Sarca

My sister read the Pistachio Prescription multiple times growing up. I never did, but I thought I should see what it was about. Somewhat relatable story of a girl who has aloof parents and who lives with anxiety. Some of it is cute, but I quit after 60 pages. It was killing my buzz for reading, probably because it was meant for a 12 year old, not someone of my vintage. It is a bit dated too. Changing the cover art for more modern times doesn't help improve that. Anyhoo...

This spring, I was introduced to Tim McGregor...or who I thought was Tim McGregor. His coauthoring of the Empathy Trap and the Sociopath at the Breakfast Table with his wife Jane helped me thru a harrowing time. Discovering that Tim authored his own works of fiction brought me to Eynhallow. Turns out, we are talking about two very different Tim McGregors! And to my delight, the author of Eynhallow is from Toronto! Anyhow...

Eynhallow was dark in its prose, melancholy in its telling, and i ate the whole thing up! I am not normally attracted to monster horror novels, but wow, this was something. And I was also to discover that Eynhallow is a real island in Scotland that had inhabitants (26 in fact until the 1851), but now has zero inhabitants, and is considered haunted. McGregor weaves an engaging juxtaposition of a Frankenstein novel with the lore of the island. I want more!

All deference to the author for her harrowing experience. I felt like this could have been shored up as an article for a hiking magazine instead of a 200-page book. Her life in London was typical, and I didn't really feel it was relevant to her survival story in the desert.

What a quick and fun read! We meet Christy, an inexperienced solo backpacker who tackles the John Muir trail. This read like a diary. She explores nature while working through her separation from her husband. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

A beautiful tribute to a mother from her daughter.