General Fiction
Whispers in a Phone Booth: A Depression-Era Tale of Danger and Deception
by J. Daniel ReedRating: 7.00
Plot/Idea: Reed’s historical tale begins with a hurried escape from an alcoholic father for teenage sisters Martha and Helen, bound from their home in Poland to the call of freedom on Ellis Island. From there, Reed takes readers on a transformative journey through hardship, determination, and family secrets, centered on Helen’s son, Wally, and his life growing up as the child of immigrants in Chicago. Reed ties numerous stories into Wally’s arc, and the perspective jumps at times become dizzying.
Prose: The prose is efficient and educational, though Reed’s more formal style leads to stilted dialogue in several places.
Originality: Whispers in a Phone Booth delivers as much history as it does plot, gifting readers with a glimpse of 20th century life from the perspective of multiple nations and people—a choice that, though informative, detracts from the story’s excitement.
Character/Execution: Reed crafts his characters with obvious care and attention to detail, while connecting some to well-known historical figures; the preface identifies that a handful of characters are based off his own family members. Despite the large cast, main players are easy to track; Wally stands out as a multilayered, intense protagonist, and his relationship with his traumatized aunt Martha is compelling—and disturbing—to watch.
Plot/Idea: Fire on the Frontier is an immersive and layered work of historical fiction set in ancient Rome. With interwoven stories and multiple perspectives that draw from actual events, it can be challenging to keep track of all the narratives, but invested readers will be richly rewarded.
Prose: Kunkel's prose style is clear, anchoring readers in the time and circumstances with detailed descriptions and an effective balance of action and dialogue.
Originality: Fire on the Frontier captures the ancient era convincingly while maintaining forward momentum and careful plotting.
Character/Execution: While the multiple storylines can become unwieldy, Kunkel is a capable writer invested in the many characters, both male and female. Historical places and events are vibrantly portrayed and provided understandable context.
Plot/Idea: A Kind of Hush conveys the grief of a family’s tragic misfortune with great tenderness, but the forward momentum is blunted by a focus on day-to-day activities rather than forensic details pertinent to the novel's central mystery. When daughter Willa conveys a stunning revelation in a Wattpad story, the two prime suspects in the case quickly become red herrings, leaving readers with a sense of subtle disappointment over the time spent analyzing their involvement.
Prose: Neathery's prose is highly readable, with ample time for the relationships between the characters to be understood and developed over the course of the story. Long passages of extraneous exposition detract from the tension, and side plots—like the interlude when Kurtz spends time with the Jones family while in hiding—sometimes slow the action.
Originality: A Kind of Hush hosts a fascinating central mystery that will prove absorbing for readers. However, the work never seems to pin down its genre—missing details of the police investigation crucial to a mystery, while giving too much detail about people, places, and everyday activities which prevent a deeper emotional resonance one might expect in a family drama.
Character/Execution: Characters are well rounded, and Neathery allows them plenty of time to interact and develop emotionally, though not always with fruitful results. The dialogue, used as a conduit to dispense details, sometimes leans toward an overly formal tone.
Plot/Idea: Wildcat: An Appalachian Romance is a richly rendered novel set in the titular region of the United States. It is not entirely clear to what romance the subtitle refers—the romance of the town of Wildcat, or the romance between the main character and former girlfriend, Carolyn. There's a case to be made that the lovingly crafted portrait of a small town experiencing a communal renaissance is the real love affair.
Prose: There are moments when the prose style works beautifully and the simplicity is elegant (when describing the communal nature of meals at Hotel Wildcat, the woodcrafts at the mill, beekeeping, and mushrooms). At other times, the prose reaches too far to achieve lyricism. The overall effect of the storytelling makes the work feel like an immersive fairy tale.
Originality: Wildcat is infused with atmosphere and charm, if not always forward thrust or tension. As a portrayal of a town decimated by catastrophic job loss and now experiencing a revival through communal living, art, and handcrafted products, there is an undeniable freshness and vitality in the concept.
Character/Execution: The author has an appealing storytelling style that will leave an impression on readers. However, the characters, relationships, and motivations depicted both in the recollections and in the present never quite tip into full portraits.
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Plot/Idea: While struggling to comprehend his wife's terminal cancer and his vivid dreams/nightmares of his service in Iraq, watch repairman/maker Bob receives a very special watch in need of repair–a watch belonging to Death himself. Time is an entertaining read told with empathy, care, and attention to detail that does not become overly bogged down with unnecessary spirituality; nor does it strive to answer life's larger questions.
Prose: Hollister's prose is easy to read and engaging, however, his brief forays into the intricacies of watch repair sometimes take away from the pace of the story. Additionally, the Iraq flashbacks are not as seamlessly integrated as they could be, and their purpose doesn't become evident until the very end of the book.
Originality: A story about death, love, time, and spirituality is not wholly original–yet Hollister adds interest with a watchmaker playing a pivotal role in manipulating time itself: the "time" of people crossing over, the "time" keeping of the watch, the "time" it takes to say farewell to a loved one.
Character/Execution: Bob is the heart of Time and his seemingly mundane daily routine gains depth through thoughtful character development. Mystical neighbor Angie is a nice addition, and serves as the only other character (besides a rather generic Death) to really interact with Bob.
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Plot/Idea: Readers may find themselves lost in the protagonist's thoughts throughout this harrowing story, but that is fitting for a novel centered around a character with such a traumatic and defining moment rooted in their past. The plot is heart-wrenching, and moves slowly at times, but overall this is a stirring, expressive novel.
Prose: Arbe's tone is engaging, though the text feels information heavy in places. Given the novel's emotional premise, readers may find the prose too practical at times.
Originality: Arbe lays human intricacies bare in this evocative novel, exposing the raw emotion of losing a loved one, the bond between parent and child, and the often fine line between vengeance and justice.
Character/Execution: Arbe's characters are distinctly individual, though the protagonist's primary potential for growth plays out in his journey to seek revenge for his daughter's murder. The scenes detailing his profound grief at the loss of his daughter—and the subsequent changes wrought in his life—are both moving and painful to read.
Plot/Idea: Guardians of the Latte Stones is an absorbing historical drama that delicately combines suspense, mystery, and the enduring horrors of the battlefield. The relationships between the central characters are carefully observed, acutely highlighting the plight of the Chamorro people of Guam and their often traumatic experiences during the Japanese occupation.
Prose: Aleja's text is striking in its depiction of graphic imagery, expertly shining a light on the devastating effects of war. There are also affecting scenes of physical and emotional abuse, and Aleja's level atmospheric descriptions neatly draw readers into the narrative's complexities.
Originality: Guardians of the Latte Stones is a consistently engaging and frequently intense war drama. It is a straightforward and well crafted tale that offers eye-opening insights into the experiences of the Chamorro people.
Character/Execution: Guardians of the Latte Stones benefits from a strong sense of natural authenticity. Aleja displays a great understanding of human emotion in their character depictions, particularly through their depiction of Takeshi's intense struggle for survival.
Blurb: A powerful and engaging World War II drama, with supernatural overtones.
Plot/Idea: Patterson crafts a refreshing historical romance with an entertaining lead in Abigail Dupree, an unconventional female in every way. The central idea—of a man protecting Abigail from further "ruin" by falling in love with her—is unique and appealing.
Prose: The prose flows smoothly, transporting readers into the novel's time period through Patterson's elegant writing and eloquent dialogue.
Originality: An Unlikely Arrangement follows standard romantic tropes, though Patterson infuses the novel with fresh spirit through her creative female protagonist.
Character/Execution: Abigail, as well as the male romantic lead Garrett Barringer, are well-defined characters who effortlessly fit the genre. Readers will appreciate the easy, polished repartee between the two.
Plot/Idea: Fall of the Mighty takes place in the early 20th century, focusing on main character William Jennings's lonely upbringing, tempered by his passion for baseball, a hook that continually comforts, inspires, and motivates him throughout the novel. Forcey's love for sports is evident in this engrossing and compelling drama.
Prose: Forcey's text blossoms under his loving attention to detail, enhancing atmosphere while also emphasizing his characters' authentic interactions. His writing of on-field sports activity is particularly impressive, and the letters shared between Eli and Jennings are beautifully touching.
Originality: Fall of the Mighty is the second entry in Forcey's Diamonds through Waterloo series, where he transmits relationships, sports, and society in a thoroughly convincing manner. The final third of the book, where the crux of the story unfolds primarily through correspondence between Eli and Jennings, works particularly well.
Character/Execution: Jennings embarks on a journey of discovery that is littered with painful losses and unexpected encounters. The sharp and naturalistic dialogue between he and Eli reveals a true emotional depth to their connection.
Blurb: A brilliantly observed sports drama that plumbs life's unplanned encounters.
Plot/Idea: Goldstein delivers a rollicking read centered on entrepreneurship and genetic engineering, as an heiress to a cannabis empire sets her sights on the struggling TeeGentics, a biotech company creating genetically engineered teeth. The plot is lighthearted, and readers will be entertained by the book's turns, though a handful of scenes stall out midstream.
Prose: The prose is straightforward and structurally sound, with instinctive dialogue that makes the interactions between characters feel spontaneous.
Originality: Goldstein's combination of genetically engineered teeth with greedy corporate grabbing makes this plot line amusing and distinctive.
Character/Execution: Goldstein's characters are, for the most part, well-to-do and shallow, filling their days with excess of every kind. Readers may empathize more with Billy, the story's guinea pig for tooth experiments, whose implants cause him ongoing physical difficulties.
Plot/Idea: Guardian Angel is a mystical suspense thriller that features engaging characters and a compelling plot. A melding of the real and the supernatural, the storyline sees two opposing realms spectacularly collide while a burgeoning love story brews in the background.
Prose: Bowen's text is accessible and easy to follow, with some pleasant passages of description that help consolidate the tense atmosphere. The battle scenes are engaging and dynamic while the relationship that develops between Dawn and Mike is tenderly wrought.
Originality: Ultimately, Guardian Angel is a fairly run-of-the-mill suspense novel which is at best an engaging blend of supernatural intrigue and drama. And although the plot and character development are slightly undercooked, there is enough stark melodrama to keep readers on their toes throughout.
Character/Execution: Bowen's central characters, Dawn and Mike, are written tenderly and sensitively, even though they are fairly one dimensional. The depictions of angels are quite impressive despite long stretches of often uninspiring dialogue.
Plot/Idea: Hallberg starts with a strong plot hook, exploring the complexities of growing older by fusing the lives of two people who have nothing in common on the surface. Subplots throughout the novel don't quite measure up to the main storyline, but readers will be intrigued by Letty Mae's travails.
Prose: Letty's voice is swift and succinct, delivered in compact, crisp sentences. Other sections of the novel come across as more fluid, but Hallberg capably uses those contrasting styles to portray different perspectives.
Originality: The main premise of Hallberg's novel—two people discovering unexpected solace with each other in the midst of hard times—has been done before, but there is a deeper meaning behind this narrative that probes life's more subtle paradoxes.
Character/Execution: Letty is a relatable protagonist, though her character lacks depth aside from her dissatisfaction with her marriage. Drucker is interesting, an enigmatic character who has moments where he is decidedly unlikable, but Hallberg later provides background to his story that will help readers better understand his development.
Plot/Idea: Pink Tuxedo sets its sights high, pulling in several threads that promise action and a hint of suspense. Unfortunately, the novel doesn't quite realize that ambition, though readers will find Tomasz's journey amusing at times.
Prose: Acosta writes formal, sometimes robotic prose that leans heavily on philosophical asides to illustrate the novel's underlying themes.
Originality: Tomasz is a classic picture of a man in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught in an unlikely situation that forces him to rethink his interactions with society.
Character/Execution: Throughout Acosta's writing, Tomasz comes across as a man in over his head, bumbling through circumstances that challenge him at nearly every turn. That personality drives the main events as well—they unfold erratically, mirroring the way Tomasz navigates his progressively confusing world.
