Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

 Second Book Club #13

I'm having a hard time pinpointing what I think of this book. I liked it. It was interesting, and told a very unique story. I enjoyed reading it too, but at the same time it wasn't a page-turner. A powerful, and emotional story, for sure, its combination of realism and supernatural, along with shifting narrators, does something.

Jojo's dad is white, his mom is African American. His dad is in jail, his mom is a drug addict. Jojo can hear animals talk. He can see ghosts. Jojo loves his grandparents and little sister. Jojo is still very much a kid, but is dealing with all of this. 

His Pop had a rough past, with a stint in Parchman Jail. It's where Jojo's dad, Michael, is now. With an unfinished story about what happened to Pop while he was there, Jojo has to go with his mom and sister to pick up Michael from the very same place.

During the roadtrip, it's very apparent what kind of mom Leonie is. She sucks. But, she's dealing with the trauma of her own past, losing a brother through questionable circumstances. She's also struggling with the interracial relationship she finds herself in, and her own addiction. 

At Parchman, the family not only picks up Michael, but they also end up with Ritchie, a ghost on a mission.

The story shifts between Jojo, Leonie, and Ritchie. They all have a piece of the full story to tell, which I feel is essentially what to do when you're lost. They're all lost for their own reasons, and they all have to find what feels like home in the end.

Through sadness, disappointment, bravery, and devotion, the story unfolds. We learn that the dead sing when they don't know where to go, and that sometimes it's the living that have to guide them. Threaded with commentary on race in America, this book is both educational and emotional. It gives a snapshot of one potential family living one possible life that has both hope and defeat intermingled.

It's also a book about people, a character study of so many different types. That was perhaps my favorite part -- how unique each person was within the book. They're all working with their own baggage, and it's significant, but the depth of insight into that process made this a very good book.

I would recommend this. I also think it's a great book for book club discussion. It's something different, something harder to explain. That's definitely a good thing.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

I picked up this book as quickly as I could because of Station Eleven. I loved that book. This one was a good read, but not as clearly formed in my opinion as the author's previous. The flow in The Glass Hotel is a bit awkward. I liked that, but I feel it could make the book hard to read.

The narrative moves forward in time, but you're never really sure who the main character is. Flashbacks are minor, and fill in some gaps, but again, you're not always sure where to focus. My bet is that the main character is Vincent, a young woman who touches every other life in the story. Whether she's a sister, girlfriend, or bartender, she's there for at least a moment. It's hard though to say definitively sine the characters are like ping pong balls in a lottery machine. They're bouncing all over the place, but they bump into each other before the machine burps out the winning numbers. Vincent is the ball that bumps into all the others. She's an interesting woman, who seems to accept her position as it comes until finally becoming so disillusioned that she moves her life off land completely. 

The other thing in the book that touches all the characters is risk. It could also be the main character in all honesty. The risk manifests primarily in the form of an investment opportunity. You have to decide whether to take the risk or not, to benefit it or not. Even those standing close to those confronted with the risk are impacted. It has a heavy influence, and is a key driver of the trajectories for the characters in the book. Tied into this component is a commentary on human connections, and how much time we waste making the wrong ones. It's only after the risk is eliminated that many characters seem to find out who their friends really are, who they should love.

There are other complicated elements in this book. A quick touch on drugs, on ethics, on life lived on a secluded Canadian island. Like I said, its form feels loose because it's so packed. I would definitely recommend giving this author a try, but start with Station Eleven. This book is more experimental to me in its flow. I enjoyed the art of it, and the complexities, but it might not be for everyone.

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

This book reads like a movie. What's better is it reads like a highly stylized, Victorian-era, Sherlock Holmes style movie. Jess Kidd does a great job of commiting to the genre, presenting a fun thriller with just the right amount of oddities and nefarious characters. 

You think you're getting a cast of characters too large to keep tabs on, but that's only because some pull double duty. You think you're getting too much backstory about Bridget Devine, our lead, but just wait. The interconnectivity of characters and the motivation behind all the action fits together perfectly. It's great.

A crime makes it all work. The kidnapping of one young girl with some curious traits sets everything in motion. Bridie is on the case, but she's not alone. A ghostly companion has recently manifested who prefers to not leave Bridie's side. He's a mystery on his own, but adds just the right supernatural element to make Christabel, the missing girl, plausible. 

Victorian England is really the only setting for this book as science, medicine, and the mythical merge along the city's sooty underbelly. Cruelty is commonplace and easy to hide, thickening the mystery Bridie deftly pursues. Will she find Christabel in time?

A little cliche, this is just an exciting read. Pacing is excellent. Like I said, it reads like a movie. I enjoyed this book as a great escape. Very much outside my regular genres, this is a good book for people who aren't typically drawn to mysteries and thrillers. It's a nice side-step, but be prepared for gore and the macabre. They're not shy.