The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes

I really enjoyed Marcus Sakey's 2010 thriller, The Amateurs, and decided to pick up his latest offering, The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes.  Thanks to a very intriguing plotline, interesting characters, a villain who you'll love to hate, and this past Sunday's thunderstorm, I finished this novel in one sitting. 

The plot begins right off with a man struggling out of the Atlantic Ocean near Maine.  He washes up on shore with no recollection of who he is or why he's there.  A beautiful BMW is near the shore and he makes his way to it.  Inside, he finds take-out wrappers, a US atlas, several hundred dollars, a gun, and an ID.  The ID says "Daniel Hayes" who is from Malibu, California.  He assumes that he is Daniel Hayes, but there are several nagging questions.  What happened to his memory?  If he is Daniel Hayes, why is he in the ocean in Maine?  And, most disturbing of all, why did he need a gun?

Daniel soon realizes that the answers are not in Maine, but in Malibu.  He begins a cross-country journey with no idea of what awaits him when he arrives in California.  Along the way, little snippets of his life come back to him.  He sees a woman on television who seems very familiar to him.  She is on a sitcom that takes place in Malibu and he just knows that his past is somehow connected to her.  Finding this woman becomes his goal.  But is he prepared for what awaits him?

I really enjoyed this story and, while it takes the normal twists and turns that most thrillers take, I found the characters themselves to be the highlight of the story.  Watching Daniel try to put together the pieces of his life only to be frightened by what he finds makes for a great reading experience.  While I felt one of the twists at the end to be a bit forced, the book is a real page-turner.

Have you been to the Secret Annex?

I tend to read a lot of Holocaust literature. Morbid fascination? In a word, no. I think what I’m trying to do is understand how the savagery that was unleashed across Europe and Russia could be discussed, agreed upon, planned, and executed as though it were nothing more than a course of action to manage the weeds in one’s garden. The question—How could this happen?—is one that haunts me still, and the fact that similar atrocities continue to occur throughout the world reveals the sad truth that we still don’t get it. So I keep reading, not only of the whys and the hows, but perhaps most important of all, the whos: those who lived through the Holocaust, and those who perished. A recent late-night viewing of the moving BBC adaptation of “The Diary of Anne Frank” led me to the diary itself (Het Achterhuis; its English title is Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl) when I realized with shock that I’d never actually read it. I’m sure you’re familiar with the story: in 1942, thirteen-year-old Annelies Frank and her family (joined by four others) went into hiding in Amsterdam after the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. They remained in hiding until 1944 when they were discovered, arrested, and ultimately shipped to Auschwitz. These events are bookends to the majority of the entries within the diary in which Anne gives a detailed and highly literate account of life in “The Secret Annex,”* from the suffocating pressures of confinement to the hopes that waxed and waned with each report from the war front, and everything in between. It is a young girl’s struggle to simply live and celebrate life in the face of death, put to a symphony of words, sometimes harsh, sometimes naive, but always eloquent. Yes, in spite of the horrors taking place around her, there is real beauty to be found in Anne’s words, so much so that as the entries draw closer to August 4, 1944, the day the Franks were arrested and taken from their hiding place, the entries become that much harder to read. Anne always believed that she would survive the war and become a great writer. Had she lived, I have no doubt she would have achieved whatever she set her mind to, but as her Het Achterhuis demonstrates, she was already an extraordinary writer.     

*Click the link to visit "The Secret Annex Online"

A strong sense of place

The ability to be taken to new places and have new adventures has always been one of the great allures of reading to me.  Whether it's the daily life of a retiree trying to adjust to life without work or a wife or the exciting adventures of teenagers battling the forces of evil across space and time, reading has always afforded the opportunity to experience new things.  A few books I've read recently, though, have been interesting not because they bring new places to me, but because they take me to places I know well.  There's a strange sort of excitement about reading a story set in a place I'm familiar with. 


In preparation for a recent vacation, I read The Bastard of Istanbul.  It was interesting and a story worth ready, but as I hadn't yet been there, I didn't feel a pull toward the city in any way. By complete coincidence, though, over the past weekend I read Gardens of Water by Cincinnatian Alan Drew.  I didn't even realize that the book takes place outside of Istanbul until after I started it.  In addition to being a really compelling story filled with questions of culture clash, gender roles, religion, physical and mental illness, and young love, I felt a small thrill every time I recognized a street, a district, a word, or a food being referenced.   


It doesn't have to be a foreign locale to be exciting.  I've felt the same rush reading books about Columbus, like Jennifer Cruise's Bet Me or Dayton, like Martha Moody's Office of Desire.  When I lived in a small college town in Iowa, I felt compelled to read Sleeping With the Enemy, which took place in that town.  It's just fun to read about things happening where you are. 

Of course, I'll never be able to travel to as many places as I can read about.  So, until my next vacation, I'll enjoy my armchair travels and learn about new locations through good books.

Summer Reading

Thinking about the perfect vacation makes me smile.  Most people dream of sand, surf and fun.  Although I enjoy the sand and surf, I also appreciate a nice hammock, a great big shade tree and a terrific book.  I can't think of a better way to spend a summer? So here are a few great books to keep your summer running smooth.

Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt  is a story of love, loss and friendship. It's a quick read that will keep you amused.

The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore is a coming home story.  This story is written showing all the main characters point of view.  It's a story of love, growing up and coping when tragedy strikes. Do you tell your family your most secret desires or failings? Do you go home or tough it out on your own? This is an excellent story that will hold you.

Planting Dandelions by Kyran Pittman This is a well written story full of the authors memories of her growing up years. You will laugh and enjoy this wonderful novel.  A definite must have for the beach.

State of Wonder by Anne Patchett is a wildly brilliant book that will keep you entranced. The characters and settings are brought to life with Anne's excellent prose. It is definitely a must read for this summer.

The Gap Year by Sarah Bird is another excellent novel! It is the story of a mother and her daughter A beautiful story that chronicles the life of Camille and her daughter. It tells of the daughter's growth and how her coming of age impacts her mother.  This is not your typical child coming of age story. Sarah Bird uses wry humor, wit and honesty to tell a spell-binding story.

No matter what story you choose to read or where you read it, whether it's a beach, hammock, sofa or listening to it in your car, enjoy it.  Let the words take you away and let your summer reading transport you to another place.

Never Knowing

I recently wrote a post on what I was doing while waiting for Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens to be released.  Click here if you missed it.  I am very happy to report that I was able to get a copy of this book and it did not disappoint!

This first-person novel follows Sara Gallagher, who was adopted at an early age, as she attempts to find her real parents.  She does find her real mother, but is rejected immediately.  Sara soon finds out why.  Her mother is the only living survivor of a notorious serial killer.  Needless to say, the news hits Sara hard.  The novel is very similar to Stevens' other novel, Still Missing, in that each chapter is a session between Sara and her therapist as Sara attempts to make sense of where she came from.

I was pleasantly surprised with this novel due to the high expectations after Still Missing.  The story sucked me right in and is very fast-paced.  There are some twists and turns as the police soon find who Sara is and want to use her to finally capture the killer.  I really thought I had guessed what would happen at the end and was shocked by what actually happens.  This is a very fast-paced and hard to put down thriller. 

My dying wish

I am a planner.  I like to have things thought out ahead of time.  But, as I have no plans to die anytime soon (that pounding you hear is me knocking every piece of wood around me), I have no deathbed request prepared, nor do I have farewell letters written for those closest to me.  I have prepared no sealed envelopes filled with instructions to be delivered to my dearest friends after I'm gone that will pressure them with the power of postmortem guilt to carry out some endeavor that they otherwise never would've done.  And, if I did, I'm fairly certain that any instructions I did leave would not have the powerful ability to change my friends' lives for the better. (In fact, for any of my friends reading this there is only thing I ask of you in the awful possibility that I do die unexpectedly: Please, for the future happiness and well-being of my daughters, stop by the  house once in a while and make sure their hair is brushed because without your help it's just not going to get done.) 

All this is to say that I have felt ill-prepared when reading several books lately in which the main characters have changed their friends' lives from beyond the grave.  Perhaps there's something transcendent about approaching the end of life that brings a clarity about your own life and those of your friends.  In The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship, when 38-year-old Rachel Braun died of cancer she left behind instructions for her three best friends.  The formerly close friends had drifted apart, each getting further stuck in the rut of her life, until Rachel's instructions shocked them into action.  Whether something as seemingly simple as skydiving or as difficult as raising her daughter, the women were compelled to do things that both brought them together and helped them move forward in their individual lives.  In Second Time Around, a group of four best friends from college have a summer vacation together every year -- until one of them dies.  In this case, the dearly departed was also quite wealthy and left a substantial amount to each of her friends with the instructions that the money be used to fulfill her life's dream.  (And, again, to my friends: I haven't got a few million stashed away.  Will you still please brush my girls' hair?) 

Kindred Spirits, by The Cinderella Pact and Bubbles Unbound author Sarah Strohmeyer, picks up the mantle of this theme.  After a long battle with cancer, Lynne leaves instructions for her friends to find the daughter she placed for adoption as a teenager. Along the ensuing roadtrip, the women find out about each other, their inner strengths, and some mean martini recipes.  Another new title out, Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister focuses on a group of friends in which the cancer patient survives her battle, but then issues challenges to a group of friends to do something scary or difficult in their lives over the next year. 

Bottom line?  It might not be the most original theme around, and they certainly make me feel both unprepared and less than profound, but there's something interesting to consider.  They are about making positive changes in your life; living, as Gandhi suggested, "as if you were to die tomorrow."  What would be the one thing that would change your life?

Cats, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

I have always had a soft spot for animals.  It doesn't matter what kind of animal. I have cared for baby  skunks and baby raccoons. Fed snakes and owls, (please know this was not my favorite job) but.. it had to be done.  I truly enjoyed working at the nature center and caring for the animals.  Although, I no longer work at the nature center, I still love animals. So naturally I enjoy reading books that involve animals.  A few of my favorites are  Dewey the Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Last Dog on the Hill, Scent of the Missing, Dogtown : tales of rescue, rehabilitation, and redemption, The God of Animals and  Seabiscuit. If you'd like to read some more wonderful animal stories you can go to our GBGL Tall Tails site. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did.

In the Queue

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

Who knew werewolves got lonely! I thought they were too busy baying at the moon. Anyway. . .Jake the werewolf is lonely and is contemplating suicide, but powerful forces have their own reasons for keeping him alive.

The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

This is a very awkward situation. Waking in the hospital after a car accident, Jennifer has no memory of her husband and her former life. While recuperating, she finds a letter from a man who apparently was her lover!

The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World by Jay Bahadur

Johnny Depp is everyone’s favorite pirate, but these real modern day pirates are a bad bunch who roam the seas and lie in wait for unsuspecting ships. Did you know they currently hold 50 vessels and 800 people hostage!