The Curiosity - Stephen Kiernan

Date Started: 8/9/13
Date Finished: 8/15/13

Returning to reading after such a long absence has been like returning to life. Oooh, analogy to the book I just finished! Ok, so as I mentioned on my twitter account, this was a recommendation out of People Magazine. Read ahead for full spoilers but if you don't want the entire plot ruined, my thoughts on this book are this: I enjoyed it but was disappointed with the ending.

Basic gist of the story: scientists reanimate a man who died in 1904. The story is told from several perspectives: Dr. Kate Philo (scientist responsible for finding Jeremiah and who subsequently develops a relationship with him), Jeremiah Rice (the reanimated man), Erastus Carthage (responsible for the funding behind the project; asshat) and Daniel Dixon (inside reporter; also an asshat).

There isn't all that much to summarize really. They actually do reanimate him, he and Kate fall in love (though they never consummate the relationship) and then he dies (they developed the ability to reanimate but not keep him alive).

Here's what I didn't love:

• The ending. Jeremiah paddles off to "save" Kate by leaving her (his thinking is that the reporters were after him). Anyway, our last vision of him is paddling offshore. And...that's it. No more Jeremiah. I thought that was abrupt and didn't really do the character justice.
• The girl in the white beret. Clearly we are supposed to believe that she is a direct descendent of Jeremiah and yet this is not developed or followed up on. I found that to be a hole that I wished had been filled.
• Why tell us that there was a way to save Jeremiah (blood transfusion, which Billings, another scientist was trying to find them to tell them) when nothing would come of it. It just kind of added insult to injury.
• Two unlikeable narrators (see "asshats" above). Its tough reading when you hate two of your narrators! 

I did like that Kate ends up becoming a high school biology teacher after mourning the loss of Jeremiah. She is clearly returning to what she loves to do and that was a nice resolution for her. 

So, there we have it. Second post-baby book read. Looking forward to more to come.