Short & Sweet: Cruel Beautiful World

Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt

The storyline here was compelling, and the depiction of a relationship turning abusive (both mentally/emotionally and physically) felt very real. I haven't read many books set in the late 60s/early 70s so that helped set this book apart from others of a similar theme. Most of the characters felt fleshed out, with the possible exception of William, whose POV we only get towards the end. I felt kind of conflicted about how his section was done, to be honest. Spoilers, highlight to read: While I understand that it's possible that in William's mind he was acting out of "love" for Lucy, and perhaps the author's intent was to show how William was lying even to himself about his behaviour, it still came across -- or at least could certainly be interpreted -- as a sympathetic portrayal of William, kind of like it was explaining away his actions by the fact that it was done out of "love". Obviously this was from William's point of view, so I suppose that was him justifying it to himself/Charlotte. Still, that portion left me feeling uncertain about what the reader was meant to take away from it.

3.5 stars. 

Short & Sweet: The Silent Companions and Paper Chains

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

This was a weird read, all things considered. By the end it was definitely more violent/gruesome than I had expected (to the point where it seemed rather over-the-top). I don't entirely understand the "reveal" at the end (spoilers, highlight to read: I am assuming that when Sarah cut her finger on one of the companions, the "spirit" of Hetta took her over, and she's the one who murdered everyone else?). I was intrigued by the mystery of what happened in Elsie's past (with her parents), and wish we had gotten more explanation for that as well. I did think that the question of whether or not Elsie is delusional/hallucinating or whether there is something supernatural going on here was handled pretty well towards the end of the story; it did have me flipping back and forth between the two theories! 

I also sometimes found it difficult to take the companions all that seriously in their menace. I mean, we are talking about a bunch of wooden paintings here.

3 shooting stars.

Paper Chains by Nicola Moriarty

This read definitely required some suspension of disbelief -- there are a lot of coincidences and ways things are linked together that err on the side of cheesy. However, I found the flashbacks of Hannah's past very gripping, particularly in how her mental health issues are depicted (spoilers, highlight to read: her postpartum depression felt very real). I could connect with Hannah better than I could with India, although I did sometimes find that Hannah's thoughts, particularly about herself, came across as over-the-top (granted, she was struggling with a lot). I feel like the reader only really gets to know India genuinely right at the end (spoilers: because we find out that she's sort of been trying out a new persona to distance herself from the "sick Lily" version of herself). I did think that India's and Hannah's friendship developed quite quickly and felt sort of forced. The writing style, though, made this a quick read.

3 shooting stars.

Virtuosity: A Panoramic Review

To fit with the photography theme, these are now titled "panoramic" reviews (but they use the same format as the "in a nutshell" reviews of before.)

Goodreads' description:

"Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall...."

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

My reaction: I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the music performance industry; I thought the portrayal rang quite true from everything I've heard about it.  The main characters Carmen and Jeremy were both likeable and easy to relate to, despite the fact that unlike them I have never participated in any major music competitions. Carmen may be innocent and naive, but it's believable, because she's intelligent too. We see her mature throughout the novel and end up making some decisions I had to really respect. And the writing style was easy to get into and smooth throughout.

I'm not typically a big fan of the open ending, but I thought it kind of worked for this book — we're given two possibilities of Carmen's future, and they're both hopeful. In particular, I thought the open ending when it came to resolution with Carmen's mom was realistic; I was glad to see it didn't get sappy or sugar-coated. Their relationship is one filled with tension, due mainly to Diana's attempt to live vicariously through Carmen's ascent as a performer — a role seen often for parents of musicians who are, or were, musically talented themselves, but in the case of Virtuosity, it's done well. It was refreshing to see that Martinez does not back down from making the mother pushy and controlling, even to the very end.

Best aspect: The twist that the competitive angle put on Carmen and Jeremy's relationship. It's a realistic way of keeping them apart and putting up a barrier without involving a tired old love triangle like we see so often these days. This 'I-like-him-but-I-can't-trust-him' mentality added a whole other layer to their romance.

If I could change something... Judging from the back cover, I expected the Inderal and Carmen's addiction to play a larger role in the storyline than they actually did. It seemed more like they were added in there to show that some musicians do go through these situations, rather than as a natural part of Carmen's journey. I wasn't too sure about how certain aspects of the addiction were handled, as well. (Spoiler, highlight to read: I thought that the withdrawal symptoms Carmen exhibits when she goes off the drug should have been more severe and lasted longer, given that she stopped cold-turkey and had been on Inderal for quite some time by that point.)

In five words or less: entertaining and enlightening

Read if you liked: The Mozart Season by Virginia Euwer-Wolff, Mountain Solo by Jeanette Ingold

Final verdict: 4 shooting stars.

Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher.

The Results of the Psychology Survey!

At the beginning of Psychtember, I conducted a survey to get at what my readers' perceptions of psychological issues. Now I've taken a look at the results, made some pretty pie charts, and voila! Here they are for you to enjoy as well :)

First, some demographics:

Gender:

No surprises there :D

Age ranges:

I'm happy to see such a great variety of ages in my readers!

Educational background in psychology or related discipline:

And now for the actual questions:

1.) When you hear the word "psychology," do you mostly think of... 

As you can see, over 75% of the respondents think of something other than rats running in a maze, patients in a psychiatric ward, or Freud, when they hear the word "psychology." There were some great write-in responses to this one, including:

• Brain parts!

• College classes

• my Husband - a psych major!

• Things that mess with your head

• Someone saying "How does that make you feel?"

• Frasier!

2.) In the book you're reading, the protagonist's arch-rival has just slashed the tires of the protagonist's car. The protagonist turns to her BFF and says, "That ***** is totally psychotic!" Your reaction?

The majority chose the response, "Psychotic? Really? I'm going to need a lot more proof than that," rather than, "Heck yes she's totally psychotic!! Who *does* something like that?"

Nice to see this result, since technically, there are no obvious signs of psychosis (having hallucinations and/or delusions) in the arch-rival's behaviour. She *could* be psychotic, theoretically, but she could have something completely different going on (some anger management issues, perhaps?) The word "psychotic" is tossed around in general conversation in a very casual way, giving it meanings that are actually completely inaccurate. It has nothing at all to do with being psychopathic, which is a whole other can of worms.

3.) When you hear the word "therapy" do you mostly think of...

With this question I was getting at the different types of therapeutical orientations. 50% of the respondents think of a therapist and client sitting across from each other, the client sharing his/her experiences while the therapist nods and says, "And how do you feel about that?" This would be a humanistic/client-centered approach. 32% think of a therapist giving his/her client lots of information, trying out some practice exercises with him/her, and then assigning the client homework. This represents cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT).

And of course, the client on a couch while the therapist strokes his beard in thought is psychoanalytic therapy (the more traditional variety) —which very few of you picked!

There were also a few of you who gave your own responses, which included:

• A client telling a therapist how things have been since the last meeting

• A relationship that can, ideally, help the client understand herself better and lead a fuller, more conscious life

4.) You're at a party and you find out that the person you're in conversation with has a degree in psychology. Your first thought is...

I loved the incredible variety of responses to this question! About 26% chose "Oh no, she's analyzing me right now, isn't she? I can tell!" and about 21% of you are fellow psych geeks (YAY!) but there were also a ton of creative write-in answers.

They ranged from the excited:

That's awesome! I wish you were Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds

To ask her if she's studied cog sci or neuroscience - fascinating stuff!

Awesome! That's what I want to get!

bet she has some great stories!!

 

To the lukewarm:

• Cool?
• That it's cool, but I don't really think more about it than I do any other job.
• Interesting. Feel like sharing anything about it?

And then to the downright less-than-enthusiastic:

• Meh
• Pfft, that's what people major in when they don't know what they want to major in.

There were also a couple who took a more personal angle:

• Can you examine this or that issue I seem to have?
• I know more about her field than she does.

5.) Your friend confides to you that she's been diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. You think to yourself:

This question was getting at perceptions of OCPD and OCD — there's sometimes confusion between these, but they are separate disorders. It looks like most of you recognize this! OCPD involves a general mindset revolving around organization and perfection, but there are no specific obsessions and compulsions as there are in OCD.

6.) You're watching Lord of the Rings with your friends, and you're at the part where Gollum talks to his other personality, Smeagol. One of your friends says, "I don't trust this creep at all, he's so schizophrenic." Your response? 
 

I'm concluding from this that I have a large number of readers who are big Lord of the Rings fans and don't like to miss out on the fight scenes! :P

I included this question because schizophrenia is often confused with dissociative identity disorder (DID), and they are two COMPLETELY different issues. One of the primary symptoms of schizophrenia is psychosis, whereas with DID, the individual has multiple identities. Gollum has his alter ego Smeagol, for example.

7.) Your friend is raving to you about how awesome this book is. The characterization is phenomenal, the plot is amazing, and he just couldn't put it down. When you ask for more details, he says it's about an individual who's just been diagnosed with a mental illness. Your response? 
 

The majority would be interested in hearing more about the book, but there were also a few write-in responses that wanted to know some specifics:

• Is it depressing?
• Option 1 followed by- But umm, how ACCURATE is it?! Is it gonna piss me off?!
• Which illness?
• Is he a victim or a monster?

I found it lots of fun to read your responses, and I was pleased to see that many of you have quite a strong base of knowledge surrounding psychology!

What do you guys think of the results? Anything surprise you?

Psychtember Character Interview: Adele Griffin (and Giveaway!)

I'm excited to have Isa, from Adele Griffin's Tighter, join us today for a chat! Isa's the young girl that Jamie is hired to look after.

"When 17-year-old Jamie arrives on the idyllic New England island of Little Bly to work as a summer au pair, she is stunned to learn of the horror that precedes her. Seeking the truth surrounding a young couple's tragic deaths, Jamie discovers that she herself looks shockingly like the dead girl—and that she has a disturbing ability to sense the two ghosts. Why is Jamie's connection to the couple so intense? What really happened last summer at Little Bly? As the secrets of the house wrap tighter and tighter around her, Jamie must navigate the increasingly blurred divide between the worlds of the living and the dead." (from Goodreads)

1.)  Welcome to the blog, Isa! To start off, what’s your favorite thing about living on the island of Little Bly?

I like that nobody is watching me. Except the people who I want to watch me.

2.)  What was your first impression of your new au pair, Jamie? Has this changed as you’ve become better acquainted with her?

At first I thought she was just another boring person sent to tell me what to do. But then I realized she never told anyone what to do. It scares me a little bit. But it is also fun, a secret.

3.) I understand your previous au pair, Jessie, died tragically last summer. If you could spend one more day with her, where would you go and what would you do together?

Jessie was most fun when she was disrupting something else. Like bedtime, or dinner. She would turn the music on really loud and go up on the roof. I'd spend my last day with her on the roof, staring at the clouds, laughing.

4.)  Everyone says Jamie looks almost exactly like Jessie. How similar is she to Jessie in personality?

Jessie never tried to be anything else but herself. Jamie is always hiding parts of herself. She wants to be happier than she is, and nicer. But Jamie has a softer heart. Maybe that's why she tries.

5.)  If you had to describe Milo in 10 words or less, what would you say?

Kicked out of everything in less than ten minutes.

6.) Dr. Hugh sometimes drops by the house. What does he talk to you about?

He's in the boring grownup category. I never talk to him more than I have to. Once I put salt in his coffee. 

7.)  What’s your greatest fear?

Being alone in the dark. Also once I ate a rotten egg salad sandwich, and I am really scared to get a stomach ache like that again.
 
8.) What do you want to be when you grow up?

Brave. Because I want to rescue animals. I feel like I have a strong rescuing self underneath my scared self.

9.) When you were younger, what were your favourite games/toys?

After my mom got sick, she didn't like the noise of Apps. So we played a lot of quiet games. Scrabble. Crossword. I am good with pen and paper games.

10.)  You spend a lot of time at the lighthouse. Why do you like it there?

I am high over everyone and nobody can sneak up.

11.)  Who’s your best friend(s)?

I used to say my mom. Now I think it's better not to name people, because so many people leave me.

12.)  If you could have one wish come true, what would it be?

I'd like to wake up eight years older. I'm mostly tired of being a kid.

13.) It seems like you have a few secrets, Isa. Can you share one of them?

I'm no good at sharing. All my teachers say that. But the secret to a perfect pitcher of lemonade is to use tupelo honey and garden mint.

Isa, thanks so much for dropping by and talking to us about your life on Little Bly!

And now, for the giveaway...

Adele has generously offered up a copy of either Tighter or Where I Want to Be (another of her novels involving psychology!)

The rules:

- US/Canada only

- Entrants must be 13 years or older.

- One entry per person.

- Following and tweeting are not required, but always much appreciated.

- Winner will be selected randomly and contacted by e-mail for their address and book choice, which will then be passed on to the author, who'll ship out the prize.

- Ends Oct. 20 at 11:59 pm EST. 

To enter, please fill in THIS FORM. Comments, while wonderful, do NOT count as entries.

Popular and Tighter: Snapshots (and Giveaway!)

 

Both of these books have mental health aspects, but I can't say too much about them for fear of majorly spoiling! So instead of the regular Psychtember review format, I'm going to use my quick "snapshot" instead.

Popular by Alissa Grosso

"Meet the clique that rules Fidelity High: Olivia, Zelda, Nordica, and Shelly, each one handpicked by über-popular Hamilton Best. You know you're "in" when you make the guest list for one of Hamilton's parties. And in the thralls of senior year, everyone wants to get noticed by Hamilton.

But Hamilton's elite entourage is coming apart at the seams. Olivia fantasizes about finally having a boyfriend, Zelda dreams of ditching high school, Nordica wants to be alone with her photography, and Shelly's plotting to dethrone Hamilton. Lies and secrets are ripping away the careful ties that have kept them together for years. But Hamilton has the biggest secret of all, one that only her boyfriend Alex knows. If the truth got out, it would shock everyone and destroy Hamilton's fragile world—and she'll do anything to protect her secret and keep her clique together." (from Goodreads)

The subject: a one-of-a-kind high school clique...trust me, you've never seen one quite like this before.

Shutter speed: pretty snappy, as the social scene is ripe with drama — although it does become repetitive after a little while, as Part 1 is drawn out a bit more than I thought was really necessary.

What's in the background? Alex, the apparently perfect boyfriend...but he comes more into the foreground in Part 2, and we get to see what's really going through his mind. Getting Alex's perspective adds such a necessary layer to what's going on.

Zoom in on: Jasmine, or really any outsider to the clique. I'd like to see a little more of what everyone else thinks of Hamilton.

Anything out of focus? I had some trouble remembering which perspective I was reading, since Part 1 flips between five.

The mental health issue is fascinating, and the way the storyline is crafted around it is stupendous. I had a few niggling questions about the accuracy of how a certain disorder is portrayed, but overall it's handled well.

Ready? Say... "Secrets!"

Click! 4.5 shooting stars.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for review.

Tighter by Adele Griffin 

"When 17-year-old Jamie arrives on the idyllic New England island of Little Bly to work as a summer au pair, she is stunned to learn of the horror that precedes her. Seeking the truth surrounding a young couple's tragic deaths, Jamie discovers that she herself looks shockingly like the dead girl—and that she has a disturbing ability to sense the two ghosts. Why is Jamie's connection to the couple so intense? What really happened last summer at Little Bly? As the secrets of the house wrap tighter and tighter around her, Jamie must navigate the increasingly blurred divide between the worlds of the living and the dead." (from Goodreads) 

The subject: an au pair struggling to understand the clues she sees about the previous au pair's death...

The setting: the island of Little Bly, a seemingly perfect holiday spot

Shutter speed: fairly slow-moving, I thought. It's not showy in suspense or horror, but the mystery is confusing and keeps you guessing, distrusting everyone. Something about it made me feel uneasy and apprehensive as I read. And the final reveal is mind-boggling.

What's in the background? a cast of distinct, well-depicted characters that you can't quite pin down in terms of "good" or "bad." Sebastian's relationship with Jamie added an easy, sweet and stable element to her rocky existence on Little Bly. Plus, he was one of the few characters I actually liked (many of them aren't intended to be particularly sympathetic, I think...Jamie herself is not exactly likeable).

Zoom in on: Jamie's charge, Isa. Even when everything was revealed, I still had questions about that odd little girl.

Anything out of focus? I found the backstory of Jamie and her teacher to be a bit much. I know Tighter is based on The Turn of the Screw, which I have not read, so perhaps this goes back to the original...but in any case, I did not find the cause of Jamie's angst — being rejected by her teacher — to be very convincing.

In terms of the psychology, by and large it is done well, demonstrating several key facts about a particular issue. Overall I think one needs to suspend some disbelief; there are a few places I'm not so sure the explanation behind events is entirely plausible, but at any rate, it's a clever ending Adele Griffin presents the reader with.

Ready? Say... "Woah..."

Click! 4 shooting stars.

Take two? Yes. This is the kind of book that you'll want to re-read from the beginning once you reach the end, because the revelation is so spectacular it completely changes the meaning of the rest of the novel. 

 
And lucky for you guys, I'm giving away a copy of Popular!

The rules:

- US/Canada only

- Entrants must be 13 years or older.

- One entry per person.

- Following and tweeting are not required, but always much appreciated.

- Winner will be selected randomly and contacted by e-mail for their address.

- Ends Oct. 20 at 11:59 pm EST. 

To enter, please fill in THIS FORM. Comments, while wonderful, do NOT count as entries.

 

The Sharp Time: Review

Patient: The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell

Presentation:  

Sandinista Jones is a high school senior with a punk rock name and a broken heart. The death of her single mother has left Sandinista alone in the world, subject to the random vulnerability of everyday life. When the school system lets her down, her grief and instability intensify, and she ponders a violent act of revenge.

Still, in the midst of her crisis, she gets a job at The Pale Circus, a funky vintage clothing shop, and finds friendship and camaraderie with her coworker, a boy struggling with his own secrets.

Even as Sandinista sees the failures of those with power and authority, she's offered the chance to survive through the redemptive power of friendship. Now she must choose between faith and forgiveness or violence and vengeance. (from Goodreads)

Assessment:

Axis 1. Characters

Sandinista's a one-of-a-kind protagonist: quirky, dark, edgy, cynical, with a sardonic-verging-on-bitter sense of humour. She and I are very different in personality, so while her voice is powerful and present, I had a difficult time relating to her. Her way of looking at the world is not one I can identify with, but it's one that raises lots of questions. She's got a hard shell of protection around herself; her voice projects a "tough" image, her words continually loaded with sarcasm. It's clear that she had a close bond with her mother, and her death has left Sandinista feeling alone and desperate. You get a very strong sense of her personality, and it seems like she herself also has that strong sense of self; she sees things a certain way, and is not easily swayed by others to change her viewpoint.

Given the trouble I had connecting to Sandinista's perspective, her reaction to her teacher Mrs. Bennett's cruelty seemed extreme. Certainly the teacher was way out of line, both in terms of her continual verbal harassment of Sandinista and Alecia (her treatment of Alecia was particularly vicious, I thought), and her physical kicking of Sandinista's desk. But I wasn't feeling the venomous hatred that Sandinista was, and her obsession with revenge on the teacher — rather than a more rational course of action such as taking this to the principal or school board — didn't click with me. I had difficulty sympathizing with Sandinista's complaints about how no one from the school was getting in touch with her, when she personally had not voiced how she was treated to someone of authority. Admittedly there were plenty of witnesses, and Mrs. Bennett was undeniably in the wrong; but this inaction on Sandinista's part, followed by the festering desire to see Mrs. Bennett taken down, did not make it easier to relate to her.

Bradley is a very atypical teenager as well. He waxes philosophical on occasion, and like Sandinista has an extensive vocabulary. I must admit, while I could swallow Sandinista being so intellectual, I had a bit more difficulty believing that she would happen to find someone her age of a similar bent of mind working at the Pale Circus. 


Axis 2. Premise/plot

I found the pace of this one quite sluggish, weighed down by a bit too much description for my taste (albeit well-written description). The 'revenge on Mrs. Bennett' storyline occasionally brought up the tempo a little, but then towards the end that plot sort of died, in a way I thought robbed Sandinista of making her own decision. (Spoiler, highlight to read: Bradley throws her gun away, and this seems to dissolve her nebulous revenge plans, rendering Sandinista's role very passive. I also wanted to see a confrontation with Mrs. Bennett, and we don't get that.) This resulted in the story losing its 'point,' so to speak, outside of Sandinista coming to some realizations.

Axis 3. Writing Style

O'Connell's writing style is very literary, her sentences peppered with unusual description and words you might find on the GREs (I consider my vocabulary to be quite broad, but I must admit she had me furrowing my brow a few times). There are artistic and cultural references throughout, many of which went right over my head, unfortunately. Indeed, I remember thinking that it could be read and analyzed in a classroom situation. 
  
I also think this is one that could fall into the elusive "new adult" category. Sandinista's 18 and spends most of the book out of school. This, coupled with the high language level, could make older YA readers more likely to pick it up.

 
Axis 4. Psychological Accuracy

The psychological elements of The Sharp Time are not as clear-cut as some of the other books I've reviewed for this event. Sandinista mentions ADD (attention deficit disorder) once or twice, but I'm not sure if she's officially been diagnosed with it, or simply been told about her poor attention span many times before. In any case, it's a sore spot for her, one that Mrs. Bennett attacks her about again and again. Sandinista's obsession with whether or not she is "paying attention" demonstrates that this is an area she feels defensive about, regardless of whether or not she actually meets the criteria for ADD.

Which, itself, is not so obvious. We're in her head a whole lot, and yes, her thoughts do cover an expanse of topics, but I don't know that her attention span is any shorter than the average teenager's. It's made abundantly apparent that Mrs. Bennett believes Sandinista needs to pay closer attention to the task at hand; whether Sandinista is actually having difficulty doing so is another question. One of the reactions to having ADD can, however, be violence/aggression, and Sandinista certainly displays impulses in that direction.

But I think Sandinista might show signs of an adjustment disorder as well. This is a response to a "life stress" — for instance, the death of a family member or problems in school, both of which Sandinista experiences — that is more extreme than one might expect. Symptoms Sandinista arguably demonstrates include: lack of enjoyment (her general outlook on life is dark and jaded, although she does seem happy when she's with Bradley), desperation, trouble sleeping, feeling overwhelmed, skipping school, vandalizing property, and avoiding family/friends (she avoids her previous friends, anyway, although she does make new ones). (There's also a scene with reckless driving, of a sort, but seeing as this is accidental on Sandinista's part, I don't think it counts!) At any rate, she certainly seems to have a dangerous amount of anger brewing into a stalker-ish, decidedly unhealthy obsession with Mrs. Bennett. 

A minor quibble: a couple of times the words "OCD" and "psychotic" are used incorrectly. It's true, these terms do pop up in daily conversations in a casual way, and they are generally not used properly. But nevertheless it irritates me. In particular: you cannot have a "psychotic smile." Psychotic refers to having hallucinations and/or delusions, and a smile cannot hallucinate much of anything.

Validity Score: How psychologically accurate was The Sharp Time?

Axis 5. Miscellaneous

Personally, I didn't enjoy the anti-Christian barbs made by some of the characters (including Sandinista) throughout. Other readers might not mind this at all, but it soured my own impressions. I can appreciate that a lot of teens do question, criticize, and make light of religion, so Sandinista's biting and satirical observations may well be realistic of that age, but regardless, I found myself feeling offended at times. Religion is a topic that I like to see handled with care, and that didn't happen here the way I might have wished.

I felt like there was some sort of message the author was trying to send, but frankly, by the end I still wasn't really getting it. I couldn't tell if it was intentionally anti-Christian, if it was just anti-organized-religion, or something else entirely. I think Sandinista gains a better understanding of spirituality and faith, but I'm not certain what that understanding is.

Diagnosis: 3 shooting stars. Don't get me wrong — the quality of writing is high, the themes and characters nuanced and complex, and begging to be analyzed. But I didn't like many of the characters (especially Sandinista), I had some issues with the religious aspects, and the plot was ultimately a letdown. 

Note: there is some mature language used in this book.

Disclaimer: I received this book for review for Psychtember from the author. 

For my interview with Mary O'Connell, go here.