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Shari Lapena published her first book in 2008 but she only became a popular name after ‘The Couple Next Door’ came out in 2016 and became a bestseller in Canada and internationally. I loved Lapena’s 2020 book ‘The End of Her’. It had so many mind-bending twists and turns. Even as someone who has read hundreds of thrillers till date, I couldn’t predict what was going to happen next. Just when I would make up my mind about one thing, something would happen that would make me rethink my previous stance. Lapena knows how to keep her readers on the edge.

 I had been trying to get my hands on her other works for a while, when I came across ‘A Stranger in the House’. I wanted more of this amazing writer who had crafted such real but complex characters and stories. I couldn’t wait to read this psychological thriller that delves into a couple’s seemingly-perfect relationship and the secrets they keep to ensure their lives are smooth. (Trigger warning: the book has repeated references to gun and domestic violence as well as pregnancy and fertility issues.)

Following a whirlwind romance, Karen and Tom have been married for two years. They are very much in love. Then, one day, Karen gets into an accident in a part of town that she never goes to. There has been a murder nearby and the police think she killed the man and fled. The man, who was murdered, had been snooping around their house on and off, claiming to be a ‘friend of the wife’s’. The couple’s neighbor, Brigid, had seen a harried Karen get into the car on the night of the accident.

At the hospital, the last thing Karen remembers is that she was preparing dinner and waiting for her husband to come home. Each of the characters, and there aren’t that many, recollect the night’s events as they try to piece together what might have happened. We see the story unravel through different perspectives.

I wasn’t disappointed but having been exposed to Lapena’s writing style, I saw what she was trying to do. I won’t say I could predict what was going to happen next but I had a good sense of the general direction of where things were headed. Lapena is good at creating tension but her stories, settings, and style are eerily similar. She seems to have a trope or perhaps she thinks she has figured out the formula of success with The Couple Next Door and can’t think beyond that. I’m not saying you shouldn’t read her books. Just don’t read two of her books back-to-back or when one of her stories is still fresh in your mind.

3 stars

Fiction

A Stranger in the House

Shari Lapena

Published: 2017

Publisher: Transworld Publishers

Pages: 371, Paperback

I’m not a die-hard fan of fantasy although I read books in the genre every now and then. Don’t come at me, fans of ‘Harry Potter’ (Potterheads?) and George R.R. Martin, but I never really saw the appeal behind those doorstopper books. I read all seven Harry Potters (not counting the various add-ons here) and the first part in the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series. They didn’t feel as mind-blowing as they were made out to be.

So, naturally, I wasn’t much enthused about the ‘Shadow and Bone’ trilogy despite coming across it at multiple bookstores and people asking me if I had read it. My favorite booktuber (shoutout again to @paperbackdreams) hated it, especially the main character, Alina. She thought Alina was annoying and lame. I usually like and agree with her reviews so I had made up my mind not to pick it up. Then Netflix came out with a series and the promo looked interesting. I hence decided to read the book before binge-watching it. The book is okay, albeit a bit predictable. I want to watch the series now to see what they have done with the story.

A war orphan, Alina Starkov is raised on the estate of a minor noble in Ravka, along with her best friend and fellow orphan, Mal. The two are tested as children for the rare magical ability that would make them a Grisha, elite magician-soldiers of the kingdom. When they are found to have none, they get recruited into the common army instead. Then, during a trek across the Shadow Fold, a swath of impenetrable darkness that crawls with monsters, Alina unleashes a dominant magic that even she didn’t know she possessed. This catches the attention of the Darkling, a soldier close to the king, who believes she is the ‘Sun Summoner’—the only one with the power to destroy the Fold.

My problem with fantasy is that it feels a little too trope-y: There is a hero, a problem to solve and a villain to fight. Just the names and settings are different. Shadow and Bone too follows the same tried and tested path. There’s nothing new here. Hundred pages into the book, I could sense where the story was headed (and I was right). The story would have been riveting if I could have connected with Alina, Mal, the Darkling or any of the many characters that appear in the book. But they are all half-baked and I felt nothing for them. That, in turn, made it difficult for me to get sucked into the world Bardugo has created even though the scene setting is quite good. 

Shadow and Bone was fun while it lasted but I wasn’t actually living in another world while reading it, which is kind of the main point of fantasy, isn’t it?

3 stars 
Fantasy
Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo
Published: 2012
Publisher: Orion Children’s Books
Pages: 307, Paperback

There is something about “Beckett”, the recently released American film on Netflix, that sets it apart from most of the ‘man-on-the-run’ thrillers we have watched in recent times. I think it is the film’s trajectory, which suddenly turns from personal into political. Or the film’s style that mixes Hollywood’s storytelling with European naturalism and creates a fusion-like effect throughout.

An American couple—Beckett (John David Washington) and April (Alicia Vikander)—are vacationing in Greece. In one of their drives through a hilly countryside at night, the couple’s car crashes and lands on a supposedly deserted house. Still under shock, Beckett sees a woman and a child inside the house and calls them for help, but they run away. Then he finds April lying dead in a pool of blood and loses consciousness, only waking up at a hospital later.

When Beckett is taken into the local police station, the cops are pretty helpful and tell him how they would help him take his partner’s dead body to Athens. Before leaving for Athens, Beckett decides to pay a visit to the spot where April was killed. That’s when the film’s story takes a twisted turn. At the site, Beckett is shot at by a complete stranger, who then follows him to kill him. A shocked Beckett cannot find refuge in the local police station as well because he is also being shot at and chased by the previously friendly officer Xenakis Beckett (Panos Koronis) for no apparent reason.

The chase continues as Beckett runs from the countryside to Athens, discovering some secrets that land him in the middle of a political conspiracy. Beckett’s plight turns from dealing with bereavement to surviving at any cost. And as he runs to save his life, he also fights to save another person linked to his situation.

Director Ferdinando Cito Filomarino keeps the film more grounded than most Hollywood action thrillers. The eponymous lead character, Beckett, is no action hero. He’s not John Rambo from “First Blood” who sets on his attackers with masochistic flair and turns from prey to predator in a jiffy. Beckett is a common man who finds himself in an unexpected situation and takes the most desperate measures to get out of it. He is scared, has panic attacks and cannot plan on what to do next. Still, Beckett’s resilience makes him surprisingly strong and helps him win the various conflicts he is pushed into.

Beckett starts slow but picks up in the first quarter itself and maintains a steady rhythm till the end. The 1h 48mins screen time is mostly centered on Beckett, and actor John David Washington playing the role is convincing. Washington does not falter throughout the film even as his character metamorphoses from a bereaved lover to a vengeful victim. The background music comes to the actor’s aid as well. There’s a particular chase scene with jazz drums in the background whose dissonance is almost panic inducing. 

Even with so many positives, there are also a few notable shortcomings. For one, the whole conspiracy that has caused so much chaos in Beckett’s life is not given enough space. It leaves many aspects unexplained, which really bothers an attentive audience. Also, the film fails to establish a strong antagonist as it focuses too much on developing and strengthening Becketts’s character. This leaves a huge vacuum in the space where a strong negative character could have brought more intensity to the film. 

Who should watch it?
Beckett is a thriller about a man running for his life. We have seen plenty of those in our times but, still, this movie is worth watching for its variations. We are sure an action/thriller/mystery fan will definitely enjoy the film despite its inadequacies.

Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Thriller
Actors: John David Washington, Alicia Vikander
Director: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino
Run time: 1hr 48mins

I’m not into romances and love stories. They usually make my eyes roll far back into my head or cringe. I can’t remember the last time I read or enjoyed a romance novel that wasn’t literary or had some other plot going on apart from the boy-meets-girl and-romance-ensues bit. I wouldn’t have read ‘Get a Life, Chloe Brown’ by Talia Hibbert if my absolutely favorite booktuber (@paperbackdreams) and some friends whose reading tastes I like hadn’t been going gaga over it.

‘Get a Life, Chloe Brown’ is the first part in a trilogy of sorts but it works well as a standalone novel too. Hibbert has written three books and each tells the story of a different Brown sister. The second book is ‘Take a Hint, Dani Brown’, and the final one is ‘Act Your Age, Eve Brown’. Dani and Eve both make appearances in Chloe’s book and are interesting characters that you want to know more about. The little of what you get to see of them in Get a Life, Chloe Brown leaves you wanting more and it only seems fair that they each have a book of their own.

Chloe Brown suffers from fibromyalgia, a condition that leaves her in pain, accompanied by fatigue, and sleep and mood problems. Her fiancé dumps her because he can’t deal with her issues and slowly her friends too disappear from her life. She lives in a mansion with her grandmother where everything is taken care of for her. One day, after a near death experience, she decides to take charge of things. The extremely organized and meticulous Chloe makes a list. It includes things like moving out of her family home, going camping, getting drunk, having meaningless sex and other random things.

Then she meets Redford Morgan. He is the superintendent of the building she moves into. Both feel a visceral attraction to each other that they initially try to deny and suppress. But as Redford helps Chloe tick items off her list, they end up giving in to their emotions. What follows is a lot of sweet gestures, hot moments, and ultimately a misunderstanding that eventually leads to a heartwarming ending.

As far as love stories go, it’s an out and out cliché. But what makes Get a Life, Chloe Brown different is Hibbert’s sense of humor that gives Chloe a fun, distinctive and interesting voice and the sensitivity with which the story addresses the issue of abusive relationships. Hibbert also sends out a message of body positivity through her main character who is beautiful and chubby, two traits that are often considered antonyms. It’s a feel-good book that leaves you sighing, giggling, and happy.

Three stars
Get a Life, Chloe Brown
Talia Hibbert
Published: 2019
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 384, paperback