Moving Day has finally arrived and I cannot take any of the credit. While I have been lying in bed ill, my designer has been very busy behind the scenes. I think everything looks wonderful. Am I missing anything in my new home? Any advise for a WP newbie? I do so hope all my readers feel comfortable here. I do not plan on moving again. There may be a few wrinkles to iron out, but that is to be expected. Welcome to Rundpinne’s new home.
Book Review: The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott
Friday 25 June, 2010 By 7 Comments
Title: The Evolution of Shadows
Author: Jason Quinn Malott
Publisher: Unbridled Books
Publication Date: October 30, 2009
Paperback: 272 pages
ISBN: 978-1932961843
Genre: Fiction
In July of 1995, the news photographer Gray Banick disappeared into the Bosnian war zone and doing so took away pieces of the hearts of three people who loved him: Emil Todorović, his interpreter and friend; Jack MacKenzie, his mentor who taught Gray to hold his camera steady between himself and the worst that war presents; and Lian Zhao, who didn’t have the strength to love him as he wanted her to. Now, almost five years later, they have gathered in Sarajevo to find out what happened to Gray, the man who had taught them all what love is.
Each driven character in this novel believes fully that there is a love strong enough to sustain them, even in the extreme circumstances of war. But each time they have uncovered a glimpse of such a thing, they have failed tragically love itself.
Or, to see it another way, this is a novel about how love fails us every time—or almost every time.
My Review:
The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott takes the reader on an emotional ride as three of Gray Banick’s friends, a veteran photojournalist, a translator, and an ex-lover return to Gray Banick’s last known whereabouts in hopes of finding some evidence of what became of him. In 2000, Jack Mackenzie and Lian Zhao travel to war-torn Bosnia to meet up with Emil Todorović to search for their mutual friend, photojournalist Gray Banick who was last seen in July 1995 in the woods near Potocari, north of Srebrenica. As the three travel, the reader learns how each met Gray and about their respective relationships with him.
The Evolution of Shadows is told through various different voices, both past and present, clearly evoking vivid images and emotions that allow the reader to become close to each of the characters. Emil, Jack, and Lian are scarred in their own ways and have their own personal issues to face: Emil’s family was murdered and his fiancée was taken; Jack a veteran war journalist has turned to alcohol to help ease his pains, both physical and emotional; and Lian, now married to Daniel, cannot forget her love for Gray and the emotions that haunt her to this day. The Evolution of Shadows is a brilliantly orchestrated debut novel that once begun, cannot be set down.
Malott’s writing is close to brilliant as he describes both the past and present and the hope of the future. His description of the Bosnian War and the atrocities that occurred are clear, articulate and detailed in a manner that would suggest the author had been present, which to my knowledge he had not. Yet his writings took me back to years before the setting of his book, to a country of untold beauty and the stark reminder of what happened over a decade after I was there.
This novel is so well written and emotionally intense that one must remind oneself it is a work of fiction as The Evolution of Shadows reads a lot like a memoir. This hauntingly beautiful tribute to love, friendship and humanity will keep the reader engaged and mesmerised. Without reservation, I would recommend The Evolution of Shadows to any reader looking for an exceptional literary novel that will linger in memory long after the story has ended.
Jason Quinn Malott has been the publisher of the online literary journal The Project for a New Mythology. The Evolution of Shadows is his first novel.
For more information please visit the author’s website.
I received a complimentary copy of The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott from Unbridled Books. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.
Book Review: The Island by Elin Hilderbrand
Friday 25 June, 2010 By 6 Comments
Title: The Island
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
Publication Date: July 6, 2010
Hardcover: 416 pages
ISBN: 978-0316043878
Genre: Fiction
and 1/2
Birdie Cousins has planned a getaway with her daughter Chess on rustic, charming Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, a chance to bond before Chess’s upcoming marriage. Birdie’s been through a difficult divorce herself, so she knows the big commitment that marriage entails. She’s only recently dared to tiptoe back into the waters of romance.
When Chess abruptly breaks off the wedding and her fiancé shockingly dies in a rock climbing accident, it leaves Chess feeling guilty and deeply depressed. Birdie circles the wagons, convincing her younger daughter Tate, and her own sister India to join them on Tuckernuck for the month of July. Secrets and intrigue soon make their way to the surface, as Elin Hilderbrand once again weaves a masterful story of summer suspense.
My Review:
The Island by Elin Hildebrand is a month-long soap opera in written form, about four women, their secrets, desires, insecurities and hidden passions. Birdie is divorced and concentrating on her daughter’s upcoming wedding when she begins to date Hank, who happens to be married yet they both feel it is fine since his wife has Alzheimer’s and is in a special facility. Birdie’s sister India enjoys imbibing as well as a good joint, has a high opinion of herself and her three brilliant sons and believes her success is not a result of her famous husband’s suicide 15 years ago. As of late India has been posing for Lulu, an art student and a relationship is forming. Tate, Birdie’s youngest daughter is successful and while she acts quite arrogant, she is insecure and jealous of her older sister Chess. Chess, Birdies oldest daughter unexpectedly cancels her wedding because she is in love with her fiancé’s brother, she quit her job, moved home then learns Michael fell to his death while rock climbing in the Moab. Chess goes into a depression and the women decide it is time for a month-long vacation at their ancestral summer home, Tuckernuck off the island of Nantucket to give Chess some time to heal. Little do the other women realize just how badly they all need this vacation.
If it sounds as though I gave the entire story away, fret not, I merely skimmed the very tip of the novel and have saved all the best parts for the reader to discover. Hilderbrand alternates the narrative in the four voices of the women, opening a window into each woman’s point of view, in a manner that is easy to read and allows the reader to get to know each woman as individual. The women reveal to each other their secrets, dreams, and desires. The relationship the women have is one I cannot fathom and while the characters are richly and vividly described I truly did not relate to any of them. While I do not personally care for the term “chick-lit”, this is exactly the type of book that comes to mind when I hear the term. The Island is a quick paced novel that is never dull. If one is looking for a novel filled with drama, romance and female bonding, The Island may indeed be the perfect summer read.
Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, PA, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her eight previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.
I received a complimentary copy of The Island by Elin Hilderbrand from Reagan Arthur. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.
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