Janelle Brown’s novel What Kind Of Paradise takes a story we know – the Unabomber – and reimagines it as if he had had a daughter living with him in that isolated cabin in Montana in the 90s, telling the story from her point of view. For as long as she can remember, Jane Williams has lived alone with her father, having been told that her mother died in a car accident. She is homeschooled, taught by him a strange education of philosophy, classics, survival skills and anti-government rhetoric. As she gets older, she longs to live a more conventional life, but her father keeps a tight grip on her freedom and leaves her alone for long spells as he goes on mysterious trips. Meanwhile, he has written an anti-technology, anti-government manifesto that he ultimately needs the Internet to distribute, opening Jane’s world just enough to inspire her to escape. When she insists on accompanying her father on what proves to be a violent mission, Jane finds herself on the run – away from the only parent she has known and toward a new identity and version of herself, yet laden with the responsibility of knowing the danger he poses. What Kind Of Paradise is a suspenseful, addictive, adrenaline rush of a novel, expertly and creatively told, and I highly recommend it. This was one of those books that I couldn’t wait to get back to, even seeking it out in the store to steal a few pages here and there. One of my favorites of the year. Pick this one up!