Kelly's Review: AIRMAIL

AIRMAIL

By Naomi Bulger

Published by: iUniverse, Inc.

First Printing: March, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-4502-3549-5 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-4502-3550-1 (ebook)

ISBN: 978-1-4502-3551-8 (Hardbound)

Amazon; Barnes and Noble; Goodreads

Concept: “Reclusive old Mr. G.L. Solomon's favorite things are single malt whiskey, Steve McQueen movies, and gingersnap cookies. He hates processed cheese, washing detergent commercials, and the way the teacup rattles in the saucer when he picks it up. Solomon has become accustomed to his lonely routine in Sydney, Australia-until the day he begins sporadically receiving letters in his mailbox from a complete stranger. On the other side of the world, Anouk is a mentally delicate young woman living in New York who insists she is being stalked by a fat woman in a pink tracksuit. When Anouk declares to Solomon that she is writing "from the Other Side," the old man breaks away from his daily grind of watching soap operas and reading Fishing World and travels to New York to find her. As he is drawn into Anouk's surreal world of stalkers and storytelling, marbles and cats, purgatory and Plato, Solomon has but one goal-to unravel the mystery before it is too late.”

Review: This is a rather interesting book, accurately described in the summary, and quickly read in a few hours. For me, I found charm in the character of G.___L.___. An older gentleman set in his ways and his routines, randomly selected by Anouk for her to pour out her innermost thoughts. I think that alone is a rather interesting idea and one that really left me thinking. Some questions are posed about life and the meaning of, and some profound what ifs are thrown out there. There’s not a lot of magic in this book, but there is just enough to bring the story line together and to make it work. It’s funny and charming and profound. There is a dark undertone to this book that had me holding my breath thinking “oh no!” All in all, I found several things to like about this book and in the end, a few days later, I find that I’m still thinking about it.

What I liked: I loved how Ms. Bulger made us feel her characters, in particular the character of the older gentlemen. Elderly tend to get wrapped up in their routines and Ms. Bulger described it perfectly in this book and when he went on his plane trip to America, you could literally feel his adventure happening. Not to be outdone, there’s another section where Anouk is telling her feelings of being a jilted lover and the pain. It was so well written and every person who has ever gone through any sort of break up, will feel Anouk’s anguish.

What I disliked: In the middle of the book, the story dragged just a tad. I started to find myself uninterested and I was toying with the thought of setting the book down and not finishing it. I’m glad I stuck with it.

My rating: 3.5 feathers

By Kelly
for Book Lover's Hideaway