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Wednesday, June 10, 2015

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler


Simon, a young librarian who lives in a house threatened by the encroaching sea, receives an old book in the mail.  Sent by a bookseller named Martin Churchwarry, a note included with the book says that Churchwarry bought the book on speculation at an auction and tracked one of the names inside, leading him to Simon's family.

So--an old book (very 0ld)--about a traveling carnival in the 1700's, a book connected to Simon's family.  The partially damaged book tells of women in the family with careers as carnival mermaids; women who drowned young on July 24th, from generation to generation.

July 24th is approaching, a kind of due date for our hapless librarian; Simon's sister is coming home.  Already rattled by his crumbling house and losing his job at the library, now Simon must confront the possibility that his sister is in danger.

A book that has been half drowned in a flood. A house on the verge of drowning.  Women in the same family who drown on the exact same date.  A young man drowning in complications and the secrets he uncovers.  Intriguing?  Add Tarot cards, supernatural/magical realism elements, the odd match of carnival characters and librarians, a curse, two time frames, odd and intricate connections...

A book full of potential, but that sometimes seemed to fall a bit off the mark.  I can't explain exactly why without spoilers, but one reason (for me) was that the characters were a little remote and strangely impersonal for a story that purported more...energy.  The pacing was also slow and sometimes repetitive.

As usual, my favorite character was the a secondary one.  Doyle, the tattooed man.  He was (tongue-in-cheek--Tentacular!) and had the most likable personality.  

This is a debut novel, and an enjoyable one with a distinctive flair.  I look forward to more from Erika Swyler.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press

Literary fiction.  June 23, 2015.  Print length:  352 pages.

16 comments:

  1. Hmm...I've been waiting for this one and hoping that it would be good. I'll keep your thoughts in mind. Need to see if my library is ordering it.

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    1. I liked it, even if it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Erika Swyler is someone to watch!

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  2. How have I not heard of this book? It's got so much in it that I love: carnivals, books, a mystery, a little magic. Even Tarot. I'm so glad you reviewed it! Now I just have to find me a copy. :)

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  3. This sounds intriguing. It's a shame it didn't quite work for you, but it seems that you enjoyed it enough to want to read future books by this author.

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    1. It has such potential, and if the characters had been a little more dynamic it would have been more compelling. Still, this one has a lot to offer. :)

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  4. Sounds a bit confusing but could still be enjoyable for me. Glad you liked this new author enough to want to read more.

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    1. I think the book is going to garner a lot of happy readers, even though I am a little nit-picky about a couple of things. Erika Swyler is going to be an author worth watching.

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  5. The title and the cover itself is enough to entice me! It sounds like there are a lot of things happening here, and of course reading intriguing characters is always a plus! I may want to check this out. Thanks for your lovely review, Jenclair!

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    1. I love the title, too. And there are plenty of things to speculate about in this one.

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  6. This book has been on my wish list since I first heard about it. It's gotten so much buzz and positive attention. I imagine I will have to keep my expectations reasonable--thanks for the warning. :-)

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    1. If I could have felt a little more invested in the characters, I would have liked it better. On the other hand, that it is such a personal evaluation, and others may not feel that the characters are a little distanced. There is a lot to like in The Book of Speculation!

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  7. I enjoyed the book and thought the plot was an intriguing one...but some of the characters left me cold. I think, coming in to this one, I was like you and had built my expectations a bit too high. But that plot...I just figured that it would be hard to mess that up even with a cold character or two. Silly me.

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    1. I enjoyed it, too. I liked most elements about the plot, the recurring motifs, and I thought the imagery Swyler evoked impressive. Would have liked to have felt more genuine concern over the characters, but I did like Doyle. :)

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  8. With this cover that would be a surefire way for me to pick it up. Bummer that it didn't live up to its full potential. But, still I think this would be one that I wouldn't mind checking out. After all you did say tarot cards and old books :)

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    1. Oh, I hope you do check this one out! I'd love to hear more discussion on it. So many intriguing elements!

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