Kenneth J. Harvey

Well this was a mammoth read at 825 pages but deeply satisfying, as well. It is based on fact, indeed the author's own family. It spans from 1886 until contemporary times. It is divided into sections. The first and largest section moves between generations and gives accounts of specific incidents to different members of the family, (I actually wrote a family tree to guide me through this), but each account was riveting. The character of the title Blackstrap, (yes named for the molasses), is the subject of the second section and the story then progresses at a pace.
As an adult, Blackstrap's body is a mass of scars accumulated through many life threatening episodes leaving him a damaged and angry man but we feel deep compassion for him. The purpose of the first section becomes clear in that we now understand his roots and the writer no longer has to dwell on the setting of Newfoundland, which is a character in its own right.
Blackstrap, likes his homeland is rugged, battered by life. His character will remain with me for some time, as will the landscape. The author has conveyed his deep love for this place and those intrepid, mainly Irish settlers, who made their home there.… (más)

[b: The Town That Forgot How to Breathe|218409|The Town That Forgot How to Breathe|Kenneth J. Harvey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1316727742s/218409.jpg|302418] was at no point quite what I expected it to be. I'd been told it was a book in general Lovecraftian style, playing on the trope of a strange isolated seaside community. I expected the usual progression such stories take: the fear of being an outsider in an insulated community, strange beliefs at odds with the modern world, the dark creatures that swim beneath the surface of the sea... Instead what I got was a bit of a treatise against the modern world and the evils of convenience.

Divorced Joseph, and his daughter Robin, go for vacation in the town of Bareneed. Joseph had come from fisherman stock, but had taken up a job as a fisheries officer rather than follow in his families footsteps. The book opens with Miss Laracy, the town elder, realizing that young Robin has the sight. She can see spirits, and thus is the new life that Bareneed indeed needs. What follows is a tale of gothic horror. People are stricken with an illness that manifests as an inability to breathe automatically. They've forgotten who they are, where they are, and where they come from. It's an odd metaphor of the loss of identity that tends to rise up in places where modern ways of life clash with tradition, and plays out accordingly...

It's an interesting book, and not really a bad one. I simply wished for more care to be put into the characterization of the people within it, and a bit more clarity when it came to certain people's motivations. I could easily see falling in love with this book if I cared more for the style in which it was written, but overall I just couldn't get as into it as I wished. Still an interesting book, though. Would likely make a killer miniseries if adapted to television.… (más)

Thumbs up! Good mystery, bizarre and creepy, but not too scary.

What I liked: The opening character, Miss Laracy, grabbed me. Her colorful dialect pulled me in and I had to read on to get to know her better.

Story line was very interesting. It had mystery, with a touch of bizarre and creepy (supernatural), but not too scary. Perfect combination.

Pace was great. One part was so heart-pounding that I feared for what Joseph might do and inside I was yelling, “No, don’t do it!”

The characters were colorful and really brought life to the fishing village of Bareneed. From the whispy and tragic Claudia to the straight-laced Lieutenant-Commander French, to the plump Dr. Thompson – I really enjoyed the characters.

What I didn’t like: Nothing really --it was a satisfying read, but....if you forced me to “find” something, I might have two little things.
1. The dog – not sure what the dog meant to the story unless it was just for bizarre effect.
2. The ending outcome of the bizarre events/sickness (can’t spoil it for you). Not sure it completely works out in my head.

Overall: Really enjoyed the book and I’ll be looking to read his other books.… (más)