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.

This book of historical fiction tells the life of an Iranian poetess who led a short but remarkable life.  Forough Farrokzhad was born in Tehran in 1935, the second daughter of a subservient mother and a father who was a colonel in the Shah’s army.   Although her father was a strict disciplinarian, Forough often disobeyed his rules, even when she knew that if she was discovered there would be dire consequences.  She was willing to achieve her independence, no matter what the cost.  She married young, divorced,  had several affairs, wrote scandalous poems and directed films that shocked many Iranians.  She was greatly admired by some and loathed by others.

I don’t think an author could have invented a character much more complex, colorful and iconoclastic than Forough Farrokzhad.  Not only did I enjoy reading about this unique woman,  I also liked learning about the history of Iran during the 50’s and 60’s.

I picked up this debut novel, read the flap and thought I would give it 20 pages-no more.  Although it is brutal and violent, I found myself enthralled with the main character and the plot.  Most of Only Killers and Thieves takes place in 1885 in a desolate, arid part of Australia,  The McBride family is literally starving.  Their cattle are bone-thin and thus not saleable,  and because of the drought, nothing will grow in their sandy, parched soil.  Also, Mr. McBride does not see eye to eye with John Sullivan, by far the wealthiest man in the territory, so the family is unable to purchase anything on credit.  Tommy and Billy McBride are away from home when tragedy befalls the rest of the family.  Both boys, age 15 and 16, are coerced into facing many dangerous situations in order to avenge their family.

Parts of this novel is distasteful with characters that are despicable.  However, Paul Horwath’s prose is so clean and clear (much like Cormac McCarthy’s),  that I felt compelled to read on.

Cantu, who is Mexican on his mother’s side and speaks fluent Spanish, spent from 2008 to 2012 as an agent for the United States Border Patrol.  During those four years, he spent more than half his time rounding up individuals who had crossed the border from Mexico to the United States illegally and placing them in a deportation center or discovering those who died from thirst, heat and starvation trying to get into this country.  Cantu also heard horrific stories about how the drug cartel took care of those they thought were trying to escape their influence.  Eventually the stress of his job made his life unbearable and he left it.  Three years later he met  and tried to help Jose an illegal immigrant deported back to Mexico while his wife and three sons remained in the United States.

Cantu writes a powerful story that provide no answers, only more questions, to the immigration problems we are facing.