July/August Books

Reading is slow-going these days.  Before July 28, I was 9 months pregnant and exhausted and couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to read a chapter at a time, much less finish a whole book!  And since then, my reading time is limited to sweet Harper's feeding times.  However, the two books I have finished have been well worth struggling through them!

Four college graduates with meaningless degrees have no job prospects and are desperate for money.  Arthur Pender and his girlfriend Marie, along with their friends "Mouse" and Sawyer hatch a plot - they will become kidnappers - kidnapping wealthy people and demanding a reasonable ransom.  They will ask for enough money to cover their expenses and split a nice profit, but not enough to attract too much attention.  They pull jobs all over the country, assume multiple identities, putting away money to one day retire to the Maldives - to sit on a beach and never work again. The plan is simple - get the target's attention, stuff them in the van, blindfold them, get them to call their loved one and relay the ransom message - $60,000, no police.  They make the trade, ditch the vehicle, and move on to the next city.

Everything is going according to plan, until they kidnap the wrong man - a man who turns out to be married to a woman with mob connections.  Sawyer panics and shoots the man and all hell breaks loose.  Suddenly, the quartet has not only the mob on their tail, but the FBI as well.  The story that ensues is full of twists and turns and makes for a definite page turner.

I loved, loved, loved, this book!  I totally think it should be made into a movie!  The plot, the characters, excellent book!

My sister-in-law introduced me to Wally Lamb a few summers ago with She's Come Undone.  We Are Water has been on my list for a while, and I finally picked it up at the library. 

We Are Water is a story of a dysfunctional family with interesting dynamics.  Annie Oh is a popular artist, about to marry her partner and art rep/dealer Viveca.  She and her ex-husband, Orion, have three grown children.  Orion was an on-campus psychologist, but was recently relieved of his duties following an alleged incident with a female student.  Their adult children, twins Ariane and Andrew, and little sister Marissa, all have secrets and struggles of their own.  Written in flashbacks and story telling, secrets of all of the characters come to light, secrets that explain so much of the Ohs' life together. 

This book review from the Boston Globe tells it better than I can:

"Annie Oh’s wedding day ought to be a source of joy for her and her family. Instead, it is a car wreck, as Annie’s career, her childhood, her own children, and her ex-husband all collide in the small town of Three Rivers, Conn. With each emotional clash, the drama ratchets up further, but in Wally Lamb’s strangely superficial new novel, none of them really matter as none really come to life...

Their three adult children, who also have their say, include a flailing fledgling actress who drinks too much, an unattractive do-gooder on her way to becoming a single mother, and an Army nurse with anger issues. The Army nurse’s fiancée is a right-wing conservative, which guarantees some tension as her future mother-in-law’s wedding approaches, but all the children will get their turn to express displeasure, frustration, and, of course, ultimately connection with the family that spawned them."

This is such an intricate family story with such vivid characters.  I really enjoyed this book - it had surprises and revelations and the characters' reactions were so genuine.  Lamb is an excellent story teller!!

I'm in the middle of The Vanishing Point right now - another mystery/thriller, recommended by J.K. Rowling.  I'll post soon!