Pull Me Under

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That's really what it did. We had no idea, no. In fact, we didn't even write songs, really, that had that potential in that atmosphere, because all the things that were being played on the radio sounded nothing like DREAM THEATER , so we didn't really think we had a chance. There was still some kind of 'ish bands around and stuff. So we didn't think we had any place.

But we did feel really good about how the album came out. We felt very proud of it. We knew that it sounded good. I remember feeling really proud anytime I would play it for somebody. Like, 'Oh, you have to hear this.

That sounds really good. I wanna hear that song again. It was a cool feeling.

Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce

Story continues after advertisement. If you think about what it did for us as far as the future is concerned, it really put up on the map. It enabled us to go from local guys driving around in a van, playing to a few people in clubs to an international touring band with this whole long and very busy and productive career. It was a complete delight for me, because I went there so recently.

And there are some pretty interesting characters that are introduced once Rio arrives. My mom hated the misogyny she witnessed in Japan. She'd ranted about Miura-san ogling her in his office to Hiro, who only shrugged. It didn't seem like a big deal to me at the time--I'd have loved to be thought pretty like my mom was. I noticed the stereotypes when I got older, for a different reason: As if a girl couldn't feel rage, couldn't be brutal. Because I was having so much fun vicariously being in Japan again, I had to force myself to take a step back and see how the book was actually doing plot-wise.

And, to be honest, much of it felt just like things were just happening for things to happen. Often there were strained interactions between characters that seemed unrealistic. Like a character bails on a planned dinner with Rio to go on a pilgrimage to different temples and Rio runs into her before she gets a chance to bail. What does she do? Insists she go with her. I get that the intent was to show how awkward and unaware Rio was being, but there are a lot of strangely motivated choices like this. Things sometimes felt like they were coming out of nowhere, because we didn't get as close to the characters as we could have.

I think Pull Me Under edged into some really important and interesting questions about personal identity and whether or not people can change - and what that change could look like. It dealt with some dark themes that I would've liked a deeper look at. I wanted to know more about Rio's mother's suicide. I wanted to know more about what was going through Rio's head during a death that happens halfway through the book. There were a ton of moments that looked like opportunities for big things to be revealed, but sometimes there was no follow through.

Like we walked up to the gates of this potential new information, then we walked away randomly. It was a little jarring a couple of times. Though the pacing and plot structure were both a little uneven, Kelly Luce is quite a good writer and at no point did I want to stop reading. Not bad for a debut novel. Rio would be content to keep her secret hidden for the rest of her life, but when a mysterious letter arrives at her doorstep informing her of the death of her father, Rio realizes she may not have put the past completely behind her She journeys back to Japan alone for his funeral opening the door to decades-old hurts and grief, while taking readers on a dark journey in search of truth and closure.

Kelly Luce is an incendiary writer, and her sentences sizzle like a lit fuse. The question at the heart of this psychologically intense mystery is not a whodunit - we know Rio did it. Instead, the mystery lies within Rio herself: Has she really changed? Will returning to Japan make her repressed feelings and anger come bubbling to the surface? Is it possible to be a whole person without redemption or forgiveness? Can a person ever escape her past? I cannot stress enough how magnificent the writing is in the book, and how well Luce breathes a haunting realism into the story so that despair and hope become entwined.

Feb 08, Anna rated it really liked it Shelves: Ahhh I want to give this 5 stars so bad, but I just can't. I just don't feel like the main character went through the appropriate amount of character development to satisfy me. BUT - that's my only complaint.

The plot was engaging and a tad disturbing, the rest of the characters are lively and unique, and although the book is on the shorter side I haven't been so immersed in a foreign setting in a very long time - I felt like I really was in Japan, experiencing the culture. I would heartily reco Ahhh I want to give this 5 stars so bad, but I just can't.

I would heartily recommend it; the writing was excellent and this reading experience is one I will definitely repeat. I think it'd be a cool idea to read this one before reading "A Tale for the Time Being" by Ruth Ozeki - then you'd get a one-two punch of excellent fiction novels set in Japan that have school bullying as a major theme. Dec 29, Sara Klem rated it liked it. Mostly I thought this book was beautifully written while also being a page-turner, which is usually a difficult balance.

I have no doubt that Kelly Luce is an amazing writer. I particularly loved the plot structure and her handling of themes pertaining to identity. I have a few issues with it, though. I hated the ending. I get that not every book will have a satisfying ending that perfectly completes an arc, but to me it was a little more touchy-feely than I thought it should have been. This ties Mostly I thought this book was beautifully written while also being a page-turner, which is usually a difficult balance. This ties into my other issue: In other words, Luce wasn't afraid to take on some really dark themes and subjects, but fell short on fully delivering them.

Still, it was a really enjoyable read. Feb 10, Vincent Scarpa rated it it was amazing. It's Kelly Luce, whattya expect? Oct 16, Allegra Hyde rated it it was amazing. Rio must reconcile her fraught childhood in Japan as Chizuru Akitani—an infamous juvenile delinquent—with her painstakingly constructed life in America. Jul 02, Renita D'Silva rated it really liked it. I loved this book so much. Dec 16, Kate rated it really liked it Shelves: Tbh I can't understand the negative reviews on this at all, but to each their own I suppose!

This book totally hooked me from page one. In the very beginning we find out that Rio - or, Chizuru - had murdered one of her classmates very specifically with a Morimoto letter opener only a few months after the death of her mother and she has been sent to a juvenile detention facility at the age of twelve. By the time she's twenty years old, she's had hardly any vi 4. By the time she's twenty years old, she's had hardly any visitors - including her father who doesn't visit after the first few months because of the shame she has brought him - and she is given a chance to start over and go to America.

So she goes abroad to become an American citizen allowed because of her mother's background and attends college to become a nurse. She gets married and has a child, hiding her past from her new life, until one day that she gets notice that her father has passed away. I feel like the majority of reviews are negative because people wanted the story OF the murder. They don't care about what happens afterward - they want the excitement of a murder story. But, unfortunately - or fortunately, at least in my eyes - Kelly Luce, even though she is not Japanese, has nearly perfected the Japanese story telling ways.

I think many people picked this up expecting excitement, and were disappointed when it wasn't upheld, because they've never read Japanese literature. TBH this one had almost a little too much plot - but, again, Luce isn't actually Japanese so we have to forgive her on those grounds. I appreciated the fact that it wasn't just a murder mystery or a quick thing about a twelve year old girl killing a boy in her class. There are way too many books like that - that feed off of people's short attention spans and need for instant gratification.

I thought it was a fascinating character study. The reasons this isn't a 5 star is because I did find myself just a little bit bored in the middle - there was so much about her Elementary School Teacher I didn't really care much for, as well as when they're hiking there's just so much unnecessary description and explanation of things that weren't important. BUT, other than that, this book was wonderful!

I loved the characters, I loved the snippets of the story falling into place over time, and I loved the writing. This also lowkey felt a little like Black Mirror with making you question your morals.

The question of "do you agree that murderers are murderers for life and deserve to be locked up or do you believe that they can genuinely change" was always present, at least for me. It was definitely an interesting one for sure. I don't suggest this book for everyone, seeing that everyone who got this from their BOTM box or whatever has hated it - this is definitely a story for people who enjoy a quiet little Japanese story that doesn't have you flipping the pages needing to know what happens next.

It's a story for people who want to THINK rather than gain instant gratification from plot twists and turns. Dec 20, Sabrina rated it liked it Shelves: Really strong beginning, but I found the plot to kind of fall apart in the latter half. Also, while I appreciated the use of Japanese language and culture, and there were many things that demonstrated a rich knowledge of both, some of the inaccuracies about Boulder, Colorado were a bit irksome.

For instance, there is a line that states that almost no Japanese people are on CU's campus my alma mater, where I majored in Japanese, by the way , which is emphatically not true. CU Boulder has a renow Really strong beginning, but I found the plot to kind of fall apart in the latter half. CU Boulder has a renowned Japanese program, as well as many Japanese exchange students. That was one of the things that felt sloppy about this novel.

That being said, there were some great passages, and I thought the symbolism and motifs were interesting and unique, if not a little heavy-handed. This novel is extremely readable and compelling, but could have been tightened up in a few spots. Dec 14, Jennifer rated it really liked it. I loved this book. It's the kind of book that you can't--or don't want to--put down; the story doesn't lull at any point. I love learning about other cultures, so I loved that this book offers you a glimpse into Japanese culture.

The protagonist is a character you will root for, feel heartbroken for, and want to reach through the book to hug. Dec 15, Sarah rated it really liked it.

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This was such a pleasant surprise. I knew very little of the story beforehand, but I devoured this book in two short days which is quick for me. The plot focuses on facing your demons from your past, but it's the smooth, pleasing writing that made this such an enjoyable read for me. Mar 05, Sara Penny rated it really liked it Shelves: I'll admit one of the most appealing elements of this book was the Japan setting, and I loved the snippets of Japanese culture described throughout.

The details of the temple pilgrimage were fascinating and led me to seek more details about the trail outside of the book. But travel inspiration aside, I did really enjoy this read. I loved how the story started off by recalling the narrators time spent in the detention centre; doing so really grabbed my interest and I was invested in the story bef I'll admit one of the most appealing elements of this book was the Japan setting, and I loved the snippets of Japanese culture described throughout.

I loved how the story started off by recalling the narrators time spent in the detention centre; doing so really grabbed my interest and I was invested in the story before I knew it. As we learned more about Rio as an adult I started to dislike her as she seemed selfish and dishonest. I tried to cut her some slack as her upbringing obviously caused some trust and relationship issues.

I can sort of also understand how a lie told enough times can be believed as truth by the teller. Rio basically lied a little bubble around herself to protect herself from the truth of her past. At first mention of the 'black organ' I thought we were going to hear about a Dexter-esque 'Dark Passenger', but it seemed to me that Chizuru was just referring to her heart.

I wouldn't say that's particularly uncommon, but her reaction to it was interesting. I never pictured her as a murderer. It wasn't until her husband asked her whether she felt like a murderer that I even really associated that word with her. It certainly wasn't a premeditated act, but it wasn't exactly an accident either, so I'm not sure what to make of it. Dec 18, Chelsea rated it liked it Shelves: More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm. I wasn't really thrilled with any of the selections, but I wanted to get two other books, and you can't skip the month and still do that, so I went with Pull Me Under.

The story here is about Rio, originally Chizuru, who is half American and half Japanese, and spent the first half of her life there--though eight years of that time was spent in a juvenile detention facility af More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm. The story here is about Rio, originally Chizuru, who is half American and half Japanese, and spent the first half of her life there--though eight years of that time was spent in a juvenile detention facility after she stabbed and killed a classmate with a letter opener. After she was released from the center, she moved to the United States, changed her name to Rio, and essentially erased her entire past.

Now married and with an eleven-year-old daughter, Rio Silvestri is completely disconnected from the life she once led Rio decides to return to Japan to attend the funeral despite the fact that she and her father haven't spoken in at least eighteen years. She leaves her husband and daughter behind in the US, not wanting them to realize who she was in her past life, and jets off for the funeral.

Once in Japan, she runs into Danny, one of her former teachers, and basically invites herself along into Danny's life and onto a pilgrimage to eighty-eight temples that Danny has sent herself to doing. Meanwhile she continues to avoid telling her husband what's really going on, despite his obvious frustration and knowledge that something is going on.

We know from the beginning that Rio killed someone, and that she doesn't really feel like a murderer. There's a sense of disconnect from the actual murder and its aftermath and what her life has become. That said, I still didn't like Rio. She has this real sense of righteousness about her and is, again, a very selfish character. I understand her fear that her husband might not want anything to do with her if he knows about her path--that I get.

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But when she returns to Japan and forces herself into Danny's life, when Danny clearly does not want her there, and then inviting other people along, too She holds no consideration for other people and how they might feel regarding her father, and instead seems to feel that she should be the center of this trip even though she and her father have been completely out of touch for more than half her life. There was some lovely writing here, and I feel like Luce got a real sense of Japan for someone like myself who hasn't ever been there.

I don't think Luce is a bad writer, not at all, and I liked how the story was constructed, all of the supporting characters, and how unique everything was. I just didn't like Rio as a character or a person, finding her far too selfish for my tastes--refusing to be there for her daughter because her daughter was "testing" her, feeling indignation that her husband is upset that she was hiding her past for their entire marriage, etc. Synopsis This is the story of a young woman who holds a terrible childhood secret. This secret comes to haunt her in her adult life, and on a new continent.

You follow Rio, as she goes home to her hometown in Japan, and uncovers secrets, and tries to come to terms with her past. This book is definitely not your typical thriller; Synopsis This is the story of a young woman who holds a terrible childhood secret. There are very ominous and mysterious aspects of the story that keep you turning each page, but this is definitely more literary than thriller and even a character study of sorts. I really loved how much research was put into this novel.

I could tell that Kelly Luce spent time making sure that her story was authentic and believable. The writing style was simple and direct but GOOD , and I think this helped the story feel true with the delivery of its themes and messages. This book deals with some really hard topics, in terms of how we deal with being bullied, how we feel when we lose a loved one, and how we hide who we are from those we are closest to. I did have one complaint of the story, making this book not quite a 5 star read for me. I felt that all of the men in the book were almost paper cutouts of bad guys.

Pull Me Under

He felt like he was pulled out of your corniest rom-com film. He was always attentive to Rio, even when she was being secretive, and he seemed way too okay with the fact that she keeps in totally in the dark about her past. He only questions what Rio allows him to question, in regards to her former life in Japan. He is a character that definitely seems written through the filter of a female writer. No one is this good; no one is this understanding. That being said, I also liked how the book ended, and I felt that the length of this book was pretty perfect.

The book felt like it had purpose, and its purpose was fulfilled, in my opinion. Jan 09, Jessie Frederick rated it really liked it Shelves: The character development in Pull Me Under is on point, and the storyline creates intrigue and enticement. I was pulled in to the story from the very first page. After about three or four chapters, I was nearly positive I'd be giving this novel 5 stars. A young girl kills a classmate, and as a woman she must confront the demons she's hid away for so long. We get the psychological factor. We get a little bit of suspense, and we get a ton of interaction between characters that allows us as readers The character development in Pull Me Under is on point, and the storyline creates intrigue and enticement.

We get a little bit of suspense, and we get a ton of interaction between characters that allows us as readers to get inside the head of a complex protagonist and truly feel and understand her story.

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It's a whole lotta good. But for some reason, as the story went along, I felt that something was missing. As with any book you really, really like, it's hard for me to name exactly what it is that kept me from loving this book like I expected to at the beginning. Maybe a little bit of boringness in the way of characters.

When Rio returns to Japan, I think I was expecting more than what was offered both in characters and action. And descriptions started to get mundane. I found myself reading a scene and wanting it to hurry up so I could get to the next scene. There was a small something that just wasn't there for me, so I can't move this book from "really, really like" to "love. Dec 25, Shira Selkovits rated it really liked it. This is such a beautifully written, mesmerizing story. The opening page had me hooked immediately, and I expected a much different story arc.

I was surprised to find such a stunning personal exploration by our narrator, Chizuru Akitani. Now 35, Chizuru takes us on her journey forth from age 12, forth from the one event she felt she would never escape. May 20, Brave rated it really liked it. There are several inconsistencies in this book that don't hold to true, IRL facts, and a few things that I think editing should've caught.

Because I went in mostly blind, however, I had no real expectations of this book, and as such, I think I enjoyed it more than many of my friends s There are several inconsistencies in this book that don't hold to true, IRL facts, and a few things that I think editing should've caught. Because I went in mostly blind, however, I had no real expectations of this book, and as such, I think I enjoyed it more than many of my friends seemed to.

I liked the slower pacing of this book, I liked the way that each new facet of the story was revealed piece by piece, and I liked reading about complicated family relationships. I don't know what else to say about this, but I did really enjoy it. Jan 03, Rosemary rated it really liked it Shelves:

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