Book Review - We Are the Light by Matthew Quick

 

We Are the Light by Matthew Quick is about a small community coming together after an unspeakable act of violence occurs. Lucas Goodgame is a school guidance counselor who helps children adjust to issues that they might have at home or at school. He lives in the quaint suburb community of Majestic, Pennsylvania.  At a local movie theater, a gunman entered and slaughtered multiple victims before he was stopped. Lucas is considered a local hero because of his act of courage in stopping the gunman.

Lucas doesn’t see himself as a hero and tries to avoid the attention from others. He insists that his deceased wife, Darcy, is an angel who is guiding him. Lucas spends his time writing letters to his former “Jungian analyst”, Karl, to help cope after the deadly tragedy.

Everything changes when Eli, an eighteen year old, starts to camp out in Lucas’s backyard. Eli was a former student of Lucas and he is related to the gunman. Lucas feels that Eli is the way to heal the community and themselves. They embark together to fuel their grief and anxiety into making art while bringing in the other survivors from that night to help.

The author is well known for his other books but this was my first time reading any of his novels. The novel is written in epistolary style, meaning that it is written in the form of letters that Lucas writes.  Lucas writes and spills his heart to his former analyst to help himself cope with his grief. The writing style was an interesting choice but it felt limiting as we only got Lucas’s point of view.

I didn’t understand what a Jungian analyst was and the process. The author did explain that he was a fan of it but didn’t do a thorough job of communicating what this therapy was to the reader.  I personally felt like I didn’t quite understand it and it took away some enjoyment from the novel. The author did mention that he was going through his own struggles and that this form of therapy helped him.  I felt that the author included too many phallic/“being a man” references in the beginning. The main female character, Darcy’s best friend, Jill, does all the household work and becomes caregiver to Lucas. She has to handle all the bills, the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and budgeting while Lucas goes off on his madcap adventures and ideas. Lucas rarely considers her feelings and she is made to be seen as an annoyance or getting in Lucas’ way instead of being the life support she really is. Gender stereotypes were rampant in this book.

I felt like the plot was predictable, boring, and moved very slowly. There were a lot of side stories going on that were overwhelming at times. I didn’t care for Lucas as a main character. He seemed like a petulant child that would throw tantrums when things didn’t go his way. He seemed to be struggling with his grief and acting erratically while his supposedly close friends were enabling him.  This story might have been a great movie but it was lackluster for a book.  The visual aspect may have been a better medium for the suspenseful pieces of this book.

 

Book Review - No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is a love story between writers and readers and their love and special bond with books. Alice loved reading and it was her lifeline when her family life became unbearable. Alice knew that she always wanted to be a writer as books were her only form of escape. She can create imaginary worlds where she can be disconnected from reality, and where everything could turn out okay.

Alice found joy in writing and creating stories but her stories always seemed to have held something back. She never fully immersed herself in her writing so while her stories were descriptive and engaging, it always felt detached like she was a spectator. When a distressing event occurs, a dam of emotions bursts open and becomes filled with overwhelming emotions. Alice needed a place to collect herself and something to pour her thoughts and feelings into.

She decides to write a debut novel to express herself and to help navigate her feelings. When Alice finishes her novel, she is unsure if she should publish the story, because then the story would no longer just be hers. In the end, she decides to go for it and as her novel reaches the hands of readers, it changes and evolves as they read the book just as how Alice evolves and grows while she writes the book.

The novel starts with Alice’s story and her reason for writing. Then the book is narrated by different people who read her book and they describe how their lives changed after reading the book. I enjoyed reading about each different character and their life story. I was usually disappointed when one character’s chapter was over and the book would move on to another. I would be so attached to that character and would want to read more about them. While the characters were all flawed and were searching for something, they were relatable and highly engaging to me. It was nice seeing how the characters were trying to overcome a situation and become the best version of themselves.

I did get a bit overwhelmed with the amount of different character stories that were being introduced. I was trying to remember each story and figure out what link would connect them all. There is a link that does connect the characters that is revealed towards the end. However, I would recommend just sitting back and enjoying each unique character story. I did like that bits and pieces of Alice’s book are uncovered during each character chapter and it shows which part of the book resonated with that character the most.

As an avid reader this book was inspiring to see how books can change a person’s life and dreams along with the joy one gets from reading. It was also interesting to read how writers might feel about their stories being published. I always assumed that writers would enjoy having their stories told and they do but, once a story is published it’s no longer just theirs and every reader has its own bond and meaning attached to that story. The book was a dazzling and stunning read that would inspire budding writers and warm the hearts of fellow readers.

 

Book Review - Rodin's Lover by Heather Webb

Photo Credit - Amazon

Camille Claudel is a young aspiring sculptor. However, because she is a woman, she has plenty of critics including her own overly traditional mother. When renowned sculptor, Auguste Rodin makes Camille his apprentice and muse, their passion ignites their creativity to create breathtaking pieces of work. Even though, Camille is a talented sculptor her success his overshadowed by Rodin's gaining popularity and her gender. Her obsession with creating art and her relationship with Rodin is slowly driving her down the path of madness.

I thought that the novel was an interesting read. It was heartbreaking to read Camille's struggle with mental illness and being treated as an inferior sculptor because of her gender. I didn't like that Camille and Rodin's love affair was considered to be "passionate" but, there was a lot of childish "he loves but, I don't like him...even if I do" scenes.  At times, I found it hard to understand and feel for Camille as she was very sharp and cruel to many of the people who were close to her. I believe the author did this to show Camille's mental state but, I felt it made it hard to root for her. I did like that author included names of Camille's artwork and I thought many of them were beautiful when I did look them up. It was heartbreaking that she didn't receive the same acclaim as her Rodin however, I am glad that a few of her pieces survived.

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