June 30, 2016

The Atomic Weight of Love - Elizabeth J. Church

Algonquin Books, May 3, 2016.



Four Stars



In 1941, seventeen-year-old Meridian is beginning her studies at the University of Chicago – she has always loved birds, and her dream is to become an ornithologist. However, it’s not long before she becomes enthralled with her older, brilliant physics professor, Alden, and they begin a relationship. Meri abandons her education to marry Alden and eventually follow him to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where Alden and his colleagues are working on a top secret project – after the war, the world learns that these scientists were building the atomic bomb.


While Alden is absorbed in his work, Meri feels like she is wasting her life as a suburban housewife. She feels out of place with the other local wives in their various women’s groups – the women are more interested in improving their domestic duties than in using their brains for better things. Meri seeks to revolutionize the group by elevating important women’s issues, but she is shunned by many of the other wives. At a loss, she takes up the task of studying a group of crows. Having abandoned her graduate project, Meri channels her academic ambitions into sketching and journaling about her crow family. Ignored by her husband and outcast by the other women, her time with the birds is the only place she truly feels like herself.


During this time, WWII has ended and the world has increasingly modernized, using atomic energy in various ways. At the dawn of the 1970s, counterculture youth invade Los Alamos, seeing it as a symbol of the oppression and terror of war. Many people believed that dropping the atomic bomb was justified because it brought an end to the war, but now with the advent of the Vietnam War, it appears to the protestors that the bomb was dropped for nothing. Meri meets one of these protestors, Clay – he is a young geologist and Vietnam veteran, and the two fall in love despite a twenty year age difference. While Alden represents the old-school group of men who idealized the atomic bomb, Clay sees the world with fresh eyes, inspiring Meri to expand her own horizons.


Alden and Clay played important roles in two very different wars, but where Alden is careful and somewhat cold emotionally, Clay is passionate and willing to take risks to fight for what he believes in. Meri fell in love with Alden because of his vast knowledge and ability to teach her – she falls in love with Clay because of the potential they have to learn together. Clay is the catalyst that allows Meri to become fully herself, and gives her room to grow on her own.


The Atomic Weight of Love is a sensitive, nuanced portrayal of marriage at a time when women were taught to give up everything for their husbands. Meri’s journey is what she calls “quiet resistance to subterranean chauvinism” (Loc. 3714) and she does work quietly, to preserve her sense of self. Unable and eventually unwilling to conceive a child, she is called “unnatural” and “hysterical.” While Meri was willing to submit to these beliefs at the novel’s start, she gradually developed into a strong, independent woman, and her metamorphosis was exciting to witness. The novel started slow, but it built with quiet intensity, strengthened by powerful language and realistic characters. With several important, well-handled themes, this was a great read.


I received this novel from Algonquin Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June 27, 2016

The Improbability of Love - Hannah Rothschild

Knopf/Bloomsbury, March 31, 2016.



Three Stars



Annie has always been unlucky in love. Finally, she thinks she has found a good man, so she sets out to a thrift shop to find him a perfect, unique gift. She comes home with a dirty old painting, only to discover that her boyfriend has left her. The painting remains in her little apartment as a sad reminder – but it also brings with it a lot more drama than Annie bargained for.


Meanwhile, Annie is also dealing with her alcoholic mother who ends up moving in with her after being arrested, but that becomes the least of her problems as Annie gets drawn into the drama of the London art world and discovers that a variety of experts are attempting to track down her painting. She learns that it is in fact an 18th century masterpiece by Watteau, and its beauty speaks to her – literally. The painting herself actually narrates parts of the novel, and she tells a pretty amazing story. She speaks about her illustrious former owners, including Marie Antoinette and Queen Victoria. The speaking painting is somewhat gimmicky, but the history was interesting enough to make it worthwhile.


The painting, which shares its title with the novel, also has darker historical secrets – they aren’t all frivolous and fun. As research begins on the painting, its provenance is called into question. It may have belonged to a Jewish family previous to World War II, and there is a lot of uncertainty as to how it ended up in a junkshop.


The novel opens up with preparations for an auction in which “The Improbability of Love” will be sold. The entire plot is building up to this big event, but when it finally happens, it falls flat. The action starts slow, but then the story moves in so many different directions – while it did get stronger as the various storylines came together, everything just kind of fell apart in the end. It was still fun to read, but even though it had so much potential, it just became very silly and awkward.


Rothschild is on the board of the National Gallery in London, so she knows well the rich and famous of the art world, making it likely that the novel is mostly satirical. The artistic details are meticulously researched, but there was too much detail and it became tedious to read. Annie’s character was very strong, but there were too many other points of view. Finally, while the painting’s narration is quirky and interesting, the style became overdone as it carried on. This novel is a Bailey’s Women’s Prize finalist, and while I do think it is clever and interesting, I’m not sure it belongs on that list.


I received this novel from Knopf/Bloomsbury and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June 25, 2016

Godpretty in the Tobacco Field - Kim Michele Richardson


Kensington Books, April 26, 2016.



Four Stars



It is 1969 in Nameless, Kentucky. Poverty and hardship are standard, as poor families struggle to survive in the Appalachians. RubyLyn was orphaned at the age of five – now, at sixteen, she lives with her extremely religious and physically abusive uncle Gunnar. While Gunnar punishes her severely for actions that he deems are not “Godpretty,” RubyLyn dreams of a bigger, better life.


RubyLyn has one skill that might take her beyond the borders of Nameless – she is a talented artist, creating prophetic drawings on her paper fortune tellers, which she then sells or gives away to others. She draws what she feels, and more often than not, her images come true. The locals call it “granny magic” and they expect her to remain in the small community to help people with births, deaths and other matters. She is proved correct at least once when she predicts the results of her young neighbour’s pregnancy. However, this somewhat magical plot thread is abandoned towards the end of the novel, which was disappointing.


Another theme, however, was handled very well – the relationship between Gunnar and RubyLynn and their black tenants. Rainey and his mother live on Gunnar’s property, and he and RubyLynn grew up together – now that they are getting older, their feelings have gone beyond friendship. However, to survive in such a racially prejudiced community as Nameless, their new love must be hidden in the shadows of the tobacco field. The two work the field together, as they come of age and struggle between childhood and adult emotions.


Rainey soon realizes that the will have no future in Nameless, so he signs himself up to serve in the Vietnam War. Before this point in the novel, the community was isolated from the outside world – suddenly, modern events intrude on RubyLynn’s life. The war, the moon landing, Kennedy’s assassination – all of these are mentioned, yet they are not important to the people of Nameless, for whom surviving day to day life is all that matters.


The lives of Appalachian women especially were difficult in the 1960s, and this novel shows repeatedly that they had very limited options. They faced the oppression of physical and mental abuse, as well as having their babies taken away and sold in exchange for food and land. However, even against this dark backdrop, there are moments of tenderness and compassion. RubyLynn cares for the daughter of her neighbour, giving up her own food to buy the girl a pretty hair ribbon – the one nice thing in her hard little life.  Meanwhile, RubyLynn herself is nurtured by Rose, an independent woman in the community, who teaches RubyLynn that she too can become much more than a beaten down farm wife.


Gunnar’s cruelty towards RubyLynn stems from his religious beliefs – he wants to instill strong morals in his niece. Later we learn that this is mostly because he wants her to avoid his own mistakes, but he is too harsh and as a result, she rebels. RubyLynn’s strength of conviction over the course of one summer, as covered in this novel, is what truly makes this story great. The writing is smooth and seamless, filled with the dust and dirt of an Appalachian summer. This was a difficult novel, told in a beautiful way.


I received this novel from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June 22, 2016

Jane Steele - Lyndsay Faye

Penguin Group/Putnam, March 22, 2016.

 

Five Stars


 

Jane Steele is inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre – it is a retelling of the original in which Jane still experiences abuse, but instead of submitting to her role, she turns vigilante. This new Jane is an avid reader of Bronte’s novel, and while she feels an affinity with Jane Eyre, she is much stronger, both physically and mentally. While the original Jane is light and ethereal like her name, the new Jane is made of stronger stuff, as her name suggests. In a twist on Jane Eyre’s famous line, Jane Steele tells us without hesitation, “Reader, I murdered him.”

 

Successfully written in a gothic style, with more than a hint of humour and charm, Faye’s novel enhances the experience of Jane Eyre, while still standing on its own. Whether you are a huge fan of Bronte’s novel (like me) or have never read it, there is so much to enjoy about Jane Steele. Like her predecessor, Jane Steele is treated poorly by her aunt and then her schoolmaster, but she doesn’t take it quietly. She defends herself and her loved ones – and leaves a trail of dead bodies behind her. Even Jane believes she is wicked, but somehow as a reader we cannot help but sympathize with her actions.

 

As Jane struggles to survive the underworld of London’s dark alleys, she continues to commit crimes to protect herself and others. Although her violent acts would be condemned in reality, I challenge you as a reader not to cheer her on as you speed through this novel. Ironically, Jane makes a living during her time on London’s streets by writing about the crimes of others in a prison broadsheet, each story more gruesome than the last. Meanwhile, Jane struggles with her own actions, although they seem increasingly inevitable as we become immersed in her world.

 

In the second half of the novel, Jane Steele answers an ad for a job as governess, bringing her story ever more in line with that of Jane Eyre. However, instead of finding Rochester’s madwoman in the attic, Jane discovers an exotic household with a mystery in the cellar – and a secret that has travelled with the home’s inhabitants from the distant world of India. Many of the names of people and places are echoes of those in Jane Eyre, little clues placed in the novel for fans of the original.

 

Jane Steele is written as a confession – Jane is willing to give up all of her crimes, in exchange for a peaceful life and the acceptance of those she loves. There is romance, but it is satirical – Jane doesn’t need a Mr. Rochester to take care of her, but it is nice to have companionship, which she finds in her own Mr. Thornfield. This independence gives the novel a feminist slant, and Jane’s modern sensibilities are all the more satisfying when she takes on challenges and makes her own happiness.

 

Jane Steele sees her predecessor Jane Eyre as a spiritual guide – she even swears upon her copy of the novel. She shares many qualities with the original Jane, but here they are enhanced. The novel is a metafictional ride with multiple references to gothic stylization and to Bronte’s life and times. It is very tongue-in-cheek, and I laughed out loud more than once. Jane Steele is an incredible character, filled with contradictions, and I won’t forget her anytime soon.

  

I received this novel from Penguin Group/Putnam and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June 20, 2016

Fever at Dawn - Peter Gardos

Anansi International, April 30, 2016.



Three Stars



Fever at Dawn is a novel based on a series of letters, written by the author’s parents during a short period following World War II. Gardos’ parents had always been silent about their experiences during the war and its aftermath. It’s not until his father dies that his mother decides to give her son the letters that chronicle the beginning of their relationship.


Shortly after WWII, as the concentration camps were liberated and the survivors freed, Europe was inundated with refugees. Many found themselves in Sweden, destitute and in ill health. Miklos, a twenty-five year old Hungarian rescued from the Bergen-Belsen camp, is one of these survivors. He has already been through unimaginable circumstances, and when he arrives at the hospital in Sweden, things get even worse – Miklos is diagnosed with tuberculosis and given six months to live.


After everything he has been through, and having lived through the darkest days of the war, Miklos refuses to accept the fate that his doctors have offered him. He believes he can live through his illness, but he won’t do it alone – he writes 117 letters to young women in Sweden who are also recovering from the camps, hoping one of them will become his wife.


Nineteen-year-old Lili is bedridden in a different Swedish hospital due to serious kidney disease when she receives Miklos’ letter. She replies, mostly out of boredom, and the letters soon move from formality to a place of great intimacy. Despite many obstacles, including poor health and the distance between them, Miklos and Lili fall in love and are eventually able to meet. Their love story is kind of unbelievable because it is so sudden, but the two are clinging to life after the horrors of war, and I can see how they would grasp happiness wherever they can find it.


The novel is surprisingly light and hopeful, in spite of its dark subject matter. Neither Miklos nor Lili spend any time feeling sorry for themselves, regardless of the losses they have experienced. It’s difficult to reconcile their tragic pasts with their sometimes frivolous actions, but they are still very young. The story is also about Miklos and Lili’s friends, and their unique stories of survival and grief. What I found especially interesting was the couple’s willingness – even eagerness – to give up their Jewish faith and convert to Catholicism. They feel like Judaism has already cost them so much, and were not that devout to begin with. While some Holocaust survivors had their faith strengthened by their experiences, others found that it did nothing but hurt them. It’s an interesting concept to consider.


Fever at Dawn is a slim novel, filled with short episodic scenes that are somewhat jarring as they jump from one to the next. It is told in a light, almost humorous style, but the tone is used to disguise its dark themes. For me, the discord between medium and message was too strong to truly enjoy this novel – I always felt I was outside of it looking in, as opposed to being completely immersed in the story of Miklos and Lili. As Gardos is a film director by trade, I found myself thinking that this seemed more like a screenplay than a novel. Perhaps it would be more successful when applied to the big screen. It’s also important to note that this was originally written in Hungarian, and much may be lost in translation.


I received this novel from Anansi International and Goodreads First Reads in exchange for an honest review.

June 17, 2016

Ghosts of Bergen County - Dana Cann

Tin House Books, April 25, 2016.



Four Stars



This novel was a surprise – I’m not sure what I was expecting from Ghosts of Bergen County, but I didn’t think I would be so drawn in to this unusual, captivating debut novel. Yes, there are ghosts here, but they are less the frightening kind and more the “collective burden” of the mistakes of our pasts. The burden is based on the guilt and complicity of the decisions we all make, and while this novel is sorrowful, it is never bleak.


Gil Ferko is crippled by mediocrity – he works in the financial world of New York, yet he is unfulfilled and feels almost like a fraud when he is successful. His wife, Mary Beth, became hooked on prescription drugs after the death of their baby, and she has barely left the house since. He feels isolated at home and at his workplace. When Ferko unexpectedly reconnects with former classmate Jen Yoder, life suddenly becomes exciting again. Jen was always the cool girl, and Ferko finds himself drawn to her lifestyle – the friends, the fun, and even the heroin addiction.


Ferko and Jen begin to skip out on work to explore the seedy underworld of New York City. They go on adventures that could only be entertaining if you were high on heroin, which they are. Jen even introduces Ferko to her father, who wrote several books about ghosts. He explains to Ferko the concept of ghosts as a collective burden, viewing guilt as the place from which spirits arise. This theory applies to Mary Beth, who witnessed her infant daughter being killed by a hit-and-run driver, as well as to Jen, who watched a man fall/jump from the roof of a building – neither woman has recovered from the experience, and their guilt haunts them.


Meanwhile, Mary Beth begins to spend time with a young girl named Amanda who she meets in the forest near her home. She believes the girl is a ghost, and delving into her mysterious appearance gives Mary Beth a sense of purpose. Because Ferko and Mary Beth are both abusing hallucinogenic drugs, it’s hard to know if Amanda is really a ghost, or if the apparition is simply a case of folie à deux. Amanda exists while she serves a purpose for the living, then she is gone.


Ghosts of Bergen County is a quiet novel to begin with, but as the various plot threads come together, the pace increases – it is truly exciting when everything comes together. I did guess some of the outcomes, but certainly not all, and it was thrilling to witness the author work his magic. There are so many levels to the story that eventually intersect, and although some were a little convenient, it was still very enjoyable. The characters are all very real, which makes their experiences truly heartbreaking. In the end, when Mary Beth is asked who they are, she responds with “Ghosts” – and says she’s never felt more alive.


I received this novel from Tin House Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June 14, 2016

My Last Continent - Midge Raymond


Scribner, June 21, 2016.



Five Stars



My Last Continent is a beautiful, unusual love story – the love between a woman and a man, but also the love of both for the continent of Antarctica. Deb and Keller meet there, and it is where their love grows, as they observe penguin colonies and shifting icebergs. They find it easy to love while in the isolation of a snowstorm – but it is not so easy to survive as a couple in the real world. Like the penguins they study who sometimes mate for life, they are “loyal first and always to the continent.” (p. 79) While the main characters here are realistic and likeable, it is the setting and its wildlife that are the true stars of this novel.


The novel begins with a prologue titled “Afterwards,” describing a fatal shipwreck in the shifting ice floes of the waters around the Antarctic. In this future setting, Deb is guiding tourists through a penguin habitat, but all they ask her are questions about the cruise ship that sank five years before – the worst disaster in the history of the continent. The Australis lost over seven hundred passengers and crew, including several rescuers – and Deb doesn’t tell the tourists that, victim and rescuer, “we are one and the same.” (p. 3)


Chapters follow with headings such as “One Week Before Shipwreck”, continuing to build anticipation. The timeline jumps from years before to only days before the tragic event that claimed so many lives. Deb’s perspective is the main one, as we watch her relationship develop with Keller over years of seasonal travel to the Antarctic. As a research scientist, Deb spends part of every year on the southernmost continent, and feels most alive in the icy climate. Keller travels to Antarctica to escape a tragedy back home, and ends up staying in this new land where he feels truly alive. Both are obsessed with the continent and its creatures, wishing to preserve their habitat as it changes rapidly due to climate change.


To fund her research program, Deb must work as tour guide on a small vessel, the Cormorant. She tries to instill respect in her tourists, and teaches them that all of their actions and choices contribute directly to the global warming that is threatening the penguins. However, she must be careful what she says, because these people are also paying for her research. The Antarctic is imperiled by those that wish to enjoy it, seeing as the “last continent” to be crossed off their bucket list. In contrast, Deb feels like she is a part of the frozen landscape – she compares herself to her ship, saying “we are both built for the ice.” (p. 6)


The shipwreck is of course the pivotal point in the novel, and we know about it from the start, but that doesn’t take away from the thrilling aspect of the story as it slowly draws closer to the main event. The chapters, moving back and forth through time, circle around the climax, flowing like the sea around an iceberg to unavoidable catastrophe. When it finally happens, the descriptions are sensational, cinematic and shocking. The author clearly develops the stark isolation of the landscape, making the chaos of the shipwreck all the more dramatic compared to the surrounding lack of sensory input. The strength of this novel truly is the setting.


This is a quiet love story combined with an intense environmental thriller. The reader is immersed in the natural world, then that world is shattered by a major disaster – and not only for the human victims of the wreck. Deb’s first concern is that the remnants of the ship, as it slowly sinks to the bottom of the ocean, will destroy the natural habitat at an even more rapid speed than climate change. The author clearly has an agenda here – her passion for the Antarctic is a warning that we have to live with care to preserve this mostly unexplored world. The descriptions of wildlife are sometimes lengthy, but I still enjoyed them because the information is just so interesting.


Even with its many themes and concepts, the novel flowed smoothly and I loved reading it – I really couldn’t put it down. The love between Deb and Keller is realistic and believable, but it is their love for the Antarctic that makes this novel so special.


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I was asked by the publisher to compare My Last Continent with another forthcoming novel: Arturo Perez-Reverte’s What We Become. Aside from the obvious (near-identical covers, cruise ship settings, characters named Keller), the two books are more different than similar. Both involve intense love affairs that develop from sporadic meetings over the course of many years – Deb and Keller in My Last Continent, and Max and Mecha in What We Become. When they are reunited in the present, both couples are faced with a climactic event that shakes their relationship to its core. For Deb and Keller, it makes them stronger – their love is stripped to the basics and they learn what really matters in life. For Max and Mecha, current circumstances pull them apart, and they realize that their love may have been based on excitement and danger all along, with no real basis. And while both novels are large in scope, My Last Continent also delves into the minutiae of life, the details that make a real love story. In contrast, What We Become is epic in scale, but it doesn’t reach into the souls of its main characters in quite the same way. Both novels were strong, and I recommend both for summer reading, but for me, My Last Continent was a much more enjoyable read that I connected with on a deeper level.


I received this novel from Scribner/Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

June 11, 2016

What We Become - Arturo Perez-Reverte


Atria Books, June 7, 2016.

Three Stars


What We Become is the epic tale of the love affair between a wealthy, high society woman, Mecha, and a clever thief and con man, Max. In 1928, they meet on a cruise ship heading to Buenos Aires – Max is a charming employee of the cruise line, hired to dance with the single female passengers. Mecha is travelling with her husband, but he likes to watch while she dances the tango with Max. Mecha’s husband is a composer, and he is intrigued by Max’s descriptions of the old school tango, found in the slums of Buenos Aires – he arranged for the three of them to travel together, creating a bond of intimacy between all three.

Almost a decade later, in 1937, Max and Mecha meet again on the French Riviera. Mecha’s husband has been killed, and she is living a high life with her wealthy, powerful friends. Max has been hired to steal secret documents from one of Mecha’s acquaintances, although even he does not understand the potential repercussions of his actions.

The two meet again in the present, 1966. Mecha is the mother of a chess champion, who is competing in an important match against the current Russian champion. Max finds himself involved in confrontations with Russian gangsters and spies as he enters Mecha’s life for a third time. Even in old age, Max is cocky and confident, able to con his way through any circumstance. His world is cinematic like an old black and white movie, and he carouses through life as a vaudeville character. Max and Mecha’s relationship is romantic in a similarly old-fashioned film kind of way – they fall instantly in love, but there is no depth to their feelings.

The novel bounces through time, jumping from one meeting to another. The disjointed temporality is unsettling, but it does show causation between each time period, and expose why things happened the way they did between Mecha and Max. Max compares his relationship with Mecha to an adjourned chess game, in which both players are constantly second-guessing their next move. Meanwhile, Max seems uncertain about whether he actually loves Mecha at all – he tells her, “I love you. I think. And yet love has nothing to do with all this.” (p. 429) This is the most romantic declaration in the book, so don’t expect more from withholding Max.

The strength of What We Become is in its detailed descriptions of lush settings and rich, elegant parties. It is the glamorous luxury of old Hollywood combined with the excitement of exotic locales. Lifestyles of the rich and famous are contrasted with the slums of Buenos Aires and violent political situations in which Mecha’s husband is conveniently killed. The structure of the novel is elegant, but its actual story is superficial – Max and Mecha are pawns in Perez-Reverte’s chess game. They are two very flawed, troubled characters who spend their lives searching for love. While they make a connection immediately, they are unable to trust and therefore cannot make their relationship work over time.

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I was asked by the publisher to compare What We Become with another forthcoming novel: Midge Raymond’s My Last Continent. Aside from the obvious (near-identical covers, cruise ship settings, characters named Keller), the two books are more different than similar. Both involve intense love affairs that develop from sporadic meetings over the course of many years – Deb and Keller in My Last Continent, and Max and Mecha in What We Become. When they are reunited in the present, both couples are faced with a climactic event that shakes their relationship to its core. For Deb and Keller, it makes them stronger – their love is stripped to the basics and they learn what really matters in life. For Max and Mecha, current circumstances pull them apart, and they realize that their love may have been based on excitement and danger all along, with no real basis. And while both novels are large in scope, My Last Continent also delves into the minutiae of life, the details that make a real love story. In contrast, What We Become is epic in scale, but it doesn’t reach into the souls of its main characters in quite the same way. Both novels were strong, and I recommend both for summer reading, but for me, My Last Continent was a much more enjoyable read that I connected with on a deeper level.

 

I received this novel from Atria/Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

June 09, 2016

Miller's Valley - Anna Quindlen


Random House, April 5, 2016.



Three Stars



I have read several of Quindlen’s novels, and while they are always satisfying, they sometimes seem to be missing that extraordinary element. Although Miller’s Valley ostensibly reaches deep into the psyche of the Miller family, the characters’ emotions still only skim the surface of their potential depth. This certainly wasn’t a five star novel for me, but I did enjoy it and I sped through it.


Most of all, Miller’s Valley is the coming-of-age story of Mimi Miller, as she grows up in a small farming community in the 1960s. Mimi’s family have lived for generations in the valley that bears their name – and for almost as long, the government has been planning to flood the land due to problems with the man-made dam. Because the family, along with their neighbours, live under constant threat of displacement, they seem to place extra value on their combined strength, and connections with one another. The novel is very character driven, with each life defined by the impending loss of the community.


We see most of the story through Mimi’s childhood eyes, with only the odd moment of clarity as she looks back on her past as an adult. She listens to the adults talking and arguing, without a proper understanding of what’s really going on outside her family’s walls – and because she doesn’t know the truth, it is only revealed to the reader as time passes as well. Mimi especially idolizes her oldest brother, but he is drastically changed after his experiences in Vietnam.  While at war, he leaves behind his pregnant girlfriend, and Mimi must grow up fast in order to help raise her new nephew. Meanwhile, she also has an aunt with a terrible secret who refuses to leave her house, and eventually a father who is disabled due to a stroke. Although Mimi has a chance to escape the valley, she stays behind and puts her family first.


Mimi faces the dysfunction of her family with grace and love – she accepts their flaws as normal, which makes her relatable to most readers. Her family has their problems, but they are fairly realistic, and they still represent the most stable, loving force in Mimi’s young life. The importance of home and familial roots is an important theme in this novel, and although the potential flood could wash clean the sins of the past, it will also cause Mimi to be set adrift, with no home to hold her firmly in place.


Mimi is a child narrator, but she does look back at events with some hindsight and wisdom. I did feel that her narration lacked the emotion that would have accompanied the many dramatic events she experienced, but that could be because it is a reflection of the past as opposed to being written in the present tense. More than anything, Miller’s Valley is a simply told yet meaningful family chronicle. In spite of its difficult content, I found it to be a comfortable, cozy read.


I received this novel from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June 06, 2016

Hot Little Hands - Abigail Ulman

Random House, May 31, 2016.



Four Stars


Hot Little Hands is a collection of short stories, all about young women of varying ages and circumstances. The stories share several themes, including desire, as alluded to in the title – the girls learn about their own desires, but also about becoming an object of desire, and about how confusing that can be when we’re young. The title comes from a figure of speech that is really about yearning – not just sexual but also a sense of anticipation for the future, and the urge to grow up quickly to experience the world.


The girls in these stories are searching for their place in the wider world, trying to discover their individual sense of self, and many of them are described while traveling to new countries and experiencing new situations. Some of the stories are more linked than others, especially several about a girl named Claire. She is the narrator of my favourite story in the collection, “Your Charm Won’t Help You Here.” In the story, Claire is attempting to enter the United States en route from Turkey, and she is held up in customs for reasons she cannot understand. It is a scathing analysis of the dangers of travel in a post-9/11 world.


I often find short story collections frustrating – I feel like as soon as I begin to engage with a plot and its characters, it’s all over. Although these stories have some cohesive themes, it’s not quite enough for my preferences. However, the dialogue and inner thoughts of the girls are realistic and distinct, and the writing style itself is confident and evocative. Ulman is definitely an author to watch, and I will be waiting impatiently for a debut novel.


I received this novel from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June 03, 2016

A Place Called Winter - Patrick Gale

Grand Central Publishing, March 26, 2016.



Four Stars



Patrick Gale’s writing is stunning as always in this timely historical novel about a man struggling with his sexual orientation. Harry Cane’s story starts in early 20th century England – he is living a quiet, unassuming life with his wife Winnie and their young daughter. Harry believes that he is happy, until a chance encounter with another man awakens a passion that he didn’t know was missing from his life. He is blissful in his double life, balancing romantic love with familial duty – until Winnie’s brother catches Harry at his lover’s home, and gives him the option to quietly leave the country.


For the sake of respectability, Harry is forced to leave his family behind. He travels by ship to Canada and begins to build himself a life in the newly colonized prairies. The environment is harsh, but there are good, strong people there, and Harry learns that he is capable of more than he ever realized. A chance meeting with a certain man on the ship leads Harry to an available homestead beside the land of a brother and sister, and he becomes increasingly involved with both siblings.


The novel jumps around from Harry’s time in a mental asylum, then back to his original settlement in the prairies, until the two timelines finally collide. In retrospect, I do like the structure of the novel, but at the time, it was somewhat hard to follow, and I questioned the necessity of the sections set in the asylum – although, in the end, it all makes sense. The historical setting is atmospheric, and it felt solid and real. The settlers’ interactions with the Cree people were thoughtful and well-written also.


A Place Called Winter moves at a slow, meandering pace, much like its protagonist Harry, although it does accelerate towards the ending. Harry finds love – both platonic and romantic – in unexpected ways, and it is intensely real. My only complaint is the emotional distance of the characters, as I found it difficult to get into their heads. However, Harry does eventually find his own inner strength, in his willingness to sacrifice everything for his new makeshift family, instead of giving up easily like he did before. Harry’s experience is one of redemption, and this novel shows us that it is always possible to start over, with a second chance at living a life that makes us happy.


I received this novel from Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

June 01, 2016

The Last Painting of Sara de Vos - Dominic Smith

Farrar, Straus & Giroux, April 5, 2016.

Five Stars



The Last Painting of Sara de Vos moves fluidly through three different time periods, with one painting to connect them all. The painting is a rare landscape by a Dutch Golden Age artist – the first woman to be accepted into the painter’s guild in Holland. Only one painting by Sara de Vos is extant three hundred years later, and it becomes the obsession of two individuals whose lives then collide.


The painting becomes part of the collection of Martin de Groot, a wealthy man living in Manhattan in the 1950s. In between the opulent parties held in his lavish apartment, Martin notices some discrepancies in his favourite painting – and he soon discovers that it has been stolen at one of his events and replaced with a forgery. The trail leads him to Ellie Shipley, an Australian grad student struggling to survive in the city, and a skilled copyist of Golden Age paintings. Ellie is in denial that she is involved in any sort of criminal activity, as she falls in love with the de Vos painting now in her possession.


When Martin and Ellie meet face to face, she is unaware of his connection to the painting – but he knows exactly how she is involved. In spite of his initial animosity towards Ellie, Martin’s feelings soon change – although he continues to hide his identity, which leads to dramatic consequences. Their relationship remains unresolved until the present day, where Ellie works as a museum curator in Sydney, Australia – and continues to live with the fear that her former crime will be discovered.


The three settings wrap around each other and eventually merge, showing the many ways that past deceit can affect the present. All three main characters – Sara, Martin and Ellie – are so intricately described with distinct personalities, and their depth of emotion is so real that I could feel Ellie’s pain, especially. Martin, meanwhile, begins his adventure as a vigilante to discover who stole his painting, but he realizes that his feelings are more about injured pride, and learns that there are more important things in life.


The story itself is captivating, especially the insight into Sara’s original conception of the painting. Smith uses somewhat common plot devices for art/historical fiction, yet they are elevated here. There was so much information about artistic techniques and restoration woven into the novel, but it was always compelling and never dry. The technical details show an appreciation for art that goes beyond the admiration of a pretty picture.


Sara de Vos is actually a compilation of several Golden Age artists, although I found it hard to believe she was not a real person, because her character was so individualized. I thought it was interesting to compare Sara in 17th century Holland with Ellie in 1950s New York, and see that both had similar struggles as female artists competing with their male counterparts. Both women felt equally real, as did their atmospheric settings. I did feel a bit let down by the third setting in Australia – the ending was a little rushed, and not quite as immersive and believable as the rest. However, overall, this novel was just as much a masterpiece as the painting it describes.


I received this novel from Farrar, Straus & Giroux and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.