Historical Archives - Matt gets LIT-erary

The Hour I First Believed

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
Published by Harper Collins on March 6, 2009
Genres: Fiction, Literary, Psychological, Historical
Pages: 832

Wally Lamb has mastered writing addictive trauma porn. The Hour I First Believed includes the Columbine shooting, alcoholism, infidelity, Hurricane Katrina, homeless children, child prostitution, unexpected deaths, prescription drug addiction, injustices in women’s prisons and family secrets. I don’t find the characters likeable, but they feel immensely human. And the numerous Connecticut references (so many UConn basketball shoutouts) are great! Wally Lamb’s third novel doesn’t live up to the perfection of She’s Come Undone or I Know This Much is True, but it is still an engrossing and worthwhile read. Fun story: in 2011 I served Wally Lamb wine at a community art event in Willimantic, CT.

The Hour I First Believed is a sprawling novel, so it is challenging to write a brief synopsis. The protagonist is Caelum Quirk, an English teacher now in his third marriage. Him and his wife, Maureen, have reconciled after infidelity separated them for a few years. They move from Connecticut to Colorado where they both work at Columbine High School. Caelum returns to Connecticut after his Aunt Lolly dies. While he is away, Maureen survives the horrific Columbine school shooting. After the tragedy Caelum tries to help Maureen recover from the traumatic event. Caelum and Maureen also have a close relationship with Velvet, a troubled student who also survived the shooting. Caelum and Maureen move into Aunt Lolly’s house in Connecticut to have a fresh start after the shooting. While going through his aunt’s belongings Caelum uncovers generations of family stories and secrets. This being a Wally Lamb book Caelum and Maureen continue to face tragedy after tragedy.

Wally Lamb does ample research for his novels. It’s rare to see a piece of fiction with such a long list of citations. I also appreciate how Lamb includes a list of charities at the end of his book. These charities focus on social issues that are featured in The Hour I First Believed. I think the research and list of charities shows Lamb’s respect and compassion for the sensitive topics his book covers. I appreciate the way Lamb ends his trauma filled books on a hopeful note. This sends the message that humans can overcome unimaginable trauma. In contrast the questionably exploitative Hanya Yanagihara leaves her queer characters broken with no hope of recovery (A Little Life is a trash book, maybe one day I’ll get around to writing a rant). Lastly, Wally Lamb’s books are so addicting, I can’t put them down!

The Hour I First Believed would be an even better book with some more editing. Lamb tries to tie together too many story threads. I think he overreaches a bit. I think Lamb was trying to weave a tapestry of trauma that spanned from past to present. Some editing down would have resulted in a tighter story with stronger, more distinct themes. Specifically, I think the excerpts of letters and the thesis involving Caelum’s ancestors. Those long sections were jarring and interrupted the present-day story without feeling relevant.

Lapvona

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
Published by Penguin on June 21, 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Horror, Literary, Magical Realism
Pages: 320

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh is disturbing and wild. The dark and twisted events in Moshfegh’s latest work were right up my alley. The novel gave me A24 horror movie vibes, specifically Robert Eggers’ The Witch. Nearly every character in Lapvona is unlikeable. I did not leave the story feeling good about humanity. The novel is a wonderful hodgepodge of genres: horror, magical realism, fantasy, and historical fiction.

Lapvona takes place in a medieval village where life is extremely rough. Marek is the motherless son of Jude, a shepherd. Jude is abusive to Marek and has an intense attachment to his sheep. In the forest lives a witchy, blind woman named Ina (my favorite character), who has nursed many of the village’s children, including Marek. The lord of the village, Villiam, is deranged and supported by the problematic village priest, Father Barnabas. Marek goes to live in Villiam’s wealthy home after an unexpected tragedy. Meanwhile the villagers suffer from the effects of a harsh drought.

I realize the above synopsis is vague, but I do not want to spoil all the shocking WTF moments in the story. This book is not for everyone, but fans of horror will be pleased. Nothing is off limits in this highly irreverent book. I really enjoyed Moshfegh’s writing. Her word choice is clear and direct without superfluous phrases, making Lapvona a fast read. I struggled to find significant themes or the point of this novel. But I do think the story works as a criticism of the United States government. I found the buffoonery of Villiam to be very reminiscent of President number 45. Villiam has no concern for the well being of his people and spends his free time doing outrageous stunts. The contrast between the those living in Villiam’s manor and the starving villagers reminded me of the disconnect between the US government and the people it serves. Ina is an amazing character. Her arc is fantastic, and I wish more of the book had been told from her perspective.

Overall, I enjoyed the shocking moments of Lapvona and its overall vibe. I wish the book was more focused or had clearer themes. I felt like much of Moshfegh’s message went over my head. Or perhaps she just wanted to write a book with loads of shock value? Nonetheless, I certainly plan on checking out more of Ottessa Moshfegh’s books soon.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published by Simon and Schuster on June 13, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Historical, Women
Pages: 400

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (4 out of 5)

I devoured The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Evelyn Hugo is a wonderfully complex character. She is driven, calculated, and stubborn. The story of her rise to fame was tough to put down. This is the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. Unfortunately, my reading experience was diminished by too high of expectations (thanks a lot Bookstagram).

Evelyn Hugo is a major bombshell Hollywood actress from the 1950’s to 80’s. Off the screen Evelyn was frequently in the tabloids because of her tumultuous love life, which included a whopping seven marriages. In the present-day Evelyn selects a seemingly unknown journalist, Monique, to conduct her first interview in years. At their first meeting Monique is shocked when Evelyn tells her she doesn’t want her to write a magazine article, but instead wants to share her entire life story, to be written as a tell-all book. Monique cannot turn down this career-changing opportunity, but she also wonders why Evelyn selected her to write her biography. The novel then follows Evelyn’s retelling of her scandalous life including the story behind each of her seven marriages.

This is my favorite story that focuses on the price of fame. Evelyn’s story is so salacious and fun to read. Reid includes gossip articles interspersed between chapters of the book, which I thought was a nice touch. Comparing Evelyn’s true story with what was reported in gossip columns showed how she excelled at controlling her public image. She even hides her ethnicity to appeal to the mainstream. Evelyn is Cuban, but has herself remade in appearance, accent, and name to pass as white. Reid writes Evelyn as a morally ambiguous character. I respect her drive and determination to be a famous and successful movie star. But I am also frustrated by her repeatedly choosing to damage her relationships to further her career. She denies herself romantic relationships with people she loves in favor of toxic marriages that grow her stardom. I also enjoy how Monique is influenced by Evelyn’s story and changes over the course of the novel. Lastly, the story has LGBTQ representation, which I always appreciate.

Don’t be mistaken, this is a great book, but I question whether it deserves all the 5-star reviews on Goodreads. It is impossible to avoid this book’s massive hype. So unfortunately, I was expecting a lot. Have high expectations ruined your reading experience? Some of the book’s twists were predictable. Also, the formula of telling the story of each of Evelyn’s marriage becomes a bit repetitive by the end. By the fourth marriage I was thinking: we get it; Evelyn marries to advance her career, not for love. And sometimes I was irked by Reid’s blatant teasing of the reader. Many chapters ended with lines like this: “I have no idea that in less than a week, Evelyn Hugo will finish her story, and I’ll find out what this has all been about, and I will hate her so much that I’ll be truly afraid I might kill her.” I admit these lines were effective because I kept reading, but they also felt like cheap tricks. My husband says that these lines read like a 11-year-old’s first attempt at creative writing(!)

Despite this book being overly hyped, it is worth the read. This is the perfect choice for a light read at the beach or while on vacation. Evelyn Hugo is certainly an unforgettable character.

Mexican Gothic

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Published by Random House Publishing Group on June 30, 2020
Genres: Latinx, Fantasy, Fiction, Gothic, Historical, Horror
Pages: 320

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic is a buzzy horror novel that I’ve seen featured all over Booktube and Bookstagram. Readers looking for a horror novel with an intelligent and assertive female protagonist should consider adding this to their Halloween reading lineup. Noemi Taboada receives a concerning letter from her cousin Catalina. Catalina has recently married Virgil Doyle, an Englishman, and moved into their family home called High Place located in the mountains near El Triunfo, Mexico. The Virgil family established themselves at High Place after operating a nearby silver mine. In the letter Catalina claims that Virgil is trying to poison her. Noemi’s father sends her to High Place to check in on her cousin. While at High Place Noemi is allowed little contact with her cousin, who is supposedly suffering from consumption. The house is very creepy and depressing. Most of the Virgil family is less than welcoming. The Virgil family is led by the patriarch Florence Doyle who spends most of his time hidden away in his private wing. The only friend Noemi makes is Virgil’s brother Francis. The novel follows Noemi solving the mystery of the Doyle family and uncovering the secrets within High Place.

I really enjoyed the character of Noemi, who is an intelligent and strong female protagonist. Too often in horror novels the main characters are either too helpless or too naive about the peril they’re in. There was excellent body horror in the later portions of the book. Some gnarly descriptions of a particular character’s body in the later portions of the book were wonderfully repulsive. There are also some dark dream sequences that I enjoyed. The book has themes of colonialism. The Doyle family has set up their home in Mexico to run a mine and Florence is an avid supporter of racial eugenic theories. High House is almost a character itself in the novel. The descriptions of the home and its impact on the mood and characters is strong and reminiscent of gothic classics (major Fall of the House of Usher vibes).

My biggest critique with the novel is how the big twist is handled. I saw the answer to the main mystery from a mile away and assumed there would be another surprise layer to the story. Unfortunately, it played out exactly as I predicted. Moreno-Garcia leaves too many obvious hints. I expect most readers will figure out what is going on before they even make it halfway through the novel. For me horror novels where the plot centers around a mystery need to deliver an unexpected answer. Authors need to balance having the mystery be solvable while also making the mystery clever enough that most readers will be surprised when they discover the answer.

Mexican Gothic did not wow me as much as I expected it to. There are great aspects to the novel, but the too easy to solve mystery really soured my opinion. However, if you want a Halloween book with a Latinx protagonist or a recent release with gothic elements this may be worth the read. Hopefully the Hulu adaptation of Mexican Gothic will do a better job of making the story’s twist less obvious.