Melody's Reading Corner: November 2022

Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda

Melody

Bitter Lemon Press | 26 July 2022 | 286 pgs

Source: Library

Translated from the Japanese by Alison Watts

Where to begin? Everything about this story baffled me; starting with the sunny poetic title which has nothing to do as what it suggested (or perhaps I just missed it). In any case the concept was refreshing albeit a bit muddled in my opinion.

The story opens with a couple in their shared flat for a late night conversation before they go on separate ways. Aki and Hiro felt they've to know each other's feelings and thoughts after their mountain trek in which their guide had fallen off the mountain. To begin with, their relationship has somewhat broken down before the trip and looking back, they began to wonder if the other has anything to do with the guide's death.

Set over the course of one night, the reader will soon learn that the mind games between the couple go far beyond from that fateful trekking trip as there's something more about their past which might have start the chains of events leading to what happened on the mountain.

With narratives alternate between Aki and Hiro, this story was draped in an intense, suffocative atmosphere which have you question the characters' inner thoughts and the unravelling truth as a new day began. Truth be told, the strength of the story lies in the taut atmospheric setting and the tension between the characters but the suspense of the guide's death was shadowed by the characters' reminiscence as the story progresses. It was quite a well-crafted story characters-wise but a bit lacking in the thriller department (though I later understand that this isn't the core of the story at all). This book wasn't what I'd expected initially but the author's writing intrigued me. Perhaps I should check out her previous book, The Aosawa Murders (selected by NYT as one of most notable books of 2020.)

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Labels: 3 stars, Book Review, Japanese Literature, Psychological Suspense 8 comments |

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

Melody

Hodder & Stoughton | 7 July 2022 | 368 pgs

Source: Library

Casey Fletcher is an actress but has since pause her career after her husband's passing. Despite her husband's accidental drowning at their family's lake house in Vermont, Casey returns to the place to escape from bad press and also to drown her sorrows with alcohol. Bored with nothing much to do, Casey spends most of her time drinking and watching with her binoculars and that's when she started to watch the couple who live in the house across the lake.

Casey soon learns that the couple is none other than Tom and Katherine; both whom have made their success and fame through their jobs as a tech innovator and a model respectively. Casey later become friends with Katherine after she's saved her from drowning, but her impression on the glamorous couple starts to change after she got to know Katherine more and her spying habits continue. Tom's and Katherine's marriage may not seem as perfect as what she's thought the more she watches them until one day, Katherine goes missing. Curious and bothered by her disappearance, Casey is adamant to find out the truth till she's unravel something darker and more sinister than she's thought.

At first glance the premise gave off the Rear Window and The Woman in the Window vibes. I didn't mind this trope as I think with the trend of the thriller genre goes, most of the tropes have been used in one way or another and it's up to the author's imaginations and writing skills to make the story different and captivating in their own way. This book is a fine example of it; and I've enjoyed most of Riley Sager's books but this story was a letdown despite the intriguing premise. Don't get me wrong, Sager's writing is good and I feel his story settings' descriptions is one of his strengths but this story veered off in another direction which was simply too far-fetched for me to fathom and to appreciate the conclusion as it comes to a closure (I couldn't say why due to spoilers). Another thing that bothered me was Casey's alcoholic obsession; she really did nothing but drank and spied on her neighbour most of the times. There's some twists and turns as expected in this genre, but alas I think the author was trying too hard and this ended flatly in my opinion. I hope his next book will be better and that it'd surpass Final Girls and Home Before Dark, which remain my favourite Sager books.

Labels: 3 stars, Book Review, Psychological Thriller 10 comments |

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

Melody

Century | 21 July 2022 | 448 pgs

Source: Library

Although this title is stated as a standalone sequel to The Family Upstairs, I'd recommend readers to read TFU first to fully understand the story and the background of the characters before diving into this book as their emotions and actions are mostly shaped and impacted from some events happened in TFU.

As the story begins, a bag of human bones is found on the foreshore of the river Thames by someone who's mudlarking there. DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene for investigation and forensic examination later reported that the bones are of a young woman who was killed by a blow to the head many years ago. DCI Owusu later traced to a mansion in Chelsea through some seeds of a rare tree found alongside the bones and from the mansion leads to a mystery happened thirty years ago.

While the remaining occupants of the mansion are fully grown now and some has their own family, it seems they're still bothered by the past memories, in particularly Henry, who is adamant to find Phin whom they'd shared some unsettling childhood memories. His obsession leads him on a journey to Chicago, which then prompts his sister Lucy and her two children in pursuing him like cat-and-mouse game. The reader is also introduced to a new character, Rachel, who's in a complicated relationship with her husband, Michael. Michael is Lucy's ex-husband so all the characters are connected and what they're going through would be seen in a bigger picture towards the end.

As compared to TFU, this story may seem a bit bland from the thriller aspect. Then again, this is more of a domestic drama and it focuses more on the characters though there's still some suspense in the air which kept me intrigued. I was most interested in reading Henry's POV. It's clear that he has some issues but strangely his POV stands out the most amongst others (I've to confess I felt a bit bothered about his thoughts towards the end but I'll leave that to you to find out yourself). I'd say I liked TFU more than this book, but Lisa Jewell is a wonderful storyteller and a good writer so while this isn't my favourite, overall I still enjoyed the reading experience.