When I started collecting books, and really got into reading, I picked up one or two by author Zoje Stage, who had been talked about a lot at the time. I assumed she was a horror author, and saw genre listings that confirmed that, but have recently seen those books listed as thrillers, which is also fine. Either way, I haven’t gotten to them yet because I bought and borrowed way too many books, as I tend to do when I get into things.
The other day, I noticed that a new novel from this author was about to release (in September) of this year. It was available for request, so I took a shot, and figured I’d see what all the fuss was about this particular writer, whose book — Baby Teeth — was talked about a lot. This new release is called Something of a Calling, and it was both short and not what I expected. Even more than a day removed from finishing it, I’m still thinking about how I felt about it. I liked it, but it was very different from anything I’d expected,
Here’s the gist of the book’s storyline:
Things begin on a sunny July day, during which Detective Andy Cooper of the Major Crimes Division of the small city of Langdon, Pennsylvania, is out kayaking. Days away from retirement, the mid-50s cop is hoping to sail through her remaining days, but is unsure of what her life will look like afterwards. Divorced, long single and having lost her only child due to an accident at 6 years of age, she’s a lone wolf who doesn’t really have any friends outside of work.
All of a sudden, this thirty year law enforcement officer spots what seems to be a dead body floating near the shore. When she goes to investigate, that intuition is proven, and she notes that it’s missing some features — as if it’s been chewed on. Then, she calls in the cavalry, and ends up working on the case.
Not long after, another strange murder occurs on a golf course. A man looks to have been chewed on, but there’s evidence of a human having been there.
At the same time as all this happens, Andy’s untrustworthy neighbour spots someone living in a van across from her house, which ends in a forested area. The detective eventually goes to check, and makes friends with the homeless lady living in it, and even invites her in to shower, eat, watch TV and talk. Hell, she spends the night.
There’s something strange about the woman, and this situation, but Andy is desperate for a connection and a friend. She’s lost. However, she’s still got a job to do, and it’s looking like the killer isn’t human.
Something of a Calling is a strange book, the likes of which I’d never read before. It starts as a typical police procedural featuring a serial killer, which could morph into a horror story quite easily. However, it isn’t scary at all. Not even a little.
Over the course of its two hundred pages, or just shy of that I guess, this novel went places I never expected. It almost felt like eco-horror-lite, or something that someone who loves nature, is a vegan or volunteers with animal rescue organizations would write. It’s got that eco warrior tilt to it, and the end came out of left field.
Despite how unexpected it all was, I did finish this narrative in 3-4 hours, during an overnight when I was simply unable to sleep before a worrying appointment. When I started it, I really liked it and had a hard time putting it down. Then, I tried to sleep more, but ended up picking my eReader back up twice. It’s a cozy, easy to get into and enjoyable read, but it’s also different from most of what I read, and really surprised me with its latter half. The ending, especially.
It’s rather well written, easy to read and very easy to follow. Part of the twist was also easy to figure out early on, but not all of it.
Even now, I’m still not exactly sure of how to feel about this book or how to effectively rate it. It’s good, but the ending made me question if the main character would actually do what she did. It’s also one of the strangest books I’ve read. Still, Something of a Calling by Zoje Stage gripped me on a rough night, and was hard to put down. I kept wanting to learn more, and really liked its main character, Andy.
This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided with.