Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Review: The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry



Not having read Barry's previous novel, The Lace Reader, I didn't know what to expect from The Map of True Places. What I found was a book that hooked me from the start and kept my interest until the last page.

When Zee Finch, a Boston psychotherapist, learns that her patient, Lilly Braedon ,has jumped off the Tobin Bridge into the Mystic River below, she is heartsick. The suicide of her patient brought back all the feelings of guilt she experienced when her bipolar mother committed suicide years ago. She felt in both case as if she could have done more, second guessing herself over her actions.

Leaving her fiance back in Boston, Zee returns to Salem for Lilly's funeral and while she is there she visits her father. She finds him in bad shape; his live-in-love has left and his Parkinson's disease has advanced a lot since she last saw him. Zee takes a leave of absence from her practice with Dr. Liz Mattei to care for her father and in the process comes to some realizations about her life. Zee had always done what was expected of her but now Zee questions what she really wants out of life and tries to find her true place in the world; not an easy process. It involves a lot of introspection and re- examination of the sometimes painful past.

Barry tells the story in different time frames, going back and forth from the past to the present, slowly giving the reader more layers of the back story of her parents' troubled relationships, her mother's illness and fairy tale writings. A lot of the present day story involves her father's disease and how she deals with it. Having family members with Alzheimers, I found this part of the book very realistic.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about the book was the setting so aptly described by Barry that I felt as if I were walking the streets of Salem along with Zee. Barry did a wonderful job of fleshing out all the characters in the story and weaving all the plot threads together while still managing to throw in a few twists along the way. I definitely would recommend the book and plan to read The Lace Reader in the near future. 4****

Disclosure: a review copy of the book was provided by William Morrow through LibraryThing's early reviewers program.

16 comments:

  1. I saw her name and had to check this one out. I remember last year how much I wanted to read that lace book

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  2. I'm glad to see that you liked this one. I have it on my TBR pile at home but haven't had a chance to read it yet. I also picked up The Lace Reader a couple of months ago...only to get caught up on reading! lol

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  3. This is on my list to read so I really appreciate your thoughts. Sounds like a good book.

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  4. I loved The Lace Reader and have this book coming from the library now too. Glad you enjoyed it, I'm sure you'd like The Lace Reader as well.

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  5. i didn't read her previous book either, but this one sounds very interesting. darn, I never tries to get an ARC of it....off to check my library online, because ya know, I only have about 200 books at home to read...lol

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  6. I read The Lace Reader last year and thought it was OK, but I was a little disappointed as I had been desperate to read it.

    This one sounds a lot more appealing and I will definitely look out for it.

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  7. The Lace Reader is on my to-read pile and your review tells me I need to add this one as well!

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  8. I have yet to read The Lace Reader also. After reading your review I will definitely plan to check this book out and probably The Lace Reader too!

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  9. I did the read The Lace Reader and thoroughly enjoyed it. It sounds like this will be another "must read" for me as well.

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  10. The Lace Readers was definitely a different kind of read so would like to read this one as well.

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  11. Sounds great! I love books with nice description, and it sounds like this book has it. I'll have to read this!

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  12. I skimmed your review as I am reading this one right now. You are right it hooks you from the beginning.

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  13. I don't know what to think now....several of my buddies have had different takes on this one!! Oh what to do???? Guess I'll have to read it for myself!

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  14. This one is in my pile. I hope to get to it soon. I loved The Lace Reader.

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  15. I too had the same reaction...did not read the first one, but couldn't put this one down.

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  16. Just finished this one last weekend and liked it even better than The Lace Reader!

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