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SUMMARY: In the summer of 2003, a middle-aged obituary writer – our unnamed narrator – discovers a walled-up bathroom in the basement of his new house in upstate NY, & launches a quest to piece together the story trapped within those walls since the 1950s, when the boy named German Jr. lived there.
The BookViral Review: Genre – Literary Fiction
Sometimes when you read a novel, it’s so well-imagined that it just takes over and happens to you. It’s rare a gem that delivers on this level but that’s exactly what The Elephants, I does with Ian Blake Newhem once again on top form.
As with Newhem’s Healing Star the story unfolds through multiple perspectives with the pivotal perspectives being those of a middle-aged obituary writer – the unnamed narrator, Connor X. Mayne and Shimba. Cerebral, meticulous and haunting there are long central flashbacks, which are indispensable to the discoveries ahead. Diversions filled with violence, deviancy, intrigue and reflection and on this level there is hardly an emotion that Newhem doesn’t touch upon.
As with Healing Star his feel for detail is terrific. Every one of his characters is an individual and refreshingly his narrative remains clear of trite clichés as he finds the right pace and style for a story about persistence in the face of evil and the vagrancies of chance encounters. Taking us through a bewildering labyrinth of fictional facts and suspicions over disparate timelines. From Maasai Mara in Kenya to Cornwall NY on a journey which is often chilling and always suspenseful.
At a little under 600 pages, it’s a credit to Newhem that momentum is maintained throughout whilst a cracking denouement is perfectly pitched for the story he has told. A superb read and one sure to find favour with discerning readers of literary fiction, The Elephants, I is recommended without reservation.
Grace, a Finnish Lapphund, asks to go on a road trip to the East Coast so she can visit where her mommy grew up and her big brother lived for five years. In the process, she gets to some of the things on her bucket list including seeing the United States, having fun at Koziar’s Christmas Village, visiting Nathan’s new apartment, and exploring historic Philadelphia.
Low self-esteem and self-worth have long been popular themes in children’s books and The Perfect Dandelion is a delightful addition to the genre.
One thing for sure is we are entering a golden age for children’s books and in particular for the illustrations within them.
Readers love tropes and publishers know they sell books but there is always room for something new.
As inconceivable as it seems, the ‘man’, Jeff Bezos himself, has predicted the demise of Amazon. “Amazon is not too big to fail … In fact, I predict one day Amazon will fail,”
A good strategy should never be set in stone, especially in an ever-evolving industry such as publishing. As we move into 2016, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram still dominate the social media scene.
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