If you read The Overstory, there is a good chance you will never look at the trees in your backyard the same way again.  Powers describes in great detail nine individuals-different ages, genders and backgrounds.  Yet each of these characters learns how important trees are to our lives and our planet.  Once they have this epiphany-at different times and for different reasons-their lives are never the same.  Although my summary makes this novel sound tedious and didactic, it is anything but.  Each character is wonderfully drawn and each comes to life with unique personalities.
This is probably the best book I’ve read this year.  I even loved the title!!  If you like long, slow, complex reads and are green-minded, read The Overstory.

The New York Times selected Moshfegh as one of the best of our new female authors, and Eileen is certainly an intriguing character study.  The year is 1964 and Eileen Dunlop, age 24, lives with her alcoholic, unloving father who is a retired policeman.  Her mother died when she was 19, and her older sister lives in the same New England town, but they never see each other.  Eileen works in a juvenile detention facility where her main duty seems to be patting down mothers who come to visit their sons.  Eileen dreams of leaving her drunk, mean-spirited father and her boring, ungratifying job and heading to New York City, but she doesn’t have the wherewithal to do it.  She can be pathetic, sympathetic, self-destructive, unbalanced, insecure and mean.

Although Moshfegh claims that when she began writing this novel it was humorous, I can’t think of one funny moment in it.  In fact, depression and loneliness permeate the whole book.  If you’re looking for a read that will cheer you up, it’s not Eileen.

This collection of poems proves to me that memory is fuzzy and subjective.  Tricia Knoll was my next door neighbor from the time I was 4 years old until we both graduated high school.  And although some of what she writes about I remember and agree with, other incidences I recall differently.  Whether I experienced the events the same way Tricia did, made no difference, however,  in my appreciation of her poetry.  Her writing is clear, vivid and unpretentious.  “The Night I Didn’t Stand Up” and “Let’s Hear It for the Horses” will resonate with many no matter where or when you grew up.

I’m not a huge reader of poetry, so I don’t feel confident critiquing How I Learned to Be White, but I certainly enjoyed reading it.

 

Tom Rachman wrote The Imperfectionists which I thought was wonderful, and I feel the same way about his newest work.  The title refers to the main character, Charles Bavinsky, affectionately known as Pinch.  Born in Rome to a Canadian mother who is a frustrated potter and a seldom seen, but adored, father who is a world famous painter, Pinch spends his childhood and much of his adult life seeking his father’s love and approval, something the reader knows he will never obtain.  Poor Pinch achieves little success both in personal relationships and in his professional life.  However, after his father dies, having fathered as many children as he has produced paintings, Pinch makes some bold moves which bring him a feeling of self-worth and a small degree of fame.

The Italian Teacher is fun, interesting, complex and yet not at all difficult to read.  Rachman poses some unanswered questions about art, family and fame.

Maria and Emma are half sisters separated by six years.  They have never been close, in fact, they’ve only been together several times during their adult lives.  When they meet at their mother’s funeral, it is a surprise to both of them when Maria invites Emma to visit her at her rental home on the Spanish Coast.  Two years pass before Emma takes her up on the offer.  During the six days that they are together, the sisters reminisce, confess and analyze themselves and other members of their family.

A Sister in My House is the kind of book I enjoy reading, but six months later I won’t remember very much about it.  It is well written and interesting, but just doesn’t have enough depth to it to really grab me.

 

Urrea’s latest novel is the story of a large Mexican-American family celebrating within a 48 hour period the death of its matriarch and and the birthday of its dying patriarch.  Miguel Angel de la Cruz, nicknamed Big Angel, knows his days are numbered and wants one last celebration with his whole family present-and it’s a large family.  His loving wife, Perla, his intellectual half-brother, Little Angel, his still sexy at sixty sister-in-law, Gloriosa, and his devoted daughter, Minnie, are just of a few of the members of this multi-generational, somewhat assimilated family.  Like the two celebrations, The House of Broken Angels is both fun and heart-breaking.

While there are many good scenes, this novel has too many characters.  The Cruz family spans five generations and Urrea describes situations that involve at least twenty different characters.  I had a difficult time remembering all of them and their relationship to one another.

Nevo, an Israeli author, has written an interesting novel.  Three Floors Up is divided into three sections, each being narrated by a resident of a three story apartment in Tel Aviv.   The first segment is Arnon describing to a friend an experience his young daughter had with an elderly, demonstrative neighbor suffering from Alzheimer’s.  The second part is Hani, mother of two young children who writes to an old friend about her experience with her brother-in-law who is on the run from the police.  The third “floor” is Devorah, a widowed retired judge speaking to her deceased husband through their answering machine about her life since his death.

Each story is innovative,  exciting and provocative.  Although Three Stores Up is not a mystery, it is a page turner nonetheless.

Told in alternating narratives,  A Long Way from Home is a year in the life of Irene and Titch Bobs and their neighbor Willie Bachhuber.   The Bobs decide to enter the Redex Trial, a grueling car race which covers thousands of miles of rural roads in Australia.  Willie, an expert map reader, is coerced into being their navigator.  During the course of the race, the trio faces many hardships, adventures and injuries.  Willie and Irene are the narrators,  and because their personalities are so different, their is sometimes two entirely contrasting perspectives concerning the same event.

There are chapters in A Long Way from Home that are engaging, fun and exciting, and then there are others that are unnecessarily detailed and dull.  Also, the end, for me, was disappointing.  Without giving it away, I will only say that Irene practically disappears and Willie becomes the main focus.  I’ve enjoyed several of Peter Carey’s novels immensely.  I’m ambivalent about this one.

I don’t often write about children’s picture book, but this one is exceptional.  It is a beautiful story about motherhood, acceptance and selflessness.  A baby wolf gets lost from the pack and happens upon a female polar bear.  The little pup is frightened that the bear will eat him, but instead she promises to care for him until he is ready to face the world alone.  Everything about this picture book is wonderful-the serene illustrations, the simple yet profound language and the positive message.  The perfect book for a child for every occasion but especially for an adoption and/or Mother’s Day.

Perfect for ages 4-7.

The Great Alone is a novel that will appeal to most women.  It has adventure, romance and danger.  When Leni Allbright is in junior high, her father, a Viet Nam vet who has what would now be termed post traumatic stress disorder, decides to move his family to a remote part of Alaska.   The winters in Alaska are cold, dark and long and with each year her father becomes more unstable and abusive.  Despite her difficult, frightening life,  Leni comes to love Alaska-the scenery, the vastness and the independent, live- off- the- land people.

Kristen Hannah has written a fast-paced novel with an admirable main character.  However, I think the novel might be best read in the summer when long, frozen Alaskan nights would feel welcoming.