Part of the BookCrossing readalong of 22/1/2009.
Original thread: http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/6/5875353/31
More information about the book: http://www.meetatthegate.com/component/option,com_author_book/edition_id,1011/title_id,793/

Thank you very much for this generous gift, canongatebooks. I'm looking forward to joining the Readalong in January when I'm sure some interesting points will be raised and discussed.

I have actually read and enjoyed this fascinating book before (thank you again!). If the following link works you should be able to read the comments I posted then and the Journal Entries of its subsequent readers.
The Poison That Fascinates

I must say that I'm disappointed with the change of cover, having much preferred the more colourful earlier version!

From the back cover: "Abandoned by her mother as a baby, Emily now lives with her father in Mexico City. She works in the local Catholic orphanage. Life is simple. But when an enigmatic cousin, Santi, appears on the doorstep, he brings family secrets, and Emily quickly finds that desire and temptation have overturned her straightforward life forever."

This powerful novel will tell you more about saints and murderers (or perhaps that should read murderesses!) than you're ever likely to want to know! All sorts of fascinating facts about them run alongside the main story - about which I really don't know what to say. I don't want to say too much and give too much away - but I want to say enough to grab your attention. I don't know how to pitch it. Perhaps it's sufficient just to say that I found it fascinating and then leave it to speak for itself!

Far more information can be found in the Readalong Thread within the Book Talk Forum on www.BookCrossing.com but beware of spoilers and don't read any posts with a chapter heading further than you've read! For the full discussion, click here

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

To tree-hugger who's interested in saints and likes growing-up novels - although I'm not so sure about the murders!

Cheers Nu Knees. What happened to your html tags? There's one here that needs attention! Looking forward to reading this book.

I'm afraid I really didn't warm to this book at all. I can't think of a single thing I liked about it. Not the characters, not the setting, not the themes, not the language... I'm afraid that I can't think of any redeeming features at all. I'm really sorry, Canongate, just not one for me I guess! Thanks for releasing it anyway, and I hope it will find a more appreciative reader further down the line.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Will take this to the monthly bookcrossing meetup tonight, just as soon as I can convince myself to get off the sofa.

Picked up at the local BC meet and what an interesting test - nuknees loved it and treehugger hated it - what will it be like .. i may read it soon just because I want to see what book could be so very differently viewed?! the little toe dip I took at the meet made it seem tantalising in its wn right, without this battle of views ..

Ok, I finally read this. What an odd little book. It reads very quickly (once you actually start it!) and has some peculiarly interesting conversations and 'facts'. It is odd enough I can sort of understand why treehugger disliked it so much, but I didn't dislike it myself. I don't think I liked it exactly either! I have given it an average-ish score but that's a compromise as I thought bits of it were worth higher and bits of it were worth a lot lower!

Having tracked nuknees other reviews of it (see above) I agree with her interpretation of Santo - creepy bully indeed.

But did I think anything about it in my own right? I think the nun, Mother Agata, was a strangely manipulative woman (although I quite liked her!) and I understand why the nun and Emily come to believe that Emily is unlucky, but in the end what I felt was that they all needed to get out more! Yep, I reckon that is my most common response to intense books about odd people whose lives are strangely sad or bizarre! I understand the desire of many authors to write books about claustrophobic lives but in the end I think there is more to life somehow! Am I harsh? yep! probably!

The 'magic realist' style of writing was quite entertaining and added to the bizarre quality of this book but in the end it's just not my kind of thing I think! The magic realist books I've most enjoyed have had quite a lot more 'action' somehow! this does have action in a wierdly passive way of course! Overall I think I am ambivalent about the book in its entirety, despite my enjoyment of some bits of writing and some of the dialogue - I did really like the sick facts about women killers too - great fun!

Thanks to the stuff about women psychopaths and possibly Santo too, I am going to release this as part of Jare's Chills and Spills Challenge - this month's theme is canibals, psychopaths, serial killers etc!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Going to leave this somewhere between the railway station and the Lamb and Lion pub on Petergate. If you pick it up, I hope you enjoy this book. If you are new to Bookcrossing, welcome!

Bookcrossing is a great way to share the love of reading and to pass books on. This book is now yours to do with as you wish, but if possible, please write a short journal entry here on the bookcrossing website. It's free and anonymous.

Releasing this book for Jare's Chills and Spills Challenge - this month's theme is psychopaths, cannibals and serial killers - lovely!