Saturday, March 22, 2014

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro




I got this book free with our first Kindle. It was just one of those books which my mind didn't find interesting enough to go past the first page. Several years later, I pulled this book out of the abyss of my kindle library, swiped off layers of electronic dust and read and read.

The reason I didn't find it appealing is because of Ishiguro's haphazard and non-explanatory writing style. It's not that he didn't explain key concepts of the book's ideology, it's just that he'd make up a chapter of memories to actually get to the point. And truthfully, most of the memories were trivial and disappointing once you got to them. However, after reading a third of the book, you have enough clues to understand what's going on in Kathy's world, without Miss Emily's big revelation at the end.

This book is just one those stories raining with the booktions when you reach the end:
  1. Where do the "students" get money from? - Money which they spend on cars, fuel, trips, Judy Bridgewater's cassette.
  2. Why oh why can't the clones just run away?! Why don't they ever think of leaving and starting a revolution.
  3. Miss Emily mentions much worse places than Hailsham and similar institutes for the clones. How come the protagonist nor her friends ever mention or encounter people from these places, at centers or The Cottages?
  4. How old are the "students" when they they start donating? What organs are taken at each donation? What does the timing and procedure depend on?
  5. I really wish Ishiguro had added more detail on the whole cloning process. Who are the possibles? How else are clones different from us (apart from the kid thing)?
  6. Speaking of which, why can't they have kids? Are they modified at birth or in their DNA?
  7. What's with Ruth loosing certain memories? In the final chapter, Kathy also mentions loosing some of her memories. Is it a clone thing?
  8. Miss Lucy tells Tommy that she was wrong and being creative is very important just before she leaves. From the final revelations, it's clear that individual talents don't matter. It's just about the best total output.
  9. Who really took Kathy's lost cassette?
  10. What exactly does a carer do? Is it just another name for nurse? Why is she always driving to the centers? Why can't she just stay at one?
Have the answers or more questions? Let me know in the comments below.
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Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty



The Husband's secret has been topping the NY Times Bestseller List for months now. The book description didn't appeal much to me, but I'm glad I took the plunge because I enjoyed reading about an interesting week of three families in Sydney. For me, the epilogue was the icing on the cake and gave a fresh take on how subjective life is.

I didn't garner much booktions as Moriarty gave complete endings to characters in the final chapters. This may be the least booktions I have after a book:

  1. Whether the pathologist had a flu or not, Janie's death was a criminal case ensuring a full autopsy. How could the police be satisfied by a limited autopsy?
  2. Will Rachel turn John-Paul in?
  3. If Conner's alibi for him was a lie, where was he actually at the time of Janie's death?
Have the answers or more questions? Let me know in the comments below.
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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Bombshell by Catherine Coulter



This book is simply a narration of an FBI investigation. Although the large number of characters and personas left me confused at moments, the new discoveries by the chapter leading to the fast pace of the story kept me going. As thorough as an FBI case can be, this book was still open to some booktions:

  1. How was Anna's murdered partner really exposed by Salazar and Gabrielle? The reason for the murder taking place at Delsey's apartment was never confirmed. We only have Anna's assumption to go on, even though it baffles her.
  2. What happens to Salazar after he recovers?
  3. In chapter 63, how were they able to tip the gang that Delsey would be at the Bonhomie Club that night?
  4. Stony's suicide: In what way does finding out that the photo was uploaded from his computer, indicate that Tommy's murderer is his father? Is this the real reason for his suicide? or did he know more.  
  5. If Mrs Hart wanted her husband to be blamed for Peter's death, why did she so strongly cover for him asked about for his alibi?
  6. Sherlock and Savich know that a person tells the truth when in shock, and hence wrung out all the details from Melissa Ivy at Peter's apartment. So then, why does she abruptly remember a person she can't describe a day later, and if she did it for the publicity as assumed and mocked for, why did the FBI take it seriously enough to pin it on to Mrs Hart?
  7. The reason for Tommy's mothers suicide was never brought forward. 
Have the answers or more questions? Let me know in the comments below.
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