THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL

TITLE: THE BASTARD OF ISTANBUL

AUTHOR: ELIF SHAFAK

Pages: 357

Date: 15/11/2012

Grade: 4+

Details: Book Club Read

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“Family stories intermingle in such ways that what happened generations ago can have an impact on seemingly irrelevant developments of the present day. The past is anything but bygone.”

Armanoush has an American mother and an Armenian father who are separated. When her mother remarried it was to Mustafa, a Turkish man. Armanoush spends part of her time in San Francisco with her father’s family and part in Arizona with her mother. She is a young woman, caught between cultures, raised on stories about the horrendous hardships Armenians went through in the early 20^th century with little idea of what her forefather’s homeland looks like. When curiosity gets the better of her she decides to travel to Istanbul without telling anybody. After all, in Istanbul she can stay with her stepfather’s family. Mustafa may not have been back to his homeland or his family in twenty years but now his stepdaughter will come to visit.

In Istanbul 20 year old Asya has grown up in a house filled with women. Born out of wedlock she has no idea who her father is and calls her mother “Auntie” just as she does her mother’s three sisters. Asya has initially no intention of becoming friends with this stranger from America but as the days go by the two girls grow closer and, unbeknownst to them, so do their stories and histories.

There is a lot more to the story in this book than I have described above. I could extend the summary with descriptions of the individual aunts, the back-stories of the various older generation characters as well as the troubled history between the Armenian and Turkish people. To do so would mean writing a short story rather than a review though. And I can’t help feeling that no matter how much I expand on my summary, I will still leave out details that others might consider vital to the story.  And besides, one issue I had with this book was that the author seemed to want to tell too many stories. I don’t think this book needed the detailed histories and descriptions of so many different characters. I can’t help feeling that the book would have left a deeper impression if the author had concentrated on the two young women while using their families as background figures – characters with walk-on parts so to speak.

What I did enjoy was the insight this book gave me into a history I knew little or nothing about. I had some vague idea about troubles between the Turkish and Armenian people but wouldn’t have been able to tell you anything about it or even place it at a specific moment in time. The author did a great job explaining this history in all its heartbreaking detail without either turning it into a tear-jerking drama or sounding overly judgemental. I feel she also dealt very well with the feelings modern day, exiled, Armenians hang on to and the ignorance of a lot of Turkish people with regard to that history and those feelings. The reader isn’t forced to take sides. There is no need to condemn one people in favour of the other. Just as the characters doing despicable or objectionable things in this story don’t stay bad all their lives, neither do the sins of the fathers determine relationships between their children. The past may be anything but bygone, that doesn’t mean that those in the present can’t create a new future.

Another thing I really liked, and something that took me by surprise when it first came up in the story, was the supernatural aspect to this story. This made information available to the characters, and therefore the reader, that would have been far more difficult to share without the fortune telling "auntie".

This was a clever, insightful, very well written and easy to read book with a fascinating story. Maybe the author tried to cram in a bit too much information for me, but that didn’t stop me from continuing to turn the pages at a ferocious pace.

MONSIEUR

TITLE: MONSIEUR

AUTHOR: EMMA BECKER

Pages: 372

Date: 13/11/2012

Grade: 4

Details: Received from Constable & Robinson through Book Geeks

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A twenty year old girl and a forty-six year old man, the man slightly older than the girl’s father, a married man with five children.

“I have an indecent fascination with men who read. Particularly these books. An Interest in erotica is very telling.”

When twenty year old Ellie finds out that a colleague of her uncle has an interest in and a collection of erotic literature the thought excites her and awakens her curiosity. It isn’t long before she has found this man on Facebook. When, soon after, she sends him a message, indicating both her own interest in erotica and subtle hints at where those might lead she sets in to motion a chain of events that will take her on an emotional roller-coaster and will, eventually, leave her devastated.  Initially the two illicit lovers meet regularly, on Tuesdays, in a cheap hotel in Paris where their encounters and especially Monsieur’s needs and demands are of such intensity that they both intrigue and revolt the young woman. This state of affairs doesn’t last long though. After only a few weeks their encounters become less regular and contact between them fragmented and ever more one-sided. Torn between need and despair Ellie doesn’t know what she wants or needs anymore. Other lovers can’t distract her from the need she feels for Monsieur and neither can her girlfriends. She will have to make up her mind if an affair, conducted according to his schedule only, is something she can live with or whether her, ever more fragile, hold on her sanity requires her to make a clean break.

This was a book unlike anything I’ve read before and I’m not quite sure what I think of it. Exceptionally well written this story is both shocking and thought provoking. The reader finds themselves alternating between very graphic and often crude descriptions of sexual intercourse and philosophical thoughts about love, life, erotica and relationships.  And because the story is told by a girl in her early twenties we are spectators as she slowly grows up, learns things about herself she might not want to know and discovers her boundaries.

As for Ellie, there were several occasions on which I felt like slapping some sense into her. I wanted her to make up her mind about what she wanted and needed. Either she enjoyed the way he was treating her – in which case continuing made sense – or she didn’t – which should have her walking away from this unpredictable and utterly selfish man. It was hard not to feel that the young woman was as addicted to this man as she was to the bad way in which he was treating her. The way she describes her despair had me thinking that those feelings were as important to her as her physical need for him was.

One issue I had early on in this book is that it wasn’t always clear who was saying what. The perspective could shift from one paragraph to the next and there were occasions when I would have finished reading a paragraph before realising that, apparently, the perspective had changed. I think this might be a language issue though. It’s been years since I last studied French in school but I do remember enough to know that if I were  (able) to read this book in the original language the use of gender based words and word-endings would have made these shifts more instantly recognisable. I also find myself wondering if I made allowances for this story and the language used because it is, originally, a French story; as if the French are entitled to behave, think and talk in ways that I wouldn’t find acceptable coming from any other nationality. Even now that I’ve finished the book, I can’t answer that particular question.

This book is very sexually explicit and doesn’t mince its words. In fact at times the language in this book is crude. The author doesn’t shy away from using vulgar words, doesn’t try to make the sexual acts the characters indulge in look or sound polite. These two characters abandon themselves in each other and in the animal attraction between them; the words they use reflect their very basic needs. Any shame Ellie feels is there for the reader to share, and the words used make it easier for the reader to do just that.

Fascinating and disturbing, beautifully written and at times almost philosophical, vulgar and shocking; there are so many aspects to this book and it raised so many, conflicting, reactions in me that I’m at a loss to come up with a short description of my feelings about this work. What I will say is that this is not a book for those who find themselves easily shocked or offended. And it is also not a book for those who want a quick and easy erotic tale. This book provides the reader with both a shocking story and lots of food for thought. This is a story that, for a variety of reasons, will linger with the reader.

According to an interview with the author this is a semi-autobiographical story which makes me wonder if the man she calls Monsieur in this book has read it, how he feels about it and if they have had contact (in any way, shape or form) since the book was published.  At the same time I’m not sure whether to admire the way in which the author described herself or be shocked by her apparent lack of shame. What I will say though is that if an award was given for brutal honesty in a novel, this book would be in with a good chance of winning.

Three quotes from the book that, for me, illustrate the literary standard in this work:

“How curious it is that the men we love already exist in their own right before our perception changes them and they enter the familiarity of our world.”

“You can be a friend or you can be a lover, and when you happen to be lovers and enemies, like Monsieur and me, you end up with a broken heart.”

“How could individual universes collapse on themselves and leave the rest of the world unaffected?”

ODD APOCALYPSE

TITLE: ODD APOCALYPSE

AUTHOR: DEAN KOONTZ

Pages: 355

Date: 11/11/2012

Grade: 4+

Details: no. 5 Odd Thomas

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Odd Thomas is a young fry-cook, originally from Pico Mundo, who can see the lingering spirits of dead people and finds his “gift” takes him from one place and situation to the next in order to help those lost souls to their final destination. Initially Roseland, a mansion in the middle of huge and immaculately kept lands in California, seems like a peaceful and safe place for Odd and Annamaria, his mysterious and pregnant friend, to spend some time. That is until Odd meets the ghost of a woman riding a huge black ghost horse. Although the dead can’t talk to Odd it is clear to him that the woman was murdered and that there is something she desperately wants him to do for her. Combined with night-time suddenly descending in the middle of the day and bringing with it deformed and violent monsters it soon becomes clear to Odd that Roseland is anything but a safe haven. This is a place that defies the laws of nature and time, inhabited by a small group of people who appear friendly enough but are talking in riddles, put restrictions on where he can go and turn hostile once he starts digging into their world. The more Odd gets to understand the environment he finds himself in the more he realises that he needs to end the evil that is being enacted there. It also becomes ever more clear that he may well be up against too many enemies this time. His dreams seem to indicate a horrible death for him and it may well be that the only way to end the horror is also a sure way to get himself killed.

I don’t usually read horror stories. In general they don’t work for me because I tend to find myself caught between scenes I really don’t want to picture and too much suspension of disbelieve. I do however make a very happy exception for this series of books by Dean Koontz.

What makes these books so special is the character of Odd Thomas. A young man from a small town, in many ways an innocent and in every way an honourable person, he finds himself up against the most depraved of evils. But while he sees and experiences the horrific deeds people are capable off he manages to retain his own pure core. He may occasionally have to do things he abhors, but the fact of his reluctance combined with the pain his actions cause him means that no matter what fate throws his way, he emerges as the same honest, charming and funny young man at the end of every encounter with evil.

These books are written in a wonderful and chatty style. They are presented as Odd Thomas narrating his own adventures and although he does so with hindsight he doesn’t foreshadow any of what is about to happen. The reader experiences everything, in the moment, with the main character. But, since an author friend of Odd advised him to keep the telling of his stories light since there is so much darkness in the events he shares, these stories are never oppressing and at times almost light-hearted. They are however filled with heart-stopping tension and the sort of suspense that keeps the reader turning the pages at a furious rate.

When I read “Odd Thomas”, the first book in this series, his character captured my heart while his story broke it. Now, five books later I still find myself eagerly awaiting each next instalment, safe in the knowledge that Koontz and Odd will manage to scare and charm me in equal measure.

THREE SHORTS BY TIFFANY REISZ

TITLE: LITTLE RED RIDING CROP

Pages: 37

Date: 27/10/2012

Grade: 4.5

Details: Original Sinners 0.6

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The story starts with Mistress Nora in handcuffs, which wouldn’t be that unusual except that these are official issue handcuffs and she finds herself arrested and in a police station. When she’s released her boss, the sexy, demanding and very French Kingsley, is there to pick her up. Exhausted after months of constant Dominatrix work, Nora asks Kingsley for time off. A wish he is prepared to grand provided she’ll infiltrate a rival BDSM club first, finds out who the owner is and why they are stealing Kingsley’s staff.

Dressed in a red coat and carrying her little red riding crop Nora knocks on the rival club’s door and finds herself face to face with Brad, also known as “The Big Brad Wolfe”, and she will have to submit to this powerful Dom if she wants to discover the secrets behind this new and very successful club. Submitting to Brad means turning the clock back for Nora, opening herself up to memories she’d rather forget but also to sensations she still thrives on.

This was one hot and fun short story. I’m constantly amazed at how much plot Miss Reisz manages to get into her shorts without losing any of the steamy details. Story by story I find myself loving Nora more and needing to read more about her and those in her world.  The Big Brad Wolfe was a very interesting addition to the characters in this series and I can’t help hoping I’ll be seeing more of him in future books and/or stories.

This story can be found as a free download on the author’s website.

TITLE: DANIEL, PART TWO

Pages: 116 (printed)

Date: 05/11/2012

Grade: 5-

Details: An “Original Sinners” Short

              Sequel to “Seven DayLoan”

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Daniel returns to America and Manhattan after a year of travelling the world and testing his limits. A year that has helped him come to terms with his wife’s tragic death but has done nothing to help him get over Eleanor, the young sub he shared a week with, who helped him escape from his self-imposed house arrest after his loss and wouldn’t stay with him once the week was over. Now he’s about to enter Kingsley Edge’s world again; a world of BDSM as well as the world where Eleanor spends a lot of her time. Before he meets Kingsley though he has to get past the front door and Anya, a young woman from Quebec who appears to take an instant dislike to him. When Daniel finds out that Anya is about to put her virginity up for auction in order to care for her five, younger, siblings he is worried about the young woman and what she may have to face. But it isn’t until he has another encounter with Eleanor and finally realises that she will never be his that he realises that Anya may well be the ideal woman to make his own. Making Anya feel the same and saving her from the auction won’t be easy though and require assistance as well as a devious plan.

As always Tiffany Reisz managed to captivate me with her story. Daniel is a wonderful character; strong and very dominant as well as caring and thoughtful he reads like a dream come true. With the story taking place over only a few weeks the falling in and out of love happens a bit unrealistically fast. Having said that, the speed with which things happened didn’t bother me at all while reading and only occured to me after I finished the story.  This was a wonderful and very sexually charged love story and I was very sorry when it was over. I just can’t seem to get enough of these characters or of Miss Reisz’ stories.

TITLE: SUBMIT TO DESIRE

Pages: 60

Date: 07/11/2012

Grade: 4.5

Details: Original Sinners 0.7

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Oh wow, it’s another good one!

Charlotte Brand is fed up with her oh so nice but very boring boyfriends. Out with two friends for the night after her latest relationship has hit the dust, she attracts the attention of Kingsley Edge when she performs her fire-breathing act. When Charlotte finds herself alone with the very attractive and dangerous looking Kingsley he puts a proposal to her. He wants her to move in for a month during which he will train her and turn her into the perfect submissive for an exclusive client of his. Over the course of the next four weeks Charlotte faces her darkest fears and desires and discovers a world of pleasure. She also finds herself getting every more attached to Kingsley. Will Charlotte be able to submit to a stranger after everything she has learned to love with Kingsley or is that one order too far?

This was another exciting story by Miss Reisz. Nowhere near as emotionally charged as “Daniel Part Two” this, like “Little Red Riding Crop”, is more of a fun interlude but oh so erotic. I enjoyed reading a story in which Kingsley took centre stage. He has appeared in almost every other “Original Sinners” book and story I have read but so far I hadn’t been able to from a real picture of him. After this story I feel I’ve got a slightly better idea of who this character is and find myself eager to get to know him better. I have been eagerly awaiting the publication of “The Prince” for a while now, and after reading this story I find myself more impatient than ever.

Tiffany Reisz continues to mesmerise, amaze and delight me with her stories, her characters and her fluent writing. I’m not usually inclined to gush about authors, but I could easily make a well-deserved exception for Miss Reisz. Long may she write…

Two quotes:

“Vanilla sex is all about trust. Rape is all about fear. In that place between fear and trust is where we live.”

“Charlie, in this house the word slut is the highest compliment I can give. It means you are a person who owns her sexuality and is unafraid to experiment and open her mind and body to new experiences.”

NEXT OF KIN

TITLE: NEXT OF KIN

AUTHOR: JOHN BOYNE

Date: 07/11/2012

Grade: 4.5

Details: Received from Black Swan Books

              Through Book Geeks

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When his uncle dies, Owen Montignac is convinced that he stands to inherit the extensive estate. After all, it is a Montignac tradition that only males inherit, and with Owen’s only surviving cousin being Stella there is no doubt about what will be found in the will. Except that his uncle does manage to surprise Owen. Stella inherits everything  with Owen getting absolutely nothing.

To say that Owen is disappointed would be a gross understatement. After all, his father was the older brother and should have been in charge of the estate. The fact that he was disowned by Owen’s grandfather doesn’t change anything in the young man’s mind, and neither does the fact that his uncle took him in after his parents died when he was only five. But Owen has bigger problems than just the injustice he is facing; he owes a small fortune in gambling debts to a very dangerous man and unless he can come up with a way to repay the full amount in seven months he may well find himself in mortal danger.

The year is 1936 and while Owen is facing the personal tragedy his life has turned into, the rest of England is mesmerised by what is going on with their new King and the American woman he has fallen in love with. When the King’s and Owen’s dilemmas find each other, an evil and dangerous plot is executed; a plot which may well mean a shameful death for an innocent young man.

Let me start by saying that this is a very well written book. John Boyne has a way with words that makes his characters come alive on the page. But more than that, this story is written in such a way that the pages almost turn themselves. There is always something happening, and even the moments and characters which at first seem to have little or nothing to do with the plot suddenly turnout to be pivotal to the story. It is only very slowly that the reader finds out the full extent of what is going on in this book, and even when it seems that the full story has been revealed, there are one or two further shocks in store.

This in an ingenious and rather horrifying story. It is proof of just how accomplished an author John Boyne is that he manages to write a book with a completely despicable main character without alienating the reader. In fact I found myself fascinated by Owen Montignac. This character was so delusional, so full of himself and so good at justifying his evil deeds that at times I was tempted to believe he wasn’t bad at all. And just when I had convinced myself that Owen was indeed pure evil, there would be a small action through which he redeemed himself a little bit.

If you’re the sort of reader who likes the good being rewarded while the bad get their just desserts, this probably isn’t the book for you. Evil triumphs and drags innocent bystanders down as it goes. Those who are evil make fascinating characters though, and the way the various plots tie together is ingenious. What makes this a real chiller of a story is the fact that it is so very easy to imagine something like this happening. The lengths people are prepared to go to in order to get what they think they are entitled to are unimaginable and all that happens in this book is just about convincing enough to make it realistic.

For me this was a fascinating historical novel by an author who has yet to disappoint me.

THE PLEASURES OF WINTER & A TOUCH OF WINTER

TITLE: THE PLEASURES OF WINTER
AUTHOR: EVIE HUNTER
Pages: 400
Date: 04/11/2012
Grade: 4-
Details: Received from Penguin
            Through NetGalley
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Reporter Abbie Marshall is in Honduras looking into the drugs-trade and its links with American government officials. Her investigations haven’t gone unnoticed though and when she needs to leave the country in a hurry her only way out is to hitch a ride on a private jet carrying Hollywood A-lister Jack Winter. Abbie isn’t one to be impressed by either fame or beauty but Mr. Winter takes her breath away. His magnetic attractiveness combined with his provocative attitude intrigue and confuse her, stirring feelings inside her that are as unsettling as they are unwelcome. When the plane crashes in a rainforest, Abbie, Jack and two other passengers face a grueling and dangerous journey back to civilization. And although Abbie is impressed with Jack’s expertise when it comes to surviving in the inhospitable environment, she is determined not to give in to the feelings he awakens in her. That changes when a reckless act on her part enrages Jack and he drags Abbie in to a cave where he shows her what happens to women who don’t obey his orders. Jack’s actions and her reaction to it leave Abbie confused and her carefully maintained private life in shatters.
One broken engagement later, Abbie is determined to find out more about this secret side to her nature, the one that was awakened during her time in the cave with Jack. It is a search that will reunite her with the Irish heart-throb. But the path ahead of Abbie and Jack is anything but smooth. With Jack determined never to get seriously involved with anyone after a shocking betrayal in his past and Abbie insecure about what she wants and needs, it is only a matter of time before the actor’s past catches up with their present, endangering the future they were so very carefully heading towards.

I enjoyed this book. It is a nice combination of romance and erotica with a little bit of mystery and suspense thrown in. Both Abbie and Jack were well established as characters and went through some development. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Abbie; for me there were too many, conflicting sides to her character. Why would an independent woman, refusing to be intimidated by work-related danger be such a walk-over when it comes to her family and private life? As for Jack, well he appears to be a bit of a stereo-type; a bad-boy, drop dead gorgeous, womanizing Irish actor with a dark and mysterious side. But, I did enjoy the interaction between these two characters and the way in which both of them were taken by surprise by their reactions to each other and the feelings and needs they experienced.

Evie Hunter is the pen name for two Irish authors (Eileen Gormley and Caroline McCall) who decided to work together after discovering a common love for erotica. I haven’t read anything by either of these authors, but that may change. If the standard of this book is anything to go by these are two writers who are very well versed in their craft. The writing flowed easily, the reading was smooth and the story was very well paced. And even if I’ll never get around to checking out the individual authors I know I will be keeping an eye out for other books by their alter-ego.

In short, this is an erotic love story about two unlikely characters being thrown together against the odds and discovering that they are made for each other, and as such it works very well.

A bonus story:

While I was reading the Pleasures of Winter I came across a short sequel to this book, which I promptly downloaded.

In A Touch of Winter Abbie and Jack have been together for a year, but Abbie still lives in New York – and travels the world in pursuit of stories – while Jack is based in L.A. and often away of film shoots. When Abbie returns a day early from one of her trips she discovers Jack in the playroom with another, tied up, woman. Furious Abbie storms away and it will take all of Jacks verbal and physical powers to convince Abbie of the fact that what she saw wasn’t what she thought and that they are meant to be together. 

This was an intriguing, hot and charming addition to the original story and provided a proper end to the story of Abbie and Jack.

BEYOND SHAME

TITLE: BEYOND SHAME

AUTHOR: KIT ROCHA

Pages: 354

Date: 01/11/2012

Grade: 4+

Details: No. 1 Beyond

            Received from Author

            Through NetGalley

Own: Kindle

From the author’s website:

“A dangerous world of sex, lust and violence…

All Noelle Cunningham has ever wanted is a life beyond–beyond the walls of Eden, where only the righteous are allowed to remain, and beyond her stiflingly restrictive existence as a councilman’s daughter. But only ruins lie outside the City, remnants of a society destroyed by solar storms decades earlier.

The sectors surrounding Eden house the corrupt, the criminal–men like Jasper McCray, bootlegger and cage fighter. Jas clawed his way up from nothing to stand at the right hand of Sector Four’s ruthless leader, Dallas, and he’ll defend the O’Kane gang with his life. But no fight ever prepared him for the exiled City girl who falls at his feet.

Her innocence is undeniable, but so is their intense sexual attraction, and soon they’re crossing every boundary Noelle barely knew she had. But if she wants to belong to Jas, first she’ll have to open herself to the gang, and to a world where passion is power, and freedom is found in submission.”

I enjoyed this dystopian erotic romance. It came with interesting characters, a nice story, a fascinating setting and lots of hot sexual exploits. What’s not to like? It would be easy to categorize this story as little more than explicit erotic scenes, but that would be doing the book a huge disservice. The authors have created real and multi-facetted characters and move them through a plot-line that forces them to take a hard look at themselves, at their feelings and what they really want. 

Noelle, the main character gets evicted from her secluded, restricted and completely controlled but privileged live because of her desires and curiosity. In the world where she ends up sex is both a life-force and the most common currency, and she is slowly, but very securely introduced to that world; a world she appears to be made for, so closely do her desires resemble her new daily life. Raised in an environment where feelings were discouraged and frowned upon, Noelle has to learn to recognise and accept the emotions sweeping through her mind and body, just as she has to figure out a way of interpreting and understanding what those around her might be feeling and hiding behind stoic faces. 

And Jasper faces a similar journey. Not used to caring about another person almost more than he does about himself, this hard man finds himself facing decisions more frightening than anything else in his violent life . Learning to trust that others know what they want and need and allowing them to live according to those needs is the hardest thing he has ever had to do in his far from easy life, but also the only way to happiness. 

There are more fascinating characters in this story like Dallas O’Kane, the leader of the gang, ruling his sector with an iron hand and Lexi, the free-spirited girl who obviously belongs with Dallas but refuses to submit to the man who is enthralled by her. I would have loved to read more about their story, but I understand this is the first book in a series and guess I will have to wait for one of the sequels before I get to know them better. And I find myself eagerly looking forward to those sequels because there is a lot more story to tell and a lot more conflict to be resolved.