Sunday, January 6, 2019

Every Note Played

Every Note Played
by Lisa Genova

Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: An accomplished concert pianist, Richard received standing ovations from audiences all over the world in awe of his rare combination of emotional resonance and flawless technique. Every finger of his hands was a finely calibrated instrument, dancing across the keys and striking each note with exacting precision. That was eight months ago.

Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce—his divorce.

He knows his left arm will go next.

Three years ago, Karina removed their framed wedding picture from the living room wall and hung a mirror there instead. But she still hasn’t moved on. Karina is paralyzed by excuses and fear, stuck in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman, blaming Richard and their failed marriage for all of it.

When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard’s muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it’s too late.

Poignant and powerful, Every Note Played is a masterful exploration of redemption and what it means to find peace inside of forgiveness.
From GoodReads

Review:  I've read all of Lisa Genova's books and really love how she ties in medical issues to each of her books.  I generally find them very intriguing.  This one wasn't as compelling as her other books to me.  I don't know if that is because I am more familiar with ALS than the other diseases she has written about and have read other books about ALS.  Or perhaps it was because I didn't find Richard a relatable or sympathetic character.  He was very arrogant and selfish.  While he did want to change later in the book, it almost came too late.  I also found Karina, Richard's ex-wife, to be fairly unlikable as well.  The story moved slowly even though the disease progresses quickly.  Because the disease robs Richard of control over his muscles, he isn't able to do much which makes the book slow.  We are in his thoughts much of the time which makes the book drag.

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Girls at 17 Swann Street

The Girls at 17 Swann Street
by Yara Zgheib

Genre: Fiction

Synopsis:  The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Yara Zgheib's poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting, intimate journey of a young woman's struggle to reclaim her life. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.
From GoodReads

Review:  This book was beautifully written even though it deals with a topic such as anorexia.  This is my first book about an eating disorder and I didn't know what to expect.  I didn't expect to be brought to tears several times and have to put the book down because I just couldn't keep reading because of how emotional it was.  My heart broke for the characters at 17 Swann Street and the hopelessness they felt at needing to eat.

Anna is  a former dancer and develops body image issues.  She falls into a trap of eating less and less and can't get herself out of the hole she has created.  She and her husband move to the United States from Paris and she falls into a deep depression.  She doesn't see what has happened to her and her husband doesn't know what to do.  Eventually Anna enters an inpatient treatment center at 17 Swann Street where she meets other young women who are like her.  Some have been battling eating disorders for years.

The book is written alternating between the present and flashbacks to things that happened earlier in Anna's life that lead to her issues.  We get a glimpse into how her eating disorder came about but yet the cause isn't pinpointed exactly.  Maybe that was done intentionally because perhaps there isn't just one defining moment.  During therapy, we are able to hear Anna's thoughts which she does not voice to the therapist.  We know that tragic events happened in her childhood.  Personally I felt that Anna's transformation comes a little too easily.  She didn't seem to deal with all her issues, her past, her depression, etc while at the treatment center.  I felt like there were a lot of unresolved issues and that her improvement couldn't have happened without dealing with all her issues.  The end seemed to come too quickly.  This is why I couldn't rate this book with 5 stars.

I still very much enjoyed reading this book even though it was highly emotional.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing my book club complementary copies.  We will enjoy discussing this book!

Rating: 4 stars