The Lonely Witness; William Boyle

TITLE: The Lonely Witness

AUTHOR: William Boyle

PUBLISHER: Pegasus

PUB. YEAR: 2018

SETTING:  Brooklyn, NY
FORMAT:  - Library

RATING: 4/5 stars

Amy is a young, lonely woman just out of a relationship.  Once a party girl, she now spends her time visiting the housebound and administering communion.  One day, one of her clients, Mrs. E, an elderly woman with dementia, mentions something which disturbs Amy and makes her concerned for Mrs. E's safety.  Mrs. E. reports that a young thug named Vincent has been using his mother's key to enter her apartment unannounced. Amy's curiosity gets the best of her and when she decides to follow Vincent, she witnesses something she wishes she hadn't and her life slowly spirals out of control.

This story totally took me by surprise and it wasn't at all what I was expecting after reading the first chapter.  The protagonist, Amy, does some incredibly dumb things along the way yet, I kept hoping she would find her purpose in life and come to terms with her dysfunctional childhood.

This author is new to me and he certainly knows how to write a character driven mystery. He also created a great sense of place and made me feel like I was right there watching the story unfold.  Although parts were a bit slow but, this was still a very enjoyable read.

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - The Lonely Witness; William Boyle

Each Tuesday, Vicki, from I’d Rather Be At The Beach hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros where  readers post the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book that they are reading or plan to read.

The Lonely Witness; William Boyle

Pegasus Books - 2018

1

"When Mrs. Epifanio opens the door, Amy can tell right away that something's wrong.  Monsignor Ricciardo had told her a few months ago, when she started doing this, that Mrs. Epifanio was prone to fits of dementia, that some days she'd probably seem very confused about where she was and what year it was and who was dead or alive.  But Amy's only seen that side of Mrs. Epifanio once or twice.  She's usually cheery and bright-eyed in the morning, so lively for a ninety-year-old, standing with her shoulders hunched, her bobby-pinned, rose colored hair wild, her taped on-the-bridge-of-the-nose glasses hanging restlessly around her neck."

What do you think about this first paragraph?  (I just started this one and, am really enjoying the writing so far.)

Coming Soon to a Book Store Near You - Charlotte's Story; Laura Benedict

I just came across this book which seems like yet another perfect fall read.

Charlotte's Story;  Laura Benedict

Pegasus - October 2015

(Description)

Step back into Bliss House, the yellow-brick Virginia mansion with a disreputable, dangerous past, that even the sheen of 1950's domesticity cannot hide...

The fall of 1957 in southern Virginia was a seemingly idyllic, even prosperous time. A young housewife, Charlotte Bliss, lives with her husband, Hasbrouck Preston “Press” Bliss, and their two young children, Eva Grace and Michael, in the gorgeous Bliss family home. On the surface, theirs seems a calm, picturesque life, but soon tragedy befalls them: four tragic deaths, with apparently simple explanations. 

But nothing is simple if Bliss House is involved. How far will Charlotte go to discover the truth? And how far will she get without knowing who her real enemy is? Though Bliss House may promise to give its inhabitants what they want, it never gives them exactly what they expect.

Coming Soon to a Book Store Near You - The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness; Kyung Sook Shin

Here's another book that came to my attention recently, that I'm looking forward to.

The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness

Kyung Sook Shin - Pegasus - Sept - 2015

(Description)

The highly anticipated release of the most personal novel by Kyung-Sook Shin, who first burst on to the literary scene with the New York Times bestseller, Please Look After Mom.

Homesick and alone, a teen-aged girl has just arrived in Seoul to work in a factory. Her family, still in the countryside, is too impoverished to keep sending her to school, so she works long, sun-less days on a stereo-assembly line, struggling through night school every evening in order to achieve her dream of becoming a writer.

Korea’s brightest literary star sets this complex and nuanced coming-of-age story against the backdrop of Korea’s industrial sweatshops of the 1970’s and takes on the extreme exploitation, oppression, and urbanization that helped catapult Korea’s economy out of the ashes of war. But it was girls like Shin’s heroine who formed the bottom of Seoul’s rapidly changing social hierarchy, forgotten and ignored. 

Richly autobiographical, The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness lays bare the conflict and confusion Shin faces as she confronts her past and the sweeping social change of the past half-century. Cited in Korea as one of the most important literary novels of the decade, this novel cements Shin’s legacy as one of the most insightful and exciting writers of her generation.

The Listener; Rachel Basch

The Listener; Rachel Basch

Pegasus - 2015

Honestly, it was the cover art that initially attracted me to this novel, but then I read the first paragraph, and was immediately intrigued---

 "She was a freshman, allergic to sulfa drugs and codeine.  She didn't wear corrective lenses and she didn't smoke.  She wasn't taking any medication.  She's checked yes for vitamin supplements and no for birth control.  At the bottom of the form on the line that read Other, she'd printed OTHER in big block letters".

Malcolm Dowd is a "Listener", a psychologist with a private practice as well as a counselor at Baxter College in Maine. His wife died unexpectedly, 14 years earlier and his children are grown and on their own. Although he's seeing a woman named Cara who teaches at Baxter, his life is still in flux. Malcolm has a secret about his deceased wife that even his children aren't aware of.

As the story opens, one of his Baxter students has arrived at the behavioral Health center for a counseling session.  Leah,  A.K.A. Noah, arrives and almost immediately sheds a blond wig and female attire to reveal freshman acting student Noah who is struggling with gender issues. Malcolm had spoken to Noah months earlier, and now this conflicted young patient of his will require even closer "listening" skills than ever.  The funny thing is that patient, Noah, at times seems to be a much better "listener" than the man whose help he has sought. One thing is certain though, by the end of the semester both individuals will help one another more than they ever expected.

This was an enjoyable novel. It's witty at times and the author know hows to get inside the heads of her characters to reveal their private pain. The characters are complex and dealing with difficult issues like gender issues, grief, parenting, loss and love. I think The Listener is a novel that will appeal to a variety of readers.

4/5 stars

(eGalley)

First Chapter First Paragraph ~ Tuesday Intros - The Listener; Rachel Basch

Every Tuesday I host First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where I share the first paragraph or (a few) of a book I am reading or thinking about reading soon.

The Listener; Rachel Basch

Pegasus - 2015

1.

 "She was a freshman, allergic to sulfa drugs and codeine.  She didn't wear corrective lenses and she didn't smoke.  She wasn't taking any medication.  She's checked yes for vitamin supplements and no for birth control.  At the bottom of the form on the line that read Other, she'd printed OTHER in big block letters.

Malcolm slid the new patient information into his notebook and looked over at the lanky girl anchored at the far end of the couch, her head bowed. Leah's a beautiful name. He considered sharing that he had a daughter named Leah, who was fond of reminding him that he got paid as much for what he didn't say as what he did, maybe more."

What do you think? Keep reading?

Feel free to join in by linking your post below.