Nobody's Girl

Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (2025) 367 pages

I wanted to read this memoir to get a better sense about how abominable Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell were to hundreds (and maybe a thousand or more) of mostly teenaged victims. The book is especially timely as the U.S. Justice Department has been (slowly) releasing redacted parts of the information that had been collected, and some men (and women) are just starting to be held accountable for the trauma they inflicted—or failed to call attention to—during the many years that Epstein and Maxwell found vulnerable teens and groomed them for sex with both themselves and others, often men of great wealth and power.

Giuffre shares the trauma she went through beginning with her own father, and continuing with abuse by Epstein and Maxwell, which went on for years.

I recommend this book, but also suggest not reading it before trying to sleep.

Lex Talionis

 Lex Talionis by R.S.A. Garcia (2014) 354 pages

I read a science-fiction short story by R.S.A. Garcia that I liked well enough to seek out a full-length novel written by her. Lex Talionis is a fairly common title. It means Law of Revenge. This Lex Talionis is sci-fi noir. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, and the story leaps between locations and times. It is not impossible to follow, but it is challenging. The structure of the story doesn't always make sense, but it maintains a veil of mystery. Our main character is a genetically enhanced teenager. We meet her as she recovers in a hospital from major physical and mental abuse. She does not remember who she is, nor any of her background. She chooses to go by the name Lex until she recovers her memories. A doctor questionably falls in love with her, cops unenthusiastically begin investigating, and a strange alien creature shows up who is telepathically linked with her. There are flashbacks and flashforwards as the mystery of Lex is gradually revealed to the reader. The desert planet where she was raised brought to mind clips from the trailers of the new Dune movies. The hierarchical military culture is heavily based on revenge. The tv show Firefly also sprung to mind at times, although the show's humor was not present here. When we reach the point where we find out what led to her hospital stay, the sexual abuse is graphic and could be triggering. A tale of revenge can be satisfying, but only leads to more violence, and the end leaves a few mysteries unanswered.

8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster

 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee, 304 pages.

An old woman at the end of her life tells her life story to an obituary writer in a South Korean nursing home; a story so astonishing that the writer has a hard time knowing what about it is true. The woman, who has had many names, was born in a small town in North Korea near the demilitarized zone, in a time before that zone existed. She lived through an extremely tumultuous century of Korean history and experienced much of it directly, living as a war refuge, a slave to the Japanese military, a North Korean spy, and many more identities besides. 

This book, in addition to being extremely informative, is very well written from a literary standpoint. We follow our protagonist through many tragedies, but the book doesn't seem to delight or wallow in them. We also follow her through many joys and triumphs, and that balance makes it much easier to keep reading this excellent story. I was very impressed overall, and would definitely read another book by the author if she published one. I would recommend this in particular for people with an interest in Korean history, fans of historical fiction in general, and people who appreciate a powerful and resilient female protagonist.

Sisters of the Lost Nation

 Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina, 352 pages.

Anna Horn has plenty of worries. She's constantly bullied at school, her parents' marriage is falling apart, her little sister is growing away from her, her boss at the reservation's casino is sketchy, and when she walks alone she often sees the ghostly severed head her uncle told her about as a little girl. That's all before teenage girls start going missing. Due to some thorny (and all too real) jurisdiction problems surrounding law enforcement on reservations, it is hard to pursue the investigation of these cases, and easier to pretend that the girls all just ran off. So when Anna's little sister joins the missing she throws everything she has into finding her herself, following leads and tribal legends both in an attempt to bring her sister home.

This was more thriller than the horror I think I was expecting, but it was quite good. I found Anna to be an engaging protagonist and the story to be haunting, not only narratively but also in reality. Medina notes at the end that Indigenous women are staggeringly more likely to be murdered or go missing than any other demographic (about 12 times more likely in fact). This book is fiction, but it is obviously very invested in dealing with real world problems. My one major criticism is that I'm not sure the structure Medina decided to use worked very well. Chapters jump back and forth between before and after Anna's sister goes missing, and I found that they really interrupted the narrative tension. There would be very high intensity investigations, and then suddenly we were spending chapters concerned with our clothes and parents marital problems. It also doesn't help that the way we differentiate is by numbering the days at the top of the chapter, which is a little bit too subtle, especially close to where the timelines are meeting up. That being said, I do consider this a pretty strong first novel and would recommend it. 

Good Kings Bad Kings

Good Kings Bad Kings: a novel by Susan Nussbaum  298 pp.

In spite of the subject matter and the awful things that happen in this book, I can't help but like it...a lot. A group of kids are residents of the Illinois Life and Learning Center, essentially a for profit nursing home where they are housed because of mental and/or physical disabilities. Each of the main characters speak in their own voices and include residents and staff of the home which is run by indifferent administrators and just a few staff members who really care about the kids. The addition of a disabled staff member to the home introduces the kids to possibilities they had not realized were possible in their lives. It takes multiple tragedies before things come to head and changes appear on the horizon. The characters suck you in and make you cheer for every one of these kids to finally lead happy lives.

The Guilty

The Guilty by David Baldacci  420 pp.

CIA sniper/assassin Will Robie returns to his small hometown in Mississippi because his estranged father, a lawyer and local judge, has been charged with murder. After over twenty years away he finds many things changed but not his father's animosity towards him. He also discovers the existence of a new stepmother and a three year old half brother. In spite of the hard feelings between him and his father, Robie is determined to find the real killer. Soon Robie's partner from the agency, Jessica Reel, arrives to give assistance. They discover old families in the town that have criminal connections kept secret for decades. The twist at the end that reveals the killer was a bit of a surprise. I had previously suspected, then discounted the character who was the real murderer. Baldacci's Will Robie series is one of my favorites.

The Japanese Lover

The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende  336 pp.

Isabel Allende is probably my all-time favorite author. Once again she has crafted a novel that is captivating, touching, and entertaining. Essentially it's a story of people living dual lives. Irina, who escapes an impoverished life in Moldova only to land it a more horrible life in the U.S. before becoming a personal assistant to elderly Alma Belasco. Young Alma is sent to the home of her uncle and aunt before the occupation Poland. She lives a life of wealth and privilege while holding on to a love forbidden by society of the time. Ichimei is the son of the Belasco's gardener whose friendship/love for Alma is sustained throughout his life. In the end more secrets about the lives of these people are revealed. This one is a winner.

Eleanor and Park / Rainbow Rowell 328 pp.

Eleanor and Park meet on the school bus and can't stand each other.  Eleanor wears bizarre clothes and doesn't seem to care about her appearance.  Park is aloof and buried in his comic books.  A few bus rides and a little chemistry later things change.  Rowell captures the intensity of high school love perfectly, and I liked her characters.  Park's parents, who Eleanor compares to the Cleavers, are nicely flawed but decent.  Eleanor's evil stepfather makes for a believable mix of light and dark in this enjoyable romance.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick  273 pp.

On his eighteenth birthday Leonard Peacock plans to shoot his former best friend, Asher Beal, and then himself after giving gifts to his mother and the three people he considers his friends. Sounds depressing but, even though it's an examination of the thought processes of a highly intelligent but disturbed young man, it is an entertaining and engrossing story. Leonard is a Bogart and Shakespeare loving loner; a misfit with an absent father and a self-absorbed mother. Gradually the backstory emerges which explains Leonard's actions. It's been a long time since I stayed up late to finish a book (without falling asleep) but I couldn't put this one down.

Cold Quiet Country

Cold Quiet Country/Clayton Lindemuth 321 pgs.

It is the last day in the long career of Sheriff Bittersmith, where he has served in the small town bearing his family name. He is called to a crime scene, a farmer run through with a pitchfork with two sets of tracks leaving the scene.  This is the onset of one of the biggest snowstorm in years as well as one of the biggest crimes committed in town in years.  Unless you count the ongoing corruption and criminal acts by the Sheriff himself.  I won't say this book isn't well written or interesting in the way that good and evil clash, I will say I probably should have stopped reading early on when the nature of the characters revealed themselves.  I don't think that these things aren't  real or out there, it is just not the type of think I enjoy reading.  I stayed with it, however, and the ending, while not satisfying in many ways, did resolve the biggest issues for me.

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TheLast Good Place of Lilyl Odilon by Sara Beitia 301

Nifty little teen mystery. New kid Albert Morales falls hard far Lily, a girl with a wild reputation. When Lily disappears, he is the prime suspect. He is confused especially when he discovers her diary and discovers that her step-dad, a dentist with friends in high places, is evil incarnate. Lily's younger sister, Olivia trusts Albert. After he receives a cryptic postcard, they realize they have one chance to save her -- if they can be the first to reach Last Good Place. Sadly, there don't seem to be any helpful adults. His parents never liked Lily and think that her disappearance is for the best. Lily's mother has shifted her allegiance to her wealthy new husband. The police are friends with the bad dentist. Albert is a romantic and wants to stand behind the promise he made to Lily to find and rescue her. Someone seems to be following them and they don't know who it could be. Tense and atmospheric. A good winter read.