Lise Haines

3.5⭐

Nora, a documentary filmmaker and editor, marries her friend Paul, a contractor who had been temporarily renting the loft above her late husband Takeo’s ceramics studio in their home. Soon after, Paul and Nora, along with Leon, Paul’s eighteen-year-old son from his previous marriage, travel to Paul’s family campground, Hidden Lake, which has been closed down for years, to fix it up and eventually sell off the property. Paul, who had left his childhood home almost thirty years show more ago, does not seem to have too many happy memories of his childhood. Paul’s parents are still alive, his father terminally ill and his mother suffering from dementia. Nora also meets Paul’s younger brother Gabe and his wife, Salish and their four children. Salish, who takes it upon herself to cook and take charge of the kitchen, shows them a collection of thirteen novelty knives, a proud possession passed down to her by her father. Trouble starts when one by one, the knives start disappearing, despite Salish’s obsessive hiding and protection. Nora, intent on documenting as much as possible on video, embarks on an investigation behind these strange occurrences, often aided by Salish’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Jones.

Book of Knives by Lise Haines is a well-written slow-burn suspense thriller. Haines’s writing is elegant, descriptive and immersive. I was impressed with the author’s characterizations- the adults, teenagers and the children- all the characters, even the immensely unlikable ones are well-developed. The mystery behind the disappearing knives (a few of which reappear under mysterious circumstances), other sinister and paranormal occurrences, hidden rooms, strained interactions between Gabe and Paul, fluctuating tempers, tension and suspicion among the adults, the suffocating atmosphere of the camp, and a decades-old murder mystery make for an engaging read. Yes, there are ghostly apparitions and sinister occurrences, but not enough to scare you silly! (for which I am thankful; otherwise, a scaredy-cat like me would be hiding under the bed instead of writing this review!). The author does leave a few questions unanswered or rather leaves it to the reader to ponder over, but that’s okay.

Overall this is an interesting, albeit slow-moving read, with a climax that satisfies, and a few surprises along the way.

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed here are my own. show less

The very first thing to come to my mind after I originally read the synopsis for Girl in the Arena was 'Wow, I thought I had marriage issues!' (the synopsis I read was more detailed then the one above by the by). Lyn decides to go head to head against Uber (the young fighter) in order not to marry him, to the death. Though really its more then that. Very few, if any, of the people of Girl in the Arena are such simple creatures.

Lyn doesn't want to be a Glad-wife like her mother, Allison, but show more at the same time she is bound by the Gladiator lifestyle. She wants her freedom, she wants to get away from that lifestyle, she wants to be anyone but Lyn-with-the-seven-gladiator-fathers. She doesn't necessarily hate her mother for her choices, but she does find herself upset and angry and lost because of them.

The Gladiator world is very black and white--you either follow the arbitrary (and oft-changed) rules of being a Gladiator (or the wife, son, daughter of one) or you're dishonored. Left with no pension, no house, no means of supporting yourself. The women who become Glad-wives are very much like the housewives of olden days--they are nothing but an extension of their husband's glory. They go to college for this. They live, breathe and (basically) worship this lifestyle. There is no other way. So Allison is understandable. Her motivations, her little rituals, her eventual decision.

The story is told from Lyn's point of view in a very story being told sort of way. We only get her impressions of things, her feelings of those things. This works well for me, it felt more like a conversation we were having together instead of a book. It felt more immersive for me.

The sheer amount of culture references threw me a little. I kept trying to imagine the GSA of the book along side real life and it wasn't completely meshing. It was easier for me to ignore those and imagine this as an alternative time line book that way.

The ending made me tear up, a character who I liked a lot intercepts things and then it all gets out of control. I would have liked to read more about that fall out, instead of the recap we get in the epilogue. show less

Lyn G. is the daughter of seven gladiators. Her beautiful mother, Allison, has made a career of sorts being married to Glads and lives and breathes according to the bylaws governing Glad wife and child behavior. Tommy G. is lucky husband number seven and has become more a father to Lyn and her younger brother Thad than any of her previous fathers. Tommy is also one of the best Glads in the business and now only has a few fights left before his contract is over with the Gladiator Sports show more Association. For his last bout, he's slated to face the rising-star Uber, a young Glad who is at the top of his game and who strangely enough, has the usually confident Tommy, Lyn, Allison and even Thad worried and obsessing over the outcome.As a Glad daughter, Lyn feels trapped in a life she has no control over and suffocated by a mother who only wants her to make the same choices she did. But Lyn is fiercely independent and of all things a pacifist(!) and would like nothing better than to take her family away from all the violence and the prying eyes of the media. Especially her mentally handicapped brother Thad who often makes surprisingly accurate but oh so creepy predictions but who she would do anything for. Including stepping into the one place she hates more than any other - the arena - for the chance to fight for their freedom from the GSA once and for all.Part social commentary, part dystopian fantasy Girl in the Arena portrays an America that isn't too far off by any stretch of the imagination. Chuck Palahniuk-esque fight clubs controlled by the all too powerful GSA abound and achieve higher ranking than even the NFL Over them all (and the bane of Lyn's existence) hangs the persistent, malicious media and paparazzi who make the Glad way of life impossible to escape.Lisa Haines' book is full of convoluted twists while oozing daring and character upon character that fairly leap off the pages. I do wish there had been more action scenes involving Lyn and clearer descriptions for some of the aspects of Glad culture which were a little murky but I have to look beyond them both in the face of the brilliance of Lyn's story. Against the powerful GSA and her daunting family she's honest, she's loyal and she's so freaking tough - no wonder she had Uber walking on eggshells most of the time. Parts of the action in Girl in the Arena completely broadsided me (just like it does Lyn) and all I could do was hang on, trusting Lyn to make sense of it all. I think what ultimately made me love Lyn to pieces however was her constant maneuvering of her brother, herself, her friend Mark, and even Uber in a such way to achieve some semblance of happiness for them all. show less

This is a novel with a moral in it. Enter the future or a futuristic world in which reality tv has created an association of gladiators and millions of tickets are sold to watch people fight.. to the death. (They also encourage spectators to kill each other.) Lyn is a gladiator's daughter. Her mother has married seven gladiators to be exact and after the death of the most recent one, Lyn is now in a fight with the Gladiator Association.. aka Cesar's. Cesar's controls every aspect of a show more gladiator's life and his wife's and his children's. They send the women to colleges on how to be a perfect wife. They tell you who to marry, what to wear, where to live. They care nothing for people and thrive on bloodshed because that is what sells the tickets. Cesar's is trying to force Lyn to marry the gladiator that killed her seventh "father" and Lyn wants to get herself and her lovable, strange oracle brother out of the Glad life forever.

Lyn's mother commits the ultimate betrayal, leaving Lyn to make her own difficult choices. Lyn agrees to fight just one time in the arena in exchange for her and her brother's freedom. I lost a little respect here for her when she creates a "virtual girl" to fight in her place, but she does redeem herself. However, something awful happens in the arena that she must live with the rest of her life.

I would have preferred more fighting, less drama. There was only one real fight scene with Lyn. However, the violence throughout the novel was surprising for a YA book. Teens today with their violent video games probably will not be phased tho. I did think the virtual reality or "life machine" was a bit ridiculous. Having tea with Jackie Kennedy? A bit much.

This novel also gives a real nice look at what life is like with paparazzi following your every move.. May give some second thoughts to young girls thinking they want a famous lifestyle. It is not all it is cracked up to be.

For ADULTS interested in female gladiator books, take a look at Gladiatrix show less