Dear Mr. M - Herman Koch

What the hell did I just read?!?!  Okay sorry in a more elegant tone "my word, this telling tale has successfully frizzled my cerebellum". 

What an interesting story.  I was frustrated for a bit but only because I couldn't figure out why I needed to have so many points of view.  We originally hear from the "weird" upstairs neighbor, then Mr. M the writer, then his wife, then young Herman, then young Laura....then the freaking history teacher.  So much going on but how does it all fit.   Logically it fits because Mr. M writes a book based on an actual occurrence.  Forty years ago a teacher (Landzaat)  has an affair with a student (Laura), can't handle when she breaks up with him and then he goes missing.  Of course the student and her new boyfriend (Herman) are prime suspects.  So we learn early on (this isn't a spoiler) that weird guy is the boyfriend.  So all narrators, except M's wife, are parts of this original story and M is the writer.  I guess you could call it a different way to do character development. 

So we know how the book M writes ends and the narration from the past is what actually happened.  Its all jumbled together though.  We go from present day 70+ year old M, his wife, and his stalkery neighbor...back 40 years to Herman, Laura, their friends, and the elicit affair. It sounds like it should be confusing but it isn't.  M is written to be a jerk.  You don't want to like him.  He is a pompous has been writer who still thinks he is relevant.  His wife (much younger) and daughter are there for show.  He probably cares but they are more of a security blanket for an aging man.  Weird guy/Herman is disturbing.  You keep waiting for him to do something really crazy.  Clearly someone who could kill his old teacher, lie about it, and get away with it wouldn't blink at harming the writer who retold the story.  Laura is a young girl.  She is gorgeous.  She can have any boy she wants.  She is a good person who made some bad decisions. 

All in all it was a great story.  Towards the end it is hard to put down (read my random ramblings).  You start trying to piece it together.  You think you know and then BAM you were totally wrong.  I can honestly say I did not see that coming.  I thought I had it figured out.  Nope, not even close.  The mystery stays a mystery until the very end.  Not your typical who done it.  Give it a try, I don't think you will be disappointed.

SPOILERS

I really honestly thought Herman killed Landzaat. The whole book builds him up to be some loner only child who gets his kicks by being a jerk.  He is detached from reality.  Every time older Herman was narrating I thought for sure M's wife, child, or M himself was going to be harmed in some way.  He is not made to be likeable.  Clearly he manipulated Laura into loving him and made sure the competition was removed.  I mean what normal kid films a teacher laying dead on the floor.  He is grilling M about the details in his book.  Why he said this, why he left out a particular person, why didn't he want to interview Laura and Herman.  He is unstable.  He is detached.  He is dangerous.  And he is pushing himself into M's life. 

Laura liked Herman right off the bat.  Something about him but she didn't want to admit it.  So she lost him to her friend while on a group vacation.  The group stays friends and she in a fit of rebellion seduced her history teacher.  Him being of unsound mind falls for it and they begin their affair.  She is his side piece...he is married with two kids.  She doesn't want to be his side piece so she does something stupid.  She leaves an earring at his place for his wife to find...then she breaks up with him to date Herman. 

Landzaat had an affair with a student.  He is not a good person.  The problem isn't just the affair.  Its the aftermath of the break up.  He can't handle the fact that she left him, a man, for some gangly boy her own age.  A boy who isn't a jock, who isn't overly attractive, who isn't him.  He becomes obsessed.  He stalks her.  He shows up when she is on Christmas break with Herman.  He plans it all out.  He will show up there and win her back.  Then it changes, he will show up there and fake a car issue causing them to leave in the snow storm to find help.  He will kill himself making it look like the kids did it so he can ruin their lives.  What is wrong with him!?!?! 

Mr. M was also not likeable but not in the "he's a murderer" type of way.  More like he is just an jerk.  He is an old man who no longer holds his tongue.  He says things that are awful.  It is implied that he is racist...I think.  He gets into a fight with another writer and gets his butt kicked.  His life is falling apart.  He figures out in his concussed state that weird guy is Herman but before the big reveal from Herman, M slips away into a vegetative state.  Oh no we will never know and Herman just watches as the wife tries to help.

Landzaat is back, wait what?  He changed his mind he didn't want to die.  He  faked it all.  He decided to run off just as Herman said.  He faked amnesia and will show up again in a few months.  He finds out about the book and contacts M.  He thinks the writer should know the real story.  But M already has his story, the kids killed the teacher.  He doesn't want to change it.  In a fit of career preservation M kills the teacher. What?!?!  The end. 

I got this book for free from Blogging for Books to read and give my honest review.  

01/03

	page 94		23.0%	"Can I just say...the men in this book are awful! Mr M and the neighbor need a swift kick in the groin...."
01/25	page 325		81.0%	"I thought this book was about revenge but I'm really not sure. Its all over the place...different points of view. The stories interconnect but I am still not sure what the point is. Its interesting but very odd."
01/25	page 334		83.0%	"Good lord man she is 16...pull yourself together...she can't be that great in bed....talk about voodoo punani."
01/25	page 342		85.0%	"So is this like a repeat thing. He stole the younger girl from the older man in HS and will now steal the younger wife from the old dude as an adult....seriously...what is the point of this book....."
01/25	page 347		86.0%	"So now M knows who he is.........?"
01/25	page 362		90.0%	"If it turns out the M has been love sick dude this whole time I will throw the book and my coworkers will think I am insane."
01/25	page 363		90.0%	"What the e actual...this book is so weird!!!!!"
01/26	page 396		99.0%	"This book is messing with my brain!!!!!"

I feel like that was Goodbye........(Sherlock Season 4 Spoilers)

Okay so I am about to talk about Sherlock Season 4, Episode 3.  If you haven't watched any of Season 4 or the final episode DO NOT READ THIS.  I waited two days...just go watch it and come back.

SPOILERS







Anyways, I wasn't overly impressed with Episode 1, "The Six Thatchers".  It was okay.  I mean I love Sherlock Holmes, I have since I was very young.  And I love this version of it.  But S4E1 was meh.  Then they f**king killed off Mary...WHY!  And f**king John and his "affair"...STAHP!  So when she sacrifices herself to save Sherlock I wanted to cry.  Then when John BLAMES his BFF I wanted to punch him in the face.  So the ending was okay but the episode wasn't great.

Episode 2, "The Lying Detective" was better.  Much more slap you in the face crazy.  So the serial killer is disturbing.  That man just oozes creeptastic.   He built a hospital so he can murder people and NOT GET CAUGHT.  What....?  Very H.H. Holmes...murder hotel kinda stuff.  Wait...anyways. Sherlock high as a kite was sad and f**king hilarious.  I didn't want to laugh but he was making me laugh with all of his antics.  Again John was making me mad.  It wasn't Sherlock's fault!  You are projecting your guilt onto him.  You feel guilty for having an "affair" and now your wife is DEAD and your daughter is motherless.  So we get bad@$$ Mrs. Hudson, perpetually annoyed John, and stoned out of his mind Sherlock.  Not to mention WTF is Mycroft hiding?!?!  What is Sherrington....?  Is there another Holmes brother?!!?!?  Mary sends a message from the grave and we see it was all meant to fix the Sherlock/John dynamic.  She knows they need each other *tear*.  Of course John will save Sherlock, regardless of his anger he still cares.  He doesn't want his soulmate to die.  Because that's what they are.  It doesn't have to be seen as romantic.  A soul mate can be a friend.  They are kindred spirits destined to be with one another.  Anyways, talk about cutting it close.  And why does the daughter of the killer not remember Sherlock.  What is happening!?!?!  Then the ending.  Oh...oh SNAP.  His therapist...John's therapist is also the mysterious daughter....and is also the chick he was having a texting affair with......and is also Eurus...who the f**k is Eurus?!?!  OMG they have a sister, not a brother.  I mean basically these were my thoughts.  So it ends with the crazy Holmes sister SHOOTING John...no no no no.

Moving on!  Episode 3, "The Final Problem"...messed with my brain.  It was just a tranquilizer...whew, John is okay.  Clearly the Holmes children are genius'.  They are off the charts intelligent.  But this new addition....Eurus is f**king terrifying.  She is smarter than Mycroft and Sherlock combined.  And she can't handle it.  It has literally driven her to insanity.   Mycroft has her secretly locked away on some island because she killed Sherlock's dog, Redbeard, and set the family home on fire...then set her psych facility on fire (which is how Mycroft faked her death)... b**ch is MESSED UP.  But how did she get out. And why did she blow up 221B Baker Street...with a drone, with Sherlock, Mycroft, and John inside!?!

Anyways, so Sherlock now knows she exists but still has some sort of memory block.  Trauma will do that to a child and being a mostly decent older brother Mycroft just let him be rather than re-traumatizing him.  So somehow Eurus takes over the island of misfit.......people.  She can come and go as she pleases.  I think I screamed a little when she grabbed Sherlock's hand through the "glass".  I also said "how the f**k is he alive?!?!!?  He shot himself in the face...." then the subtitle shows 5 years ago...."Oh".  Wait, so Mycroft gave Eurus a Christmas present...and it was 5 min alone with Jim f**king Moriarty?!?!  He knows how manipulative his sister can be...and he knows how manipulative Moriarty can be...not to mention both of their obsessions with Sherlock...  So then, this insanity has been manipulated by HER since before Reichenbach...what?!?!?  So she has the two brothers and Dr Watson locked up and is forcing them to "play a game".  A game in order to save a little girl who is all alone on a PLANE where all the adults are knocked out.  Impossible choices are being made.  Memories are returning.  Her silly nonsense song she sang to Sherlock as a child.  Not being able to locate Redbeard.  Them playing at a beach.  Its very trippy.  I wanted to cry for Molly, and for Sherlock.  He forces her to say "I love you" to save her but it was all a game.  She was never in danger.  And now he has probably lost his friend.  Seriously I was starting to cry with her.  She loves him...always has...and now she thinks he was playing a game with her *knife to heart*. 

So we end up back at the burned down family home of the Holmes'.  John is chained in a well that is filling with water.  Sherlock has to figure out the clues to save him.  Eurus is still threatening Sherlock with the all alone girl on the plane about to crash.  John finds bones in the well.  Sherlock says "I know, its redbeard" and John says I have to tell you something.  It shows John picking up a small human skull.  Eurus is taunting Sherlock with "you re-wrote your memories".  What is happening?!?!?!  Then Pirate child Sherlock is suddenly playing with ANOTHER CHILD, not a dog.  His BEST FRIEND. Who when they played pirates was always "Redbeard".  Oh...oh...OH MY GOD, she killed another Child.  She was jealous of the friend because she wanted to play too.  So she put him in a well and sang a song to Sherlock as a clue.  But they couldn't figure it out.  Wait, I think my brain shorted out.  So Redbeard wasn't a dog...he was Sherlock's friend and he was murdered by his Sister.....

Adult Sherlock figures it out, finds his sister in her old room.  She is the girl on the plane.  There really isn't a plane about to crash.  She is locked in her own mind.  Its a metaphor.  She is so "high above" everyone else...she is all alone and can't find her way home.  He gets through to her and saves John with seconds to spare.  Mycroft is fine-ish and not in danger.  Then Sherlock calls Greg...Greg and not some random name...how hard did he hit his head.  Its like he finally realizes how much all these people mean to him so he's making an effort.  Uh oh....

Then it all goes back to normal, sort of.  Sherlock and John together again.  Mary sends another message from the grave telling them she knew they would find each other and whatnot.  They fix 221B Baker Street.  Mrs. Hudson is still there.  Mycroft is back to his usual antics.  Mom and Dad Holmes are pissed that Mycroft lied and want to see their not dead daughter.  Eurus has shut down.  But her and Sherlock play the violin together.  Sherlock has a relationship with John and Mary's daughter....his goddaughter.  Everyone seems happy.  And then I screamed "OH MY GOD THEY ARE SAYING GOODBYE TO US!!!!".  This is closure, for us...the viewer.  Everyone is happy (except Molly...I don't remember seeing her).  Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo........I don't want it to end...*irrationally sobbing*. 


So I think this was it.  Benedict said this may be the last time we see him as Sherlock Holmes.  And that episode felt like a finality.  There was no cliff hanger.  There was no mystery left to be solved.  Sherlock found his family...and his friends...and everyone is...happy... in the end. 

Is anyone watching Incorporated?

So I was really excited about this show when I first saw the previews.  Its a show about a dystopian future where the government collapses and Corporations take over.  It had some familiar faces in it from other SyFy shows and sounded intriguing. 

With that said I am totally hooked.  The first few episodes were a little slow but they have to explain WTF is happening.  After that its almost addictive.  I say this because the subject came up over the holidays and some family were like "it sucks" and "I am so disappointed".  At that point I think 4 Episodes had aired but they had only watched the Pilot and Ep 2.  My thing is you always give new shows a few episodes to ramp up.  I usually say 4 or 5 because in the first couple they are trying to catch you up to what is going on.  Plus how can you connect with characters after 1 or 2 episodes...you don't know them yet.  That's why I hate it when shows are canceled after 1 or 2 episodes, or even 5.  The network didn't even give it a chance. 

Anyways, I binge watched three episodes last night because with the holidays I didn't get to watch them.  They were over in a blink.  I need more!

Seriously though.   There is so much going on in the present but the last two episodes gave us a glimpse into the past.  Why Ben is doing what he is doing and why Laura is so scared to go outside the wall.  Why Julian is the way he is.  The premise of the show is about privileged vs poor but it goes so much deeper than that.  How can you decide who should be saved from the suffering? 

It really is sobering.  You have people living this lavish life.  Its the future we all dream of where wealth is prevalent, technology has advanced, and health is priority.  But then just a mile or so away, on the other side of a wall people can barely survive. They are on rations which are barely enough to sustain them.  They have horrible healthcare (or no healthcare).  They police are corrupt.  There is basically no way out of the slums (refugee camps).  You can't move into the rich people world without becoming a sex slave because you were born on the wrong side of the wall.  Unless you are Ben...then you can con your way in.

Its an awful future.  But Ben gives us hope.  Then you realize its because he wants to save his love from being a corporate call girl.  So it isn't to save humanity, its for his own personal gain but maybe...just maybe some snowball effect may occur.  Something needs to change!  Unfortunately the only thing changing is Ben.  He is on thin ice.  He is making mistakes.  And he is willing to kill to keep his secret (and family) safe.  Its sometimes hard to watch.

Personally, I think its a great show.  I hope it survives because I think it has lots of potential.  SyFy shows are my weakness....

**SPOILERS**

Ben clearly cares for Laura (his corp wife) but he is obsessed with Elena.  I know she is his love and he wants to save her but at what cost?  Laura isn't a bad corp person.  She was just born into it.  She actually wants to help those on the outside.  She has a good heart.  I bet if he told her it wouldn't be bad.  I kind of want them to make it.  I don't really know much about Elena but I think Laura deserves a chance.  Her mom on the other hand, I am not sure about her.  She has ulterior motives for everything.  Now Julian  scared me the first few episodes but after the last episode, I really like him.  He is just doing his job. He didn't want to be the corp interrogator...the heartless bad guy.  I say good riddance to Caplan...he was awful...that actor seems to always play the bad guy.