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Suite Nineteen
Drawn by the promise of change, young medium Ben Lebeau, moves to the big city, into the Shilts Manor--an old textile factory turned trendy loft space. There he meets seductive Lennox Van Kemp and his clan of Métis--guardians of the oldest lie. Ben is pulled into Van Kemp's emotional circle, finally sating his most secret desires.
Against Ven Kemp's warnings, Ben befriends his neighbor Ezra Collins--a scarred man who has taken a vow of celibacy. As Ben tries to get closer to Ezra and earn his trust, he also struggles to escape Van Kemp's psychological grip on him. The harder Ben falls for Ezra, the more he suffers from hallucinations and memory losses. Soon, the Manor's walls begin to close in on him and Ben must rely on his psychic abilities to survive the assault on his mind.
As Ben and Ezra unravel Van Kemp's plans, they expose a spiritual conspiracy dating back to Christ--a conspiracy that will shake their very world and restore their Faith in humanity.
Against Ven Kemp's warnings, Ben befriends his neighbor Ezra Collins--a scarred man who has taken a vow of celibacy. As Ben tries to get closer to Ezra and earn his trust, he also struggles to escape Van Kemp's psychological grip on him. The harder Ben falls for Ezra, the more he suffers from hallucinations and memory losses. Soon, the Manor's walls begin to close in on him and Ben must rely on his psychic abilities to survive the assault on his mind.
As Ben and Ezra unravel Van Kemp's plans, they expose a spiritual conspiracy dating back to Christ--a conspiracy that will shake their very world and restore their Faith in humanity.
264 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
41 people want to read
About the author
Mel Bossa
32 books220 followersI think I've written and changed my bio on here a hundred times in the last decade. See, that's why I don't have tattoos!
I've been a GR for over ten years and I still use it daily to keep up with my reading and to learn about books, old and new ones, but more importantly, because as I grow older and hopefully wiser, I realize that readers are my favorite type of people. They seem to be a little more empathetic and open-minded, and generally more cultivated.
If you look at my shelves, you'll see that I used to read about 70 books a year but in the last years, I've grown more selective and take my time with my lovers, ahem, books.
Yes, I am also a LGBTQ writer and Francophone Montrealer.
I cherish my readers, and want to take this space here to thank you all personally for reading and reviewing my books. You make reality tolerable like a good class of wine.
May your life be blessed.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 1, 2011
I like the premise of this book but the plot is so convoluted that by page 141 I had lost the will to keep reading. The back and forth of is Lennox good or bad and the willingness of Ben to believe any old thing he is told made me want to slap him silly, how stupid can one man be. If you like complicated stories that can be hard to follow because the protagonist is stupid you will love this.
August 23, 2011
Can't finish. Makes me feel like I'm the one going nuts.
October 3, 2011
Overall
Although I think this novel would have been better off in movie form, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting from the few reviews I glanced at on GoodReads. While it wasn't fantastic, it wasn't terrible either. It was very unique and definitely was striving to try something new and different, which I have to applaud. For the most part the reader and the narrator are both completely confused and lost, which makes the first 60% of the novel difficult to sink into, but around that point everything starts to get explained and plenty of action happens.
People who like psychological thrillers may enjoy this book, as it's very heavily entrenched in the style of the reader and narrator not knowing what's going on and trying to reveal the answers. There's also plenty of fantastical elements in this grim story. It's not a book I'd recommend to most people, as the plot took a long time to develop, the writing was okay (not bad, but not enough to grab me either), and it's a very strange story. But I only struggled through one part, so it wasn't too bad. I wasn't terribly in love with the characters, and while I was interested in what was happening, it seemed to take too long to get around to it. Overall, I felt very blase about this book.
Review
I don't think I can split this review evenly into Strengths and Weaknesses, so because the novel was different, I'm going to review it differently. Warning: Due to the nature of this book, I'm going to try not to hit any spoilers, but some small things may get through.
Ben is not an ideal hero and is an unreliable narrator because we spend over half the novel questioning if he's sane or not. He's struggling to start his life over after leaving his small town, but in addition to dealing with his psychic powers, he doesn't have a job and DOES have very strange neighbors, who he hasn't really met. Initially, Ben doesn't trust some of his neighbors, as he gets a very bad vibe from them, but later gives only the barest of resistence before falling into bed with them. His erratic behavior doesn't help the reader decide if he's sane or not, and even if he is sane, it leads us to question some other things about him and his decision to associate with people that he doesn't trust. I had a difficult time buying it, although some of it is explained by Ben's strained psyche and his confusion. I feel like the story was supposed to come across as him being manipulated, but it came across more that he was just being kind of stupid.
Not to say he wasn't being manipulated, because obviously large chunks of the story depend (rightly) on people lying to him constantly. Some parts of the manipulation were well done, it was just the initial switch from "bad vibe" to "hey, she's hot" that felt off to me. Speaking of which, Ben is bisexual, so floats between male and female lovers, although no sex is described on screen.
One of the most difficult elements of this book to get around is the mass confusion that the reader experiences through Ben. Because Ben can't tell what's real/true, neither can the reader, making for a very long beginning as the reader is dragged through events while Ben (often) makes poor decisions. Of course, the second half of the book goes a long way to explaining the first half, although it also raised some more questions, for me at least.
Having said all of that, this story does take the reader on quite the ride, from absolute confusion to mostly understanding which transforms into an action-y story. The characters are dark and are not people you'd typically want to become friends with, not even our lead narrator who is, overall, a good guy.
The worst part of the novel is when things start to be explained. The problem is that it gets explained all at once in an info dump like no other, where the reader finds out all sorts of supernatural stuff that was minimally hinted at before. Not only is all the information thrown at the reader at once, but it makes the first half of the story and the second half of the story feel like two different beasts. While I can see the need for the confusion in the beginning and the explanation, I didn't feel like they were well handled. A different approach to reach the same ending probably would have made this a very enjoyable story instead of a mediocre read.
There were creative elements of this novel that I really enjoyed, and some world building that I felt, if approached in a differently would have created a dark and interesting world. The struggle for sanity and reality was interesting, as was the fight for the self. However, the story didn't feel realized, and while I finished it, and enjoyed it for the most part, I can see most readers giving up on what is a difficult book to get through with varying levels of reward.
Requested this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
Although I think this novel would have been better off in movie form, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting from the few reviews I glanced at on GoodReads. While it wasn't fantastic, it wasn't terrible either. It was very unique and definitely was striving to try something new and different, which I have to applaud. For the most part the reader and the narrator are both completely confused and lost, which makes the first 60% of the novel difficult to sink into, but around that point everything starts to get explained and plenty of action happens.
People who like psychological thrillers may enjoy this book, as it's very heavily entrenched in the style of the reader and narrator not knowing what's going on and trying to reveal the answers. There's also plenty of fantastical elements in this grim story. It's not a book I'd recommend to most people, as the plot took a long time to develop, the writing was okay (not bad, but not enough to grab me either), and it's a very strange story. But I only struggled through one part, so it wasn't too bad. I wasn't terribly in love with the characters, and while I was interested in what was happening, it seemed to take too long to get around to it. Overall, I felt very blase about this book.
Review
I don't think I can split this review evenly into Strengths and Weaknesses, so because the novel was different, I'm going to review it differently. Warning: Due to the nature of this book, I'm going to try not to hit any spoilers, but some small things may get through.
Ben is not an ideal hero and is an unreliable narrator because we spend over half the novel questioning if he's sane or not. He's struggling to start his life over after leaving his small town, but in addition to dealing with his psychic powers, he doesn't have a job and DOES have very strange neighbors, who he hasn't really met. Initially, Ben doesn't trust some of his neighbors, as he gets a very bad vibe from them, but later gives only the barest of resistence before falling into bed with them. His erratic behavior doesn't help the reader decide if he's sane or not, and even if he is sane, it leads us to question some other things about him and his decision to associate with people that he doesn't trust. I had a difficult time buying it, although some of it is explained by Ben's strained psyche and his confusion. I feel like the story was supposed to come across as him being manipulated, but it came across more that he was just being kind of stupid.
Not to say he wasn't being manipulated, because obviously large chunks of the story depend (rightly) on people lying to him constantly. Some parts of the manipulation were well done, it was just the initial switch from "bad vibe" to "hey, she's hot" that felt off to me. Speaking of which, Ben is bisexual, so floats between male and female lovers, although no sex is described on screen.
One of the most difficult elements of this book to get around is the mass confusion that the reader experiences through Ben. Because Ben can't tell what's real/true, neither can the reader, making for a very long beginning as the reader is dragged through events while Ben (often) makes poor decisions. Of course, the second half of the book goes a long way to explaining the first half, although it also raised some more questions, for me at least.
Having said all of that, this story does take the reader on quite the ride, from absolute confusion to mostly understanding which transforms into an action-y story. The characters are dark and are not people you'd typically want to become friends with, not even our lead narrator who is, overall, a good guy.
The worst part of the novel is when things start to be explained. The problem is that it gets explained all at once in an info dump like no other, where the reader finds out all sorts of supernatural stuff that was minimally hinted at before. Not only is all the information thrown at the reader at once, but it makes the first half of the story and the second half of the story feel like two different beasts. While I can see the need for the confusion in the beginning and the explanation, I didn't feel like they were well handled. A different approach to reach the same ending probably would have made this a very enjoyable story instead of a mediocre read.
There were creative elements of this novel that I really enjoyed, and some world building that I felt, if approached in a differently would have created a dark and interesting world. The struggle for sanity and reality was interesting, as was the fight for the self. However, the story didn't feel realized, and while I finished it, and enjoyed it for the most part, I can see most readers giving up on what is a difficult book to get through with varying levels of reward.
Requested this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
April 30, 2012
This was a very ambitious novel that might have been decent if a strong editor had shortened it by about half. As it stands, though, it's just an incoherent, rambling mess with an "everything including the kitchen sink" approach to plotting, uneven pacing, and one dimensional characters.
thanks-but-no-thanks
February 3, 2012Open relationship, quasi-theological concepts, and convoluted plots. So not my cup of tea.
August 29, 2011
Three very distinct emotions occurred to me while reading Mel Bossa’s Suite Nineteen: total frustration, fascination, and complete satisfaction. The novel opens in Montreal’s Shilts Manor where we meet Benjamin, a troubled young man who fled his small home town after a failed affair. Adding to Benjamin’s troubles is his gift, the ability to psychically connect with those around him.
The first half of the book deals with Benjamin and his interaction with the various residents of Shilts Manor. There is the absolutely unnerving Lennox Van Kemp, his two companions Eevie and Happy and Ezra, Benjamin’s tragic and disfigured next door neighbor. Benjamin is at the heart of this group and becomes inextricably linked to each of the other main characters as they all intrigue him in a variety of ways. Lennox is charismatic, Eevie is easy, Happy is scary yet alluring, and Ezra is seemingly unknowable. These qualities are irresistible to Benjamin to the point that he begins to feel is sanity slipping away. Each interaction and event in the first half of the book always seems unfinished and this became quite a source of frustration. I always felt as if I was missing something, as if Bossa was failing to tell me everything I needed and/or wanted to know about these characters.
The second half of Suite Nineteen is everything I could have possibly hoped for it to be. Bossa further develops all of the characters revealing their schemes and motivations some of which are a bit stunning. The motivations of each and every character are bound up in their lives and their histories and understanding these characters and how they fit into the overall plot was one of the most fascinating parts of this book. I daresay you will change your opinion about nearly every character in this book!
The bottom line: the frustration I felt is the result of good writing: that is, Bossa set up a very complicated plot in the first half of the book and then spends the rest of the book revealing just how complicated the plot truly is. One of the strengths of Bossa’s writing is the ability to appropriately pace the release of information. Never is the unfolding of the plot rushed, everything is adequately explained, and there is never a lull in the reading. Add to this the fact that what is being explained is absolutely fascinating and you end up with a completely satisfying read.
I will however offer one warning to all potential readers: although this book is very well written and offers a plot that is fairly original it is not a book for everyone. Suite Nineteen touches on some sensitive topics like alternative lifestyles and radically alternate views of religion. For those who are not bothered by these topics, read on, this book is worth it!
The first half of the book deals with Benjamin and his interaction with the various residents of Shilts Manor. There is the absolutely unnerving Lennox Van Kemp, his two companions Eevie and Happy and Ezra, Benjamin’s tragic and disfigured next door neighbor. Benjamin is at the heart of this group and becomes inextricably linked to each of the other main characters as they all intrigue him in a variety of ways. Lennox is charismatic, Eevie is easy, Happy is scary yet alluring, and Ezra is seemingly unknowable. These qualities are irresistible to Benjamin to the point that he begins to feel is sanity slipping away. Each interaction and event in the first half of the book always seems unfinished and this became quite a source of frustration. I always felt as if I was missing something, as if Bossa was failing to tell me everything I needed and/or wanted to know about these characters.
The second half of Suite Nineteen is everything I could have possibly hoped for it to be. Bossa further develops all of the characters revealing their schemes and motivations some of which are a bit stunning. The motivations of each and every character are bound up in their lives and their histories and understanding these characters and how they fit into the overall plot was one of the most fascinating parts of this book. I daresay you will change your opinion about nearly every character in this book!
The bottom line: the frustration I felt is the result of good writing: that is, Bossa set up a very complicated plot in the first half of the book and then spends the rest of the book revealing just how complicated the plot truly is. One of the strengths of Bossa’s writing is the ability to appropriately pace the release of information. Never is the unfolding of the plot rushed, everything is adequately explained, and there is never a lull in the reading. Add to this the fact that what is being explained is absolutely fascinating and you end up with a completely satisfying read.
I will however offer one warning to all potential readers: although this book is very well written and offers a plot that is fairly original it is not a book for everyone. Suite Nineteen touches on some sensitive topics like alternative lifestyles and radically alternate views of religion. For those who are not bothered by these topics, read on, this book is worth it!
December 23, 2015
From AntonySimpson.com:
In Suite Nineteen by Mel Bossa, we meet country boy Ben (Lebeau) who moves to the big city of Montreal. Psychic Ben moves to the old textile factory Shilts Manor, which has been converted into apartments.
In Shilts Manor Ben meets fellow residents Lennox (Van Kemp), Eevie and Happy. Ben notices that there seems to be a strange relationship between the three of them. Ben also meets neighbour Ezra (Collins).
Ezra is a man whose shrouded in mystery: physically crippled, emotionally traumatised and spiritually unreadable (at least in the beginning of the book). Ben see’s all of this but can’t help falling for Ezra, who has taken a vow of celibacy.
Despite Lennox’s advice to stay away from Ezra, Ben begins to spend time with him. Ben begins to loose memory – even memories of important events; and it seems to coincide with the amount of time he’s spending with Ezra.
Ben feels like he’s loosing his mind; yet at the same time his gut tells him his very survival is at stake and that he must unravel the mystery – a spiritual conspiracy dating back to Christ, before it’s too late.
There were a few sources of frustration with Suite Nineteen. Firstly it focused too much on the events and mystery; it didn’t give the reader a chance to get to know Ben. Secondly rather than a series of small revelations, Mel Bossa opted for a big unavailing of the mystery towards the end. The mystery was over explained and left little to spark the readers imagination.
Suite Nineteen is essentially a paranormal mystery novel which has a good mix of tension building and action chapters. Mel Bossa keeps the reader hooked with her clever idea, writers voice and with an unexpected twist at the end of the book.
Suite Nineteen by Mel Bossa is a seductive read which manages to captivate the reader, unravel the mystery and tie up all loose ends.
In Suite Nineteen by Mel Bossa, we meet country boy Ben (Lebeau) who moves to the big city of Montreal. Psychic Ben moves to the old textile factory Shilts Manor, which has been converted into apartments.
In Shilts Manor Ben meets fellow residents Lennox (Van Kemp), Eevie and Happy. Ben notices that there seems to be a strange relationship between the three of them. Ben also meets neighbour Ezra (Collins).
Ezra is a man whose shrouded in mystery: physically crippled, emotionally traumatised and spiritually unreadable (at least in the beginning of the book). Ben see’s all of this but can’t help falling for Ezra, who has taken a vow of celibacy.
Despite Lennox’s advice to stay away from Ezra, Ben begins to spend time with him. Ben begins to loose memory – even memories of important events; and it seems to coincide with the amount of time he’s spending with Ezra.
Ben feels like he’s loosing his mind; yet at the same time his gut tells him his very survival is at stake and that he must unravel the mystery – a spiritual conspiracy dating back to Christ, before it’s too late.
There were a few sources of frustration with Suite Nineteen. Firstly it focused too much on the events and mystery; it didn’t give the reader a chance to get to know Ben. Secondly rather than a series of small revelations, Mel Bossa opted for a big unavailing of the mystery towards the end. The mystery was over explained and left little to spark the readers imagination.
Suite Nineteen is essentially a paranormal mystery novel which has a good mix of tension building and action chapters. Mel Bossa keeps the reader hooked with her clever idea, writers voice and with an unexpected twist at the end of the book.
Suite Nineteen by Mel Bossa is a seductive read which manages to captivate the reader, unravel the mystery and tie up all loose ends.
September 19, 2011
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: September 20, 2011
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Imprint: N/A
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: NA
Steam Level: Warm
I am so very torn on my final rating for this novel. On one hand, the first person POV lets the reader into Ben’s mind, and when Ben begins to suspect he’s insane, you feel his confusion and paranoia as your own, which is actually pretty awesome. On the other hand, events got so confusing at times, that it was only my own sheer stubbornness that made me stick it out until the end.
I was also disappointed that this was not exactly the “romance” I’d thought it would be when I first started reading. Ben’s bisexuality, while not bothering me in and of itself, definitely led to situations that were confusing and awkward for me as a reader, and frankly, there was such a strong concept of open relationships in this novel that I couldn’t really enjoy any romance in it. Casual sex simply isn’t my cup of tea, even in novels, so the romance lover in me was greatly saddened by the lack of monogamy.
In the end, I have to go with what is literally a middle-of-the road rating. While the psychological aspects were quite frankly astounding, there were simply too many factors that didn’t mesh with my preferences, such as the many open sexual relationships, the non-traditional HEA, and the simple fact that it was so utterly confusing that it took sheer willpower to plow through the middle long enough to get to the explanation towards the end.
3/5 Stars
Expected Release Date: September 20, 2011
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Imprint: N/A
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: NA
Steam Level: Warm
I am so very torn on my final rating for this novel. On one hand, the first person POV lets the reader into Ben’s mind, and when Ben begins to suspect he’s insane, you feel his confusion and paranoia as your own, which is actually pretty awesome. On the other hand, events got so confusing at times, that it was only my own sheer stubbornness that made me stick it out until the end.
I was also disappointed that this was not exactly the “romance” I’d thought it would be when I first started reading. Ben’s bisexuality, while not bothering me in and of itself, definitely led to situations that were confusing and awkward for me as a reader, and frankly, there was such a strong concept of open relationships in this novel that I couldn’t really enjoy any romance in it. Casual sex simply isn’t my cup of tea, even in novels, so the romance lover in me was greatly saddened by the lack of monogamy.
In the end, I have to go with what is literally a middle-of-the road rating. While the psychological aspects were quite frankly astounding, there were simply too many factors that didn’t mesh with my preferences, such as the many open sexual relationships, the non-traditional HEA, and the simple fact that it was so utterly confusing that it took sheer willpower to plow through the middle long enough to get to the explanation towards the end.
3/5 Stars
July 13, 2012
Wow, what a difficult book to get into . . . and out of. The narrator is a complex individual, and his mental/emotional issues really do drive the story forward, but also makes for a frustrating and confusing read. This was one of those books you have to force yourself to finish, because you really want to see how everything is resolved, but find yourself reluctant to go back to because it's such an awkward read.
October 21, 2013
Very promising start, but never developed.
May 4, 2012
See review by Alex.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews