I read these three books back-to-back recently: Satellite Image, Strange Sally Diamond, and The Long Defeat.
Amazon links may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you purchase something using the link, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Satellite Image
Young couple Ginny and Matt flee the city after Ginny is assaulted by a stranger in an alley. They bought a house in a small town, looking forward to a quieter, safer life. Just before they move, they browse the satellite view of their “new” house and see something very disturbing.
“Satellite Image” spends a lot of time in Ginny’s head, and in Matt’s head too. The interaction between Matt and Ginny, and their neighbours, is very believable and it’s the best part of this book.
The writing style wasn’t really for me, but you might like it better. I found myself wanting to hurry forward to find resolution to the book, and to me the ending was not as satisfying as it might have been.
“Satellite Image” is due for release on October 15, 2024 and is published by Wolsak and Wynn. You can preorder it there or on Amazon. I was given an advanced reader copy (ARC).
Strange Sally Diamond
“Strange Sally Diamond” is a strange, funny, and tragic book. It made me wish that I didn’t have to work the next day so I could read it all in one sitting.
Sally Diamond is a very strange woman. When her adoptive father died, she put him out with the trash, just like he said to do. She couldn’t understand why everyone made such a fuss over it.
You quickly learn that Sally lived a very sheltered life, and has to adjust to life outside her house very quickly. This is the funny part.
Details of her tragic past come out, in fits and starts, and this is where the real genius of the writer comes through. Liz Nugent tells a very disturbing yet fascinating tale that left me turning pages at a frantic rate.
Highly recommended.
The Long Defeat
“The Long Defeat” is the second book of poetry by Patrick Connors. This is a collection of poetry that covers several themes – the pandemic, love, job dissatisfaction, malaise – but has an overarching theme of hope and overcoming all adversity.
Some poems were, shall I say, banal, but that’s the nature of poetry. Not every poem is an epic on the scale of T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland” and not every poem needs to be about love, loss, or death. Sometimes it’s about poutine.
Some standouts to me:
- “The Long Defeat”
- “Violet”, a short and reflective poem
- “Our Road”, reminiscing fondly about a past school chum
- “Scars”, about mental health, in a way
- “Micah”, a person the poet knew
You can purchase “The Long Defeat” from the publisher, Mosaic Press.
FYI, I won this book from a contest on Instagram.