G’Day Bookworms!
I know there are a number of book bloggers out there who have struck up virtual friendships with authors, but I’m not really one of them. Of course, there’s always an exception to the rule, isn’t there? Annabel Smith runs a super fun blogging meme called Six Degrees of Separation (with fellow author Emma Chapman) and she’s always been such a peach. A few months back, I purchased (with my very own money) a copy of her novel Whiskey and Charlie
Whiskey and Charlie are twins. They’ve had a complicated relationship to say the least, but it all comes to a head when Whiskey is in an accident and lands in a prolonged coma. Charlie is forced to address the difficulties in their relationship and his own identity. All that juicy family stuff, you know?
I was kind of nervous to read this book because I think Annabel is awesome and I wanted so badly to love it that I was worried I wouldn’t. These are the things I worry about. Luckily, this book was fabulous. I mean, whoa. The relationship between Whiskey and Charlie will ring true to anybody who has ever had a rocky moment with a sibling. It’s got complex emotional layers that tackle not only familial strife, but also the way people react when a family member is in a life or death situation. You’ve got siblings, you’ve got lovers, you’ve got parents, you’ve got doctors, and (thank heaven) you’ve got therapists. If you’re in the mood for a well developed family drama, Whiskey and Charlie can’t be beat.
There were times while reading this novel where the character I was really rooting for acted like a complete and utter douchebag, but I still liked the guy. Have y’all run into that? Characters behaving badly but you still hope they’ll get themselves sorted out?
*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*
Jayne
Countries with an E in their name put an E in whiskey, those without an E spell it whisky. United States, Ireland – whiskey, Scotland, Canada, Australia – whisky. I learned this when I was looking for whiskey glasses and fancy whiskey for my hubby for Christmas. Why is it done this way, you might ask? That I don’t know. I couldn’t ever find why, just that this is how it’s done. So there you go.
Annabel Smith
I did not know that! What a great way to remember!
Sarah's Book Shelves
I’ve got this one on my TBR list – I love the cover and the title! Hopefully, I’ll get to it at some point 🙂
Bryn @Gleaningful
Yes! Scarlett O’Hara is one of those characters! She gets herself into trouble and is so selfish but I love her 🙂
Mary @ Keep Talking Nerdy
This book sounds so good!
Annabel Smith
Awwww, I’m so relieved you liked it. Otherwise we’d have to have had an awkward online break up. Nooooooo. People have the funniest reactions to Charlie. He really did take a long time to get his shit together!
Words For Worms
Oh how I FELT for his gal! I can RELATE to waiting for that ring!
Dana
I know what you mean about being afraid to read something when you have a personal connection to an author. Sue Monk Kidd was one of my professors in college and she and her husband were both lovely people. The book club I was in had previously read Secret Life of Bees prior to my joining and loved it (I hadn’t read it) and they were reading Mermaid Chair with great excitement. I proudly bragged about my connection, and then felt like a total putz when I hated the book. I honestly felt like I’d let my much bragged about teacher down! I’ve never had the heart to read any of her other books.
Dana
As far as characters that aren’t likable at ALL, I think that, for me, is the key to what makes Gillian Flynn’s books so good. She doesn’t feel compelled to wrap any of her characters in anything close to a warm fuzzy light. You almost can’t tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. And sometimes the roles switch. I love that about her books.