© 2021 Book Chatter | Book Chatter

The Neighborhood It’s been warm. About 104. Not horrible if you can get most of your errands and walks done early. The pup and I try to take our walk at 7:30 a.m. As you can see from the photo, it’s nice and shady for a good chunk of our walk. She tends to dawdle though so sometimes it’s quite warm by the time we return.

I have quite a bit going on this week. Two in-person meetings in the evening which in and of itself is not much but more than I am used to these days. Plus, my daughter and I share a car right now so I will have to figure out the ride situation since she will still be at work by the time I need to leave.

I am surprised at how early some schools are starting this year. I have two friends whose kids have started already! I mean, they started in July! That is unheard of. I started to see first day of school pics and my brain imploded. I know it’s a stressful time too because some states are not requiring masks for those young students and of course they are unvaccinated. This has caused a lot of anxiety for some of my friends. I pray that these littles stay safe!

As for me. I got that memo about a return to work but never any details so I suppose I will be back in some form in September. I hope PJs and yoga pants are acceptable. I kid you, but I am also dead serious. I lost the Covid-19 (pounds) that I gained over the past year and a half but I do not care to go shopping for clothes and it would be weird to wear the same things I had when I left work so long ago. Like, time stopping. Anyone else in the same boat? Does anyone even care what I look like?

This past Monday I reviewed The Paper Palace. It is a Reese pick and once again, a solid pick it was. It was very good but a very tough subject. I included a trigger warning for sexual abuse so be aware of that going in. I am now almost done with Where The Truth Lies and hope to have the review up by this Friday.

I keep putting it off but I really need to have a list of dorm essentials by the end of this week. I know lists exists and the school even sent one but I want to keep it trim since the idea of moving all her stuff out and back every semester gives me hives. Not easy to do from afar.

I hope you are all doing well and that your reading is great. I am getting excited for fall and crossing all my fingers that the R.I.P. Challenge happens.

The Paper Palace
By Miranda Cowley Heller
Riverhead Books, 9780593329825, July 6, 2021, 400pp.

The Short of It:

Layered and rich. This story grabs you and holds you.

The Rest of It:

Elle returns with her family to The Paper Palace. It’s the summer home of her youth that she has visited every summer of her life, but this particular summer morning, she wakes to the fact that the night before, after a few drinks and memories from her youth take hold, she hooked up with her childhood friend Jonas, while her family, innocently, gathered in another room.

Elle is happily married to Peter. Truly. He is funny, and loving, and dependable and a good father to their children but the bond that she has with Jonas goes way back, way back to earlier summers where they both shared a secret that ultimately affected Elle’s entire life. The story is told in the past and present, alternating between young Elle and married Elle and as the secret comes to light, things get tense. How can you right a wrong so many years later?

I didn’t know anything about this story when I picked it up. It was a Reese Book Club pick and I went in blind. I have had a lot of luck with her picks. The Paper Palace was no exception except, don’t let that pastel cover fool you. It opened in a kind of smutty way, for lack of a better word and then got pretty gritty. You should know, there are triggers in this story for anyone who suffered from sexual abuse in the past.

That said, this story held me captive. I thought I’d read a chapter here and there but I blew through it in a day. It’s complex. The characters are imperfect but their demons are real. It has secrets and moral dilemmas and gives you a lot to consider. I must say, the mother/daughter dynamics are very well-done here.

I can’t say I loved this book because the subject matter is tough but it’s a very good read and superbly written. Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Chatting with friends about books and life…