Category: The Reviews.

The Selfless Act of Breathing by J.J. Bola

Synopsis.

Transcendent Kingdom meets A Man Called Ove in this heartwarming novel about a Congolese-British Londoner who decides to go on one last adventure in the United States, determined to end his life once his savings run out.

As a charismatic teacher living in London, Michael Kabongo strives to alleviate the injustices he sees around him: for the students who long for better lives, in memory of his father’s tragic death, and to end the violent marginalization of Black men around the world.

But after a devastating loss, he decides to embark on an adventure in the land of the free—the United States of America. From Dallas to San Francisco, Michael parties with new friends, engages in fleeting romances, splurges on thrilling escapades, all with the intention of ending his life once all his savings run out.

As he makes surprising new connections and faces old prejudices in odd but exciting new settings, Michael alone must decide if his life is worth living after all…

The Review

If you gave yourself 90 days to kill yourself would the universe spend those 90 days trying to convince you otherwise or would it simply continue to exist as it always has, in acceptance of your fate?

Suicide is a subject that you venture into because you trust the author to take you into and out of it, safely.

The haphazard framework of this novel wherein one second I’m dying and the next I’m hopelessly living, left me feeling jarred at best.

I didn’t trust the author to take care of me through the book. I felt the subject of suicide was used to shock me into inspired page-turning, asking myself through the pages “Will he do it?” and Why?”

And what actually happened is that I began to get angry that the author was toying with me in such a way. Even the change in rhythm and prose between timeframes is jarring.

All of it!

I do not want a rocky reading experience on the subject of suicide.

DNF at 26% because I didn’t trust the author with my personal triggers.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

A Little Life By Hanya Yanagihara

Synopsis.

When four classmates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they’re broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their center of gravity.

Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he’ll not only be unable to overcome—but that will define his life forever.

The Review

This book made me realize the inequality of the human experience and it helped me to stop loitering my own trauma.

A gift that goes beyond a five-star reading experience.

At the beginning of this book, I was prepared. I had my tissue box ready. I slated two hours every morning for two weeks to read before anyone else in the house is up. I could cry, uninterrupted, and live in Yanagihara’s world.

What I did not realize is how truly unrelenting it is. By the end, you feel like a troll for knowing such intimate things about people. They surely aren’t fictional characters but are strangers I’ve passed on the street.

The characters feel THAT real. Their experiences feel authentic. During the two weeks, I experienced interesting things while reading.

I felt angry at times and recklessly open at others. I was in awe of Yanagihara’s talent and wanted to pick it apart, simultaneously.

I wanted to point out the flaws and rest in them. I was finally able to admit that although it’s not perfect it is perfectly fallible and one of the best books I’ve ever read.

I’ve already gifted it twice!

Do yourself the favor of reading A LITTLE LIFE and experiencing what so many others have already. What a book!

Wish me luck trying to find a book pairing…

The One by John Marrs

Synopsis.

How far would you go to find The One?

A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner the one you are genetically made for.

That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.

Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…

A word-of-mouth hit in the United Kingdom, The One is a fascinating novel that shows how even the simplest discoveries can have complicated consequences.

The Review

Going for further reading on the subject of futuristic dating I stumbled upon a backlist title, THE ONE by John Marrs. It is an interesting take on dating in the future.

Easily this book had a lot going on. Multiple povs and characters that weren’t altogether necessary.

I did appreciate the different takes on what could happen in a world where we are matched by our DNA.

I’m not sure the thriller genre is the best way to explore some of the questions asked.

Once again, I found some of the details extremely hard to believe, and often their actions based on emotions were somewhat outrageous.

I hated one major storyline. Actually two.

Overall, I liked the glimpse into a future I want no part of.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️