Book Review 'The Bullet' by Mary Louise Kelly
On the
surface, Caroline Cashion is gorgeous, smart, and successful; dig a little
deeper and find she is a bit too isolated, enjoys sex without strings, and
fears commitment.
Adopted at
the age of three by a well-to-do family in Washington DC, Caroline remembers
nothing about her birth parents or for that matter, the tragedy in Georgia that
erased them from her life.
However, as
in life, fiction has a funny way of making us remember, especially, things we
would rather forget. Like everyone, she remembers, but Caroline’s past returns with
a vengeance that threatens to destroy her or at least the comfortable life she enjoys
as a French literature professor at Georgetown University.
It doesn’t
take long for things to change; events begin to roll into motion when a nagging
pain in Caroline’s wrist prompts her doctor to order a MRI. Upon the completion
of the procedure, the technician reveals the unexpected news about a bullet
lodged in the back of Caroline’s neck. Without
any evidence of how it got there, the strange circumstances attract media
attention, which in turn, alerts her parents’ killer and threatens to reveal
secrets surrounding their deaths.
Soon,
Caroline takes matters into her own hands; one might even say, she snaps.
Throughout
the story, there are subtle hints suggesting Caroline subconsciously or
genetically mimics certain behavioral similarities exhibited by her birth
mother. Barring disease, certainly, the topic of personality formation is
interesting to ponder in fiction or in reality.
Ultimately,
as a society, in relation to adoption, discussions can become destructive. Each
day, in the United States, more than 400,000 children are in foster care, many
of these youngsters eventually become available for adoption. It is the hope of
many, in these situations. that the children can learn and create their own
destiny. Much of their success relies on the belief that they can a concept
that often counts on supporting ideas and rhetoric.
Although,
Mary Louise Kelly handles the subject without much ado, and is especially
considerate of the dynamics within Caroline’s adopted family, it is a point
that deserves some clarification. We each create our own future.
Written by
former NPR correspondent, Mary Louise Kelly, the story is interesting and kept
my attention, however, I would not say it was heart-pounding.
The Bullet, published by Simon and Schuster, is
available in hardback, paperback, eBook, and audio on Amazon and other book
retailers.
Review by Sammy Sutton |
Comments
Post a Comment