The Silent Wife

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. Stay with me while I discuss this soap opera of a story. Jodi and Todd are a happy couple on the outside. Jodi is beautiful, caring and insanely good at being a homemaker. Todd is a successful business man with a great reputation. In the beginning, it seems like a healthy relationship. The Silent Wife, however, affirms that only the people in a relationship, really know the relationship.

Todd is a cheating son-of-a-bitch. He lives in a world without consequences, where he can take whatever he wants. It's so well written that it feels real, like Todd actually exists. The details of his slimy escapades are genuine in the way that his feelings are complex. On the one hand, he wants the stability of a life-long partner. On the other, he wants to sleep with half of Chicago's population. It makes my skin crawl.

Jodi is all about the front. Even with her own husband she doesn't let her guard down. As he cheats, as he carries on with his lousy lifestyle, she stays quiet. Not just quiet, but seemingly unchanged. She takes care of him just the same. She talks about her small revenge, like hiding Todd's keys or 'accidentally' destroying his phone. But nothing she feels or is experiencing is ever said out loud. She believes that if you don't talk about it, it doesn't have to be real.

So, the book is about this couple crumbling in a very dramatic series of events. Their faults and motives become exposed, people are betrayed, bitches be crazy, etc.. I would say more about the plot, but the thrill is in not knowing.

This book holds true my opinion that books open up our minds to ideas that we may never have explored before. I would be devastated if my husband cheated on me. Every once in a while I have bad dreams where Andrew cheats on me with another girl. Or an airplane. Or a sandwich (don't think about it too long, dreams don't make sense). I have a hard time recovering from them, and sometimes get mad at my real husband for my dream husband's transgressions (just before regaining consciousness).

But, Jodi wouldn't care. She doesn't care. She can't care. It's definitely a different way of thinking from what I'm used to, and I think I learned from it. No, I am not saying it made me okay with cheating. But, it's an interesting idea to me that someone could be okay. That, maybe, there is a certain amount of mistakes or issues that would tremendously bother me, but not others. I mean, it's obvious. But really getting immersed in a book where you're only seeing it from one person's point of view can be a whole different kind of education.

So, I endorse it. It's a thrilling read and will make you think. I highly recommend it for anyone at the cusp of a serious relationship. It's a perfect lesson on what NOT to do.

Divergent

I’ve been sipping the Kool-Aid lately, I know. Remember when I said I gravitate towards certain books? Well, Divergent is one of them. I understand that it manipulates the reader with unrealistic and dramatic events. I get it. I understand it, admonish it, but read it just the same. If you find yourself with the same plight, pick it up.

Beatrice lives in a Utopian/Dystopian society where the population is divided by values. There are five groups or “factions” to be divided by, that stand for the values the name represents. Abnegation believes in selflessness, Dauntless is based on courage, Erudite favors knowledge, Amity focuses on peace and Candor is for the honest. At the age of sixteen, a young adult will choose to stay in their group, or switch to another. We join Beatrice at the cusp of her sixteenth birthday.

At the last moment, Beatrice decides to be brave, and chooses to switch factions. Beatrice or “Tris”, as she renames herself, deals with the loss of innocence and family ties as well as the growth of new relationships. Who can’t relate to that? She goes from humble, selfless and reserved, to someone who can finally indulge in what’s been missing in her life.

Can I say that this is a girly book- without sounding too gender normative? The Divergent series is clearly meant to hit a note with the self-conscious, everyday girl who wants to find her inner bad ass. I started to get Mulan/Pocahontas vibes. It reminds me of the handful of books I’ve talked about recently: Hunger Games, Twilight, Matched. It ranks up there, but has a different kind of intensity.

My least favorite part of the book is that she gets turned into a victim. Disclaimer: of course females can be victimized, it happens every day. I’m not saying I’m annoyed that she is a victim. I’m annoyed that it feels like it is being used to make her seem special. I’m not down with that kind of writing. Using something as serious as verbal and physical abuse for a cheap vehicle for entertainment is gross. So, as brief as it is, I’d do without that part.

But, there are plenty of inspiring moments to counteract the bad. One thing I like is that Tris’ strength doesn’t somehow magically appear. She is not physically able to beat the crap out of a 250lb man, and I’m appreciative that her limitations are vaguely realistic. She has moments of fabricated self-consciousness and coy unrecognized strength, which makes me gag. But, for the most part, her emotions feel genuine. She becomes vain, greedy and angry. She has moments of overconfidence, and gets knocked down for being too cocky.

Although it’s a ‘fluffy’ book, it has some brief moments of wisdom. Messages like ‘people who crave power and get it, live in constant fear of losing it’ are pretty deep. Even though the whole ‘faction’ thing is overdone and somewhat unrealistically laid out, it’s an interesting thought. What would I be? No clue. I’m pretty sure everyone wants to pretend like they’d be in Dauntless (Gryffindor in disguise). But, I’d most likely be in Erudite. I’m not selfless, honest or peaceful, but I sure hate idiots.

It’s an easy 500 page read, if you’re into that kinda thing. I’ll be getting in some serious reading over the holidays, so get excited!

Dead Man's Mirror

I'll write a quick post for a very quick book. After a lot of serious reading, I decided to start on the less-than-scholarly trilogy Divergent. It is not a quick book. The first of the trilogy is 500+ pages. Of course, I'm almost all the way through it after 4 days because I'm a trashy novel shredder. Well, just before embarking on this journey, I decided to indulge in another Agatha Christie murder mystery.

I am not a fan of Sherlock Holmes novels. I find the character overly dramatic and I get bored very easily at the pompous dialogue. I think Dead Man's Mirror is Sherlock Holmes without the BS. Short, punchy and without fluff. Who done it?

The premiss: someone is meddling with Mr. Gervase Chevenix-Gore's business (clearly wealthy- did you see his name?). He sends detective M. Hercule Poirot to get to the bottom of it. But when Mr. Poirot arrives at the scene, it's too late for him to protect Gervase's wealth. BECAUSE HE'S DEAD. Get it? He's the dead man in the story!

There are many motives for murder at play. Many clues and testimonies to sift through. I don't like how Sherlock Holmes always has a twist ending that you would have never have been able to guess. But, with this, I don't mind.

A quick read that I recommend for any reading slump. It definitely was a momentum book that helped me take on a new challenge. Stay tuned for that and more next week!

Tuesdays with Morrie

What if you knew you were going to die? What if your body was slowly shutting down, and you had no way of stopping it? My current answer is: get drunk, cry, steal a blimp, not pay taxes and maybe cook meth to provide for my family. Essentially, I would become selfish and reckless. More than anything, I would be bitter. No question. If I get so much as a paper cut I'm screaming bloody murder at the world.

Morrie decides to not only accept his fate, but embrace, cherish and share it. He was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease and knew that his body was slowly withering. Instead of being bitter- he is pleasant. Instead of being selfish, he spends his time helping others through their troubles. The craziest thing, though, is that this isn't fiction. Morrie and Mitch Albom, the man who wrote the book and whose prospective the story is told through, are real people. And within the first three chapters, I guarantee you'll forget that.

Ahhh... what can I say? Nothing extraordinary happens. Mitch and Morrie reconnect after years of not speaking. They agree to meet every Tuesday until the very end. And yes, there is an end. Morrie, unlike many fictional characters near death, did not live. He did not miraculously get better. But as much as that is a destination, the story is the spiritual journey.

Conversations and meditations on life that could have been easily lost and ignored are captured here. It's nothing extraordinary, but somehow it is. What would you do if you were in his shoes? What would you do differently? Who would you reach out to in your last moments? After hearing his story, you'll want to live the way he died.

Right now, things are rough. My husband and I are having to downsize after an extensive job search. As I type these words I'm sitting in my half-moved apartment that's a half-size of our last. Getting used to one salary after making two is tough. But, what's really important? As a materialistic girl, I realized that there is a world where I would not care. With the possibility of literally dying every moment everyday, in a fashion that doesn't allow you to say goodbye... well, let's just say that we don't normally act that way.

You'll cry. You'll be devastated. You'll wish that Morrie was your father and at the same time want to call your father and make sure he knows you love him. My advice? Just read it. Disclaimer: I am not liable for the emotional outpour that will ensue.