Sister, sister: Dead Letters | 2017

(image from here)

"Zelda is fully aware that she's enticed me to play, and now I can't let it go until I've figured her out, found her, looked her in the eyes and told her that I know her BEST, that I GET HER. Which, of course, is how she will win too." - Dead Letters, p. 113

The Sum of It:

Dead Letters is like if the twins from Sweet Valley High were from Upstate New York instead of California (question mark?) and then also with more murder/arson. Because here's the thing, this book starts out with one of our main characters, Ava, through whose eyes we see most of the action, flying home to New York from her expat home in Paris to attend her dead twin sister's funeral. ONLY she is feeling a little conflicted about this because she's still getting emails from said sister, Zelda, that could only be written by her #lettersfrombeyondthegrave? Their mom let her know that Zelda died when her barn/hideout at the family's failing vineyard burned to the ground with her inside. Only sister on the plane (Ava) is like, ok, whatever, I'm having a hard time being sad about this because I'm really just wondering what's going on. Is Zelda really dead? Ava thinks not and plans on getting to the bottom of it as soon as she lands. And has a glass [bottle] of wine. 

Once she gets home, the police figure out that the barn doors were chained shut prior to the fire starting. Isn't that peculiar. Maybe the fire wasn't an accident caused by dead (?) sister's candles after all. Meanwhile, the emails keep coming and it quickly becomes clear that Ava is being led on a bit of a scavenger hunt by her supposedly deceased twin, who loved mischief. She starts digging around in her sister's life, which proves a bit tricky initially because they sort of stopped speaking when she moved to Paris, leaving Zelda at home in New York to care for their mother, who is in the throes of dementia. Add in a high school boyfriend, drug dealing strippers, literal gallons of booze, and some poor judgement, and you've got quite the situation.  

The YOA Treatment:

First of all, that cover is bangin', kudos to the designer at Random House. So we snapped this one up in a pre-order because it was recommended by fairly reliable sources as "Agatha Christie-like." Talk about a high bar. And in reading it, we both really looked for the hints of Agatha in the fast-paced tale. The premise is juicy; is the twin sister dead or not?? If not, who's sending the emails?? Is this Pretty Little Liars for grownups?? (#kindof #actuallyreallyalot). Definitely keeps you turning the pages, although for readers who are legit steeped in mystery like us (it's no one's fault but our own that we've read like hundreds of murder mysteries over the last year and a half) the ending started looking pretty inevitable about half way through. While the ending is certainly a "twist," for us the inevitability of the twist took quite a bit of the wind out of the sails (honestly if the twist had been opposite it almost would have been MORE surprising to us). Like The Long Room, I (Emily) read this one on the beach, and UNLIKE The Long Room, this was absolutely a beach read. Almost to a fault, if you know what I mean (I guess what I'm saying is any book that spends more than one scene discussing the way a tshirt lays over various aspects of a man's anatomy starts to feel less like literature and more like a romp, which is fine as long as that's what you're in the market for!) 

All that to say is that I think we both had slightly mixed feelings about this one. It was a pretty compelling mystery and kept you turning the pages, and the author (newcomer Caite Dolan-Leache) knows how to paint a picture for sure. If you're looking for a light mystery to page through while you sip pina coladas poolside, this could be a totally viable candidate. However, we didn't see a lot of Agatha in it. I mean, it was a mystery, and there was a twist, but in our opinion Agatha is in rare air, and this book didn't really carry the weight, offer the clever turns of phrase, or keep the reader guessing the same way the Queen of Mystery would. 

Our tastes are maybe too specific, but where The Long Room was a bit too serious and bleak for our palates, Dead Letters was a bit too meringue. Don't worry, next we'll post about a book that was WAY more than just right ;). 

- E. (& A.) 

International Agatha Christie Conference 2017

We've mentioned it on social media before, but we're SO pumped to be included in the speaker lineup for this year's fourth annual International Agatha Christie Conference at the University of Cambridge's Lucy Cavendish College! There are so many fascinating speakers and panels on the schedule, and we are not only looking forward to sharing our experience with The Year of Agatha with the group, but to dig into the many facets of Agatha's work with everyone else. You can see the lineup of conference events at the conference's website.

If you're in the UK, look into this conference which seeks to "establish Christie Studies as an academic discipline, extending across and beyond the humanities." Readers of this blog will certainly agree that's a worthy goal! We hope to see you there -- do let us know if you're planning to attend.

We can't wait to visit the UK, and would love to hear your tips on what to see, so let us know about your favorite pubs, bookshops, museums, villages, known locations frequented by Tom Hiddleston, etc., in the comments!

- A. & E.

I'll be Watching You: The Long Room | 2016

(image from here)

"After a sudden snowstorm from the west, Monday morning is cold and dreary; the pavements are slippery, the coats of the crowd crushed together in the trains reek of frying and wet dog, but Stephen is on his way to work with a lift of the heart, in spite of feeling a bit queasy. Monday mornings are good mornings now; they bring new hope and an end to the barren wastes of the weekend, which are devoid of Helen. Mondays used to weigh leadenly on him, but ever since one morning in October they have been as welcome as a lovers' reunion." - The Long Room, p. 29

The Sum of It:
I am a huge fan of the film The Lives of Others (a terrific German film about Secret Police spying on a "suspicious" couple and the effect it has on their relationship: 10/10 - would highly recommend!!), so I was very intrigued by the premise of one of our spring reads, The Long Room by Francesca Kay. Long Room is set in 1980s London, with Cold War drama still totally a thing, spies are also totally majorly sneaking about. One such spy is Stephen Donaldson: a single young man with a sweet old mom and a big old crush on a girl he [sort of] knows from work. However, this crush develops a bit differently than the usual boy-meets-girl. See, Stephen spends his days at the Institute (home base for spies such as himself), listening to tape recordings from wiretaps of potential baddies who are the "subjects" of the Institute's spying. Stephen has been given a particularly important listening assignment (codenamed PHOENIX) by boss Rollo Buckingham (his actual name, and thus far my favorite character name in my readings this year! #British) to listen in on a potential double agent within the organization (#gasp!) HOWEVER, Stephen has fallen head over heels in heart love with the wife of subject PHOENIX, named Helen. Stephen rushes through his everyday work, comes charging in first thing on Monday mornings, and even stays late at work (sometimes when he shouldn't...#oops) to "spend time" listening to Helen walk around or cook dinner or fight with her husband (#hmm).

If it sounds unhealthy (and frankly a bit creepy) it's because it IS. Boss Rollo determines Stephen's special investigation isn't really going anywhere and tells Stephen his days of listening in on the PHOENIXes are numbered AND STEPHEN CANNOT HAVE THAT, so he does what any other spy in love with one of their subjects' wives even though he has never met her would do: he starts making things up...

The YOA Treatment:
It was hard for both of us to get into this book at first. Emily read it on the beach in Mexico, and found some tricky dissonance between the sunny beach scene and the cold and misty London portrayed on the pages #hardknocklife, and the eerie tension of the Stephen's increasingly risky behavior was maybe not best suited for a beach read. I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason why it was tough to connect with- it's a slow read at first, but not necessarily boring. I finally discovered what it was making me feel: claustrophobic.

So much of Long Room is set in the close quarters of Stephen's mind: his obsessive thoughts about Helen, his at times pitifully lonely real-world existence, or his awkward social interactions. Francesca Kay has done a masterful job of painting the picture of Stephen's uncomfortable life, which makes his completely unrealistic crush on Helen totally believable. As we were both reading it, Emily and I kept texting each other about how we were so afraid Stephen would get caught in his ultimate web of lies and rule breakings, and while we shan't spoil anything, it is worth giving Kay kudos for her ability to keep us squirming until the last page.

To be completely honest, I did not end up loving this book, probably for the same reason. I did like the time period (it's one I don't know that much about, but would like to), and I appreciated and admired Kay's premise and plot, however, the experience of reading it was at times tough, and the ending felt a bit abrupt and predictable. Again, we don't want to give anything away, but after finishing it, Emily and I also texted about alternate directions we thought the story was going to conclude and wished our protagonist, after all the tense build up of the novel, had gotten a different wrap up. Kay showed her creative chops throughout, and I was expecting her to surprise me more than she did by the time it was all over. SO if you really love Cold War spies, don't mind some bleakness, and are in the market for some fiction that builds like an avalanche of tension towards the end of the tale, give this a try.

- A. (& E.)
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2017 Agatha Madness!

(I realize this photo is SUPER hard to see, so follow this link to see the original document!)

If you live in the States, chances are you or someone you know is quite invested in March Madness at the moment. My husband is not really a sports fan, but whenever March Madness rolls around, it's all basketball, all the time. 

In order to feel like we are somewhat commiserating, Emily and I have created our own Agatha Christie Madness bracket where we are pitting all of Agatha's novels (*with the exception of Passenger to Frankfurt...cuts had to be made...*) against each other and using Instagram to help us narrow down the choices with an ultimate Agatha fan pick favorite over the next few weeks!

Head over to our Instagram to help vote for your favorite Agatha Christie novels, and follow along as we update our Agatha bracket over the next few weeks!

-A.

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Thrillingly Exclusive Author Interview: Anton DiSclafani and The After Party | 2016

Image from here

"It's the women who still ask me about Joan. Young women, who have stumbled upon her story and my part in it. Old women, who used to admire her photographs in the gossip columns: Joan the jewel, a glimmer on some man's arm. Frank Sinatra's, Dick Krueger's, Diamond Glenn's. They want to know who she was. First, I tell them, she was Furlow Fortier's little blond darling. From the very beginning, she was adored." - The After Party, Prologue

We are basically swooning with excitement to share below a little interview with amazing author (and professor at Emily's alma mater, Auburn University #wareagle) Anton DiSclafani #suchanhonor #blogfeelssolegit! The interview was born out of questions we debated after reading her most recent book, which she was kind enough to discuss with us. So first, a bit of a summary of The After Party, followed by our discussion in the YOA Treatment section. 

The Sum of It:

On a recent rainy getaway weekend at a pretty fabulous house on the water, I (Emily) had a chance to absolutely devour Anton DiSclafani's newest novel, The After Party. Audrey and I both read The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls a couple years ago during the first year of the two-person book club that eventually evolved into The Year of Agatha and LOVED it, so when we heard Ms. DiSclafani had a new title (with this absolutely gorgeous cover), we were 100% in. 

The After Party is a sumptuous depiction of the high life in Texas in the mid-century, painting pictures of the clothes, hair styles, home decor, and cocktails that period of time immediately conjurs. More significantly, though, the book is an intricate study of the many depths each person holds, and the way those layers impact personal relationships. As with The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls, the characters in the book are linked not just by friendship but by more than one secret, which ties the action and narration together and is gradually revealed throughout the story. This book will make you want a stiff cocktail and a chaise lounge, and will also make you think and bring you to tears. Can't recommend it enough. Get thee to your local bookshop today!

The YOA Treatment:

This year, as our faithful readers know, now that we've completed our reading of the entire Christie canon we are trying to explore the broader world of crime and mystery fiction. However, as we dig into our "to be read" stacks, we've run up against the question of what exactly is the line between genre fiction of that nature and just the use of elements of it in literary fiction. The After Party is one of the books we've read this year that raised that question for us, so we were really pumped to discuss that very thing with author Anton DiSclafani! Without further ado: 

YOA asks: Books like The After Party have led us to ask ourselves where the line is drawn between the crime fiction/mystery genre and great literary fiction that uses some element of mystery or crime to advance the plot. What are your thoughts on (as you've so eloquently posed) where this line is drawn, how authors straddle or cross it, and what type of books result when the line is crossed or blurred? 

AD answers: I think interesting, vital books result whenever a line is crossed or blurred. I teach creative writing, and I talk to my students a lot about the difference between literary fiction and genre fiction. I don't care if they write about zombies, or a broken marriage, or the dissolution of a marriage brought about by zombies; I care about being surprised by their stories. I want to not know what's going to happen next. For me, that's genre fiction--turning a page and knowing, more or less, what's on the next page. So any fiction that combines certain elements of genre fiction--in my case, mystery--and then the hallmarks of literary fiction--a character-driven story: well, that's my sweet spot, as a writer and a reader.

I appreciate a good plot. Plot is difficult, but it should also be simple. If I'm not able to explain to you in a few sentences what the plot of my book is about, then it's too convoluted. 

     

YOA asks: Both of your most recent books (The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls and The After Party) have elements of secrecy and crimes that add to the compelling plots and are part of what keeps readers turning the pages to get to the bottom of what really happened in the characters' lives. From where does your inspiration come for these elements in your work (i.e. any authors you're inspired by, stories in the news, photos, strictly your imagination)?

AD answers: I love Kazuo Ishiguro, and his unreliable narrators. I love Kate Walbert, for atmosphere and sheer beauty of prose. (And both these authors are interested in secrets, in their own way.) I'm not inspired by real-life events per se, but I am interested in all the ways women were compelled to keep secrets, historically-speaking, especially when the secrets involved sexuality or children. A friend told a story about a a great-aunt who came of age in the 30s. She had a child out of wedlock when she was a teenager, and that child (a boy) was raised as his mother's brother by her parents (and his grandparents). That's convoluted, I know, but the lengths women (and their families) went to, or were forced to go to, in order to hide children were, well, convoluted. And deeply sad. I suppose THE AFTER PARTY was inspired by a story like that. 

YOA asks: Based on our research over the course of the last year in learning more about Agatha Christie and her peers in the mystery/crime fiction genre, it has seemed that historically, writers of genre fiction such as this have perhaps not received the same level of respect as writers of literary fiction. Do you feel like that has changed/is changing in recent years? And if so, why do you think that might be? 

AD answers: I think I am perceived as writing women's fiction more than I am perceived as writing mystery/crime fiction, though I am flattered by the categorization! I really admire writers who can do plot. I hope the perception is changing, and there are certainly authors who are doing both: John Banville, who writes under the pen name Benjamin Black when he's doing mystery. Sarah Waters is genius at plot, and I don't think anyone could argue with her literary merit. People want to read a good story; I like to believe, as a writer, that readers want to be surprised, not just engaged. Or that their engagement depends on a book doing something interesting, something different. 

YOA asks: Our final question: Have you read Agatha Christie's work in the past, and if so, could you tell us your favorite of her books? 

AD answers: Sadly, a long time ago, and I remember enjoying it but I definitely need to revisit her work. Especially after hanging out on The Year of Agatha!

Well, we are #flattered to hear that, and so, so grateful for Ms. DiSclafani's willingness to share her brilliant thoughts here at The Year of Agatha. We hope you've all enjoyed it as well! 

- E. 

Our Man in Istanbul: Jason Goodwin's Investigator Yashim series | 2006-2014

The first of five in the series, image from here

"Yashim arrived early at the little restaurant beneath Galata Point and chose a quiet alcove that overlooked the channel of the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus had made Istanbul what it was: the junction of Europe and Asia, the pathway from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean, the great entrepot of world trade from ancient times to the present day. From where he sat he could watch the waterway he loved so much, the narrow sheet of gunmetal that reflected back the shape of the city it had built."

- The Janissary Tree, p. 45

The Sum of It:

Having read all five of Jason Goodwin's Investigator Yashim, the Ottoman Detective books over the last month, it's obvi a bit difficult to summarize them all! You see the first one, The Janissary Tree, at the top of this post, but the others are also great: The Snake Stone, The Bellini Card, An Evil Eye, and The Baklava Club. The author studied Byzantine history at Cambridge, and through these books brings his vast knowledge of the past in this unique and gorgeous part of the world to bear along with his personal observations of Istanbul and its surrounding environs. This is easily the most captivating feature of the series. I've never visited Turkey, or Greece (much to my chagrin) but each of these books paints such a clear and detailed picture of the architecture of palaces, tenaments, mosques, Turkish baths, and cathedrals of the cities at the mouth of the Golden Horn, not to mention the bazaars, coffee shops, and scenes along the river, that I can picture it all so clearly I feel an almost startling sense of familiarity when I run across a photograph of Istanbul in a magazine or on Instagram. 

Each of the books in the series feature a eunuch named Yashim who works for the Ottoman Sultan as a bit of an investigative jack-of-all-trades in the mid- to late-19th century. One of the girls in the harem is found strangled? Call in Yashim. A dead soldier found in a giant tin pot? Yashim gets woken up in the night to check it out. The young Sultan wants to track down a portrait of one of his illustrious ancestors across the water in Venice? Yashim better figure out what to do. Along the way, we get to know some of his best friends in the city who help him out of scrapes, tell him stories, and eat dinner with him (more on that in a bit #YUM): the last Polish ambassador in the world, Palewski, a retired transvestite dancer, Preen, a Greek farmer and produce dealer, George, and a range of beautiful ladies who swoon at Yashim's feet (that part of the stories is always a bit silly, but kind of adorbs). In the third book, The Bellini Card, Yashim hands the reigns of mystery solving and carrying the narrative over to his pal Palewski for most of the book, which was kind of tricky to get used to for a while, but came together nicely in the end amid gorgeous scenes of fencing matches with penniless Venetian royalty in crumbling ballrooms and journeys through the canals of the water-bound city. 

What initially drew me to these books in the first place goes back to Yashim making dinner for his friends. I first heard about them a few months ago in a story Mary Louise Kelly did on NPR's Morning Edition about a recently released cookbook called Yashim Cooks Istanbul. She shared her delight in the twisty and clever mystery/thrillers as well as excerpts of the beautifully written text and most of all, the loving depictions of Mediterranean food throughout these books, for Yashim loves to cook. He finds it pleasurable and meditative, it helps him sort his thoughts and provides him a way to clear his head. And boy, if book writing doesn't work out for Jason Goodwin, I'd like to recommend a career as a food critic, because the descriptions of each meal leave me drooling. For example: 

"The rice had gone clear, so he threw in a handful of currants and another of pine nuts, a lump of sugar, and a big pinch of salt. He took down a jar from the shelf and helped himself to a spoonful of oily tomato paste, which he mixed into a tea glass of water. He drained the glass into the rice, with a hiss and a plume of steam. He added a pinch of dried mint and ground some pepper into the pot and stirred the rice, then clamped on a lid and moved the pot to the back of the stove." (The Janissary Tree, p. 16)

I MEAN, I'll have what he's having. This happens all over all these books, and it is truly gorgeous. After I heard the NPR story, I knew I was going to have to read these books and get to know Istanbul and its cuisine a bit better. 

The YOA Treatment:

I have been recommending these books to everyone I meet, basically, because I think they're so special. The Janissary Tree is probably my favorite non-Agatha read in at least a year. Perhaps its having spent a year of reading mostly about the English countryside, which for all its delights, does not tend to pull on one's appetites. While the mysteries are often good, particularly in the first book (the absolute best of the bunch, in my opinion, and very nearly perfect), it's probably not surprising that what I love most about these books is how they provide a unique way to get to know a city across the globe, and across time. The scenes and characters are beautifully drawn, and immerse you in Yashim's world in a truly glorious way. 

Though these books are set in the past, there's nothing musty about the settings or the stories. Yashim and his friends seem like fascinating people you'd like to have in your life, which is one reason I was so sad when I realized there were only five of these books! The author weaves intricate historical detail about politics, religious customs, and even the Byzantine system for transporting water across the city of Istanbul into these stories with an expert hand so that every piece of information feels sparkling and vital. While the intrigue and eagerness for Yashim to solve the crimes certainly keeps the pace up, the joy of learning about this unique place and point in time is just as compelling. 

Now to fetch the cookbook and try my hand at some of Yashim's mouthwatering recipes! 

- E. 

Girls Being Girls Being Girls Being Girls: The Girls & The River at Night | 2016

The Sum of It:
I'll be honest, it was pretty jarring to spend the first month of 2017 not completely immersed in Agatha Christie. Don't worry - I'm still keeping my Agatha obsession alive by working my way through the Agatha books Emily read without me last year (Seven Dials on Audible is my current favorite!) For the purposes of this post, the first novel I tackled in January was Emma Cline's mesmerizing The Girls, followed quickly by Erica Ferencik's thrilling The River at Night.

After a year of (for the most part) strictly mystery reading, I was interested to start 2017 out without the need to be on the lookout for a killer. The Girls centers around a character named Evie in the present-day, middle-age and 1960s. As a teen, Evie is bright, yet bored. It's summertime and her parents have divorced, she's fallen out with her best friend, and she's desperate for a distraction from her woes. The distraction comes in the form of Suzanne, a total free spirit whose dubious role-model/friend skillz get on super thin ice when she takes Evie to meet all her pals at a not-so-subtle cult meet-up. You can tell even teenage Evie knows this probably won't turn out well, and present-day Evie confirms these suspicions by relating cryptic fragments of her memories of that summer, which include, among other things, memories of #MURDER. While in the end there wasn't really much mystery to the murderS (yes, several #yikes), Cline's enchanting writing held me captive until the very last page...and made me a bit wary of making new friends in the park.

The River at Night is also about female friendship. Protagonist Wini and her group of three other besties are gearing up for their annual girls trip. Instead of a ski vacay or even Disney World, the group is going to go white water rafting in middle-of-nowhere Maine. PAUSE: THIS IS LITERALLY MY NIGHTMARE VACATION SO I WAS IMMEDIATELY TERRIFIED WHEN I READ THIS PART! (#shivers) Wini is a bit apprehensive about this particular excursion, but seeing the vacation as a way to reconnect with her friends, and have a break from her heartbreaking personal life, she acquiesces. While decidedly eerie, the beginning of this story gives the four women an opportunity to air some grievances and share some personal hardships. Even when it's discovered that the "leader" of the group, Pia, mayyyyy have decided to take this irregular trip to hook up with the hot young rapids guide (#partyfoul), it seems like the group might get home at the end of the day with some good campfire tales. BUT THEN THINGS GET REAL. I won't say much more for fear of #spoilers, but suffice it to say, things go from like a bummer, sleeping in the woods isn't the most fun kinda uncomfortable story to a things have gotten REALLY, REALLY, REALLY BAD kind of thriller. This book had me reading with wide eyes and heart pounding.

The YOA Treatment:
Many of the Agatha Christie books we read last year featured strong friendships. Obviously you have the ongoing besties saga of Poirot and Hastings, but her books show many other one-off friendships, particularly those between women, such as the one that develops between Ruth and Lenox in The Mystery of the Blue Train, the delicious Tea & Scandal group from The Murder at the Vicarage, and even tragic friendships like Jacqueline and Linnet in Death on the Nile. I wrote last year about how I appreciated Agatha's treatment of the teenage friendship in Cat Among the Pigeons. Though Emma Cline's meditation on the emotional rollercoaster that is being a teenage girl was much more in-depth than Pigeons, it made me smile to think the girls in both books were essentially from the same time period, and still have the same longings, delights, and frustrations as girls today.  The River at Night's Wini reminded me of Destination Unknown's Hilary Craven: riddled with personal tragedy, but in the end defiantly ready to give life a chance, and do what she must for those she has come to care for.

So far, it's really interesting to dig into new books with the perspective of a steady stream of Agatha having coursed through our eyeballs and ears and brains over the past year. We'll continue to be on the lookout for parallels, recurring concepts, and #spookymoments as we move through more mysteries and thrillers in 2017.

There are more classical detective novels to come for me in February, so stay tuned! And Emily has a terrific review of an entire SERIES of detective novels she has flown through so far this year still to come this week.

Happy reading, friends!

-A.

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