State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Many of you may be acquainted with Ann Patchett because you have read her other novel Bel Canto.  I must admit, I really enjoyed Bel Canto but many of the people in my book club did not share my feelings.  If any of you have read Bel Canto please let me know what you thought.

State of Wonder is about Marina Singh a doctor and research scientist for a Minnesota based pharmaceutical company that is conducting research deep in the Amazon Jungle.  The lead researcher, a former professor of Marina, on this very big project has not been heard from for quite awhile.  The pharmaceutical company has a lot of money riding on this project and so Marina’s research partner Anders is sent into the jungle to find her.  He too is lost and presumed dead so the company, desperate to find out what is going on, sends Marina.

We then get to experience Marina’s travels to Brazil and the Amazon and how she deals with the harsh environment in the jungle.  The characters are interesting, some likeable some not.  The research project the pharmaceutical company is funding is extremely interesting dealing with women's fertility issues and brings up many possibilities and questions. 

While I liked Bel Canto more this was also good read.

The Forgotten

I always love to figure out how an author lands on a book title. Don’t you?  Sometimes the title is very straight and tells you exactly what you are getting. Other times I sit there scratching my head wondering where the author or for that matter the publisher came up with it.  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is one of those for me. and I have talked with English Teachers, fellow readers even people who swear they actually get it and I still don't.  If you feel confident enough, then please enlighten me.

Titles can be mysterious like that. Sometimes the meaning hides in a single line or a subtle theme you only catch on a second read. Other times the connection is so faint you need a literary decoder ring to see it. But with this book, the reason for the title hits you right from the beginning. There’s no guessing, no symbolism to unravel, no secret handshake required. It’s refreshingly obvious, and honestly, a little satisfying. 

John Puller is back.  We first met him in Zero Day (see my blog for a recap). and if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend that you do.  In this new installment, the trouble begins when Puller’s father—a highly decorated General now suffering from dementia—receives a letter from Puller’s Aunt Betsy. She isn’t specific, but whatever she writes is enough to agitate the General so much that he demands to see his son immediately. The letter’s message is sufficient enough to get Puller to visit her in of all places Paradise, Florida. 

The letter’s vague but unsettling message sends Puller straight to Betsy’s home in, of all places, Paradise, Florida. But by the time he arrives, Betsy is dead—and she’s not the only one. So much for living in Paradise. And don’t worry, none of this spoils the story. These revelations unfold within the first few pages, and the real mystery only deepens from there. 

The Police and the Medical Examiner are rule it an accident, but Puller is not buying, not for a second. He launches his own investigation and what he uncovers is shocking—both in what he finds and in who he has to “take care of” to get to the truth behind these murders.  

If you liked Zero Day you will like definitely like The Forgotten. If you read this first, definitely do yourself a favor and go back and read Zero Day.

Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

World War II is over.  Tom comes home from the war weary from all the death that surrounded him.  His relationship with his family are nonexitent and he just wants peace and quiet.  He signs up to be a light keeper which means spending long stretches all alone with absolutely no one on the island and no phone service. 

He is asked to take an assignment on Janus Rock a light house that is extremely isolated.  In fact, he will find himself going months without uttering a word. It just so happens that before he leaves for Janus he meets Isabel and they fall in Love.  He tells her to think over what their life would be like and gives her the opportunity to turn down the proposal of marriage.  She does not refuse him;they marry and go to live on Janus.

More than anything Isabel wants a family but to her and Tom's great sadness she has several miscarriages.  One day a small boat washes onto the lighthouse shores and in the boat aredead man and an infant who by a miracle is alive..  Isabel begs Tom to not report the incident of the boat washing ashore so that she may keep the infant and raise her as their own.  This goes against the rules followed by the lighthouse keepers and for that matter Tom's respect for the rules. 

But as I said before, the life of the lighthouse keeper is lonely iwhether he is alone or even if he has a family with him.  He loves Isabel more than anything and sees how happy the baby makes her feel.  This story is about all the people who are positively and negatively affected by this decision.  It is a very interesting book and makes you question what you would do if confronted with this same situation.