The Drowning House by Elizabeth Black

4.5 Checks

Photographer Clare Porterfield has been summoned to return to her hometown of Galveston, Texas, to complete an exhibit for prominent businessman and family friend Will Carraday. Living in the aftermath of a devastating loss that has led to the inevitable crumbling of her marriage, Clare makes the journey from D.C. to Galveston. Part of her wants to run away from her failed life, but part of her is drawn to the home that she was forced to abandon ten years earlier after a tragic accident.

As she researches the Carraday photos and archives to prepare for the exhibit, she uncovers secrets that are better left buried and lies that prove deadly. The closer she gets to discovering the truth, the more she realizes that she’s at the center. Everyone in this story has a secret, some of which are almost too painful to discover.

Elizabeth Black’s writing style is so flawless that her descriptions captivate the reader almost as much as the actual plot. Her ability to weave intriguing historical facts of Galveston within the suspense of the present-day story makes it hard for the reader to put it down. Through such skillful writing, Black is able to make the reader feel Clare’s impatience for learning the truth with every turn of the page.

Although I enjoyed the quiet unfolding of this book, I became frustrated by the lack of clarification for certain important details. Several times I felt as though there was an inside joke, or story, I needed to know in order to interpret comments or allusions. The book ended without ever cluing me in to the inside story. As a result, I ended the book with questions that never received answers.

Overall, people who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy Black's debut novel. I look forward to reading more books by her. 

ARC received at ALA 2012

Publication Date: January 2013

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

I picked up this novel at ALA 2012 because it won the Printz and Morris Awards. I forced myself to read through to the end because it won the Printz and Morris Awards. As I read, I kept waiting to understand why it won the Printz and the Morris Awards. I read the final page, never understanding why it won the Printz and the Morris Awards.

The three literary components that this novel struggled with were show-not-tell, ambiguity, and characterization. The lack of development in all of these areas caused the plotline to fall flat.

Show-Not-Tell: Rule #1 of creative writing: show-not-tell.  Almost the entire story was a summary of events and people, robbing the reader of descriptive writing that connected her to the novel.  What little dialogue and description that was present was so inconsequential that it didn’t add anything to the plot or characterization.

Ambiguity: There was too much poorly explained randomness that the author tried to pull together in a “twist” at the end. Unfortunately, the twist was forced, and the entire build-up was poorly executed. For one, there was no natural flow. For another, it was completely unbelievable and far-fetched. Maybe the awkwardness was due to the author’s attempts to leave not-so-subtle hints throughout the story so that it would all “come together” in the end. I mean, I get what the author was trying to do. I really do. I could see it a mile away. Sadly, it didn’t work.

Characterization: There was none. For example, the majority of the novel was about Gabriel’s disappearance; however, the reader never got to know Gabriel enough to care. In fact, because of all of the summaries, the reader never adequately got to know any of the characters. **SPOILER**There was a moment of sadness when Benton committed suicide, but that quickly gave way to the realization that he was simply the catalyst for the roommate to spiral into madness.**  Again, show-not-tell. Make the reader care.

Too many loose ends and too little descriptive writing left this novel a disappointment. I know that this novel won the Printz and Morris Awards; however, those awards are based upon the opinions of 11 Printz Committee members and 12 William C. Morris committee members – hardly the majority of readers. As I’ve learned throughout my professional career, just because something wins awards doesn’t mean that it’s good. The reality is that this novel is disjointed and poorly developed, and I suggest readers find something else. 

I Will Save You by Matt de la Peña

Kidd knows tragedy. He has a father who loves drugs more than his family, and a mother who seeks solace in alcohol. As a result, he finds himself at Horizons, a group home, where he meets Devon, a boy with a volatile personality and a death wish. 

Kidd decides to run away, ends up working maintainance on the beaches of Cardiff, CA, and falls in love with the most beautiful and mysterious girl he's ever known, Olivia. Things seem to be looking up for Kidd until Devon knocks on his door determined to teach him a few lessons about life. Afraid that Devon will hurt Olivia in order to get to him, Kidd confronts his old friend, and one of them doesn't make it out alive. 

This novel faces some very difficult issues such as abuse, racial identity, class, and mental illness. Although the reader recognizes certain nuances of de la Pena's writing, the voice is unique and the writing style is more fluid. Since it opens with a murder, readers are drawn into the plot the moment they open the book and find themselves turning page after page to find out what led up to the point that a young man's body was plunged over a cliff. 

Double Helix by Nancy Werlin

Eli Samuels lives each day on autopilot. His life hasn’t been the  same since Huntington’s disease claimed his mother, and his father’s denial  wears their already strained relationship paper-thin. The only person who offers  him comfort is his girlfriend, but even she’s asking too many questions about  things that Eli would rather keep to himself. 

Part of being on autopilot is making no plans for the future,  which is fine with Eli because his future is too bleak anyway. Instead of  getting ready for college like the rest of his classmates, Eli seeks employment  with Dr. Quincy Wyatt, a world-famous molecular biologist, who used to be  friends with his mother. The first warning sign for Eli should have been Dr.  Wyatt’s immediate job offer to a high school student with no training. The   second warning sign should have been the unusual interest that Dr. Wyatt had in   playing God.

 For readers who are science-lovers, this will be a fun read  because it goes into bio-ethics, cloning, and many other DNA hot topics. For  people who want a quick-moving plot that is full of suspense, this will not be a  fun read. The plot takes too long to build the background information for the  mystery, and once it does, it uses the same cliffhanger of “How does he know my  mom?”for 200 pages, which gets old very quickly. Also, when the author finally  gets to the climax, she abruptly ends the story; it was  almost like the author got tired of writing in the middle of the climax and  threw in an epilogue. Such a poor ending made me feel cheated and like I  wasted my time investing in this book.