My first thought, while reading the short, simple, almost choppy, sentences of the earlier chapters, was that it must be a translation issue (it was originally written in French), and that surely a novelist as highly regarded as Albert Camus would write sophisticated, eloquent prose. However, by the time the narrator is imprisoned, awaiting execution, the language becomes philosophical and the sentences longer and more diverse in structure. My conclusion is that it was written this way to achieve a particular effect, to show a man who neither thinks nor feels deeply – he is unaffected by his mother’s death, and agrees to marry Marie if she wants, but admits he doesn’t think he loves her, but also doesn’t believe that matters.

He murders a man as if in a dream, blames the sun (as much as anything else) for his actions. He is either not capable of lying, or not willing to lie, and he is unable to show remorse at his trial or during the investigation, convincing the court that he is soulless. Camus explains in the afterword that it is, at least in part, “the story of a man who, without any heroic pretensions, agrees to die for the truth.”

But when he has no future to distract him from the present, he is transformed, and the eloquence of the prose reflects this.

“[E]verybody knows that life isn’t worth living. And when it came down to it, I wasn’t unaware of the fact that it doesn’t matter very much whether you die at thirty or at seventy since, in either case, other men and women will naturally go on living, for thousands of years even. Nothing was plainer, in fact. It was still only me who was dying, whether it was now or in twenty years’ time.”

I love that this is such an unusual tale with an anti-hero at its center, but one who I can relate to very easily and suffer and discover truths alongside. A simple yet complex being who doesn’t express deep emotions but feels more comfortable with logic as his guide.

Eckhart has a gift for bringing the senses alive. Her stories are soulful looks at life and love through less than perfect eyes. Secrets is a puzzle where nothing actually fits. Diana and Jed thought they'd weathered their stormy pasts until an accidental starts to unravel it all. A powerful look at what love truly means and the danger that lives within the unknown.

I feel like I know this story by heart. The Awakening haunts you like a melody. Laura and Andy are caught up in a whirlwind of heartache, deceit and power. There are moments when your mind wants to step away, but your heart won't let you. Moran digs deep and delivers every emotion with a purity that touches the soul. Reading Eckhart is often times like forgetting to tell your heart to breath. It's an automatic reflex.

Yet another solid read from master storyteller Stephen King. The body of a young boy Frank Peterson is discovered badly mutilated and all evidence points to local football coach Terry Maitland. What starts off as a simple crime story turns into something much more sinister when an evil presence is uncovered and the skills of Detective Ralph Anderson are soundly tested. There are many familiar King themes here; the supernatural, living in small town America, and the ability of friends to come together and face danger with a united and determined front. This will probably not be remembered by me as my favourite Stephen King book (that is simply because he has set himself very high standards with such noteworthy reads as The Green Mile, The Shining, 11.22.63...to name three) but it is still very enjoyable and a treat for all his worldwide readers.

It's only when I return to King that I realize how wonderful he is...he's as fresh in his writing from Carrie to the present. An amazing author who makes his stories so exciting and his characters so real..