{read: family vacations} The Red House by Mark Haddon

I had a hard time keeping the eight characters straight in this story about two estranged families who go on vacation in Wales. The book is divided into chapters by days of the week, and each chapter contains sections told in the third person about each of the characters. The POV switches back and forth between characters, and I had to keep stopping to think who this person was and how they were connected to the other people so I could keep the relationships straight. While I've seen the storytelling lauded as "dazzlingly inventive," to me it was just a tiny bit confusing.

A quick word about the plot: Richard has invited his sister, Angela, and her family for a week in Wales following their mother's funeral. Angela accepts because her husband is out of work and this is the only way they can afford a vacation. They have three children, and they join Richard with his new wife, Louisa, and her daughter. As you might expect, packing eight people (including three teenagers) into a house, accompanied by all their personal baggage and neuroses, causes conflicts to ensue.

While I did have to concentrate on the characters, I realized about halfway through the book that I was enjoying it in a held-at-a-distance sort of way. I couldn't get emotionally involved with any of the characters, but it was amusing to watch them spin and snort and generally get tangled up in their own lives with no clue what they really wanted or how to get it. Perhaps this is what Mark Haddon intended.

The Red House by Mark Haddon (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2012)
My rating: 3 stars

{a thought for Thursday} Writers

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say. — Anaïs Nin

{wordless wednesday} Chicken

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

{read: vampires and history} Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Although I'd heard many good things about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, it bogged down in the middle for me and only the promise of a great ending kept me reading. For me, the most interesting part was the introduction. A failed novelist (author Seth himself) is the proprietor of a small town general variety store, and he's put his dreams of writing a novel aside for dreams of family and running the store. In short, life has gotten in the way of who he wanted to be when he graduated from college. Then one of his regular customers, Henry, leaves him with several very old books, which turn out to be Abraham Lincoln's secret diaries. Henry takes Seth on a tour to convince him that vampires are indeed real and leaves him to write about Abraham and his secret life as a vampire hunter. This intro hooked me and pulled me into the book, and I found the beginning part of Abraham's life interesting, although the plot soon became predictable. The insertion of vampires into history and the recasting of Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter was clever and done well, the plot bogged down in the second section of the book for me and I lost interest. I kept reading to see what twist the ending might have, although I could anticipate it as it got closer. I did like the final chapter and thought the ending was quiet but well done. 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (Grand Central Publishing, 2010)
My rating: 3 stars

{a thought for Thursday} Truth in fiction

To me, fiction is a fast-track to the sort of truth with which facts interfere. ― Sarah Terez Rosenblum

{wordless wednesday} what is it?

Happy Wordless Wednesday! Do you know what this is a photo of?

{read: Southern thriller} A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

An atmospheric Southern novel, A Land More Kind Than Home in some ways reminded me of Tom Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter in its use of setting and dialogue to convey mood and character.

The plot moves fast, starting with two brothers, Jess, 9, and Christopher, 11, who each see things they shouldn't have. Christopher can't tell anyone what he saw because he's mute, but the consequences are nevertheless swift and devastating.

The story is told by three narrators: Jess, Adelaide, a midwife who's in her 80's now and carries the history of the town with her, and Sheriff Clem Barefield, who has his own history that ends up playing a role in the ongoing events.

Wiley Cash does a superb job of weaving in the back stories and flashbacks to provide a nuanced account of not only these few tragic days but also what's led up to them. Snakes, crazy Christians, tragedy, healing, and perhaps even a little redemption and hope — this book has it all, and you won't want to put it down. Plus, it has a great title. Who can resist?

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash (HarperCollins, 2012)
My rating: 4 stars