The Theory of Everything

I saw this book while shelving and was drawn to it because of the blue cover and the trees in the letters of the title. I flipped to the back and without reading the premise of the book, I knew I had to check out. On the back cover is a chart. A CHART! Listing percentages of things in the book. I was sold. 5% possum? Done. I had to see where the possum fits in. It already seemed like my kind of humor and it was a chart!

The premise of the book sounds like a sad one. Our main character, Sarah, lost her friend in a tragic accident and is still not over it. Her family, friends and boyfriend aren't sure how to help her and are frankly getting a little upset with her seeming lack of ability to move on. Add to this a Christmas tree farm, some snarky behavior, and a main character that felt like she could be my best friend, and I was so excited to read this. I was not let down.

Sarah is awesome. I loved that while she was being a bit snarky and bitchy, even she was getting fed up with her own behavior. She wanted to change but couldn't figure out how and I can relate to feeling unsure of how to change yourself. I loved that she would say something and instantly in her head, "Why can't you just be normal?! Why are you like this?" I couldn't put this down because I had to see what happened in her life.

I was a little bummed out by the ending and after reading many other reviews, I was not alone. I won't give away any information, but I felt like one aspect seemed a bit out of character and there could have been more resolution. I wanted this to have the bow tie ending where everything was in its final place and that was that.

I need to request the other book by this author and see if I love it just as much. I will be on the lookout for future books as well!

5/5 stars! I loved this one.

Yogurt or Yogurt Soda?

At the beginning of 'A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea,' the storyteller Khanom Basir shares two matching rhymes about yogurt and yogurt soda that are used at the end of the story to reveal whether a story is truth or fiction. (Maast is the word for yogurt, doogh is yogurt soda.)

If a story was fiction, the poem starts out with yogurt.

Up we went and there was maast,
Down we came and there was doogh.
And our story was doroogh (lie!).

If a story was true, the poem starts out with yogurt soda.

Up we went and there was doogh,
Down we came and there was maast.
And our story was raast (truth!).

And so, at the end of the story, you wait for the first line of the rhyme. Was the story yogurt or yogurt soda?

Saba has a murky memory of the day, but one she firmly believes happened--seeing her mother and twin sister, Mahtab, get onto a plane and leave Iran for America. But those around her, in her rural community in northern Iran, believe that Mahtab is dead. As Saba grows up with her friends Reza and Ponneh, three surrogate mothers, and a distant father, she tells stories of how she imagines her twin's life in America. She imagines her twin facing life confidently and bravely, facing challenges that are very different but at the same time very similar to Saba's difficult life in Iran. Are these stories yogurt or yogurt soda? Are Mahtab and her mother alive and well in America?

'A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea' was a bit slow-moving, but ultimately a lovely book. There were several especially touching relationships--the semi-dysfunctional and close friendship among Saba, Ponneh, and Reza; the father-daughter relationship between Saba and Agha Hafezi; and the marriage and deep love between the elderly Agha and Khanoom Mansoori. 4.5 stars.

And the Mountains Echoed

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I swear have a good reason. I promise! The last two books I've read have both been very long. First, I struggled through 'Love in the Time of Cholera.' I disliked it almost as much as Zelda, who rather viciously tore apart for us already. Then I read 'A Game of Thrones' by George R. R. Martin. It was an easy read, but have you looked at the size of that book recently? Really, though, enough has been said by many other people about the book and tv series, so I think it's safe if we move on.

This week, I finished up Khaled Hosseini's newly-published third book 'And the Mountains Echoed.' I'll start by saying that the official blurb for the book is very unsatisfying and has to be one of the least informative descriptions I’ve come across. See for yourself what I mean:

“Khaled Hosseini has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. 

In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most.  

Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe…the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page” (find the full blurb on GoodReads).

These few paragraphs could apply to many, many books. What is this book even about?! It’s like the editor reached into a grab bag of guaranteed book blurb sentences and put them all together. However, since I remembered loving Hosseini’s other books when I read them 3 or 4 years ago, I decided to give ‘And the Mountain Echoed’ a read despite it’s generic description.

Big surprise--the book is about families, love, generations, and choices. But lucky reader, I’ll give you a bit more to go on. If you want to read this book without any spoilers whatsoever, skip ahead to the ***.

A different character narrates each chapter of ‘And the Mountains Echoed’. Some of them are intimately tied to the main story while others are only loosely connected. Hosseini also uses letters, bedtime stories, and a magazine interview to share the stories of these characters. The main story, or the most important story, is that of Abdullah and Pari, a brother and sister growing up in Afghanistan in the 1950s. Abdullah, who is 9 or 10, shares a deep bond with his younger sister, Pari (somewhere around age 3 or 4), who he is also essentially raising after their mother died in giving birth to Pari. Their world revolves around each other, until their father makes a very difficult decision. Unable to provide for his entire family, Pari is sold to a wealthy family and raised as the daughter of an eccentric French-Afghan poet, unaware of her true parentage.  This is the story I cared most about, waiting the entire book to find out if the siblings ever find each other again.

***

As promised, the stories and relationships of many other characters are woven into this book, making it very different from ‘The Kite Runner’ or ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns.’ The plot and characters in Hosseini’s first two books were much more self-contained. Both books only used a few points-of-view and the stories were much more tied to Afghan history. In comparison, ‘And the Mountains Echoed’ is also a lighter, less violent book, and more global book.

In one chapter, a self-described "Westernized Afghan" is explaining his discomfort at being back in Afghanistan, and the way his brother interacts with the people they meet. “I just think these people, everything they’ve been through, we should respect them...The stories these people have to tell, we’re not entitled to them…” The aid worker he’s talking with completes his thought. “No, I understand…You say their stories, it is a gift they give you.” (147-148*). This quotation frames what I think Hosseini was trying to do with ‘And the Mountains Echoed.” The telling or sharing of one’s story defines this novel, and in many cases when these characters tell their stories, it is an act of bravery, affection, reconciliation, or healing—a gift for the person their sharing with (I’m veering dangerously close to sounding like the back of the book now).

I liked ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ better than ‘The Kite Runner,’ but I can’t decide where my opinion of the third book falls. It certainly isn’t as emotionally powerful or draining as ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns,’ which had me sobbing a few times, if I remember correctly. But, it was a good book, and I spent the whole time trying to think up ways to bring Pari and Abdullah back together. Overall, I’d give the book 4.5 stars.


*Page numbers refer to an advance reading copy

Faithful Place

Tana French is great. Her writing is so engaging even if that book is a bit predictable I still really enjoy it. The Likeness is by far the best so far but this one was really quite good.
Frank Mackey is one of my favorite characters in her books. There is something about him that just leaves you wanting more and more. It might have something to do with how real he feels since he is just so believable as a character. 

I am quite excited to read Broken Harbor but I still don't think it will surpass my favorite Tana French novel The Likeness.

There wasn't much I was unhappy with but she does use a lot of the same lingo in all her books. I can predict when someone with use the phrase "sweet f*ck all" which kind of makes me laugh.

I enjoyed the back story on Frank and I thought she did a really good job creating a previous world for him after being introduced to him in The Likeness.

I can't help but picture this guy playing Frank.
   

This might be entirely related to the Disney tv movie Luck of the Irish with Ryan Merriman. I said it MIGHT be related...yeah it is...but I still think he would do a good job!
Well I will wrap this up because if I go any further I will tell you what happens! I will just say that I love Tana French and you should read her books too!