Rutabaga's Reads 2014: Part 7

Here is Part 7 of Rutabaga’s Reads 2014. Both of these titles are adult fiction. I read them years ago and meant to make this a longer post, but instead it’s just been sitting in my blog folder gathering hypothetical dust, so I decided to post it as is.

The Last Summer (of You & Me) (June 5, 2007) by Ann Brashares.

“When you came along, I said I’d share you, but I told him

to remember that you’re my sister. I loved you first.”

There are two sisters: Riley and Alice, both now in their twenties. Riley is the elder sister, small and tenacious, a free-spirited tomboy who works as a lifeguard in the town of Waterby on Fire Island. Alice is the gentle one; she’s a reader and a thinker who works as a babysitter and a waitress. It is summer, so tourists are busy soaking in the beach-community setting. Paul returns to Fire Island, too. He is Riley’s best friend and has been gone for three years. There is a secret being kept from Paul, and it will strain a budding romantic relationship. When the truth comes to a head, they’ll need to support each other, for gone are the ignorant, youthful days of summer. They’re adults now.

            Brashares is most notably known for her YA series The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. This book was her first foray into adult fiction. It is moving, bittersweet and thoughtful – a realization-of-adulthood story – but it is less amazing and more ordinary. That’s not a bad thing in my mind. It’d be a decent beach read, but don’t expect fireworks.

Prey (Nov. 25, 2002) by Michael Crichton.

The protagonist, Jack Forman, is an unemployed computer programmer and stay-at-home dad until he gets a job at Xymos Technology, where his wife, Julia, works as a high-ranking employee. Xymos develops “molecular manufacturing” technology, but it’s what most people call nanotechnology. Jack is suspicious of Julia’s late nights and suspects her of having an affair. Jack goes to the facility in the Nevada desert and witnesses the nanoparticle cloud (the swarm) in action. The swarm has escaped from the laboratory, and it is, unfortunately, self-sustaining and intelligent. It’s as though it’s alive. Jack’s not a team player, but he’ll have to be if he wants to get out of Xymos alive.

            While I preferred Crichton’s “Timeline,” I still found “Prey” to be a well-written dose of adult thriller fiction. Although it’s fiction, you might be intrigued to know that the core research programs are real. Amazingly and scarily enough. This is an advanced-technology-gone-bad novel. The plot, which we hope is forever impossible, is intricate and a little creepy. How do you feel about being the prey?