Book Review- J. Michael Straczynski's Together We Will Go

Thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of J. Michael Straczynski’s novel, Together We Will Go, in exchange for an honest review.

A little over a dozen strangers reply to a cryptic newspaper ad aimed at attracting people who wish to commit group suicide by plunging over a cliff in San Francisco. The author of the ad, Mark, is an unpublished writer who has lost hope and he promises the others in the group a fantastic bus ride across America, filled with excitement, as they head to their final destination.

A motley bunch joins this quest, including Karen, a young woman with a devastating medical condition, Vaughn, a senior grieving for his deceased wife, and Zeke, a drug addict who is traveling with his dying cat. The travelers agree to sign a waiver and to upload their stories and thoughts on their journey, both in verbal and written form, to a cloud-server, which they will leave behind as a type of art project from the beyond.

Together We Will Go is emotional and affecting, yet often hilarious and unexpected. I have to confess that I am usually triggered by stories of suicide. My father killed himself when I was four and I still carry deep anger and resentment towards both him and the situation. I find it difficult to find compassion or reason in suicide, yet Straczynski’s story allowed me to connect with his characters and their very individual reasons for making this choice. It’s hard to see their suffering and decisions as a simple, black and white issue. This gave me perspective.

I’ve never read a novel quite like Together We Will Go. I could not have anticipated the twists or the ending, all of which were satisfying. I cried and even had to stop reading over Zeke and his beloved cat. (I’m a cat person and it hit close to the heart.) Straczynski’s biggest strength is in the way he developed the relationships between the characters, some are very unexpected, yet all feel real. This was an especially big feat, as Together We Will Go has a large ensemble cast. Early in the story, I did get the characters a bit muddled, but I quickly was able to keep everything straight in my mind. Each character and their individual story is necessary and important. I felt connected to all of them and a bit crushed when the story ended.

Together We Will Go is simply a beautiful story. I finished it a week ago and it is still at the forefront of my mind. Straczynski handles a very complicated and difficult subject with grace and care. I highly recommend adding Together We Will Go to your TBR list.

Also, on a personal note, I was very happy that “Karen” is a likable and empathetic character, not like the “Karen” memes that have been going around the last few years. As a fellow Karen, this was nice to see!

Book Review- Nora Zelevansky's Competitive Grieving

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a copy of Nora Zelevansky’s novel, Competitive Grieving, in exchange for an honest review.

Wren is devastated by the sudden loss of her childhood friend, Stewart. Wren and Stewart were neighbors, their friendship sealed since infancy, when both of their mother’s were pregnant at the same time. Their friendship endured, as Stewart’s family became wealthy and moved into a penthouse apartment in Manhattan, while Wren’s artsy parents struggled financially, creating a divide between Stewart and Wren’s families.

Stewart further changed, when his acting career began to take-off, soon, he was not simply Wren’s Stewart, but the famous Stewart Beasley. In the days following his death, it is revealed that Stewart left specific instructions to have Wren, along with Stewart’s lawyer (and friend) George, go through his apartment and help with the memorial plans. Wren is further devastated to have to contend with friends from other parts of Stewart’s life, who are also grieving. Wren sees them as vultures, desperate to grab pieces of the friend she loved, and sees their grief as “competitive,” each person trying to prove their connection to Stewart in a twisted game.

Wren is told that Stewart died of a brain aneurysm, but as she digs through his apartment and gains little pieces of information, such as a mysterious heartbroken woman at Stewart’s memorial service, she suspects that this is not the truth.

The premise of Competitive Grieving is strong. It made me reflect on the idea of how we have a special relationship with each person we know and that it is impossible to quantify the depth of those relationships. Just as Wren struggles with her identity of being Stewart’s “best friend,” I struggled with this when my mom passed away. It’s hard to see the grief of others, when you feel that your own grief is superior. Now, far removed from the situation, I have the perspective that grief is simply not like that. As Wren comes to realize, everyone is entitled to their own grieving and no one has a right to judge it. Just as my mom meant different things to different people, things that I have no way of understanding, Stewart had different relationships, different friendships, that did not concern Wren.

Wren is not an easy character. Through much of Competitive Grieving, she is reactionary and wallowing. The story only spans a few weeks, but it is hard to be in Wren’s shoes. It fits with the themes of the story and Wren’s character arc, but it’s not an easy place to be and as such, I did not find Competitive Grieving to be a quick read. I could only handle a few chapters at a time.

I don’t want to give anything away with this review, as the mystery of Stewart is a carefully crafted reveal to maximize an emotional punch. Zelevansky is masterful at handling a delicate topic with grace and humanity. This particular situation is a bit of a trigger for me and reading Competitive Grieving was one of the rare times that this subject made me feel less angry and more compassionate. I appreciate Zelevansky’s ability to change my perspective.

Book Review: Fredrik Backman's Anxious People

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with a copy of Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, Anxious People, in exchange for an honest review.

After a failing to rob a bank, a would-be thief enters a nearby apartment complex and takes a group of hostages. The hostages are an eclectic bunch of strangers who have come for an apartment viewing. The two police detectives on the case are a father/son pair who are struggling to communicate and their situation is further strained when they cannot figure out how all of the hostages were freed, yet no one has any idea what happened to the robber. After making no demands other than pizza to feed the hostages, she seems to have disappeared.

Anxious People is told via flashbacks to the hostage situation, flashbacks to important moments from the lives of the key characters, and police interviews following the release of the hostages. The suspense is high and Backman’s story unfolds in a way that allows readers to solve the mystery as they read.

More than a mystery, Anxious People is a drama, a story about how failure to communicate with others leaves us feeling isolated and anxious. It’s a story about being human. It’s about the flaws and needs of every human. Backman often breaks the forth wall and speaks directly to the reader, pulling us into the emotional core of the story. We are the hostages, we are the robber, and we are the police. Their story is our story.

In 2020 we need hope more than ever and Backman provides hope. His characters choose kindness and compassion. It isn’t trite, it is human. Yes, I cried buckets.

I’m loath to use the phrase “trigger warning,” but I feel that I must mention that part of the story involves suicide. My father committed suicide when I was four and it is certainly a sensitive subject, but not one that I shy away from. I’m not sure how it might affect others. The suicide aspect of Anxious People has more to do with the people left behind, the people who feel they could have prevented the suicide.

Anxious People is an entertaining mix of genres. It’s surprising, humorous, and has a big heart. I’ve been a fan of all of Backman’s previous novels and I look forward to reading his next one.