The Couple Next Door - Shari Lapena

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A tense domestic thriller that starts brilliantly.

Canadian novelist Shari Lapena's The Couple Next Door is indeed a much talked about thriller as the jacket proclaims. It has drummed a lot of attention which is why I went around looking for it. Her bio reads that she was a lawyer and an English teacher before she turned to writing. That experience surely must have helped us as she combines her knowledge of police procedures and writing style to form a riveting plot for her story.

Gist:

It starts off brilliantly. The story opens with a set of new parents at their next door neighbour's party. The opening scene is brilliant, it is tense, there is a lot happening and draws you in completely. It showed my student self how opening scenes are done. Superb. The mother is tearful, she is watching her hostess flirting with her husband as she battles feelings of hopelessness and low self esteem as a new mother. By the end of the chapter we learn that the baby has disappeared from its cot while the couple are still partying with their neighbours.

Who did it? How did it happen? Although the couple starts of as victims, they soon find themselves as suspects. Then begins the cat and mouse game of finding out who is telling the truth and crucially who has done it.

What works:

• It is the stuff that every parent can relate to. The fear of losing a child, the fear of criticism and blame as a new mother. Lapena does it brilliantly. I loved Anne and how she holds on shreds of self esteem while tries to figure what was happening.

• There are not many characters but Lapena makes them count. I loved the husband and wife. It was exciting to watch how the couple seen as victims turn into suspects. She builds up the tension quite well and I won't lie, it had me up till quite late in the night. 

What does not:

• The narrative is superb. I kept on turning pages in a rush to get to the end. However, the reveal was not as great as the build up.
• Halfway through you could see where the plot was leading to and though the writing style was good, it fizzled out a bit for me, as I felt as though Lapena was trying to secondguess the reader.
• There are lots of twists and turns and there is one that is revealed right at the end but then by that time, it was hard to be surprised at all. The momentum somehow depleted for me.

Overall a great fast track read. It has a great premise and a riveting writing style, just wish the build up was as good as the reveal.

Stay With Me - Ayobami Adebayo

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A well told story that works on many levels.

Ayobami Adebayo's debut novel is really impressive and considering her academic background, it only seems logical. Her masters degree in literature and creative writing forms the foundation for this well honed talent. It is displayed to good effect in this book.

I came across this novel after it was chosen as the Mumsnet book of the month for March. Apparently, it was also shortlisted for the Women's Prize in Fiction and has garnered a lot of praise. However, my first impressions of the book were a bit sceptical -  it sounded like a treatise on the exploitation and unfair treatment to a women in a rigid society. But Adebayo's writing and plot pacing makes it a refreshing and an insightful read.

Gist:

Yejide runs a salon and is quite a successful businesswomen. However, its been four years since she is married to Akin, and they are still waiting to have kids. Looking for options, her mother-in-law arranges for her husband to have a second wife to help Yejide conceive. Yejide goes to drastic lengths to make it happen. In the process she embarks on a journey full of heartbreak and insight as she lives the consequences of her decisions.

What works:

• The beginning is so strong. It draws the reader in while providing a political, cultural context. The short chapters are brisk and drops the reader right in the midst of action. We quickly learn of Yejide and her dilemma and are swept into the story. 

• Adebayo packages the Nigerian culture very neatly into the plot too. The words, the habits are beautifully incorporated. It is "exotic" but it also provides insight into how the society works. She has a very matter of fact approach about how something like childlessness becomes a public topic with everyone offering advice and solutions. Reminiscent of the Indian culture.

• Adebayo displays a keen sense of plotting. Throughout the narrative there is an edge-of-the seat feeling. There is a constant element of suspense, throwing off the reader and her assumptions. 

• Adebayo also portrays a mature angle to love and loss and what it feels like to be ostracised as a childless women. She uses language very effectively to convey this.

• My favourite line from the book is :

If the burden is too much and stays too long, even love bends, cracks, comes close to breaking and sometimes does break. But when it's in a thousand pieces around your feet, that doesn't mean it's no longer love.” 

It encapsulates the relationship between Yejide and Akin and the complicated nature of it. They are allowed to fall in love and get married. However, the happiness of their relationship is marred by societal demands and eventually falls prey to it.

• The story is packaged quite well. Set in a different cultural milieu with its own rules and regulations the writer is not vary of using another language and alienating the reader. She weaves it quite well in the story while capturing some universal emotions that women all over can relate to. The feelings of desperation and the fear of society is portrayed quite well through Yejide. You feel sorry for her and empathise with her as she takes the steps she does.

What doesn't:

• The story does not explain a lot of things. It expects the reader to connect some dots often leaving it up to the reader to interpret. Some readers may feel a bit shortchanged, confused. I liked the way the writer leaves the reader to fill up some gaps and for a debut writer to display such confidence is commendable.

Overall, a great debut. This writer knows how to tell a story well while challenging the reader. Superb.

Lola's Secret - Monica Mcinerney

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A warm hearted sequel about the Quinlan family.

If you have read its prequel, Alphabet Sisters it will make more sense. I did, a long time ago. I also read its sequel Trip of a lifetime before reading it. So it was kind of inbetween for me. But then that did not feel like a disadvantage. It still worked as a standalone for me.

Monica Mcinerney's books are all about the domestic sphere. How the dynamics of a family - full of different individuals operate as part of a bigger network as the family. It is a feel good well written novel and Mcinerney is very good with this.

Gist:

Lola the grand matriarch of the Quinlan family has a secret plan. All around her, her loved ones are battling their private wars. Her granddaughters are struggling with motherhood, whereas her son and daughter want to retire. All around there is chaos and she is the one keeping the boat afloat, the connecting thread that runs through them all.

She decides  to send them all away for Christmas and manage the motel on her own. Her idea? issuing invites to random strangers. Sounds bizarre? But that is Lola Quinlan for you.

However, while she is planning surprise like that, life is planning another surprise for her. What is it?

What works:

• A breezy fast track read, the characters are great and the writing style as usual draws you in.

• The characters, the banter seem so real as though we have known this family for ages.

• She captures the trials and tribulations on motherhood and its affect on marriages.

• The side stories of potential motel guests are also well plotted.

What doesn't:

• There is a certain amount of predictability. You know how things are going to pan out. It is more of a soap opera where some dramatic scenes have been thrown in, some twists and turns for good measure.

• It does not have the edge of seat feeling. However, it has that feel of a breezy outing to a place you have been to already. There is escapism and a delicious sense of community here.

A feel good weekend/beach read. I found this better than its prequel and sequel.