Tag: Literary Fiction

The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu: A Book Review #NewRelease

BonnieReadsAndWrites5 Comments
The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts cover The title against a dark and stormy background.

Book Review: The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts

Eleanor Fan is completely alone after the death of her mother, Lele. Lele had controlled everything, from doing Eleanor’s taxes to even hand-feeding her when she was studying. Lele even controlled her own death. After Lele’s death, Eleanor is drifting in a sea of grief. The only thing she knows to do is what her mother told her last: Use her inheritance to buy a house. She finds herself following the instructions of a realtor who takes care of everything, much as her mother did. As a result, she ends up alone in a model home of an abandoned housing project. And Lele’s ghost is everywhere.

Vivid descriptive writing enables the reader to instantly picture the scene. For example, the description of the realtor, Matt, tells you his personality: “His thick hair was slicked back, coiffed high off his forehead. He smiled toothily as she approached. He held his hand out for a shake, and a large watch slid out of his jacket sleeve, the band and bezel the same chrome brightness as his car.”

The aftermath of the COVID pandemic is portrayed so well by Eleanor, a mental health counselor, who is still doing her appointments by video long after the pandemic has ended. The house is so vividly described that it takes on a character of its own. Eleanor appears almost locked inside it with her own ghosts. The house’s bright façade and crumbling infrastructure remind the reader of Eleanor, who is slowly unraveling. As the secrets of the house unfold, so do Eleanor’s secrets, and she ultimately has to face them or let them destroy her.

Conclusion

Literary fiction and magical realism combine to paint a portrait of a woman who is lost, alone, and haunted by the past. Highly recommended.

Acknowledgements

I received a free copy of The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts from the publisher, Tin House. My review is voluntary, and the opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author (From Kim Fu’s Website)

Kim Fu is the author of five books, including the 2026 novel The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts, a New York Times notable book for March. This novel received starred reviews from Kirkus and Foreward, and was most anticipated by TIME, Book Riot, and the Chicago Review of Books.

Fu’s story collection Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century (2022) won the Washington State Book Award, the Pacific Northwest Book Award, and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. It was also a finalist for the Giller Prize, the Ignyte Awards, the Shirley Jackson Awards, and the Saroyan International Prize. Stories in this collection have been selected for Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy and Best of the Net, featured on Levar Burton Reads and Selected Shorts, and optioned for television and film.

Fu lives in Seattle, Washington.

**Click on the cover below to purchase on Amazon;

Cover of The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts by Kim Fu. A link is embedded in the cover which will take you to the Amazon page to purchase.

My Reviews of Other Books Featuring Magical Realism

A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber

At The Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

My Reviews of Other Books Featuring Literary Fiction

The Weight of Snow and Regret by Elizabeth Gauffreau

The Salt Fields by Stacy D. Flood

Book Review: The Upsetter Blog

BonnieReadsAndWrites6 Comments

The Upsetter Blog is the story of a rock band, The Flak Jackets, and the one-hit-wonder author, Henry Barclay, who is assigned to cover them as a blogger for the new magazine, The Upsetter.  Most of the story takes place on tour between March and November of 2003.  The reader travels along as an insider on a rock band tour, and we get to see the ups and downs of the music business. But the author, Brett Marie, gives us more than that.  He shows us the very souls of the lead singer and the author sent to cover him, and inspires the readers to look inside themselves.

The fact that the author turned blogger, Henry, wrote a successful book many years before figures heavily in this story.  We can quickly associate the main character of Henry’s novel to the lead singer of the Flak Jackets, Jack. Both men were required to give all to their performance, to the point of losing everything else.   But the Upsetter Blog goes beyond that.  It asks important questions.  “How much of yourself do you have to sacrifice to achieve fame?”  “Does it all matter anyway?”  Can you still feel alone in a crowded room while everybody is screaming your name? And the biggest questions of all–“What if the thing that’s always been your passion will eventually kill you?” and “Where does love fit into it all?”

Brett Marie navigates us through these complex themes as he takes us on a road trip from obscurity to the edge of success and back again.

 I am so impressed by Brett Marie’s ability to paint with words and turn a scene from the ordinary to the memorable.   For example, here is a description of an “online interview” the band, The Flak Jackets, did during the early part of their tour, when they were still drawing only 12 people at shows–“We are ‘broadcasting’ from the basement of a cookie-cutter house, in a residential neighborhood. Our host wears a baggy T-shirt and khaki shorts; his thinning hair is pulled back in a ponytail with a rubber band. The Flak Jackets huddle around his microphone, seated variously in office chairs, on a coffee table, and on an ottoman. Upstairs in the kitchen sits the man’s mother, middle-aged, middle-weight, middle-American, who greeted us at the door and led our party down here to “Richie’s room.” I wondered, as I settled into the overstuffed couch near Richie’s open bedroom door, if Mom had glanced in there and seen, as I had, her son’s bed so spectacularly unmade. And I still wonder what she thinks of the fellow, her age at least, who has tagged along with her boy’s little friends.” 

Henry is a complex protagonist.  He wrote a successful novel many years ago, and loves music, but feels out of place in the world of the Flak Jackets.  I also see associations between Henry himself and the main character in his novel. Why did he only complete one novel?   How much of his soul did he have to sacrifice?

Henry’s adult son, Patrick, who has Down Syndrome, is my favorite character in the story.  He serves as a symbol of honesty and purity of soul in Henry’s life, and in the chaotic world of the Flak Jackets.  Dubbing himself their “Number One Fan,” his comments and questions cut straight to the heart of the truth.  Patrick is the equalizer for the many conflicted souls in this story.

The Upsetter Blog is a literary novel that, through the world of music, takes a deep look at life-changing moments, crucial choices, and the definition of happiness.  I am at a loss in describing the writing talent of Brett Marie.  “Well-written” or “great writer” do not cut it.  Here is my attempt:  Brett Marie writes soul-touching and thought-provoking stories that quickly come to life, as the written pictures he creates appear in your mind in vivid color.  

This is not the type of book I normally read. I’m a 57-year-old, historical fiction reading grandmother. “Rock bands on tour” is not my usual subject matter. But this book transcends all that by asking poignant universal questions and introducing us to characters to whom we can all relate, regardless of their age or vocation.

I received a pdf of this book from Owl Canyon Press via the author.  My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

*The Upsetter Blog will be released September 15th.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The literary alter ego of American rock ‘n’ roll musician Mat Treiber, Brett Marie is a contributing editor for the online literary journal Bookanista, and a staff writer for the website PopMatters. His short fiction has appeared in various magazines, including New Plains Review, Words + Images Press, and The Impressment Gang. His story ‘If It Had Happened to You’ was shortlisted for LoveReading UK’s first Very Short Story Award in 2019. He currently lives in England with his wife and daughter.

BUY LINKS

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Google Books

Owl Canyon Press