Roger Hyttinen

Review of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

February 3, 2019 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

The Murder

The Silent Patient is a dark psychological suspense that follows a famous painter named Alicia Berenson who is happily married to her husband, Gabriel. But in the opening scene of the book, we learn that Alicia’s husband has been murdered. Alicia is standing covered in blood next to the body of her dead husband, who is still tied to a chair. He had been shot in the face five times, and as it turns out, Alicia’s fingerprints were on the gun that was lying on the floor. The obvious conclusion is that Alicia murdered him.

Did She or Didn’t She?

But did she? Well, the reader had to come up with his or her own conclusion because after the murder, Alicia never spoke another word. Nothing. She refused to talk and gave no explanation or justification for what she did — no defense, no denial, no commentary. Totally silent. Alicia was taken to a psychiatric facility called The Grove, and we wonder whether she will ever speak again to let the world know what really went down that night.

Theo to the Rescue

Fast forward six years where we then, we meet Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. The novel is actually narrated by Theo who tells us Alicia’s story. This is always a trope that I enjoy; that is, when the story is told from the perspective of a psychiatrist. This could be because my undergrad degree is in Psychology, but regardless, I find the exploration and analysis of a patient’s psyche absolutely riveting and it certainly was in this case.

Theo’s Investigation Begins

He is determined to help her find her voice and solve of the mystery of why she shot her husband, with only one main clue at his disposal: an unsettling self-portrait that she painted after the murder and which she titled ‘Alcestis,’ which is the name of a Greek Tragedy.

Though Theo’s conversations with others, we learn more about Alicia, especially how others viewed her, their assumptions about her and their theories about what led up to the murder. As he dug deeper into her past, I began to create certain theories and assumptions of my own. But I’m happy to say that I did not figure it out. Because I hate that. I will also say that the author doesn’t try to lead the reader down the wrong path by peppering the story with erroneous clues. Truth be told, I had no idea how it was all going to play out until the final shocking pages.

A Dark and Disturbing Path

So as Theo begins interviewing others, diving deeper into Alicia’s psyche through therapy and studying entries in Alicia’s diary – the diary she was keeping before her husband’s murder — he ends up going down quite a dark and twisty path, especially once he begins to get a clearer image of who she was, her history and of the events that preceded the murder. Naturally, not all is as it seems. But all through the story, I had one nagging questions: Why has Alicia remained silent. What is shock or fear or guilt? Or something else entirely?

Given that the story is told from Theo’s point of view, we also get a peek into his life and his thoughts, and eventually learn why he is so determined to learn the truth about what happened that night.

Oh — That Ending!

But the highlight of this story is the completely insane and unexpected twist that comes at the end. It was nothing short of amazing, and I did not see it coming at all. It snuck up on me without warning. I was shocked, I tell you, shocked. This ending is definitely a favorite.

Verdict

All in all, The Silent Patient was a meticulously well-crafted, captivating and clever psychological thriller that kept my eyes glued to the page with a plethora of twists, turns, and surprises. I have to say that I found Alicia to be one of the MOST compelling, enigmatic and complex characters I have ever read about. This is a well-written, engaging, and suspenseful novel that drew me right in from the beginning and then totally blew me away at the end. It was a complete whirlwind of a story — dark and intense — and I loved it.

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Review of Perfect Match by AG Meiers

February 2, 2019 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Perfect match cover Perfect Match follows Sven, a lumberjack who has not found is Mr. Right, which concerns his family. So they take matters into their own hands to find him someone through an online site called Perfect Match. The result is the arrival of a somewhat effeminate young city boy named Jayden who is pretty much out of his comfort zone being surrounded by a group of gruff lumberjacks. Sven and Jayden couldn’t be more different, but there seems to be an attraction — a chemistry — between them.

But we soon learn that the company “Perfect Match” is not what it seems and that Jayden is actually trying to deceive and con Sven, though deep down, Jayden is really a decent guy. But the kicker is that Jayden has fallen for Sven. Moreover, he has some dark secrets that he doesn’t want anyone to find out, most of all, Sven. Naturally, all sorts of wacky hijinks ensue.

This was a light-hearted and fun gay romance with family shenanigans, sweet and endearing characters and two opposites who find each other. Perfect Match is a feel-good story that only had a teensy bit of angst, and it was fun to see the main characters slowly growing to trust and care for each other. The chemistry between them was terrific, and the writing made this book a heart-warming read. And you couldn’t help but fall in love with Sven’s family. All in all, a truly pleasant and solid reading experience.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and AG Meiers for providing an Advance Reader Copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review of Rabi and Matthew by L.A. Witt

January 31, 2019 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Rabi and Matthew is a gay romance story which the blurb describes as “A queer retelling of Romeo & Juliet, except no one has to bury their gays.”

The Story

This novel follows Rabi Hashmi and Matthew Swain who meet one night at a party and end up falling in love. Simple enough story. Well, not really. What makes this story interesting is the decades-old rivalry between the two families as their two fathers run against each other in the election for a seat in Congress. What we have here is Democrat vs. Republican, Muslim vs. Christian and years and years of mistrust and hatred between the families.

Rabi and Matthew know that their love will not be without its challenges, that falling in love with each other in the middle of a war that has the potential of turning bloody is probably not the wisest thing. But they can’t resist the attraction and the feelings that grow between them and decide to take a chance. They meet in secret, often heading out of town in order to lower the risk of running into someone who could report back to their families.

I thought the scenes with them getting to know each other during their secret rendezvous-vous were heartfelt and endearing. Little did they know, however, that the pot had reached its boiling point, and hatred along with escalating racial tensions now threatened everything they hold dear…and not everyone may end up a happily ever after.

A Queer Romeo & Juliet

I loved the entire premise of a queer telling of Romeo & Juliet, with a white Christian boy from a racist Republican family falling in love with a Pakistani Muslim boy from a Democrat family, with both families obsessed with their hatred. The author expertly handled the storyline, and I was impressed with the clever parallels with Romeo & Juliet.

I also give the author extra points for not stereotyping our main characters as either Romeo or Juliet. Neither one of them fit those roles, for which I was grateful. Now I will say that there is definitely some Insta-Love going on here, but given that it’s a retelling of the classic Romeo and Juliet, I could overlook it. I thought their whirlwind romance was tender and sweet, with there being a powerful chemistry between them. It was a joy seeing the two of them fall deeper in love with each other, in spite of the dangers from everyone around there.

A Plethora of Themes

There are so many interesting themes that run through this novel: racism, hatred, gun violence, violence in general, xenophobia (particularly Islamophobia), homophobia, and politics to name a few. There are some scenes in the book that are absolute insanity, with the hatred, bigotry, and violence overtaking all semblance of reason.

So that being said, this story had plenty of edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting drama that gripped me and held me until the emotional ending. This is the kind of book that takes your heart, tosses it into a blender and then slowly puts it back together at the end; though I will say that the journey was exhilarating.

Remember…It’s A Love Story

Now, it’s important to remember that this novel, though it may not seem like it at times, is a romance and not a tragedy like Romeo and Juliet. That’s not to say that horrible things don’t happen in the story, because they do. But ultimately, this is a love story, and though the characters don’t end up with perhaps an ideal happily-ever-after, the ending is perfect in light of the events that take place in the book, so in this way, it was a satisfying conclusion.

My One Niggle

I had one main niggle with this book and with one particular scene. It was after our two main characters have just gone through a horrendous experience….I mean the ultimate worst. They dash out of town, rent a hotel room and then jump into bed and have sex. I thought, “Oh come on! Really?????”

I can’t see how anyone in their right mind could or would think about sex being in their situation. This scene struck me as unrealistic, and I just couldn’t buy into it. I actually found this scene so far-fetched and unbelievable that I was ready to bail on the book. But I did stick it out, and I’m happy I did because the author more than made up for it by giving us a beautiful and touching ending.

Verdict

Rabi and Matthew was one heck of a rollercoaster ride, one for which you might want to have a tissue nearby. There are a lot of intense scenes and heavy topics in the book, and at times, it is difficult to read. But ultimately, I ended up loving this emotionally satisfying story, and I found myself tearfully be rooting for our two heroes as chaos erupted all around them. I thought the novel was well-crafted and deeply engaging, with even a twist or two to keep things interesting. Recommended!

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10 Releases in 2019 That I Want To Read

January 29, 2019 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

This is a list of 10 books that are to be released this year that I’m looking forward to reading this year, if all goes well. There are so many good books coming out this year but these are the ones that are on the top of my wish list. I’ll be adding more specific category lists in the coming weeks.

The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson

Shaun David Hutchinson is one of my favorite authors so I was excited when I heard about this.

This story follows Dino whose parents own a funeral home business. Dino’s former best friend July dies suddenly and while Dino is working on her makeup, she comes back life. But she’s not alive yet not dead. So Dino and July attempt to figure out what’s happening to her.

Sounds like a super-fun book — and I believe this is due out in February.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

Brigid Kemmerer is another author I really like – I loved her Elemental series that I read awhile back which I plan on rereading down the road.

I don’t know too much about this one except that it’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast— and I do so love reimaginings!

This follows Prince Rhen, who is cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year over and over until a girl falls for him. The kicker, is that at the end of each autumn, he would turn into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction and has destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

But then there’s woman named Harper Lacy who enters his life, causing him to hope that there just may be a way out of his predicament.

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

I’m not that much for contemporaries, really, but this one really caught my attention.

This follows Jack and Kate who meet at a party and fall in love. But as it turns out, their love story is rather . . . complicated. Because Kate dies; yet their story doesn’t end there. For some reason, Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Healthy, alive and charming as ever. So Jack decides that if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’s gonna take it. However, Jack soon learns that his actions are not without live and death consequences.

Sounds like something I’d really enjoy.

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

This story follows Hannah, who is a powerful witch — a real witch with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself because if she’s ever caught using it in front of a non-witch, she could lose her powers for good.

But when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire and evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over town, and Hannah’s pretty sure it’s the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: her ex girlfriend Veronica. And all sorts of chaos ensues.

I love me a witchy book so I’m looking forward to this one.

Black Enough by edited Ibi Zoboi

So Black Enough is an anthology edited by Ibi Zoboi who is

by National Book Award finalist, that delves into the closeted thoughts, hidden experiences, and daily struggles of black teens across the country. There are supposedly stories from a spectrum of backgrounds— both urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants and more.

I’ve read some of the blurbs for the stories and what I’ve seen so far sounds absolutely riveting so I can’t wait to get my hands on this one.

Stolen Time by Danielle Rollins

So this follows Dorothy in the year 1913 who is forced by her mother into an engagement to a wealthy man for financial reasons but she’ll do anything to escape, including sneaking away from her wedding and bolting into the woods to disappear.

Fast forward to the year 2077 where we follow Ash who is on a mission to rescue his professor/mentor who figured out the secret to time travel so that together they can put things right in their devastated city. But searching for him entails endless jumps through time.

And of course, you guessed it, Dorothy collides with Ash and ends up getting sucked to the future — or what’s left of it. Sounds intriguing! And those of you who know me know that I love time-travel novels. Hell, I even wrote one!

Superman: DawnBreaker by Matt de la Pena

This is book four in the DC Icons series but none of them are dependent on the other books — each book is its own story. I read the Batman book which I really enjoyed so I already pre-ordered this one.

So Superman: DawnBreaker follows a young Clark Kent before he becomes Superman. Kind of like Smallville maybe?

So naturally, Clark has to keep his powers hidden. But one day, he follows the sound of a girl crying and comes across Gloria Alvarez, and in so doing discovers a dark secret lurking in Smallville. Turns out, Clark’s not the only one hiding something big.

So he teams up with his best friend, Lana Lang to search for the truth of what evil really lies below the surface of Smallville? And what will it cost Clark to learn the truth about his past?

I’m an old comic book nerd from way back and Superman has always been one of my favorites, as was the TV Show Smallville. So I’m looking forward to this.

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

I’ve read a couple of Bill’s other books, one of them being Openly Straight which I liked so I was excited to learn he has a new book coming out.

So this follows two boys, Max and Jordan. Max is chill, big into sports and video games, is gay and out to his mom and his buddies and everyone cool with it. Supposedly he had some intense encounter (sexual?) with an older kid that he doesn’t want to think about, ever, so I take it that this wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Now Jordan is the complete opposite of chill. He’s never been kissed though he is searching for Mr. Right, who, according to him, probably won’t like him anyway. He also has a spiraling out of control mother. He also believes that he’s the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.

So at some point, I gather these two meet and according to the blurb, they both have to face their biggest fears. Cool.

A Place for Wolves by Kosoko Jackson

So this follows James Mills who is pissed at his parents for dragging him away from his life, his best friend and sister, Anna and he’s feeling really, really alone at the moment.

Enter Tomas. So falling for Tomas is unexpected, but sometimes the best things in life are.

But a war that has been brewing finally bursts forward, filled with violence, pain, and cruelty and rips their world apart.

So James and Tomas can only rely on each other as they decide how far they are willing to go―and who they are willing to become―in order to make it back to their families. Sounds super intriguing and I do believe this will be out in April.

The Wise and the Wicked by Rebecca Podos

This follows Ruby Chernyavsky who has been told the stories since her childhood about the women in her family who once possessed of great magical abilities where they could remake lives and even hold off death itself.

But they were forced to flee their Russian home for America. Today, these stories seem no more real to Ruby than folktales, except for the smallest bit of power left in their blood: when each of them comes of age, she will have a vision of who she will be when she dies — a destiny that’s inescapable and inevitable.

Ruby is no exception, and neither is her mother, although her mother attempted to run away from her fate years ago, abandoning Ruby and her sisters. But you can run but you can’t hide — because there is no escaping one’s “Time”.

But then, Ruby’s great-aunt Polina passes away, and, for the first time, a Chernyavsky’s death does not match her vision. Suddenly, things Ruby never thought she’d be allowed to hope for—life, love, time—seem possible.

But as she and her cousin Cece begin to dig into the family’s history to find out whether they, too, can change their fates, they learn that nothing comes without a cost. Especially not hope.

Another witchy novel that I’m excited about.

HONORABLE MENTION: THE TOLL by Neal Shusterman.

The only reason that it’s not among my 10 list is that I don’t know if it’ll be released this year or not. This is the third book in the Arc of a Scythe series that I really loved. So if it comes out this year, I’ll be picking it up, post haste.

How about you? What new releases are you looking forward to?

Review of The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson

January 29, 2019 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

A good friend will bury your body, a best friend will dig you back up.

Given that I love Shaun David Hutchinson’s work, I was super excited when I heard that he was releasing a new novel. I was doubly excited when I heard that it was about the dead who won’t stay buried. I recall reading a blurb where this book as described as “Six Feet Under meets Pushing Daisies” and I was immediately hooked given that I loved both of these shows (Six Feet Under follows a family who owns a funeral home; Pushing Up Daisies follows a pie maker who can bring people from the dead with just a touch — and return them back to the dead permanently with a second touch).

Introducing Dino

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried takes place over the course of two days and follows a young man named Dino whose parents own a funeral home business so being around the dead is nothing new for him. What is new, is the dead coming back to life. As it turns out, Dino’s ex-best friend July dies suddenly, and Dino is trying to work through his grief at her passing. He always believed that eventually, they would find each other again and renew their friendship. But now, it was too late for that, and we begin to see Dino’s regret at all those words that now, will never be said.

Where The Dead Don’t Stay Dead

Dino is alone in the basement with July’s body, working on her makeup in preparation for the funeral — his way of saying his final goodbye — when suddenly she comes back to life. Well, not to life exactly. She’s conscious, sentient but her body is still dead: no heartbeat, no breather and given that she had just recently undergone an autopsy, it’s unlikely that any of her organs are working either.

What follows is Dino and July’s attempt to figure out what’s happening to her, all while rehashing their former friendship, each blaming the other for its end.

Dino and July

It was fun seeing Dino and July rushing around town trying to solve the mystery of July’s reawakening, positive that she could return to her dead state at any moment. They also revisited their friendship — over and over — and in so doing, discovered that they were both to blame and that there were a lot of things in their past they both left unsaid when they should have spoken up.

I thought this illustrated nicely the ups and downs of friendship and just how complicated those relationships can be. I thought it was also a gentle reminder that the time to mend a damaged relationship is now because we may not be as fortunate as Dine and July were in receiving a second chance.

Race Against The Clock

As Dino and July soon discover, they do not have the luxury of time to slowly figure out what’s happening with July. Though July’s death may have ended, her decomposition has not which means she’s not smelling as fresh as she once was. When people around them begin to comment on the stench, they both realize that their time is limited. Moreover, it turns out that July’s resurrection has had a ripple effect throughout the world and has affected the natural course of life and death.

On Friendship

The beating heart at the center of this book is the friendship between July and Dino, and I thought that the author handled it exceptionally well. It was fun seeing them as they bickered with each other over petty annoyances, dug up old hurts and released old anger and resentments. But additionally, they also joked around and ended us rediscovering the joy of their friendship.

I also liked the fact that it wasn’t only one of them who was at fault but rather, they both were responsible for the break in the friendship. So in this way, we got to take a look at the idea of unfinished business but from both sides as they both begin to realize that it’s those you love who end up hurting you the most — and vice-versa.

It was also refreshing to see a male and female friendship that didn’t end in love or where one of the two was agonizingly pining for the other.

July and Dino’s Characters

I thought that July and Dino with wonderfully complex, vivid and empathetic characters and felt their characterization was especially powerful. The author did an excellent job of bringing these two to life in all of their complexities, faults, flaws, and imperfections, making them someone the reader could easily relate to (or at least I could).

I thought July is a terrific character. She’s multi-layered, flawed, impulsive, and once we move past her harsh exterior, we see that she is also insecure and deeply hurt by the loss of Dino’s friendship. Though she comes across of self-centered and bitter, we see another side of her unfold as the novel progresses and we begin to understand the reason behind some of her actions. I couldn’t help but fall in love with her character by the end of the story.

I found Dino to be well-crafted, awkward but an endearing character and I loved how loyal he was to July — and how willing he was to help her even though their friendship had ended badly. He ended up being quite a complicated character who, though he thought he was self-confident and knew what he wanted, really was just as insecure as the rest of us. This was especially evident in his relationship with his trans boyfriend Rafi as he navigated the ups, downs, and uncertainties of their relationship in addition to confronting some hidden truths about himself in that process.

I liked how the story was told from alternating points of view, allowing us to get an in-depth peek at what was going on inside of their head. This really helped me to more deeply understand their feelings and motivations, making them all the more relatable and all the more real.

Final Verdict

I thought this was a lovely heartfelt novel about two teens who were given a little extra time to resolve the unfinished business that was left between them. I loved that fact that it was up to the reader to determine just whose unfinished business caused July’s return.

I loved how this dark and somewhat grim situation is lightened by realistic dialogue and genuineness of feeling between our two main characters, and the witty banter and shenanigans made this a joy to read. The quirky and crazy plot in this story was kept steady by the realism and the truth of the situation; this is, of the grief of losing a friend with so much unsaid still left between you.

As usual, Mr. Hutchinson did not disappoint, and I ended up loving this tender story which held me in rapt attention from start to finish. It was a story with The emotional depth and plenty of heart, and I became so emotionally invested by the end of the book that I felt as though I were saying goodbye to close friends.

This book is set to be released in February 19, 2019 but it available now for pre-order.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review of Art Matters by Neil Gaiman and Chris Ridell

January 28, 2019 by Roger Hyttinen Leave a Comment

Art matters cover image Art Matters is a little book written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Chris Ridell, both whose work I really enjoy, and is drawn together from speeches, poems, and creative manifestos. The book explores art and shows how reading, imagining and creating can change the world.

One of the chapters was familiar to me – the one entitled Make Good Art, Gaiman’s famous and moving 2012 commencement address delivered at the Philadelphia University of the Arts. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. You should be able to find it on YouTube – I think that’s where I first saw it (I’ve watched it several times)

There is also an essay entitled “On Libraries,” which is a passionate argument for libraries that discusses their importance to our future and how they foster readers and daydreamers.

Now, this is a tiny book without a lot of words – one that you can probably read in about 20 minutes but one that you can spend weeks, months, years, a lifetime pondering. It is chock full of breathtaking illustrations and profound wisdom in short, concise to-the-point prose that celebrates art and outlines methods for artistic success. And not just monetary success but also personal fulfillment.

There are so many nuggets of wisdom spread in so few pages that I’m not going to say anything more, lest I take away someone’s enjoyment in reading it and discovering these gems for yourself. Let me just say that it’s inspiring and well worth the read.

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