Psycho: Sanitarium (Psycho #1.5) by Chet Williamson

DESCRIPTION:

The original Psycho novel by Robert Bloch was published in 1959 and became an instant hit, leading to the smash movie only a year later, which brought Norman Bates's terrifying story into the public consciousness, where it still remains (proven by the success of the tv series, Bates Motel). It took Bloch 23 years to write another Psycho novel, revealing that Norman had been in a mental institution the entire time. In that sequel, Norman quickly escapes the sanatorium and goes on a killing spree in Hollywood.

But what happened in that asylum during those two decades? Until now, no one has known.

It's 1960. Norman Bates is in the State Hospital for the Criminally Insane and it's up to Dr. Felix Reed to bring him out of his catatonic state.

But Norman and Dr. Reed have obstacles in twisted fellow patients and staff members who think of the institution as a prison rather than a place of healing. And the greatest obstacle is the building itself, once a private sanatorium, rumoured to be haunted. A wild card appears in the persona of Robert Newman, Norman's twin brother, taken away at birth after the attending doctor pronounced him brain damaged. As Robert and Norman grow to know each other, Norman senses a darkness in Robert, even deeper than that which has lurked in Norman himself.

Soon, murders begin to occur and a shocking chain of events plunge us even deeper into the deranged madness inside the walls of Psycho: Sanitarium.

REVIEW

Most people my age grew up with the  movies of Hitchcock: call us the Hitchcock generation if you want and you won't be far from right. My Father raised me into loving the art of cinema and I pride myself in having been able to appreciate most if not all of the major classics out there. Psycho being one of them makes it a possession of great admiration amongst my movie collection.

I have often debated the brilliance of its characters, their psychological deviations and depths and the pure cinematographic value of the film. With a certainty beyond 100% I can claim there is not one soul that was left untroubled after the closing scene of the movie where Bates says: "She wouldn't even harm a fly".

I believe I was 15 when I first watched the movie. Stunned is the exact adjective to use for describing my state for days after. Naturally, when I saw the sequel being published this year I plunged myself to find a way to have it. I received an advance copy of Sanitarium for an honest review from Netgalley and here it is my honest opinion of this novel.

I read Sanitarium in matter of hours due to my excitement. In general, Williams gave a good attempt in trying to preserve the mood of the movie as well as the ever haunting image of the mother. The feeling of uneasiness that hung over throughout the movie was well exploited in the sequel. For some reason it just missed the spot with me. There was intrigue, also tension, but it wasn't strong enough to suck me into the story.

Williams followed the recipe with exact accuracy but lacked that pinch of creativity that I was looking for. He wrote a marvellous, unsettling tale, but it just doesn't manage to get out of the shadow of its bigger brother the original classic.

The feeling of pity for Bates ruined the original appeal of greatness of the character. I perfectly understand that there was no other way of proceeding, for the purposes of the plot, but I cannot help but feel cheated. Furthermore, what really pissed me off is the discrepancy between the first disappearance and all the following. The first one got me on edge I even squeaked and woke my boyfriend, but the rest of them were dull and orchestrated. WHY, WILLIAMS, WHY? 

My overall opinion is great writing, great character building, occasional greatness darkened by the attempt to match the classic. Williams should have trusted himself more, for he has a great sense for the creepy and macabre. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see what comes after and need a certain closure to the original story.

The Long Drop by Denise Mina Sadly Only Chapter 1

DESCRIPTION

A standalone psychological thriller from the acclaimed author of the Alex Morrow novels that exposes the dark hearts of the guilty...and the innocent.
The "trial of the century" in 1950's Glasgow is over. Peter Manuel has been found guilty of a string of murders and is waiting to die by hanging. But every good crime story has a beginning. Manuel's starts with the murder of William Watt's family. Looking no further that Watt himself, the police are convinced he's guilty. Desperate to clear his name, Watt turns to Manuel, a career criminal who claims to have information that will finger the real killer. As Watt seeks justice with the cagey Manuel's help, everyone the pair meets has blood on their hands as they sell their version of the truth. THE LONG DROP is an explosive novel about guilt, innocence and the power of a good story to hide the difference.

REVIEW

I received only an extract from this novel; the first chapter to be exact. BUT did it give me goosebumps all over my body, oh baby it DID! And this means that it is going to be a hell of a book, that I have to buy or it will be the end of me! Denise Mina, girl, you got me from the first sentence. I am hooked, I have no idea how I will wait for The Long Drop to be published! The writing is extremely vivid and the atmosphere that is created is out of this world... well, in this world ... it is a masterpiece. I know these are quite strong words I am using there, but I loved it so much! So much I read it out loud a couple of times just to feel the words rumbling down my tongue. The world play is so good, it is on the verge of sin. Sensual and yummy! I hope the plot revolves just as catchy or it will be a waste of talent! Denise Mina is a creature that knows her words and knows how to use them to mesmerise!!!! Absolutely brilliant!!!

I hate that I only got a sneak peak! As one other reader said it:

"It’s almost like opening the door just a smidgen and letting you peer round the corner at the unfolding story, only to be yanked back and have the door shut in your face rather abruptly."

HORRIBLY UNFAIR!

But, alas, I just have to wait a bit longer!

Tumbledown Manor by Helen Brown

I am going to start off with the things I liked about the novel. It is  a novel that echoes books like Eat, Pray, Love and My life in France...  On after though it strongly tasted of Under the Tuscan Sun(movie). A straightforward novel of family relations, pain transformed to love, rediscovering your true self and moving on after the devastation of a broken marriage.  The style is engaging, but not too heavy. Although some serious topics are touched upon, it does so in an easygoing tone and an overall optimistic veil is spread across the book. It was for me an easy, read-on-the-beach novel that will not necessarily stick to haunt me for years later... Most likely I will forget it soon after writing the review.

Despite the appealing premise and some engaging scenes and characters unfortunately, Tumbledown Manor wasn't much more than an okay read for me. It was a good, but plain book that did not bring extraordinary anything in my life. It is uplifting, it is sunny and makes you smile, but the overall verdict is I have read so many books EXACTLY the same as this one. 

Maybe there are women out there, or men for that matter, who like re-reading the same story with different characters and backgrounds, but I am not one of them.  I recieved this book as a review copy from NetGalley.

I give The Tumbledown Manor 2 fox, because it was the fruit of a lot of effort and thought. It was well established and enjoyable, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. 

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

DESCRIPTION

"It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon." This is the way Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she fell in love with Red that day in July 1959. The whole family—their two daughters and two sons, their grandchildren, even their faithful old dog—is on the porch, listening contentedly as Abby tells the tale they have heard so many times before. And yet this gathering is different too: Abby and Red are growing older, and decisions must be made about how best to look after them, and the fate of the house so lovingly built by Red's father. Brimming with the luminous insight, humor, and compassion that are Anne Tyler's hallmarks, this capacious novel takes us across three generations of the Whitshanks, their shared stories and long-held secrets, all the unguarded and richly lived moments that combine to define who and what they are as a family.

REVIEW

One part of me wants to call the novel lovely, the other-ordinary. A Spool of Blue Tread is a quiet, slow paced family drama. It portrays ordinary life, ordinary people, with their ordinary mishaps, disillusionment and struggles, yet it puts a spell on the reader with its artistic manner of conveying the mundane into the magical. It succeeds in keeping you occupied and forcefully puts you on standby mode to recollect, but mostly makes you smile with understanding and content. 

Anne Tyler brought humanity to the readers in a world where there is not much humanity left. You don't get to meet families like this any more... Unless you are Eastern European like I am... Western Families are different, they lack a certain je ne sais quoi, a certain homely touch, that you can see in Eastern Europe.

Tyler created characters that are insufferable, yet likeable - complex, annoying, selfish, stubborn, yet extremely loveable and accessible. Weird in the best possible way and LOUD! Oh my God - loud in the sense of radiant, vibrant, real... full of life. After saying this, I think you can better understand why I feel eager to call her novel ordinary. It is Extraordinary in its Ordinariness. Simple. Fulfilled. Enough. Humane.

The Translation of Love by Lynne Kutsukake

DESCRIPTION

Set against the pulsing backdrop of post-war Tokyo, The Translation of Love tells the gripping and heartfelt story of a newly repatriated Japanese-Canadian girl who must help a classmate find her missing sister. A dazzling New Face of Fiction for 2016 that will appeal to readers of All the Light We Cannot See and Anita Shreve.

Thirteen-year-old Aya Shimamura is released from a Canadian internment camp in 1946, still grieving the recent death of her mother, and repatriated to Japan with her embittered father. They arrive in a devastated Tokyo occupied by the Americans under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. Aya's English-language abilities are prized by the principal of her new school, but her status as the "repat girl" makes her a social pariah--until her seatmate, a fierce, willful girl named Fumi Tanaka, decides that Aya might be able to help her find her missing older sister. Beautiful Sumiko has disappeared into the seedy back alleys of the Ginza. Fumi has heard that General MacArthur sometimes assists Japanese citizens in need, and she enlists Aya to compose a letter in English asking him for help.

Corporal Matt Matsumoto is a Japanese-American working for the Occupation forces, and it's his overwhelming job to translate thousands of letters for the General. He is entrusted with the safe delivery of Fumi's letter; but Fumi, desperate for answers, takes matters into her own hands, venturing into the Ginza with Aya in tow.

Told through rich, interlocking storylines, The Translation of Love mines a turbulent period to show how war irrevocably shapes the lives of both the occupied and the occupiers, and how the poignant spark of resilience, friendship and love transcends cultures and borders to stunning effect.

REVIEW

I told you I have discovered historical novels is a genre I have become to truly enjoy, regardless of my prior convictions. And Translation of Love proved my newly addiction to be one that is here to stay and torment my sleep only to bring me satisfaction of reading I never knew before. I kept tossing and turning, torn by the dilemmas of the characters and what is to become of them. Lynne Kutsukake brought rich storytelling, wonderful observations and magnificent character building to the table and garnished it with themes that are here to stay. The range of topics she covered caused my awes of respected and astonishment. She spoke of friendship, love, distrust, even resilience with ease and taste that I have not come across in a couple of years now. I did not expect such depth from a contemporary author.

I was suck into occupied Japan, experienced intimate society lifestyle as one would only if she had live in Japan during the same period. Every single one of her characters lit up from the pages and had his/her own voice heard among the noise of world. At time I believed myself to be dropped by a magical force right in the middle of the story to follow Fumi, Kondo and Aya as if I were there own shadow. I observed their every move almost as if I was a stalker of the worst kind, only to find myself nodding understandingly to their dialogue.

The Translation of Love is evocative, lush and transcendental experience for the lovers of the Joy Luck Club and Memoirs of a Geisha! Without a doubt I give it 5 fox :) Thank you, Netgalley and Random House UK for the chance to experience this novel :)

The Courilof Affair by Irène Némirovsky

DESCRIPTION

In 1903 Léon M - the son of two Russian revolutionaries - is given the responsibility of 'liquidating' Valerian Alexandrovitch Courilof, the notoriously brutal and cold-blooded Russian Minister of Education, by the Revolutionary Committee. The assassination, he is told, must take place in public and be carried out in the most grandiose manner possible in order to strike the imagination of the people.

Posing as his newly appointed personal physician, Léon M takes up residence with Courilof in his summer house in the Iles and awaits instructions. But over the course of his stay he is made privy to the inner world of the man he must kill - his failing health, his troubled domestic situation and, most importantly, the tyrannical grip that the Czar himself holds over all his Ministers, forcing them to obey him or suffer the most deadly punishments.

Set during a period of radical upheaval in European history, The Courliof Affair is an unsparing observation of human motives and the abuses of power, an elegy to a lost world and an unflinchingly topical cautionary tale.

REVIEW

Irène Némirovsky is a Russian Jew, that grew up in Kiev, spent a year in Finland before making her way to France where she build a family and home. She is an author that brings the world into your palms and leaves you wrapped in a blanket of words that need a while to settle down; to sink in and truly make sense. She makes the obvious mysterious and the mysterious mundane... What I mean by that is that she summaries her entire novel in its very first sentence, yet it kept me glued to the pages, leaving me reluctant to put the book down until I have reached the very last page. 

I loved discovering the human behind the terrorist assassin... It was gruesome and left me stupefied, yet I felt so connected with the topic maybe because it is so up-to-date. Sometimes, I find myself trying to justify people's evilness and The Courilof Affair helped me to a great extent. I have always been drawn to literature of such kind... You might call me perverted for it, but criminal minds fascinate me.

Anyway The Courilof Affair is a little book, trying to cover a giant theme and I am not sure whether it did so successfully or not. It is a novel that is both delicate and grim, peppered with descriptions of rain on the streets and the first blossoms of spring - I must be heartless to resist that.BUT in between the drops of simplicity you find philosophical treatise on the hypocrisy , morality and uselessness of terrorism... The Courilof Affair is a pretty sweet cup of tea, but not my most favourite.

The Misunderstanding by Irène Némirovsky

DESCRIPTION

The Misunderstanding is Irène Némirovsky's first novel, written when she was just twenty-one and published in a literary journal two years later. An intense story of self-destructive and blighted love, it is also a tragic satire of French society after the Great War.

Yves Harteloup, scarred by the war, is a disappointed young man, old money fallen on hard times, who returns for the summer to the rich, comfortable Atlantic resort of Hendaye, where he spent blissful childhood holidays. He becomes infatuated with a beautiful, bored young woman, Denise, whose rich husband is often away on business. Intoxicated by summer nights and Yves' intensity, Denise falls passionately in love, before the idyll has to end and Yves must return to his mundane office job.

In the mournful Paris autumn their love flounders on mutual misunderstanding, in the apparently unbridgeable gap between a life of idle wealth and the demands of making a living, between a woman's needs and a man's way of loving. As Denise is driven mad with desire and jealous suspicion, Yves, too sure of her, tortures himself and her with his emotional ambivalence. Taking her sophisticated mother's advice, Denise takes action... which she may regret forever.

With a sharp satirical eye and a characteristic perception for the fault lines in human relationships, Irène Némirovsky's first novel shows sure signs of the brilliant novelist she was to become.

REVIEW

Irène Némirovsky  is a name that has been haunting my book cosmos for many years now. From my high-school years to my university pursuits her name peeked from every corner, always watching, constantly reminding of itself. But since I came in the UK she has plunged  in obscurity, well until one day a week or two ago, when she threw herself at me from a library shelf. Ruthless woman, I'm telling you, almost toppled me over. I picked three of her novels, not even bothering to read the back cover... I ended up, by strange whim of destiny with her first, her last and a sort of middle novel of hers. Weird, right? Then again it gave a good overview of the evolution of her style and themes. So this little fox is content with her choice.

The Misunderstanding is Némirovsky's first novel. She published it when she was only 21. For a début of only 164 pages I found it remarkable well-established and put together. A petite jewel if you want me to be exact. A story of exaggerated love and enthusiasm it is the epitome of young love. A love-Hate relationship with life and the way it intertwines in the world of two lovers who seem very clumsy in coping with themselves.

The novel's main characters left me with a long forgotten taste of mischief and promiscuity. I felt as if I was back in my teens when nothing made sense, every thought gave birth to chaos and every desire seem to though me  from exhilaration to dis pair in the matter of seconds. Némirovsky did a marvellous job in portraying the moodiness of young people in love, who have yet to adult.

The best part is that Némirovsky only alluded to her gift of being able to strip life to its beautiful, simple, essence for the purpose of literature. I don't know if you have read Brooklyn by C. Toibin, but I have no doubt you'll be watching the movie soon. Well, The Misunderstanding is similar to it, it the sense that it reflects its style. It is a perfect miniature of reality, so exemplary that it almost reads as a diary.

The writing is flowing and graceful, with the bitter-sweet taste of clichés that you'd find in young author's works. The style is genuine and pure. Yves and Denise are luminous characters that bring the novel out of sentimental period nostalgia into intelligent drama that promises to make you fall in love again