Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work and Remake the World, Annie Lowrey, Crown Publishing, 2018
What if the US Government started depositing $1000 every month in the bank account of everyone in America, with no strings attached? Sounds incredible, doesn't it? This book gives the details.
No doubt, some people will use the money to purchase items that are not healthy, like cigarettes, liquor or hard drugs. The vast majority of people will use the money to pay overdue bills, or stock up at the grocery store, or make a long-delayed trip to the dentist or doctor. The Universal Basic Income (or UBI) is meant to replace some, or all, of the current welfare system, which seems to be designed to be as confusing as possible.
Why should America consider a UBI now? It is not China, or immigration from Central America that will put millions of people out of work, it is automation (especially the rise of artificial intelligence). Not all of those newly unemployed will find new, 21st century jobs. Establishing a UBI will give these people a reliable amount of money each month, and it is easier, and cheaper, than pushing millions more people into an already overloaded welfare system.
How will America pay for it? The estimated cost of giving every American citizen $1000 per month, every month, is just under $4 trillion (the present size of the entire US economy). The closing of many tax loopholes, and the raising of many tax rates will have to happen to even come close to raising that amount.
This is a gem of a book. It is very thought-provoking, and very easy to understand. A UBI will help fill the "cracks" through which many low-income people fall. Here is an excellent place to start that discussion.
Monday, December 24, 2018
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Undead
Undead, Ryan W Aslesen, BookBaby, 2018
Part 2 of a series, this book is about Max Ahlgren, CIA/black ops agent. In the previous novel, Max was part of an armed squad that traveled to Alaska to see why a mining operation had suddenly stopped. There, they faced people who had turned into hideous creatures, with extra arms and horns and a need to kill everything. The mining operation was vaporized, and Max was the only survivor of the squad.
In this novel, the North Koreans have gotten hold of the test data from the Alaskan mining operation, and plan to use it to, at minimum, give immortality to Kim Jong-Un. Max is seduced by a Korean woman named Juno to join a super-secret operation. The intention is to parachute into North Korea, find the (mostly underground) installation, get the test data, and destroy everything, with help from a backpack thermonuclear bomb.
The squad arrives at their target, but things start going wrong soon after. Juno, the leader of the mission, has a private set of objectives. The safe return of all members of the squad is not necessarily among them. After the squad survives attacks by North Korean soldiers, the practically indestructible monsters are unleashed. Perhaps they were political dissidents, or just "test subjects". The nuke is armed, and the test data is found. Can Max, and his rapidly dwindling number of squad mates, make it out alive? After that is the small problem of reaching the coast and activating the rescue beacon.
This is a pretty violent story (the body count gets pretty high by the end), but it is a really good story. Max learns, pretty quickly, just who he can, and cannot, trust. I look forward to more books in this series.
Part 2 of a series, this book is about Max Ahlgren, CIA/black ops agent. In the previous novel, Max was part of an armed squad that traveled to Alaska to see why a mining operation had suddenly stopped. There, they faced people who had turned into hideous creatures, with extra arms and horns and a need to kill everything. The mining operation was vaporized, and Max was the only survivor of the squad.
In this novel, the North Koreans have gotten hold of the test data from the Alaskan mining operation, and plan to use it to, at minimum, give immortality to Kim Jong-Un. Max is seduced by a Korean woman named Juno to join a super-secret operation. The intention is to parachute into North Korea, find the (mostly underground) installation, get the test data, and destroy everything, with help from a backpack thermonuclear bomb.
The squad arrives at their target, but things start going wrong soon after. Juno, the leader of the mission, has a private set of objectives. The safe return of all members of the squad is not necessarily among them. After the squad survives attacks by North Korean soldiers, the practically indestructible monsters are unleashed. Perhaps they were political dissidents, or just "test subjects". The nuke is armed, and the test data is found. Can Max, and his rapidly dwindling number of squad mates, make it out alive? After that is the small problem of reaching the coast and activating the rescue beacon.
This is a pretty violent story (the body count gets pretty high by the end), but it is a really good story. Max learns, pretty quickly, just who he can, and cannot, trust. I look forward to more books in this series.
Escape from Hypatia 5
Escape from Hypatia 5: The 18th Shadow, Jon Lee Grafton, Amazon Digital Services, 2018
Part 4 of a series, this near-future novel takes place partly on the Moon. That is where the North American Union has built Hypatia 5, the ultimate in maximum-security prisons. Run by a person called The Architect, the only way to leave is in death.
It is also a place of gladiatorial games, involving humans, androids and cyborgs. Naturally, the battles are televised live on Earth. It is also a popular destination for the ultra-rich to watch the battles in person. A new cyborg is on the scene, a former person called The Prophet who remembers her former life. Is the "Escape from Hypatia 5" a success? Who wants to escape and why?
This is a very good, but very violent, novel. My only complaint is that it is fourth in the series (hardly the author's fault). I am one of those who Must read a series in order. For those who have read the other three books, this book is very much worth reading. It is less successful as a stand-alone novel.
Part 4 of a series, this near-future novel takes place partly on the Moon. That is where the North American Union has built Hypatia 5, the ultimate in maximum-security prisons. Run by a person called The Architect, the only way to leave is in death.
It is also a place of gladiatorial games, involving humans, androids and cyborgs. Naturally, the battles are televised live on Earth. It is also a popular destination for the ultra-rich to watch the battles in person. A new cyborg is on the scene, a former person called The Prophet who remembers her former life. Is the "Escape from Hypatia 5" a success? Who wants to escape and why?
This is a very good, but very violent, novel. My only complaint is that it is fourth in the series (hardly the author's fault). I am one of those who Must read a series in order. For those who have read the other three books, this book is very much worth reading. It is less successful as a stand-alone novel.
The Seventh Guard
The Seventh Guard: Destiny Expires, Francis Halpin, Amazon Digital Services LLC, 2018
Robert is in his mid-twenties, and is abrasive and sarcastic. He has a part-time job in the computer repair department at Best Buy. He has been forbidden to have any contact with customers because of his near-total lack of social skills.
At home, in an attempt to give his life some meaning, Robert conducts strange experiments at the expense of customers and his few friends. One day, he becomes obsessed with a flickering fluorescent tube light in the Best Buy men's bathroom. He records several hours of it, and runs it through his home computers. He is able to turn the flickers into numbers, and turn the numbers into locations. Robert is convinced that he is going to meet some aliens.
Robert attracts the wrong sort of attention (not from a super-secret government agency). This person is able to influence people's minds, leading to Robert almost being murdered inside a Starbucks. As time goes on, Robert finds that he has acquired the same sort of mental abilities. The end of the book has the big confrontation with the Bad Guy. Who walks away at the end? Does the author leave room for a sequel?
It is not easy to make an unlikable person like Robert into a likable person, but the author does it. It's a very good story, with moments of humor, and is a gem of a book. I look forward to a sequel.
Robert is in his mid-twenties, and is abrasive and sarcastic. He has a part-time job in the computer repair department at Best Buy. He has been forbidden to have any contact with customers because of his near-total lack of social skills.
At home, in an attempt to give his life some meaning, Robert conducts strange experiments at the expense of customers and his few friends. One day, he becomes obsessed with a flickering fluorescent tube light in the Best Buy men's bathroom. He records several hours of it, and runs it through his home computers. He is able to turn the flickers into numbers, and turn the numbers into locations. Robert is convinced that he is going to meet some aliens.
Robert attracts the wrong sort of attention (not from a super-secret government agency). This person is able to influence people's minds, leading to Robert almost being murdered inside a Starbucks. As time goes on, Robert finds that he has acquired the same sort of mental abilities. The end of the book has the big confrontation with the Bad Guy. Who walks away at the end? Does the author leave room for a sequel?
It is not easy to make an unlikable person like Robert into a likable person, but the author does it. It's a very good story, with moments of humor, and is a gem of a book. I look forward to a sequel.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Zombie Queen
Zombie Queen, Carol Burgess Hobbs, CreateSpace, 2016
David is a Special Forces veteran who is living off-the-grid in very rural Arkansas. His wife, Carol, is about to give birth, and David is over the moon about it. While she is in labor, she is bitten by a zombie who has managed to enter their compound. Carol does not survive childbirth. Is this one of those inexplicable things, or is Something Going On?
His daughter, Queen, grows into a normal, healthy young woman, who becomes an expert in self-defense. The only strange part is that she, physically, needs to consume fresh blood every day. As she grows up, David calls veterans around the country, recalling them to duty. It becomes known that a very secret government program is being tested in the nearest town to David and Queen. People are quietly kidnapped off the street and taken to a barn outside of town. They are injected with a virus that destroys their immune system, and they end up craving red blood cells. Basically, they are turned into zombies (no, the dead don't rise). They are then released to infect more people. David and Queen do their best to kill them before that can happen. The local police have been specifically ordered to back off.
The official story is that the virus is purely defensive, but the opposite is the real story. The US President is a liberal idealist who refuses to believe that there is a target on his back, which was put there by senior members of his administration. Can the veterans get the President to safety?
This is much better than the average zombie story. It is more like a suspense story about zombies. It is pretty bloody, but it is very much worth the reader's time. I look forward to a sequel.
David is a Special Forces veteran who is living off-the-grid in very rural Arkansas. His wife, Carol, is about to give birth, and David is over the moon about it. While she is in labor, she is bitten by a zombie who has managed to enter their compound. Carol does not survive childbirth. Is this one of those inexplicable things, or is Something Going On?
His daughter, Queen, grows into a normal, healthy young woman, who becomes an expert in self-defense. The only strange part is that she, physically, needs to consume fresh blood every day. As she grows up, David calls veterans around the country, recalling them to duty. It becomes known that a very secret government program is being tested in the nearest town to David and Queen. People are quietly kidnapped off the street and taken to a barn outside of town. They are injected with a virus that destroys their immune system, and they end up craving red blood cells. Basically, they are turned into zombies (no, the dead don't rise). They are then released to infect more people. David and Queen do their best to kill them before that can happen. The local police have been specifically ordered to back off.
The official story is that the virus is purely defensive, but the opposite is the real story. The US President is a liberal idealist who refuses to believe that there is a target on his back, which was put there by senior members of his administration. Can the veterans get the President to safety?
This is much better than the average zombie story. It is more like a suspense story about zombies. It is pretty bloody, but it is very much worth the reader's time. I look forward to a sequel.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
The Pinochet Plot
The Pinochet Plot, David Myles Robinson, Terra Nova Books, 2018
Will Munoz is a successful attorney in San Francisco. He is also the son of Ricardo Munoz, a well-known Chilean writer, who died when Will was a child. His mother's suicide note asserts that his father was murdered on the orders of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile for more than 15 years in the late 20th century.
Will learns that his father wrote a novel, as yet unpublished, that would have been very unfriendly to Pinochet. A million-dollar reward was established, by Pinochet, for the return of the original manuscript and all published copies. As Will starts to ask questions about his father's death, focus turns to the CIA's famous, or infamous, MKULTRA mind control program. Chuck Evans was a part of MKULTRA, along with Milton Fisher, his CIA handler. After the program was "officially" cancelled, could Milton have kept Chuck supplied with drugs, and turned him into some sort of assassin-for-hire? As an extra complication, Chuck is also Will's step father. Could he have killed Will's father, and married his mother, to find the novel and get that million dollar reward?
This is a very "quiet" novel, in that there are no car chases or hair-raising escapes from the bad guys, But it is a very well-done novel. It explores a pair of unpleasant bits of recent American history, and it is very much worth reading.
Will Munoz is a successful attorney in San Francisco. He is also the son of Ricardo Munoz, a well-known Chilean writer, who died when Will was a child. His mother's suicide note asserts that his father was murdered on the orders of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled Chile for more than 15 years in the late 20th century.
Will learns that his father wrote a novel, as yet unpublished, that would have been very unfriendly to Pinochet. A million-dollar reward was established, by Pinochet, for the return of the original manuscript and all published copies. As Will starts to ask questions about his father's death, focus turns to the CIA's famous, or infamous, MKULTRA mind control program. Chuck Evans was a part of MKULTRA, along with Milton Fisher, his CIA handler. After the program was "officially" cancelled, could Milton have kept Chuck supplied with drugs, and turned him into some sort of assassin-for-hire? As an extra complication, Chuck is also Will's step father. Could he have killed Will's father, and married his mother, to find the novel and get that million dollar reward?
This is a very "quiet" novel, in that there are no car chases or hair-raising escapes from the bad guys, But it is a very well-done novel. It explores a pair of unpleasant bits of recent American history, and it is very much worth reading.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Voices of the 21st Century
Voices of the 21st Century: Women who Influence, Inspire and Make a Difference, Gail Watson, WSA Publishing, 2018
This book consists of a group of short essays that are designed to help women of any age as they make their way through the twists and turns that constitute daily life.
Whatever your emotional challenge is, someone in this book has been there. It could be dealing with the death of a spouse, attempting to survive, let alone thrive, in a male-dominated field like construction, being in an emotional rut, or the aftermath of being shot by an AK-47. They show how they came out the other side, with the help of spirituality, a new mindset, or simply not giving up.
Anger and fear are normal human emotions. How a person deals with those emotions separates the adults from the children. It is not possible to change the circumstances of what happened to you; it is possible to change your reaction to those circumstances. Consider forgiving the person who has wronged you. It is not intended to let them off the hook. Instead, it is to let you off the hook by letting go of that anger that is keeping you from moving on. If you wish, consider yoga. meditation or a vision board. Set a goal for yourself, whether personal or professional, then break that goal into smaller, more manageable pieces.
These essays are short; just a couple of pages each. This book can easily be read while waiting at the doctor's office, or at the grocery store. This book can be picked up and read starting on any page. It is also very much recommended.
This book consists of a group of short essays that are designed to help women of any age as they make their way through the twists and turns that constitute daily life.
Whatever your emotional challenge is, someone in this book has been there. It could be dealing with the death of a spouse, attempting to survive, let alone thrive, in a male-dominated field like construction, being in an emotional rut, or the aftermath of being shot by an AK-47. They show how they came out the other side, with the help of spirituality, a new mindset, or simply not giving up.
Anger and fear are normal human emotions. How a person deals with those emotions separates the adults from the children. It is not possible to change the circumstances of what happened to you; it is possible to change your reaction to those circumstances. Consider forgiving the person who has wronged you. It is not intended to let them off the hook. Instead, it is to let you off the hook by letting go of that anger that is keeping you from moving on. If you wish, consider yoga. meditation or a vision board. Set a goal for yourself, whether personal or professional, then break that goal into smaller, more manageable pieces.
These essays are short; just a couple of pages each. This book can easily be read while waiting at the doctor's office, or at the grocery store. This book can be picked up and read starting on any page. It is also very much recommended.
Saturday, October 6, 2018
First Amendment for Beginners
First Amendment for Beginners, Michael J Lamonica, For Beginners LLC, 2018
The forty-five words that make up the First Amendment to the US Constitution embody some of America's most basic rights. Among them are the right to follow the religion of your choice, and the right to express their opinions in public without fear of government interference. This book looks at the court cases that have turned those rights into reality.
The concept of a "wall" between church and state was never in the US Constitution. It comes from letters between President Thomas Jefferson and a group of Connecticut Baptists in the early 1800's. They were complaining because Connecticut had established Congregationalism as the official religion and did not guarantee religious freedom for other faiths.
When it comes to religion in public schools, in 1948, the Supreme Court struck down an Illinois law that set aside class time in public schools for religious instruction. Several years later, in 1952, the Court upheld a New York program that let students out of school to attend private religious instruction.
The Supreme Court has said that the First Amendment protects only speech, not conduct. What about "symbolic speech" like burning the American flag? The book also explores the question of whether money equals speech, like in the Citizens United case.
This is an excellent book. It is easy to understand for the average reader. It is also recommended for law students who need a First Amendment review. This is very much worth reading.
The forty-five words that make up the First Amendment to the US Constitution embody some of America's most basic rights. Among them are the right to follow the religion of your choice, and the right to express their opinions in public without fear of government interference. This book looks at the court cases that have turned those rights into reality.
The concept of a "wall" between church and state was never in the US Constitution. It comes from letters between President Thomas Jefferson and a group of Connecticut Baptists in the early 1800's. They were complaining because Connecticut had established Congregationalism as the official religion and did not guarantee religious freedom for other faiths.
When it comes to religion in public schools, in 1948, the Supreme Court struck down an Illinois law that set aside class time in public schools for religious instruction. Several years later, in 1952, the Court upheld a New York program that let students out of school to attend private religious instruction.
The Supreme Court has said that the First Amendment protects only speech, not conduct. What about "symbolic speech" like burning the American flag? The book also explores the question of whether money equals speech, like in the Citizens United case.
This is an excellent book. It is easy to understand for the average reader. It is also recommended for law students who need a First Amendment review. This is very much worth reading.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Culture Man: An Adventure
Culture Man: An Adventure, Guy Cook, 2017, Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Rob is a resident of present-day England, specifically, the town of Winchester. He runs a blog where he commits to do one culture thing per week, like visiting a local museum or art gallery, and then writes about it. Marianne, his ex-girlfriend, is a biochemist for a major food company.
One day, Rob makes himself a peanut butter and jam sandwich. It's not jam, it's one of Marianne's biochem creations. Combined with a painful, but non-fatal, bite from a lizard during a previous trip to Greece, Rob suddenly gains super-hero powers.
No, he does not turn into the Incredible Hulk. He does gain the ability to run 100 meters in six seconds, and he can fly. The first thing Rob wants to do is to win a local tennis tournament. Because of his culture blog, Rob starts to call himself Culture Man.
Every super-hero needs a super-villain. Someone called the Velvet Vandal has evidently been reading Rob's blog. That is because items from the places mentioned in the blog are stolen. The two eventually agree to meet at the top of Winchester Cathedral for the Final Confrontation. Who is the Velvet Vandal? Does someone fall dramatically to their death from the top of the cathedral? Are Rob's abilities permanent or do they have an expiration date? Does an ambitious Oxford Professor of Biochemistry have any involvement?
This is a very "quiet" superhero tale, but a very good one. It shows what can happen when an average person becomes a super-hero. Yes, it is well worth the reader's time.
Rob is a resident of present-day England, specifically, the town of Winchester. He runs a blog where he commits to do one culture thing per week, like visiting a local museum or art gallery, and then writes about it. Marianne, his ex-girlfriend, is a biochemist for a major food company.
One day, Rob makes himself a peanut butter and jam sandwich. It's not jam, it's one of Marianne's biochem creations. Combined with a painful, but non-fatal, bite from a lizard during a previous trip to Greece, Rob suddenly gains super-hero powers.
No, he does not turn into the Incredible Hulk. He does gain the ability to run 100 meters in six seconds, and he can fly. The first thing Rob wants to do is to win a local tennis tournament. Because of his culture blog, Rob starts to call himself Culture Man.
Every super-hero needs a super-villain. Someone called the Velvet Vandal has evidently been reading Rob's blog. That is because items from the places mentioned in the blog are stolen. The two eventually agree to meet at the top of Winchester Cathedral for the Final Confrontation. Who is the Velvet Vandal? Does someone fall dramatically to their death from the top of the cathedral? Are Rob's abilities permanent or do they have an expiration date? Does an ambitious Oxford Professor of Biochemistry have any involvement?
This is a very "quiet" superhero tale, but a very good one. It shows what can happen when an average person becomes a super-hero. Yes, it is well worth the reader's time.
Monday, September 3, 2018
The Reign of the Vedic Gods
The Reign of the Vedic Gods: The Galaxy of Hindu Gods Book 1, Swami Achuthananda, 2018, Relianz Communications Pty Ltd.
This book attempts to introduce the reader to the world of Hindu gods. There are a million of them (gods, that is).
Ganesha is the one with the head of an elephant. He was created, according to one folk tale, because Shiva (his father) had been intruding too often on Parvati's (his mother) bath. Using the dead skin and dandruff from her body, she created a son and gatekeeper. After Shiva is driven away by Ganesha, Shiva gets furious and chops off his head, not realizing that it was his own son. Parvati is very upset, but Shiva tries to console her by putting the head of an elephant on Ganesha's body. Shiva is known as the god of destruction; he does not do so well at creation.
Indra, the greatest of the Vedic gods, was hidden as a baby for a long time. Prithvi, his mother, did it to keep him away from a jealous Dyaus Pita, his father. At the time of his birth, humans were in the midst of a major famine, because the demon Vritra had stolen the clouds. There was a major battle between Indra and Vritra, which was won by Indra, and the rains returned. Indra also defends people and animals from other demons, leading to his becoming ruler of the universe.
Most Hindu and Aryan holy books talk about there being thirty-three gods (a reasonable number). So where did the number of 330 million gods come from? The book also talks about India's caste system, still entrenched in Indian society, despite attempts to change it.
First of a series, this book does a very good job at painlessly introducing the reader to Hindu gods. As a suggestion, for anyone who wants to learn more than the basics, read about one god at a time, instead of trying to understand all of them. This book is the place to start.
This book attempts to introduce the reader to the world of Hindu gods. There are a million of them (gods, that is).
Ganesha is the one with the head of an elephant. He was created, according to one folk tale, because Shiva (his father) had been intruding too often on Parvati's (his mother) bath. Using the dead skin and dandruff from her body, she created a son and gatekeeper. After Shiva is driven away by Ganesha, Shiva gets furious and chops off his head, not realizing that it was his own son. Parvati is very upset, but Shiva tries to console her by putting the head of an elephant on Ganesha's body. Shiva is known as the god of destruction; he does not do so well at creation.
Indra, the greatest of the Vedic gods, was hidden as a baby for a long time. Prithvi, his mother, did it to keep him away from a jealous Dyaus Pita, his father. At the time of his birth, humans were in the midst of a major famine, because the demon Vritra had stolen the clouds. There was a major battle between Indra and Vritra, which was won by Indra, and the rains returned. Indra also defends people and animals from other demons, leading to his becoming ruler of the universe.
Most Hindu and Aryan holy books talk about there being thirty-three gods (a reasonable number). So where did the number of 330 million gods come from? The book also talks about India's caste system, still entrenched in Indian society, despite attempts to change it.
First of a series, this book does a very good job at painlessly introducing the reader to Hindu gods. As a suggestion, for anyone who wants to learn more than the basics, read about one god at a time, instead of trying to understand all of them. This book is the place to start.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Fate and the Twilight of the Gods
Fate and the Twilight of the Gods: The Norns and an Exegesis of Voluspa, Gwendolyn Taunton, Manticore Press, 2018
This is a short book on Northern European (specifically Norse) mythology.
Fate is a force that is outside of human control. In Northern Europe, fate is usually shown as a Goddess with three aspects, known as the Norns or Nornir. They are not separate and distinct figures, which leads to the possibility that they were imported from somewhere else, and merged with the existing belief system via Roman incursions into Europe.
There is a problem in trying to study the surviving textual references to the Nornir. Christians destroyed a lot of indigenous literature during their aggressive converting of Europeans. Therefore, the concept of the Nornir could have been part of something much bigger.
Many different traditions have their own apocalypse story; for the Norwegians, it is called Ragnarok. It is similar to other traditions in that there is a cycle of decline in the quality of life until the end comes. Then the world is purified through destruction and things begin again.
Loki is the antagonist behind the coming of Ragnarok. He is never fully accepted into the community of Asgard. He is eventually imprisoned and tortured. Ragnarok can not be prevented, only postponed, because of a mistake in Odin's (Loki's father) past.
This is a very specialized book. It is recommended for mythology scholars, or those who otherwise know their way around Norse mythology. For the average reader, this book can be skipped.
This is a short book on Northern European (specifically Norse) mythology.
Fate is a force that is outside of human control. In Northern Europe, fate is usually shown as a Goddess with three aspects, known as the Norns or Nornir. They are not separate and distinct figures, which leads to the possibility that they were imported from somewhere else, and merged with the existing belief system via Roman incursions into Europe.
There is a problem in trying to study the surviving textual references to the Nornir. Christians destroyed a lot of indigenous literature during their aggressive converting of Europeans. Therefore, the concept of the Nornir could have been part of something much bigger.
Many different traditions have their own apocalypse story; for the Norwegians, it is called Ragnarok. It is similar to other traditions in that there is a cycle of decline in the quality of life until the end comes. Then the world is purified through destruction and things begin again.
Loki is the antagonist behind the coming of Ragnarok. He is never fully accepted into the community of Asgard. He is eventually imprisoned and tortured. Ragnarok can not be prevented, only postponed, because of a mistake in Odin's (Loki's father) past.
This is a very specialized book. It is recommended for mythology scholars, or those who otherwise know their way around Norse mythology. For the average reader, this book can be skipped.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Finding Sarah
Finding Sarah, Paul Walker, Michael Terence Publishing, 2018
This novel is about one man's attempt to fill in a large hole in his family history -- the sudden disappearance of his grandmother more than thirty years ago.
In 1980's England, Jack runs a home-based business selling software to catering companies. Things are not going well. He had to let go his sales manager, who then jumped to the competition. An important client did not renew their contract. A lucky bet on a horse race keeps the company afloat, for a while. A new sales manager was hired, who seemed to be the answer to Jack's prayers. That is, until large discrepancies were found in his resume.
What is worse is that Jack's behavior is getting increasingly erratic. With no warning, Jack suddenly gets angry, and lets loose with lots of profanity (even in front of friends). Jack pleads business stress, but his wife, Sarah, is sick of it. On the way to a patch-things-up vacation in the country (Sarah is an unwilling passenger in the car), Jack stops at a highway rest stop, and has a nap in the car. Sarah goes inside, and vanishes. When Jack goes in to get her, she is gone. The police are called.
Fast forward to the present. Jack is in a nursing home, suffering from advanced dementia. Matt, his grandson, is inspired to look into Sarah's disappearance. Slowly, he begins to put it all together. Focus shifts to an abandoned well at the cottage where Jack and Sarah were supposed to have their vacation. Are there human remains at the bottom of the well?
This is a very good story, but a very "quiet" story. There are no car chases, or hair-raising escapes from the bad guys (there are no bad guys). There is just lots of good writing, and an ending that will keep the reader guessing.
This novel is about one man's attempt to fill in a large hole in his family history -- the sudden disappearance of his grandmother more than thirty years ago.
In 1980's England, Jack runs a home-based business selling software to catering companies. Things are not going well. He had to let go his sales manager, who then jumped to the competition. An important client did not renew their contract. A lucky bet on a horse race keeps the company afloat, for a while. A new sales manager was hired, who seemed to be the answer to Jack's prayers. That is, until large discrepancies were found in his resume.
What is worse is that Jack's behavior is getting increasingly erratic. With no warning, Jack suddenly gets angry, and lets loose with lots of profanity (even in front of friends). Jack pleads business stress, but his wife, Sarah, is sick of it. On the way to a patch-things-up vacation in the country (Sarah is an unwilling passenger in the car), Jack stops at a highway rest stop, and has a nap in the car. Sarah goes inside, and vanishes. When Jack goes in to get her, she is gone. The police are called.
Fast forward to the present. Jack is in a nursing home, suffering from advanced dementia. Matt, his grandson, is inspired to look into Sarah's disappearance. Slowly, he begins to put it all together. Focus shifts to an abandoned well at the cottage where Jack and Sarah were supposed to have their vacation. Are there human remains at the bottom of the well?
This is a very good story, but a very "quiet" story. There are no car chases, or hair-raising escapes from the bad guys (there are no bad guys). There is just lots of good writing, and an ending that will keep the reader guessing.
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