Story in Review

Some of my favorite stories are ones that I stumbled upon in used bookstores.

Completely unaware of their contents – or even their existence, I’ve picked up books that just felt like they would be good ones.

The cover might have drawn me in, like with the The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: reds and whites against a black jacket.

Or maybe it was the title: words that held just enough ache and promise to make me wonder. That’s how I picked up The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.

And sometimes, I pick one up because it is so out of the ordinary that I just have to read it. This was the case with Griffin & Sabine and Sabine’s Notebook by Nick Bantock. We were killing time in Jackson, Wyoming and the books happened to be sitting on a rack at the end of a row of fiction, and as soon as I opened to the first page I knew that this volume would be such a different kind of book that I had to take it home with me.

You see, the story of Griffin and Sabine is not just a story: it is a piece of art.

The story, at least in the first two books, is told entirely in postcards and letters between the only two “speaking” characters in the work. And each of the cards and letters are painstakingly drawn and lettered by the author and artist, Bantock. From cover to cover, the breadth of Bantock’s genius spills across the pages, picture after picture and note after note, creating not only a story, but an arresting mystery as well. I just cannot describe it, so see for yourself:

I have decided that this book is truly a one-of-a-kind reading endeavor, and I am quite smitten. Now I have to rush out and find the third installment of the trilogy, The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes. Because of course, the bookstore only had books one and two, and now I must wait in agony to read the conclusion.

What made this a good story? The execution. Bantock has not only written a story that involves characters trading correspondence, but has created that correspondence and allowed the reader to actually see what the words on the page look like exactly as him characters did. It is brilliant.

What could have made it a better story? I cannot think of a single thing. Truly.

Have you read any of Griffin & Sabine‘s story?  What did you think?

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend stuff that is good! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Every now again, a book comes along that surprises you. The Color of Water in July: A Novel by Nora Carroll certainly surprised me.

I downloaded this as a free kindle book back in July of 2013. The title intrigued me, a July-baby, and the cover was well done: interesting without being crowded. It didn’t take long to read, as the pace was really quick. I actually wish the novel had been longer and more-fleshed out.

The main character, Jess, is called back to Michigan to update and sell a lake cottage that has been left to her at her grandmother’s passing. While her goal is to sell out, take the money, and move on as fast as possible, memories of her last summer there and an unfinished timeline of events causes her to dig a little deeper into the family history to discover why that summer ended the way that it did. The story is a delightful touch of mystery and romance, as well as a short love note to the great outdoors of Michigan.

The narration of the story is multifaceted. The story flips back and forth between points of view and characters. The overall story is split between third-person narration of the life of 34-year-old Jess and 17-year old Jess, intermingling the two ages throughout the story. There are also sections that read like diary entries or letters from her Grandmother, Mamie. Between the three different segments, the mystery of the novel unfolds at just the right rate: you get enough information to keep you hooked, but not enough to give away the ending too soon.

My overall complaint with the book is that while the plot is full and interesting, the overall feel of the book is rushed. The character development isn’t as deep as it could be: I want to know more about the people and why they are acting the way they are. Also, the ending wraps quickly: too quickly. There is this great build up and then – BAM! – epilogue. I wanted the author to spend a little more time on the big reveal.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“There must be a precise moment when wet cement turns dry, when it no longer accepts footprints, or scratched in declarations of love; an ordinary moment, unnoticed, just like any. But in that moment, the facts of a life can change.”

“Up in Michigan, the summer is brief, crowded between two ends of a desolate northern winter.”

“What if four generations of women kept coming back and living their lives and depositing their stuff: old letters, telegraph receipts, photos … Then, couldn’t it be, that the house itself became the family story?”

” … the color of water in July—all of promise wrapped up in it, and every disappointment too.”

What made this a good story? The plot: I think Carroll takes the old stand-by of “summer love” and family secrets and really creates something a bit unique and very entertaining. The people: the hints of the characters that you do get are sympathetic and relate-able. I can see Grandma Mamie sitting at her table at the club. I can see Jess stealing out of the cottage and through the woods to a party. I just wish I could see more of them.

What could have made it a better story? My hunch is that this was a self-published novel. While I have nothing against a self-pub, I think Carroll’s work could have gone from good to great with the help of a developmental and line editor. Once again, the plot was great – the overall feeling of the work was just unsatisfying.

I have decided that this book is a fun “summer read” – and there were a few true gems of writing tucked in the corners – but that it could have been so much better with some more in-depth character development and a more evenly paced plot.

Trigger Warning: There is reference to rape and multiple scenes in which a woman miscarries a baby.

 What do you think? Have you read The Color of Water in July? Do you wish it were longer?

For more “Story in Review,” please click here.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend stuff that is good! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”