Another World by Pat Barker

Synopsis

Another World by Pat Barker is based on a man named Nick, who lives with his very pregnant wife, the young rambunctious son that they share, his angry teenage stepson, and his quiet teenage daughter who spends a few weeks with them. He also takes care of his dying grandfather, Geordie, a war veteran who has frequent flashbacks and unsettling guilt about his older brother who died in the war. Nick juggles his ever increasingly tense family, his grandfather, and uncovers a dark, haunting secret about the home where his family resides - where a family parallel to his lived (and died) in the distant past. This novel is one of many different emotions, most being horrible, gut-wrenching emotions. Guilt, fear, knowledge of impending doom, sacrifice, and loss play key roles in this novel. Read on for a review!

Review

Another World was, quite literally, a book that I closed my eyes and picked off my bookshelf. This novel by Pat Barker is one that rides almost solely on heartbreaking emotion, with a little bit of love sprinkled in. Another World is almost a ghost story, almost a war story, almost a murder mystery - but it's most certainly a story about family and how the past can come back to haunt you. I thought that the characters in this story resembled real people - Nick, a struggling family man who is trying to find some sort of balance with his family; his miserable, pregnant wife who has to stay home to take care of herself and unborn child as well as a hard to handle toddler, her own son who is coming into his own and is beginning to rebel, and Nick's daughter, who is staying with their family while her mother recovers from a mental illness. Mix that Nick's sick and dying guilt drenched grandfather, whom he helps his elderly aunt tend to because his flashbacks and wandering are getting to be too much for her. There are many different levels of emotion from each character in this story. 

I'm almost inclined to read this novel again, just in case I missed anything. I thought it was beautifully written. I breezed right though it, and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I would give this book FOUR STARS. It's great for just about any adult. If you've ever felt guilt, burden, loss, fear, or overwhelmed, read this book! Only one phrase can describe this story - organized chaos!

Requiem, Mass by John Dufresne - Review

I just finished reading Requiem, Mass by John Dufresne yesterday, and I have to say that the ending of the book surprised me! I know I wrote up a little mini-review yesterday, but I really thought that the rest of the book was going to be the same way. Oh well... on with the review!

Synopsis

Requiem, Mass takes place in a small town that happens to be the name of the title. This book is posted as a fiction piece, but has the feel of a memoir. Johnny and his sister, Audrey are growing up with their not so sane mother, Frances. Their father, an over the road truck driver, takes off for weeks and months at a time, only coming home for a week stretch and leaving when Frances starts acting up again, even though Johnny begs him to stay with the family. Johnny and Audrey are cared for by their neighbors, but the nuns who teach their school begin to get suspicious. As suspicion grows, so do Johnny and Audrey's chances of being taken by the Welfare Department. After Frances has a particularly horrific episode, she is shipped off to the hospital, and the children are to spend the holidays with their father - with his secret family in Louisiana. I really don't want to give the rest of the book away - you'll have to read it when it hits bookshelves in July!!!

Review

In the beginning of Requiem, Mass, I felt that the story jumped around from past to present a lot without very much warning. I don't know if it's because I got the feel for Dufresne's writing style or if the content actually changed, but the second half of the book seemed to flow much better than the first half. Either way, if you can keep up, this is a very emotional read. John Dufresne captures the heartbreaking dysfunction of a family in serious crisis and turns it into something that we can all relate to. I'm sure we all know someone who resembles at least one of the characters in this story, and that's one of the aspects that makes Requiem, Mass such a fascinating read. I felt very heavy hearted throughout most of the book because of the obstacles that Johnny and Audrey had to go through with their own parents just to get attention that they never really seemed to get.

This story reminded me a little bit of Augusten Burrough's memoirs, with the nutty mother, absent father, and strange sibling, growing up in small town Massachusetts. What sets the two authors apart is that Dufresne's story has a little more normalcy and a little less comedy in it. Requiem, Mass is a heartfelt story of psychological disorder, abandonment, family, and overcoming the obstacles that may come. I give this heartbreaking read FOUR stars!

Check out John Dufresne's website or his blog for more information!

Requiem, Mass by John Dufresne

I received Requiem, Mass as an Advanced Copy, and I'm about halfway through it. I figured I'd give some of my thoughts on it now, and write up a full review when I've finished the book.

Requiem, Mass takes place in a small town that happens to be the name of the title. This book is posted as a fiction piece, but has the feel of a memoir. Johnny and his sister, Audrey are growing up with their crazy mom, Frances. Their father, an over the road truck driver, takes off for weeks and months at a time, only coming home for a week stretch and leaving when Frances starts to get crazy again. Johnny and Audrey are taken care of by their neighbors, but (the point where I am now), they are being found out by the nuns who teach at the school they attend.

Requiem, Mass, in my humble opinion, jumps around a lot without too much warning. In some chapters, we begin in the past, travel to the present (or semi-present), and back to the past all in the matter of a few paragraphs. And the reader isn't told that we're jumping - it just kind of happens. But, if you can keep up with the author's traveling mind, this is a very emotional read. John Dufresne captures the heartbreaking disfunction of a family in serious crisis and turns it into something that we can all relate to. I'm sure we all know someone who resembles at least one of the characters in this story, and that's one of the aspects that makes Requiem, Mass such a fascinating read. So far, this has been a very enjoyable book. Keep your eye out for my final review!!!