Tiller, the narrator of Lee’s most recent book, is twenty years old and living with Val who is in witness protection along with her eight year old son, Victor Jr. While describing his living situation with them, Tiller often reflects back on his association with Pong Lou, an enterprising Chinese-American who is a successful chemist and businessman. Pong takes an immediate liking to Tiller and asks him to accompany him and his entourage overseas. Both of these events in Tiller’s life have dramatic results.

My Year Abroad was disappointing. Tiller’s descriptions were often unnecessarily wordy, and his “voice” sometimes rubbed me the wrong way. By the time the climactic events occurred, I no longer cared what happened to Tiller and the people he associated with. I have read several other Chang-rae Lee novels and enjoyed them, especially A Gesture Life. Unfortunately, I did not feel the same about My Year Abroad.

Ethan Frome, his feminist wife Zenobia and their hyperactive 11 year old daughter, Alex, live in a small town in Massachusetts. Ethan has a job he doesn’t believe in, a wife who is angry and militant, a daughter who is extremely difficult to handle, and a live-in baby sitter he would like to go to bed with. Most of the novel takes place during the Brett Cavanaugh Supreme Court hearing. With the exception of the introduction and the epilogue, The Smash-Up is narrated by Ethan, so his perspective is all the reader is certain of.

The Smash-Up is a good read. It has interesting characters and a timely plot. It is quite obviously a take off on Edith Wharton’s novel Ethan Frome, and perhaps I would have gotten more from The Smash-Up if I had read Wharton’s book.

There is a plantation in Mississippi named Elizabeth, but the slaves call it Empty. Samuel and Isaiah are slaves and lovers. They are handsome, kind and hard working. Samuel is quiet and and sullen and Isaiah is friendly and open. Amos is an older slave who decides to preach Christianity to the slaves every Sunday in order to get in good with the owner of the plantation, Paul. Amos reports Sam and Isaiah’s behavior to Paul despite the warnings of the slave community. Along with these three characters, Jones introduces his readers to a number of other interesting characters, many bearing Biblical names.

Robert Jones Jr. has said that Toni Morrison had a profound influence on the way he writes. It is evident in The Prophets. The prose is richly poetic, however, at times it inhibited the momentum of the plot.

Evie, the narrator of A Children’s Bible, her younger brother, Jack, and her parents have rented a large house for the summer on the east coast along with a number of other families. The parents spend their days drinking, using drugs and having sex, so their children look upon them with disdain and learn to spend their time without parental supervision. When a huge storm hits their vacation home as well as much of the eastern United States, the children run away to what they hope is safety.

A Children’s Bible is a small book with a big wallop. It is tense, exciting, frightening, timely, full of symbolism with lots of ideas to discuss. Evie is a great main character-complex, caring and wise beyond her years. This is the first book by Lydia Millet that I have read, but it certainly won’t be the last.

Michaelis’s thorough, well-documented biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, follows one of the most lauded women in American history from her birth to her funeral. Although he touches on a few of her regrettable choices, most of Eleanore tells the history of a woman who had her share of sorrows, but still became a forceful, energetic voice for the voiceless. What I found most interesting was how Eleanore Roosevelt evolved from a sheltered upper class WASP into a champion for all minorities.

Most of this hefty book is about Obama’s first three years as President and his campaign to get there. Approximately the first hundred pages sets the stage for Obama’s decision to run-his childhood, his marriage and his political career up to 2008, but the remainder of the memoir describes in detail how difficult and exhausting it is to run for and then actually be the President of The United States.

I am not a political animal, but I found A Promised Land fascinating. For instance, Obama’s description of what happens to get certain legislation passed-who is helpful, who is a hindrance, and the give and take that is involved helped me understand why certain acts take so long. Also, I admire Obama’s honesty about his flaws as well as many of the people he worked with.

Cal Hooper is a retired Chicago policeman divorced with a daughter who lives in Seattle. He is looking forward to some peace and quiet when he buys a run down house in rural Ireland. He is content renovating his new home until a thirteen year old named Trey appears. Knowing that he was a cop, Trey Reddy asks for Cal’s help searching for an older brother who has not been seen for seven months. Searching for Brendan Reddy, Cal’s peaceful life suddenly becomes challenging and dangerous.

Tana French writes mysteries. However, The Searcher, did not feel like a mystery to me. It was a character study of Cal, his relation to Trey and the feel of life in an Irish village. The Searcher is an enjoyable read but not an engrossing page turner.

Benson and Mike are partners, but both are unsure of where their relationship is heading. Benson is Black, was born and raised in Houston and works at a day care center. Mike is from Japan, moved to Houston with his parents when he was a boy and works as a short order cook. At the same time that Mike’s mother travels from Tokyo to visit her son (she moved back to Japan after she and Mike’s father divorced), Mike leaves for Osaka to care for his dying father. Benson and Mike’s mother must learn how to live together while Mike is helping a father he never felt he really knew.

I was looking forward to reading Memorial but was disappointed when I finished it. There was a lot unspoken in its dialogue. I felt I had to work too hard trying to figure out what was unstated, and as I got further into the novel, I really didn’t care.

It is 1935 and Mussolini’s army is in Ethiopia ready to capture the country. Carlo Fucelli’s troops are fighting a battle they thought they would easily win. However, the natives, led by Kidane are giving their enemy a run for their money. Especially vigilant and brave are Aster, Kidane’s wife, and Hirut, Aster’s female servant. When Aster and Hirut are captured and thrown into an Italian prison, Ettore Navarro, Fucelli’s official photographer, finds he is drawn to Hirut and her suffering.

Short-listed this year for The Man Booker Prize, The Shadow King is an historical novel which describes a time and place I knew nothing about. Mengiste does a fine job of describing Ethiopia and its people, although it is a bit confusing at first and takes a while to become immersed in the war and the characters.

The author of My Brilliant Friend once again writes a novel mostly taking place in Naples with a young girl as narrator. Giovanna’s father has always told her she is beautiful. Yet, one day she overhears him tell her mother that she is ugly and reminds him of his much hated sister, Vittoria. This shocking disclosure changes Giovanna’s life. She becomes suspicious of everyone, especially her parents, does poorly in school, and is enamored with her aunt, Vittoria. Throughout the novel, she encounters people who are lying, especially adults, but sometimes even Giovanna herself.

Written in the same style as the Neapolitan quartet, Ferrante once again displays her knack for getting into the heart and mind of a young girl. Fans of Ferrante’s other works, will not be disappointed in The Lying Life of Adults.