Today’s book is the debut contemporary fiction novel, Wreckage by Emily Bleeker.

This book isn’t one I would usually read, but it kept popping up on my Kindle and other places on the web, so I decided to give it a try. I’m still not sure if I’m glad I did. This book is about Lillian and Dave–two virtual strangers who become stranded on an island with a few other people. The story is told after their rescue and through an interview. If you read the blurb for this book, it sounds almost like a thriller and I was a little worried at how sinister and dark the Big Secret would be.

In the end, this book wasn’t too disturbing, but it also wasn’t too mysterious. In places it became downright predictable. If you decide to read this, than make sure you have someone read it at the same time. You’re going to want to talk about it. To me, that’s what made this book notable. After reading, I wanted to discuss the situations, the character’s reactions, and what I would do (I actually made my husband read it, so I could have a sounding board). This would be an awesome book club read.

I loved the writing of this book. The character’s made me really mad at times, but were always pretty true to themselves. Stupid, but true to character. Only a good writer can make you that mad at a pretend person, right? Bleeker also writes in a different style. The flashbacks the two character’s have are written in first person present tense, the here and now is written in third person past tense. Make sense? The past is in the present, the present in the past. I liked it, but I know some people wouldn’t like the back and forth. I think it helped make their experience on the island more real and involved, not just recollections.

My biggest problem with this book is the overall theme that it’s okay to lie to protect the ones you love. I felt like Lillian used this as an excuse to hide mistakes (some immoral) that she made and to justify the problems/hurt she caused. Still, she was a believable character. Which leads me to her husband, the unbelievable character. He was just too accepting of things he should not have been.

In conclusion, this book created a lot of buzz. That’s because it will make you want to rant. So if you have someone to read it with, then absolutely do it. The discussions you’ll have are amazing. If you don’t have someone to read it with. Read it and email me. I’m always up for a good rant or two! 😉