Several days ago I completed Madapple and my mind is still reeling a little bit.

First, the subject matter. I knew it was coming. There was this ominous feeling deep in my belly,  churning and bubbling as I read. But when the moment arrived I still reeled. It’s one thing to know it’s coming and quite another when it actually arrives.

Second, I’m not sure how I feel about the end. It felt too…easy, for lack of a better word. It was like reading a very twisted episode of Jerry Springer that wraps up with an “and they all lived happily ever after” when you know damn well that isn’t true.

Would I still recommend reading the book? Was is still very well written? Was it still a page turner? Yes on all counts (the first with the caveat that if you can’t handle child abuse/incest stories, skip it). And I do love how the story itself unfolded, switching between the two time periods and points-of-view.

Please allow me to scoop my mind up off the floor before I write a proper review. All I really know at this point is that the next book I read needs to be light and fluffy because this one was (almost) as heavy as it gets…at least where young adult fare is concerned.

OK. So I’m at roughly page 250, and I think my mind’s about to explode.

I keep reading and I’m still enthralled by how the story is unfolding (i.e. from Auslag’s point of view and from the court transcripts) and how it all seems like a game of cat and mouse with just so much information given.

And now things are getting stranger and slightly more ominous. After Auslag’s mother dies she stumbles onto some family she never knew she had (and aunt and two cousins) who take her in. (That situation just stretch the belief muscles a little bit, but it worked out, and it’s getting explained as the book goes along.)

But as she discovers more information about her family—learns about her mother, her possible father, her grandfather, her mother and aunt’s life in Denmark, her aunt’s evangelical ways—and as she starts to question the meaning of life, spirit, and so many other things, the story has taken on an ominous feel.

We know that a fire happened. We know there are some unusual circumstances surrounding that fire. We know that Auslag had something to do with it, we’re just not sure what. (And I’m really not liking that whole what she’s feeling about her male cousin because, really, he’s the closest she’d ever come to a real live boy and he also happens to be somewhat attractive. Also, I’m getting nervous about who her father might be because as it stands, it could mean her ex-uncle-in-law was a pedophile or she could be the next coming of the world’s saviour borne of a virgin, or it could just be something entirely worse.)

Oh yeah, this book is becoming a mind-warp. But in a good way. I’m eager to keep reading, find out what happens next. I’m also learning quite a bit about botany as that seems to be a significant thread (along with religion/belief) throughout the story.

CONTINUE: Part 2

I’d started reading the book once before, but put it down once I’d gotten to page five or six. It just didn’t grab my interest at the time. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right place (mentally) for it, and now maybe I am. So far, it alternates between the past and present: the past is from Auslag’s point of view of the events unfolding before her, and the (relative) present is the transcript from an ongoing court case in which Auslag is charged with murder and attempted murder.

To back up a bit, the first chapter of the book is entirely cryptic and taken out of context, isn’t really a good indicator of what’s in store for the rest of the book (so far). In fact, don’t really like the first chapter, but I’m certain it plays a pivotal role in the unfolding events.

As far as character development goes, it’s fascinating. I’ll admit I’m not entirely sold on the relationship/interaction between Auslag and her mother, there are definitely so moving moments and the characters are so delightfully broken and raw that I can’t help viewing them as real people most of the time. There were a few moments where I had to stop and scratch my head and say, “um, that doesn’t quite fit” but for the most part, the story is flowing and I’m itching to find out what happens next.

For those who aren’t already familiar with this book, I’ll sum it up so far: Auslag is a bastard child (true definition, not the one used when we’re pissed off). Auslag doesn’t know who her father is and has absolutely no sense of self because—get this—her mother kept her sheltered away from the real world. They survive by foraging and very rarely do they venture into the city…and when they do, Auslag is kept under lock and key by her mother. Then everything takes a heinous turn when Auslag wakes up and discovers her mother’s dead body.

The writing style takes a bit of getting used to, but other than that, smooth reading. This looks like it’s going to be one of those books I’ll recommend—that is, if the middle and end are just as engrossing as the beginning has been.

CONTINUE: Part 2, Part 3

Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: Trapped by Michael Northrop

First sentence: We were the last seven kids waiting around to get picked up from Tattawa Regional High School.

Initial thoughts: Oh, goodness. I’ve read the first chapter, and now I’m anxious to read the rest. This book sounds like it’s right up my alley, indeed. Seven kids trapped in a school while the snow outside has consumed everything. That means there’s no help coming. It almost seems like it could be one of those "what would you do?" types of stories–you know, the kind where they end up eating each other when all the food runs out–but who knows. The description hints at something more sinister, though. It isn’t due out until February 2011, but I’ve bumped it up on my TBR list.

Book description:

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn’t seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision….

Book Details: 240 pages pages; Scholastic Press; Pub. February 2011

Title: Still Missing
Author: Chevy Stevens
ISBN: 978-0-3125-9567-8
Story Length: 352
Genre: Adult/Thriller

Back Cover of Still Missing

Eh hem…well…I’m rather embarrassed.

Normally this is where I’d type out what’s written on the back cover of the book, but I can’t because this book is currently on loan to a few people and heaven only knows when I’ll see it again—if ever. (You’ll understand why I say that when you read my thoughts.)

Three Quick Points About Still Missing

• Point 1: Morbidly captivating. This book deals with some strong subject matter, but it’s so captivating you can’t pull your eyes away from it.
• Point 2: An easy writing style. Annie’s words flowed in such a conversational manner that reading from one page to the next was perfectly natural.
• Point 3: Some minor contrivances. There were a few inconsistencies in the story, but in the grand scheme of the novel they were minor.

Short Synopsis of Still Missing

Thirty-two year old realtor, Annie O’Sullivan is kidnapped from an open house and held hostage by a deranged psychopath for a year. Still Missing is where she recounts, through sessions with her therapist, what she went through (rape, beatings, psychological abuse) and the course of the investigation afterward.

My Thoughts on Still Missing

First, this book is graphic. It lays bare everything Annie went through during her captivity. It’s not gratuitous, but it will make you shudder. So fair warning.

With that bit out of the way, let me say that this book was absolutely captivating. I simply could not put it down. I thought I would read a few pages before bed and before I knew it, it was 3AM and I was flipping the last page. And then I just stared at it. My mind was reeling from it.

As a character Annie’s flawed and broken, but not so flawed and broken as to be unlikeable. At one point I remember thinking, This is a person I’d probably be friends with in real life. And the way the story unfolds it’s as if you’re right there with her in the therapist’s office or in the mountain cabin with her captor.

It’s a rare thing when a novel comes along that engages my head (the psychological), my heart (the emotional), and my body (the physical), but Still Missing did. The characters were drawn enough that I kept wondering about their motives and choices and why they made them.

At one point I literally punched the air and screamed, “YES!! Do it again!” (This makes no sense out of context, I realize, but those who’ve read this book should understand where and why such a statement would have been appropriate. Of course, those same readers will probably think I’m a sociopath for actually wanting her to do it again.)

The novel isn’t perfect, though it comes close. I’ll admit there are a few consistency issues and the psychology behind The Freak felt a bit contrived and I won’t even get started on the police procedural section (there’s one scene in particular that I’m on the fence about), and though it seems like a lot, all of those things are forgivable.

As a whole, this book was amazing…so amazing that I’ve loaned it out to several people (all but one finished it in a single day—the other finished it in two—and all of them called me squealing because “OMG!! That book was AWESOME!”) and it’s still making the rounds. It seems the book is receiving quite a bit of hype, but in this case, I believe it’s warranted.

The book can now be purchased from Amazon.com, but if you want to test the waters first, you can actually read the first two chapters for free. Grab the first chapter, in PDF format, from the MacMillan website and read the second chapter at the NYT website.

Rating: Worth Every Penny (?)

If you like the idea I invite you to join me in sharing a memorable scene on your blog and link to it in a comment or just share the scene in the comment itself. (Please remember to include the book’s title and author so our wishlists and TBR stacks can grow. Also, if your scene is a spoiler, please clearly mark it as one.)

This week’s scene comes from Broken by Karin Fossum, a unique thriller/mystery novel translated to English from its original Norwegian.

I am sitting in front of the computer. My fingers skate quickly across the keyboard. There are times it becomes flexible like a ribbon in my hands and I can bend and twist the language any way I please. Alvar comes up behind me, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

“Are you really going to burden me with your sleeping problems and anxiety?” I turn around and give him a somewhat patronizing look.

“Everyone struggles with anxiety,” I say. “Can you feel how it eats away at you? In here, behind your ribs?” I tap my chest with my finger. “A cowardly rat sits in here gnawing its way through your ribs. It hurts.”

“But I’m a decent man,” he says. “I always keep my affairs in order.”

I turn off the computer, then turn around in my chair and look at him again. “Yes, that’s true. At the same time, you’re all alone. It’s dangerous to go through life without someone you can lean on. In certain circumstances it might well prove to be extremely dangerous for you.”

“In certain circumstances,” he echoes, “that you are about to put me in?”

I get up from my desk and go to my armchair, sit down, and light up a cigarette.

“What will be will be,” I say to him over my shoulder. He follows me. He stands with his hands folded. It is gray outside the windows. Heavy and wet, no hint of wind or movement.

“That rat,” I continue, “that gnaws at us all, it never feels satisfied. We constantly seek relief in every way possible. And on rare occasions it allows us a brief respite. Do you know what it’s like when everything suddenly falls into place, when that feeling floods your body? It’s like taking off from a great height. We float through the air and everything around us is warm. For a few brief seconds we think how great life can be. You’ll have such moments too, I promise you.”

He sits down on the sofa, on the edge as usual.

“Are people supposed to settle for a few brief moments of happiness?” he asks, dismayed.

“That’s a good question. It’s up to each and every one of us to decide. The majority spend most of their day looking for some kind of relief. A cigarette, a bottle of red wine. A Cipralex, going for a run. I won’t deprive you of sleep, Alvar, I promise you. But you have come to my house. I have seen you close up, and some events are inevitable. At this point in the story I’m no longer free; there is a clear structure and I have to work within it.”

-pg 55-6 (from the ARC)

Let me back up a little bit and mention that this is a book within a book. The author sees a line of people outside her door, each of them waiting to have their story told.

One evening, the author is awoken by one of those characters who pays her a visit and begs her to write his story because he’s worried she’ll die before she gets a chance to. However, he’s cut in front of another young woman holding a possibly-dead baby. Despite this, the author is somehow engaged by him and decides to start writing his story. During the process, like whenever she takes a break to eat or sleep or write letters to people, he pops in to chat her up about the progress of his story.

Frankly, that entire premise is the reason I decided to read this book. It sounded so fascinating that I couldn’t pass it up and so far, I’m not disappointed. This is more of a character study than a typical thriller/mystery, but I enjoy that. It’s pace is leisurely, but not slow and a few of the passages so far has made me stop to think…about life in general and writing in particular.

The book is scheduled for publication on August 1st, 2010, but it’s available for pre-order on Amazon.

If you like the idea I invite you to join me in sharing a memorable scene on your blog and link to it in a comment or just share the scene it in the comment itself. (Please remember to include the book’s title and author so our wishlists and TBR piles can grow. Also, if your scene is a spoiler, please clearly mark it as one.)

Without further ado, my first installment comes from Still Missing by Chevy Stevens—the story of a woman, Annie O’Sullivan, who was kidnapped and held captive for a year.

The Freak was careful with the books—I was never allowed to place them facedown when they were open or dogear a page. One day when I was watching him carefully stack some books back on the shelf, I said, “You must have read a lot as a kid.” His back stiffened and he slowly caressed the binding of the book he was holding.

“When I was allowed.” Allowed? A strange way to put it, but before I could decide whether I should ask about it, he said, “Did you?”

“All the time—one of the bonuses of having a dad who worked at the library.”

“You were lucky.” He gave the books a final pat and left the cabin.

When he paced around, ranting about a character or plot twist, he was so articulate and passionate I’d get caught up in it and reveal more thoughts of my own. He encouraged me to explain and defend my opinions but never flipped out, even when I contradicted him, and over time I began to relax during our literary debates. Of course, when reading time ended, so did the only thing I did that made me feel like a human being, like myself.

–page 68 (from the ARC)

Up until this moment, I kept thinking of The Freak as a monster (and in a sense, he truly was), but this scene painted him in such a human light and it shocked me when I felt a little bit sorry for him. It also gave me a glimmer of hope that Annie’s situation wasn’t completely hopeless.

My Still Missing review is officially online (and it mentions how you can read the first two chapters of the book for free).

By some miracle I received an ARC for the US release (due this month) and started reading it straight away. From the first few pages I had high hopes it would be a smooth read. Right now I’m at the end of page 84 and all I can think is, Man this is a painfully slow read. (It took me hours to get that far.)

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because the writing or story are bad, but there’s just something about the unfolding of it all that’s stalling my reading. In other words, it’s not holding my attention in the least.

The story so far is about a girl named Gemma who, while is on a layover in Bangkok with her parents, meets and has coffee with a random strange man, and then she wakes up in the middle of nowhere Australia. Basically, she’s kidnapped and is trying to piece together what happened.

Indeed, the subject matter is rather disturbing, but I do love a good psychological study. For whatever reason, though, I’m just not feeling Gemma’s emotional distress. Sure, I can envision what she’s going through, the descriptions are clear and all, but it’s all so scattered it almost feels disingenuous. Maybe someone who’s read the book could clue me into what I’m missing.

I hate to say it, but I need to set this book aside and read something else. (This is the second time I’ve had to do this while reading this book.) There are a few books that have May publication dates, so I’ll probably start on one of those, but I’ll eventually come back to Stolen. I just hope it begins to pick up.

Update July 29, 2010: I’ve finally finished reading the book and have posted my review.

Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• You also need to share the title of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
• Please avoid spoilers

This week’s teaser:

“I changed my clothes, finding a baggy T-shirt scrunched in the closet in the hall with the words SAVE THE EARTH, NOT YOURSELVES printed on it. It was loose enough not to hurt the burns too much.” pg. 196 Stolen by Lucy Christopher

When I first heard about this book I was certain I wanted to read it. From the synopsis and some early reviews, I was able to gather that it would be controversial in some way. I enjoy reading controversial novels, especially those that present a conundrum. Stolen does just that. From what I’ve gathered, it touches on the concept of Stockholm syndrome. And after reading the first few pages, it seems like it’s going to be a smooth read.