletries, kitchenware, and sundries.





Left with nothing except a bit of cash he hid away, Charles decides to move his entire family to the upstate New York home of his 28-year-old daughter Saina. Until recently, Saina had been a successful, much-fêted conceptual artist living in New York City.



However an ill-considered exhibit derailed Saina's career, and a philandering fiancé soured her on the city. Thus Saina left her small Manhattan apartment and bought a country farmhouse, which - serendipitously - can house her entire pauperized family.



Charles' long-term plan is to drive his family to upstate New York, deposit them in Saina's house, and take off for China. There, Charles hopes to reclaim the family's ancient lands and reestablish the Wangs' vaunted place in the universe.

Charles no longer has a vehicle to transport his wife and children, but Ama (the family's nanny since Charles was a baby) offers up the used car Charles gave her years before.



Thus Charles, Barbra, and Ama set off to pick up boarding school student Grace - who has a fashion blog, and college boy Andrew - who aspires to be a stand-up comedian, from the expensive schools they can no longer afford.





Ama is dropped off at her daughter's house, and the Wangs embark on a road trip across the country. Thus begins a raucous journey - during which the Wangs experience a different side of America, and ultimately grow closer as a family.

En route to New York the Wangs eat hot dogs that look like 'skinny penises on buns';



 break into a cosmetics warehouse that's been seized by Charles' creditors; 



party with relatives in New Orleans; 



have car trouble and stay in cheap motels; 



deliver accidently melted cosmetics to off-the-books customers; and more.....until they finally reach their destination. 

Along the way, Andrew takes off with an older woman named Dorrie; has new sexual experiences; lives rough; and obsessively looks for open mic nights to perform his comedy routine.

Interspersed with the Wangs road trip are scenes from Saina's life. We learn about her fall from grace in the art world; her former boyfriend Grayson - a selfish cheater;



her current boyfriend Leo - a sensitive farmer who sells produce; and the steps Saina takes to get her life back on track. 



Saina is unusually sanguine about the upcoming 'visit' by Charles, Barbra, Andrew, and Grace, even though she has reason to worry about her own financial prospects. 

END SPOILER ALERT     END SPOILER ALERT 

The characters in the novel occasionally speak in (untranslated) Mandarin, so it's not always clear (to me) what they're saying, but the jist of the conversations come through.

Though they're not completely likable, the Wangs grew on me. In the end I wished them well despite their once ostentatious lifestyle.

This is a well-written debut novel that provides a peek into a culture that's novel to most Americans. Recommended to readers who enjoy humorous literary fiction.

Rating: 4 stars