Review of "Three: A Novel" by Valérie Perrin

On the first day of fifth grade in 1986, when they're 10-years-old, Nina Beau, Étienne Beaulieu and Adrien Bobin are placed in the same class at École Pasteur in the town of La Comelle, France.


Nina


Étienne


Adrien

The threesome immediately become inseparable friends, and share everything until they go their separate ways as young adults in the late 1990s.

Then in 2017, a car stolen on August 17, 1994 is pulled from the town's Lac de la Forêt, a watering hole where teens hang out.



Coincidentally, a girl named Clotilde Marais also disappeared from La Comelle on August 17, 1994. When human remains are found in the recovered car, the police suspect it's Clotilde - and as the authorities work to make the identification, the story alternates back and forth between 2017 and the past.

Much of the tale is narrated by a translator/journalist named Virginie, a contemporary of Nina, Étienne, and Adrien. Virginie describes herself as "A beanpole with a decent enough chassis. Bangs, shoulder-length dark brown hair."



Talking about Nina, Étienne, and Adrien, Virginie observes, "Today, out of the three, only Adrien speaks to me. Nina despises me. As for Étienne, it's me who can no longer stand him. And yet, they've fascinated me since childhood. I've only ever become attached to those three. And to Louise [Étienne's sister]."

Going back to 1986, 10-year-old Nina, Étienne, and Adrien are drawn together by the same dream: "Leaving when they are grown up. Quitting this hole to go and live in a city full of traffic lights, noise, and frenzy."



The threesome also share something else - a vacancy in their lives. Nina, who's being raised by her postman grandfather, was abandoned by her mother and doesn't know who her father is; Étienne has well-to-do parents, but his father is cold, distant, and dismissive; and Adrien's free-spirit mother got pregnant by a married man who has no interest in the boy.

Nina, Étienne, and Adrien form an impenetrable trio. They sit near each other in class; eat lunch together at school; go to the movies and sit in the front row; go to the skateboard park, where Nina watches the boys skateboard; visit each other's houses to talk, eat, and listen to music; have sleepovers in each other's homes; vacation together; and more.



The trio share everything, so when Nina gets her period at the age of eleven, the boys accompany her to the doctor. Other children might long to join the threesome, but no one can. And so it goes, right through high school.

The friends face various challenges during their formative years. For example:

Mr. Py, the trio's fifth grade teacher, is a despicable man who takes malicious pleasure in tormenting one boy each semester. The unfortunate child is sent to the board to solve unsolvable math problems; kept inside at recess for extra lessons; made to stay after class to write lines; constantly chastised; repeatedly humiliated in front of his classmates, etc. Unfortunately, quiet, thoughtful Adrien is the chosen torture victim this year, and he insists his friends - and his worried mother Joséphine - don't interfere. Adrien just takes it and takes it....until he doesn't.



Feeling discarded by her mother, Nina sneaks letters out of her grandfather's mail sacks, steams them open, reads them, and puts them back. If this misbehavior comes to light Nina's grandfather, who's been La Comelle's postman for decades, will be fired or worse. Nevertheless, Nina can't stop stealing and reading letters, and she thinks her absent mother - who Nina obsesses about constantly - made her a thief.



As for Étienne, he's not a good student, but he's a golden boy who attracts girls like honey draws flies. Though Étienne is willing enough to have a fling, he's much too selfish to commit, and this leads to trouble as Étienne gets older.



Much more goes on in the young people's lives, and the incidents that pull them apart revolve around two deaths: Nina's grandfather dies in a traffic accident in 1994, and Adrien's mother dies from cancer in 1997.

At eighteen, bereft at the loss of her grandpa, Nina marries Emmanuel Dammamme, a 28-year-old heir to his parents' business empire.



Emmanuel turns out to be an obsessive. controlling man who isolates Nina from her friends and is determined to get her pregnant. Nina knows Emmanuel would hunt her down if she left, though she still schemes to get away. We know something happens, however, because single fortysomething Nina runs an animal shelter in La Comelle at the beginning of the story. Anecdotes about the rescued animals at the shelter, and the people who adopt them, are important aspects of the novel.



As for the young men, golden boy Étienne goes off to the police academy to become a cop......



.....and quiet thoughtful Adrien becomes a novelist and playwright.



Various occurrences lead not only to estrangement among Nina, Étienne, and Adrien, but to emotions closer to detestation. Nevertheless, the 2017 discovery of the stolen car containing human remains leads to some level of rapprochement among the former best friends.

As the story follows the characters' arcs, it's punctuated by mentions of their favorite songs, which adds a nice musical touch to the book.

Author Valérie Perrin, who also wrote 'Fresh Water for Flowers', is an excellent storyteller and this is a very good book. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Valérie Perrin, and Europa Editions for a copy of the manuscript.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Asta's Book: A Novel of Suspense" by Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell)

In the early 1900s Rasmus Westerby moves his wife Asta and their two young boys from their native Denmark to London.



Rasmus parks his family in the middling neighborhood of Hackney and leaves for long stretches of time, trying to become a business success.



For her part Asta doesn't like Hackney, disdains English people, has little interest in her sons, and has no love for her husband - who she thinks only married her for the dowry of 5,000 kroner. As it happens Asta is pregnant again (characters in this book have no concept of birth control), and is desperate to have a girl. So when little Swanhild (Swanny) is born in 1905, Asta is thrilled. A few years later another daughter, Marie, comes along - and the family is complete.



Asta is a conventional and conservative woman of her time but she's well-educated and loves to read - especially Charles Dickens in Danish.



To assuage some of the loneliness Asta feels in the alien environs of England, she keeps a diary. In the journal, Asta talks about many things: daily activities, thoughts, feelings, people (children, husband, friends, relatives, servants, neighbors, acquaintances, etc.), food, clothes, homes, furniture, ornaments, parties, gossip, newspaper stories, and so on....anything that pops into her head. Asta's diary entries - spanning more than sixty years - are interspersed throughout the book, which goes back and forth between past and present.



After Asta's death (in her eighties) her oldest daughter Swanny finds the diaries. Swanny has the first couple of volumes translated from Danish to English and publishes them, as a sort of lark. To Swanny's surprise the diaries become wildly popular - a worldwide phenomenon! In time, additional volumes of the diary are published and Swanny, as the editor, becomes a celebrity in her own right. There are meetings with publishers, book signings, public appearances, photos in magazines, and world travel.



After Swanny dies, her niece Ann (Marie's daughter) - a professional researcher - takes over as editor of the remaining diaries.

As the story unfolds a couple of 'mysteries' are revealed.

Swanny's conundrum: When Asta is widowed she moves in with Swanny, who has a rich successful husband and a lovely large house. Asta loves to socialize and - for her own 83rd birthday - arranges a lavish 'chocolate party' at Swanny's home.



On the day of the party Swanny receives an anonymous letter that says ".....You are not your mother's child or your father's. They got you from somewhere when their own one died...."



Swanny, who always knew her father didn't like her, intuitively believes this. She confronts her mother, who (more or less) admits Swanny is not her natural born child, but refuses to say anything more.....ever! Swanny is devastated and haunted by this revelation, and desperately tries to discover her origins. When Swanny (and then Ann) get custody of the diaries, they study them for clues to Swanny's origin - but several vital pages are missing. For Swanny the enigma of her parentage has severe psychological consequences.

The Roper murder: In her 1905 diary Asta briefly mentions that her maid, Hansine, has become acquainted with Florence - the servant of a family called the Ropers. Hansine asks permission to invite her new friend Florence to tea, and Asta agrees.

Soon afterward Lizzie Roper is murdered and her toddler daughter Edith disappears. Lizzie's husband, Alfred Roper, is accused of murdering his wife - and the trial is avidly followed by the public.



Jump to the present and true crime stories are very popular. A producer named Cary is planning to make a movie about the old Roper case. She asks Ann (the current editor of the Asta diaries) for a peek at the yet unpublished diaries - to see if the Ropers are mentioned again. This leads to a loose collaboration between Cary and Ann as they look for information about the Roper affair.



'Asta's Book' is both a novel of psychological suspense and the story of Asta Westerby and her family. Asta's story is quite compelling. As Rasmus's fortunes rise and fall she goes from lower middle class to prosperity to struggling once again, before moving in with Swanny. I enjoyed the diary entries about Asta's fashionable clothes, Danish foods (blekage and kransekage), household trappings, love for Swanny, 'crush' on her driver, and so on.


Kransekage

I also liked the description of the dollhouse Rasmus made for Ann, called Padanaram. This masterpiece took years to complete and was a faithful reproduction of the Westerby's posh home at the time. (I would have loved to have this dollhouse as a child. LOL)



The mystery portion of the story is also quite engaging. I wanted to know about Swanny's heritage and was intrigued by the various theories proposed by different characters. I was also eager to discover whether Alfred Roper was guilty or innocent of murdering his wife.

"Asta's Book" - published in 1993 - has the vibe of an 'old fashioned' mystery. It moves slowly and thoughtfully, contains provocative red herrings, and has no graphic violence (except for one slit throat). The book would appeal to a wide array of readers, including fans of literary novels, psychological suspense stories, and traditional mysteries. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Lethal Licorice: An Amish Candy Shop Mystery" by Amanda Flower

In this 2nd book in the 'Amish Candy Shop Mysteries', chocolatier/amateur sleuth Bailey King investigates the death of an Amish woman.

*****

Twenty-seven-year-old chocolatier Bailey King was visiting her Amish grandparents in Harvest, Ohio - and helping out in their candy store, Swissmen Sweets - when her Daadi (grandfather) died from a heart condition. So Bailey decided to stay in Ohio to help her Maami (grandmother) run the candy shop.





At the time of Daadi's death, he was registered to compete in the 'Amish Confectionary Contest' (ACC), which is being held in Harvest this year. Though Bailey is an Englischer (non-Amish) she's being permitted to compete in her Daadi's place.



This doesn't go over well with everyone, and a cantankerous Amish contestant called Josephine Weaver makes a huge fuss, in an attempt to get Bailey kicked out of the contest. However, the judges rule that Bailey is eligible, and Esther continues to fume and scheme.



The first round of the competition is the preparation of black licorice, and Bailey and her Amish assistant Esther make the confection, with the initials SS (for Swissmen Sweets) pressed into each piece.



Meanwhile, Bailey's acquaintance Juliet Brody comes around asking everyone if they've seen her pet potbelly pig Jethro, who's gone missing from the vicinity of the Englischer church. Bailey, who's a bit sweet on Juliet's handsome son, Deputy Sheriff Aiden Brody, joins in the search for Jethro.



When Bailey enters the church she finds a teenage Amish girl called Charlotte Weaver playing the organ.



Charlotte mentions that the instrument sounds odd, and when she goes to examine the organ pipes, lets out a scream. Bailey hurries over and sees the dead body of ill-tempered candy maker Josephine Weaver.

Deputy Sheriff Brody and his team come to investigate, and discover that Josephine, who's allergic to licorice, died from an allergic reaction.



Moreover, a piece of licorice bearing the SS logo is found in Josephine's apron. As in the first book in the series, Bailey fears she'll become a murder suspect, and decides to look for the killer herself.



Thus Bailey is very busy in this novel. She's making candy for the ACC competition; she's manning her booth during the judging; she's helping search for Jethro the pig; she's investigating Josephine's murder; she's assisting her Maami in Swissmen Sweets; and more.

As the story unfolds we get a peep at Amish culture, including the clash between teenage organist Charlotte Weaver and her young Amish bishop, who says God doesn't want her playing the Englischer instrument.



So Charlotte is torn between giving up her passion for the organ or leaving her Amish community. In fact Amish culture is an important factor in the motive for the crime, as we learn when the homicide is solved.

The candies Charlotte prepares for the ACC and Swissmen Sweets, including goodies like green apple fudge; peppermint fudge; lavender blueberry fudge; and chocolate cherry ganache truffles; sound very tasty and add a nice culinary vibe to the cozy mystery.


Green Apple Fudge


Peppermint Fudge


Lavender Blueberry Fudge


Chocolate Cherry Ganache Truffles

I enjoy a cozy mystery every now and then, and this series is a good addition to the genre.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Flux: A Novel" by Jinwoo Chong

This debut novel by Jinwoo Chong is a multicultural, soft sci-fi story that touches on issues relevant to current times.

The book has three main characters of Korean-White ancestry, all of whom live in a Silicon Valley-like city full of movers and shakers.

► Bo

Eight-year-old schoolboy Bo blames himself for the death of his mother.



Just before Christmas, Bo forgot to grab his lunch when he left for school, and his mother was hit by a bus while bringing his lunch-bag to him. Bo's four-year-old brother Kaz doesn't quite understand their mother is gone, and their father Hal is clumsy about dealing with the family's grief. Hal even tries to celebrate Christmas, which causes Bo to act out.



Bo, who's permanently scarred from the loss of his mother, tries to find comfort by watching and re-watching episodes of his favorite retro police show, called 'Raider.' In the cop program, actor Antonin Haubert plays an Asian detective who never misses a shot.



Long after 'Raider' airs, actor Antonin Haubert gets flagged for sexually harassing women, and Haubert's son - a pop-culture celebrity with no political experience - decides to run for President.



*****

► Brandon

Twenty-eight year old Brandon, who works for a print magazine called Metropol, is called into the office of his boss (and boyfriend) Gil.



Gil tells Brandon that Metropol has been purchased by another publisher, and the entire division is being terminated. With his eight weeks severance pay in his pocket, Brandon stops by the mall and buys a pricey man-purse.



Brandon also makes a tenuous connection with the salesgirl, named Min. Afterwards, when Brandon falls down the mall's elevator shaft, Min is very sympathetic.



Brandon's elevator shaft accident is also observed by an avant-garde young man called Lev.



Lev offers Brandon a job with a company called Flux, founded by beautiful Io Emsworth. Emsworth claims to manufacture a battery that never runs down, and has drummed up almost a billion dollars in funding. (Yes, she's a clone of Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos.)



Flux is also developing a process that uses human brains to generate unlimited electricity. Lev hires Brandon for this brain program, and the job traps Brandon in a weird time-loop, where he seems to experience the same thing day after day after day.

*****

► Blue

Forty-eight-year-old Blue, who once worked for Flux, had a medical incident that took away his voice.



Now a news organization doing a documentary about Flux wants to interview Blue on camera. So the news-people fit Blue with a temporary gizmo in his neck that allows him to speak.

While Blue has the voice gizmo he visits with an old man under penthouse arrest, to gather more information about Flux.



The eventual merging of the storylines results in surprises, aha moments, and perhaps some hope for the future.

I found the book to be well-written and innovative. Recommended to fans of speculative fiction.

Rating: 4 stars