The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman

Nonfiction

Last year I read one of the many Missing books by author David Paulides, and in my review I expressed my extreme disappointment in its research paper-like delivery which was about as entertaining as reading a public high school textbook. The cases mentioned could have been so much more intriguing if they were expressed less clinically and with more emotion, thus making the readers feel a connection to the victims and their families. I found what that book was missing in The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman. He closely details the disappearance of Jacob Gray, discussing what was going on in the young man’s life months before he went missing, up until the very end of the search. 

Each person that goes missing in the United States, the world even, could have a book written about them. And if every book written about every missing person was done with as much care as was done by this author, the world over would care a great deal more about mysterious vanishings. There are entirely too many mysterious disappearances every year, and in reading this story you learn that missing persons are not documented and kept track of as thoroughly as you would expect that they should be. Search and rescue efforts are not always conducted in the best manner, national parks and forests are not always as cooperative as the family and friends of the missing would like them to be, and there is usually a lack of funding or a cap on it. Even when volunteer groups come to the aid of the missing, there can be a bunch of red tape to cross in allowing both persons and search and rescue dogs into the parks and forests if the government or landowners don’t want them there. It’s a big jurisdictional mess that makes you hope that no one you know ever goes missing. 

I would read this book again, and any other missing persons book that is written in the same manner. You learn a lot from it and you get engrossed in the story. It is everything I like in a true life mystery.

Beloved by Bertrice Small

Fiction

I needed an easy read this week because I was falling behind on my schedule, so I went to the downstairs bookshelf and looked for another stand alone by my favorite author, Bertrice Small. This novel was the most unique one out of every book I have read by her. I have never read a book from her that was not based in the United Kingdom and Europe, this one taking place in what is now present day Syria. 

We travel all the way back to the third century BC, to the city of Palmyra and the surrounding desserts. The city is under Roman rule, which is a sore spot for its monarchs, although they are mostly left in peace. Young Zenobia, of a desert tribe, sees her mother tortured and killed by Roman soldiers, thus laying the groundwork for her lifelong hate of the entire Roman population. When she becomes queen of Palmyra through marriage, she plans and waits for the right time to overthrow the city’s Roman rulers and bring total and complete authority back to the Palmyran rulers. The story is loosely based on the real life queen Zenobia, of whom I discovered after doing some research online when I was curious if Palmyra had been an actual city in history. Not only was Zenobia a real person, but several of the other characters existed in real life, which gave Mrs. Small the amazing opportunity to use them as inspiration for this exciting tale of politics, revenge, and romance. 

As with most of her novels, I was left wanting more. I would have loved to see what happened to Zenobia and her husband in another tale, as we are left with them discussing plans for a new adventure at the very end. It also left me hungry to learn more about this strong willed and ambitious queen that lived so very long ago.

The Innocent by Bertrice Small

Fiction

If you read and enjoyed A Moment in Time, which I reviewed way back in January, then you may like The Innocent, which takes place around the same time period, also in England and Wales. The main female character, Eleanore or Elf, spends nine years in a convent living a very happy and comfortable life there with the nuns while she learns all about her faith in preparation to take her final vows. However, she is forced to leave the convent when her brother, the last male heir to her family’s estate, dies without children and decides to make his beloved sister his heir rather than his wife or her family. She doesn’t go without a fight, even protesting against the king himself, so determined is she to become a nun. 

I knew when I picked this book up that the plot would involve something more beyond  removing a young woman from her convent and marrying her off. For a short period of time, it looks as though there is going to be no conflict beyond this. But if you have read any book by Bertrice Small, you know that she never lets anything be as simple as that. There is usually a happy ending, but it doesn’t come without frustration, struggle, or some other barrier. In this case, there is evil lurking in Elf’s life, someone believes that the young, innocent woman has done her wrong, and she will not stop her vendetta until Elf is dead. You’ll need to read to see how Elf overcomes those who seek revenge on her and what becomes of the estate that has suddenly been put in her charge.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Fiction

I picked this book up because I liked the title, and I started reading it not knowing what it was going to be about. Very shortly in, I was completely engaged and I found myself staying up past my bedtime for several nights as I tried to consume more and more pages. This first person narrative of a young girl who is preyed upon by her boarding school teacher comes out during a time of relevance, but it is a tale that I think people will come back to once they experience not only how well it is written but how gratifying it is to read.

It feels a bit odd to describe a story like this as gratifying when you consider the subject matter, but it is. I loved how authentic the story felt. Even though it is a work of fiction, you feel as though you are reading about the life events of an actual person. The story is believable because it doesn’t go too far, the author goes into just enough detail with the sexual encounters without it being overly vulgar. She simultaneously makes you feel sadness at the destruction of what could have been a normal, even slightly privileged, life for young Vanessa, while also making you frustrated that the woman she becomes continues to let herself be abused not only by her pedophilic lover, but by other men she involves herself with. The denial is what ends up frustrating me the most. The conversations between Vanessa and Mr. Strane lays out the subtle mental manipulation of the abuser towards the victim in a manner which makes it clear to the reader what he is doing, even though Vanessa seems ignorant to what is happening. 

The tale is disturbing, it may not be for everyone, I would not suggest it for anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse. But I believe it is the type of book you want to make sure people know about, as it could be a helpful way of reaching out to anyone who may have had a similar experience, and hopefully give them a push towards getting any aid they may need. I am looking forward to seeing what else this first time author comes up with.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Fiction

I think this is the first time I have ever said this, but I like the movie a lot more than the book. I am not saying this because I saw the movie first, but because the plot of the movie is just so much more rich, and indeed magical, than the book. 

I saw the movie for the first time many years ago before I ever found out that it was inspired by the book, which I actually only found out recently. I say that the movie was inspired by the book because the plot differs in a lot of ways even though we see all the main characters from the novel. On top of that, you see a lot more magic being performed in the movie than you ever see in the book. In the book, it seems as though only the aunts, who are incredibly elderly, can perform spells and magic, Sally and Gillian never seem to do any. Gillian, Sally, and her daughters just seem to be sensitive to the world around them, they seem to be able to perceive things that most people can’t or otherwise just choose to ignore. The fact that there is very little magic being performed makes the book just ok, in my opinion. The book is more about the bond there is in being related to someone by blood. It gives a very girl-power quality to the story, which I think is ultimately what the author was going for. 

I am much more interested in reading the prequel to this story, The Rules of Magic, in which we follow the aunts Franny and Jet, along with their brother, when they are young. Maybe in it we will get to see how they learned to do magic, which is what I was hoping for in this book. If that disappoints, there are an additional two books in the series.