Book Review- Jess Riley's All the Lonely People

Every once in a blue moon, I read a book and think, "I really wish that I had written this myself". Jess Riley's novel, All the Lonely People, falls right into that category.

Riley's novel centers around Jaime and Erik, a middle-aged, childless couple who are struggling with their definition of family. The novel starts slightly over a year after Jaime's mother has died and Jaime is left fighting with her distant and dysfunction siblings. Her husband, Erik, is an only child, whose only relative is his elderly father who lives in an nursing home and suffers from Alzheimer's.

Christmas is approaching and Jaime decides to advertise on Craigslist for a new family. It turns out that there are plenty of isolated people in need of new relatives and willing to take a chance on a stranger.

Riley is just a fantastic writer. The sense of humor that she infuses into her characters and their situations is razor sharp, a bit wicked and often completely hilarious. However, what I love most about her writing, is that she balances the humor with a sensitivity towards painful subjects (grieving over a loved one, family resentment, personal heartache) and creates a story that is truly touching.

On many levels, I found this book to be affecting and ridiculously relatable. I rarely cry when reading a book, but this one got to me. It feels real, because not everything was neatly resolved and although most of the characters were endearing, they all had a plethora of flaws.

The theme of family and what constitutes a family is of great interest to me. Does blood relation really matter? Is a childless couple just as valid of a family as those with children? What happens when you are left without family or left with a family whose actions are unacceptable? Riley doesn't give broad answers to these social questions. Each of her characters struggles with their own ideas and ultimately the reader is left to draw their own conclusions. This book gets personal.

All The Lonely People is so loaded with discussion topics that it would be an excellent choice for a book group!

This was my first book by Riley and I can't wait to read her others. I obviously really loved this book and highly recommend it!

Book Review- Andrew Stock's Gabe's Plan

I was gifted this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. It's always a little intimidating when writing these sorts of reviews, but I'm delighted to report that Andrew Stock's debut novel, Gabe's Plan, is easy to recommend as it was throughly entertaining.

Stocks writing style reminded me of Carl Hiassen and Christopher Moore. It's offbeat and quirky. Stock's novel is filled with dark humor, bizarre characters and fantasy elements.

The story centers around a small town lawyer, Gabe, who hatches a plan with his neighbor to frame a celebrity who has recently bought a home in their neighborhood. Although a very different story, it has the same tone and themes as the Gus Van Sant movie, "To Die For". The characters in Stock's novel are easily willing to trade their morals to grab a bit of the fame that they suddenly find within their reach.

This was a fun, light, quick read, perfect for an afternoon. I found the humor in the book to often be hilarious, although it is very crude and I can imagine some people might not find it funny. It definitely would be offensive to some.

Stock has a unique literary voice and solid storytelling skills. He's now on my radar and I look forward to reading future novels that he is sure to write.

Book Review - Richard Lloyd Parry's People Who Eat Darkness

Richard Lloyd Parry's true crime book, People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman, has many elements that peaked my interest.

First, I love true crime stories. I had never heard of the Blackman case, which made it an even more interesting read. It's actually surprising, since the case seemed to have been big international news and it's quite a horrific story.

Second, I love stories set in foreign countries, especially ones that deal with cultural differences. This story, centers around English Born Lucie Blackman, who in her early twenties moved to Japan to work as a hostess in the nightclubs of Roppongi. She disappeared and many months later, her dismembered body was found in a cave on a beach. A man named Joji Obara was arrested and it led to a rather unusual trial by Japanese standards.

Third, I purchased a Kindle edition of this book to take with me on my first trip to England. It was a bit of themed travel reading. One of our unplanned/last minute excursions on the trip was to the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight happens to have been where Lucie Blackman's father lived during the trial and was featured fairly prominently in the book. I love that I was able to visit the Isle and have it in my frame of reference.

The events of Lucie Blackman's death are horrific, creepy and bizarre. I found it to be completely fascinating and the book a compelling read. Although, I would not recommend this book for the easily squeamish or those that cannot handle graphic details, both regarding the murder and the sex industry. The book goes deep into the dark side of Japan in exploring the various sex clubs and the world of hostessing. It comprises approximately a third of the book.

Equally fascinating is the last portion of the book, which explores the Japanese justice system, both through the police investigation and the subsequent trial. It's very different than the Western judicial system and is heavily influenced by the Japanese culture's ideas of honor and shame.

The accused, Joji Obara is a very bizarre and mysterious man. Parry spent a lot of time researching Obara as he attempted to piece together Obara's life and motives. Beyond being strange, Obara was very intelligent and wily when perpetrating his crimes. However, he also stood out in a culture that values the ability to blend in. His strange behavior and defiant attitude made him appear cocky and aggressive towards journalist, families of the victims and even his own defense team. The book could have just been a character study on Ibara, as it contained a wealth of interesting information.

My only complaint about Parry's book, was it needed tighter editing. In parts, the information felt repetitive. It dragged and occasionally seemed unfocused.

I felt this especially to be true towards the end of the book, when Parry wrote about his own bizarre communication with Obara, including threats towards the author. This would have best been stated in an afterward or maybe kept to a paragraph. I felt like it was not so pertinent to the story.

I also felt like Lucie's family dynamic was talked about to death. It was important to state the impact of her death on her relatives, but it could have been done more succinctly or kept to a particular chapter. The information felt receptive, rather than fresh.

Despite the repetition, Parry's book is a compelling read and Lucie's story is one that needs to be told.