One of the best books I've read in some time. ( )

Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce was one of my final Book of the Month selections for the year and I have been waiting for this book for almost half a year since first hearing about it. I could not get an ARC, but when I saw I could get it early from BoTM, I jumped at the chance. I am so glad I did too.

The book begins with a child murdering another child. Chizuru Akitani is the daughter of a famous musician and is half Japanese and half American. Living in Japan, Chizuru grabs a letter opener and stabs another child in the neck, ultimately killing him. This simply did not happen in Japan. She is forced to live in a government home where her father never visits her until she is allowed to leave the country. She moves to the US to start a new life as Rio.

Rio, has a family, a comfortable life, but is closed off about her past to her husband. She has told him stories, but never the truth about who she was. When a package arrives for Rio stating her father has died, she goes to Japan to attend the funeral. There she runs into her childhood teacher and begins a pilgrimage of self discovery.

This is just the first quarter of the book, mind you.

The book begins with a strong open that just sucks you in. During the pilgrimage, it drags a bit, but there is a purpose to that. The ending closes quite well with lots of ambiguity much as a peek into a life will do.

There is great use of what is real vs what is fake. From Rio's life that she created to who she really is to commentary about Japanese culture and what lies behind the customs there. The cover art does a great job of portraying what this book really is about. The book has lots of layers about what truth is. Is truth what you create it to be or is there a real truth out there? What happens when one searches and there really isn't an answer either.

I simply loved this book and it is one that I know I will re-read. Luce does such a great job that I wanted to go back into her past catalog and see what else she has written. Turns out this is her first full novel (she has a book of short stories), but boy does it hit well. I am eager to see what comes next. She has talent and it shows.

I really recommend this one, don't let the grayish cover dissuade you. I gave this one 4 stars bordering on 4.5 stars.
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This was a haunting, beautifully written novel. It drew me in instantly with its premise and kept me completely engaged with its execution. It felt a little disconnected between a few of the recollections and the present narrative, and I didn't love Luce's treatment of Rio's daughter, but overall it was a really fantastic book. ( )

Kelly Luce’s Pull Me Under skillfully navigates the choppy waters between the concepts of fate and free will. Rio Silvestri’s entire life stems from a violent crime she committed when she was a troubled 12-year old in Japan. Born Chizuru Akitani, the daughter of an American mother and a Japanese father, her status as a “hafu,” a pejorative term for half-breed, plagued her childhood. When her father, a world-renowned violinist, dies, Rio must travel from her new home in the US, to her childhood home in Japan to confront her past.

The novel begins in media res, describing Chizuru’s crime in gritty detail. Beginning with the crime both hurts and helps the narrative. The marketing for Pull Me Under focuses primarily on the suspenseful aspects of the plot, but the novel is far more literary in its intentions, emphasizing heavy themes such as identity, forgiveness, and self-enlightenment. The abrupt start helps reel the reader in, but Rio reflects far more than she acts, which eventually prompts a slow, thoughtful pace. Rio’s story can be difficult to engage in, although I found that the longer I read, the more the atmosphere pulled me in.

Luce composes Rio’s life in what can only be described as three separate genres. Her childhood and adolescence possess elements of the macabre; the horror is quite palpable. Her arrival in the United States channels the bildungsroman, or the coming of age story. And last but not least, her return to Japan is a journey of self-discovery. While unique, the format occasionally disorients. No buffer is provided between sections, so the tone changes abruptly. Likewise, some sections are too short, so the reader never has time to adjust.

Rio/Chizuru dominates the majority of the novel, so much so that when other characters are introduced, they pale in comparison. I would have liked to learn more about Rio’s parents, particularly her mother, as she seems to have had a significant impact on her upbringing. Rio’s husband and daughter have very one-sided personalities, and I never cared much for them when they shared the narrative. The distinctions placed between Rio’s emotionally distant father and her physically distant husband, are noteworthy, but are only touched upon briefly.

Kelly Luce’s Pull Me Under delivers a thorough glimpse into the mind of a woman haunted by her troubled past. While Rio’s dark and depressing childhood fascinates, too often I found myself distracted by her adult ponderings, lacking in energy and bursting with flowery language. Don’t be fooled by marketing; this is not a summer thriller to enjoy at the beach. Do be prepared for a more philosophical read, one that will teach you to leave your judgments behind and think deeply about controversial topics. ( )

Absolutely mesmerizing novel, with a unique and disturbing storyline. Rio's struggle with the "black organ" that dwells in her and causes her to stab a fellow student when in elementary school is especially haunting.

Hopefully this isn't a spoiler, but at one point, our protagonist accompanies an old friend on the Shikoku eighty-eight temple pilgrimage. I had never heard of this, and reading about a fictionalized pilgrimage inspired me to do further research, and now the pilgrimage is high on my bucket list.

I would love to give this novel five stars, but everything wrapped up a bit too nicely for my liking. Overall, I loved this book, and would recommend it wholeheartedly. ( )