November readings- I could've done better....

Really, there has been no excuse for my slacking off on the reading front.  I apologize.

The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri.  This is a debut novel. The author writes like it is his 100th.  The writing is exquisite.  Vishnu (yes, also the name of a Hindu god) is a handy man for a three story apartment building in exchange for work, he is allow to live on one of the landings.  The story begins with Vishnu lying on his landing; he is dying.  As he lies there, he begins to reflect on his life and even thinks that he is, in fact, the god Vishnu.  Around him, the inhabitants of the apartment building are living their lives.  The two housewives on the first floor are constantly at war over their shared kitchen.  The families on the second floor must deal with their teenagers, who have eloped.  the problem is that one family is Hindu and the other Muslim; the families are not okay with a friendship, let alone a love affair.  To add to the Muslim family's distress, the father is going through a religious awakening.  On the top floor, a lonely widower is still grieving over the loss of his beloved wife.  The floors of the apartment building seem to mimic the spiritual journey Vishnu is taking as he dies: from earthly dramas to spiritual enlightenment.  It was a beautifully written novel and an interesting study on some aspects of Hinduism about which I knew nothing.

Reflected in You by Sylvia Day.  The second in the Crossfire series.  Just as good as the first book, better story than Fifty Shades.  All I will say is that Gideon and Eva are some MESSED UP people.  I wouldn't put up with his crap, not for all of his money.  Possessive, almost irreparably damaged.  He's more than most women could handle.  I guess that makes Eva a good match for him- she's equally as damaged.  At least there is some reasoning behind the way he treats her- everything he does is to protect her.  Sadly though, almost everything he does seems to hurt her too.  Before you ask, yes, there is a  lot of sex in the book.  But it's not messed up sex- no Red Room or anything too kinky like that.

The Zahir by Paulo Coehlo.  This author can do no wrong, as far as I am concerned.  There is nothing he has written that I haven't loved.  This book was no exception.  The narrator (who seems remarkably similar to the author himself) is a famous writer who lives in Paris with Esther, his war-correspondent wife of ten years.  One day, she disappears.  Was she kidnapped?  Did she leave him for another man?  Or did she simply leave him?  The narrator is left with no answers.  He tries to move on with his life- he finds a new girlfriend and eventually writes a book about Esther, his zahir, the one who occupies his every waking thought.  Then Mikhail (the man his wife may or may not have left him for) shows up at a book signing to tell him that Esther is alive and well.  Thus, a quest to find his lost love begins.  However, in searching for her, he really finds himself.  I know that sounds so cliche.  And in another author's hands, it would have been.  But Coelho writes with such insight, such beauty, you feel like it's the first time you've ever heard a certain idea.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.  Damn you, Gillian Flynn.  You did it again!  Didn't have a clue as to what was coming next!  First and foremost, she really is a great writer.  I mean, where else are you going to read this sentence, "Kenny made a shruggy noise and left" and actually hear that exact noise in your head.  You know the noise I mean.  I had never thought of how to describe that noise.  But that's it- it's a verbal shrug!  Back to the story though.  Libby is 32 years old.  At age 7, she was the lone survivor when her brother massacred her mother and sisters.  Her testimony sent him to jail and left her alone in the world.  Twenty five years later, she is approached by a Kill Club, kind of like a murdery ComiCon.  These strangers question her testimony against her brother.  After all, she was completely hidden while the murders were taking place.  But Libby sets off to prove that she was right.  Or was she?  She begins to remember (and learn) things from that night, things that have her question everything she believed.  Great story!