_lia_reads_'s Reviews (757)

I am a big fan of Moshfegh's writing and was super excited to see she had a new book coming out. If you like her weird, introspective writing, this book is definitely going to be for you. It is not my favorite of her work, but I found myself gripped and unable to put the story down.

Vesta Gull is a retiree who moves to an abandoned Girl Scout Camp after the death of her husband. On one of her daily walks with her dog, Charlie, she discovers a note: "Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn't me. Here is her dead body." There is no body that she can see, but the note sets her mind swirling. Vesta tries to piece together the events of the murder, making up the suspects, witnesses, and Magda's life based on a list she finds online (using Ask Jeeves!) of how to write a murder mystery novel. As she 'interviews suspects,' things start to come true and weird things start to happen.

This book is super meta and genre-breaking. There are times when Moshfegh, through Vesta, breaks the fourth wall to talk to the reader about what constitutes a "good" mystery novel and what makes a bad one. I also enjoyed trying to work through what Moshfegh was doing with the names in this book. There is a town called Levant, another called Bethmane (Bethlehem + Gethsemane?). One of the names Vesta makes up for a suspect is Ghod. Her name, Vesta Gull, almost sounds like Vestigial, and a couple characters make up other similar interpretations. I also loved some of the tongue-in-cheek quirks, including a book entitled Death that lends the title to Moshfegh's book.

I'm still not 100% what Moshfegh is doing in this book, but I loved the look into Vesta's (really weird) mind. I enjoy books where things are laid out perfectly and are a little weird, but I know this won't be for everyone. In short, if you've liked Moshfegh's past work, you will like this one.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Thanks to Penguin Press for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


TW: death, death of an animal, fat shaming

I am honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The Book of Longings takes the gap in the story of Jesus' life in the Bible and fills it it, giving him a wife named Ana. Kidd's note at the back of the book provides a beautiful context for why she wrote this book and how it fits into what we know about Jesus through the Bible. But, this is not a book about Jesus. It is a book about Ana, and all the other women of Jesus' time, whose voices are not often heard from.

Ana is a strong-willed young woman, who wants to be heard through her writing. In her ideal world, she would be a scribe, but instead it is her fate in life to be married. When she meets Jesus, she finds someone with whom she is able to be an equal partner in life, with each respecting each others' goals and ambitions. I've seen reviews that question whether a character like Ana would have existed in Biblical times, and that questioning is exactly why we need book like this. Strong women are not the invention of the 20th century; they have existed in their own ways throughout history, but are not generally included in the narrative.

While Jesus is a main character in Ana's life, equally important are the female relationships she has: with her friend Tabitha, her aunt Yaltha, and the women of Jesus' family. These women support one another through their hardships and celebrate each others' joys as well. The characters and events in the book feel realistic.

Overall, I loved this book way more than I thought I would. I didn't want to let Ana's story go by the end of the book.

Thank you to Viking for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

4.5 stars rounded up

TW: rape; violence against women; violence in general; miscarriage; loss of children

A Burning follows the lives of three characters—Jivan, Lovely, and PT Sir—tracking what happens to them in the wake of a terrorist attack on a train in a slum in Kolkata, India. After posting something questioning the government on Facebook, Jivan is implicated from the murder. Her past is twisted to fit the narrative the government wants: a young girl from the slums who has been radicalized.

A Burning is a story of class and religious conflict, of what people will do to make their way in the world. Lovely, a transwoman to whom Jivan was teaching English, and PT Sir, Jivan’s physical education teacher, both make selfish and selfless choices throughout the story that impact Jivan’s life as well as others.

I really appreciated the portraits of each character and the ways in which Majumdar used them to explore different facets of life in Kolkata and the themes of her book. The narrative style changes depending on the POV, making them into three distinct voices in the story. I was sucked in for the first half of the book, wanting to uncover what exactly happened the night of the attack. But the second half left me disappointed in many ways. The storytelling and characters here are spectacular; I just think I wasn’t in the right headspace for that ending.

Where the Line Bleeds follows twin Black boys in the summer right after their high school graduation in Bois Sauvage, Mississippi. One of the boys gets a job working at the docks, but his twin turns to selling drugs in order to help their grandmother who cares for them make ends meet. It is a powerful portrait of the options facing these young men as they try to rise up out of poverty.

Like all of Ward’s novels, the writing here is quiet and powerful. The narration will suddenly shift in POV, which is at times jarring but not enough to pull you out of the story. Her characters feel real and I enjoyed the dynamics between the twins and the rest of the characters in the story. This isn’t a plot-driven story but one that focuses on these the choices made by the twins and their consequences. This wasn’t my favorite Ward novel (Sing, Unburied, Sing is) but it was wonderful to return to the world of Bois Sauvage and Ward’s style one more time.

If this book isn’t on your radar, it should be! The story is narrated by Adunni, a young Nigerian girl who just wants to receive an education and find her voice. Unfortunately, her father has other plans, selling her to a husband in exchange for money to support him and Adunni’s brothers. Though saddened by this turn of events, Adunni keeps fighting, trying to get to a better life.

Adunni’s story is comprised of one tragedy after another. I pretty much wanted to give her a hug throughout the entire book. She does find people in her life to support her, but so many others work to keep her down, as a daughter, wife, and slave. I loved hearing the story through Adunni’s own voice, as a first person narration, making it all the more powerful. It also helped to understand her character better, and the choices she did or did not make.

I read this in June with #themostfunbuddyread at the same time that we were reading The Book of Longings. Two stories, separated by centuries and continents, both showing the powerlessness of many women in the world. Yet, in both instances, these women prevail and find a voice with which to tell their story. It is a powerful narrative in each book and really lent something to my enjoyment of them both.

I’ve had this one on my shelf for over a year and have always been intimidated by the heft. This book doesn’t look too long but it is over 600 pages and HEAVY. I finally prioritized it this month and it was worth it.

The story draws upon African history and folklore to create a fantastical kingdom with shape-shifters, vampires, ogres and more. Our narrator is Tracker, who is “said to have a nose” and uses his enhanced sense of smell to find missing people. He is brought into a team of various characters, all with their own backgrounds and abilities, to find a missing child.

I won’t lie, I struggled a bit with this one initially. The timeline jumps around a bit in the beginning, giving you background on Tracker. There are also trigger warnings galore in this book. However, I really enjoyed the world James created, particularly the characters (some of the creepier ones might give me nightmares for awhile lol). It was also interesting to read a fantasy book with a queer main character, and one in which queerness is accepted as a normal part of life.

I alternated between the hardcover and audiobook for this one, which I think really helped me. The book is written like a story being told out loud so it translated well to audio. But it was also helpful for me to see all the maps in the book and see the names written out. I recommend doing it in both formats if you can. Overall, this is definitely one to consider picking up if you enjoy fantasy!

TW: pedophilia; gore and violence; graphic sexual assault; drugs; swearing