READ IF YOU LIKE... � Contact with extraterrestrials � Grappling with all of today's problems � Unconventional storytelling
I [Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Contact with extraterrestrials � Grappling with all of today's problems � Unconventional storytelling
I THOUGHT IT WAS... An interesting but perhaps overly convoluted exploration into whether humanity deserves to be saved. It's the first day of 2012 when scientists reveal that we've received a message from another planet. The world is rocked by a sudden drive to fix all that's broken. Meanwhile, Sevi and Ramona, a couple in their 30s who recently broke up, also attempt to mend their relationship. At the same time, Eason, a Black kid in Chicago, grapples with the senseless death of a childhood friend.
And these are just a few of the storylines that unravel over the course of this complicated novel. I like what Soto sought to do with the construction of it, and I think he was more or less successful, but some of the details were just a little too abstract, a little too intellectually obfuscating. Eason's storyline, about an aspiring cellist pulled into drug dealing by his cousin, felt out of place even though I liked his character. Again, I think I understood it's purpose, but I don't think it was unnecessary to get the desired point across.
I kept thinking about THE THREE-BODY PROBLEM while reading this book. Both are about us discovering proof of alien life and how that knowledge changes us. While Liu explores it from a macro-level, Soto approaches it from a micro-level, considering whether it would make us, as individuals, care about social issues more or less than we do now. Soto gave a lot of nuance to this, which I liked. I just think it could have been conveyed more cleanly....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Thought-provoking literary fiction � The craft of acting � Insightful human observations
I THOUGHT IT WA[Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Thought-provoking literary fiction � The craft of acting � Insightful human observations
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A fascinating, intricate study of characters fitting for a story about acting. A middle-aged actress is in rehearsal for her next stage role when a young man walks into the theater looking to speak to her. He confesses to her that he thinks she is his real mother, a notion she knows is quite impossible. But...what if he was?
Kitamura's style of writing aligns so well with what I love reading -- clear, unflowery prose that conveys incredibly incisive descriptions. She knows how to wield words in just the right ways. And in this novel, she uses them to examine more and more interesting questions as the story gains complexity: What does it take for an actor to fully embody a role? Are we who we truly are or just constantly performing ourselves in our various roles as professionals, spouses, parents, and friends?
Just as you start feeling comfortable with the narrative, Kitamura switches things up on you. Then she does it again and again, all the way to the end. Extremely open to interpretation, this is a novel that may land differently each time you read it, which is an aspect I really love. Having read Kitamura's A SEPARATION, I can see how much she's matured as a writer, and it makes me incredibly happy....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Honest portrayals of the road to recovery � Queer women slowly accepting themselves � Therapy
I THOUGHT [Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Honest portrayals of the road to recovery � Queer women slowly accepting themselves � Therapy
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A steady and realistic account of a Black woman trying to take back her life after four years of incarceration. After losing her freedom to addiction, Ranita is determined to stay on the right path and earn her children back. But unfolding the layers of her past trauma is anything but easy.
There's nothing dramatic or overwrought about this novel. This is simply the story of a Black woman trying to rebuild her life after prison, trying to heal from deep wounds, trying to choose reality over oblivion, trying to relearn how to be a mother. I will admit I was waiting for something huge to occur around every chapter, whether it be a horrendous relapse or a dangerous reunion with her ex. But I liked the restraint that Lee chose in this novel. There's hardship enough in what Ranita's going through and has gone through. In many ways, her very real challenges are more intense and important than any drama....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Standing up for justice � Imaginative memoir structures � Insight into sexual assault survivors' rights[Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Standing up for justice � Imaginative memoir structures � Insight into sexual assault survivors' rights
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A powerful, well-written recounting of how Nguyen re-experienced her trauma again and again to ultimately stand up for millions of sexual assault victims. Nguyen is on the cusp of graduating Harvard with a bright career ahead when she is raped. As if that isn't bad enough, her life starts to revolve around the desperate and convoluted process of saving her rape kit from destruction every six months.
When you think of justice for rape victims, you often assume this means conviction against the perpetrator. You don't think about justice against a system that forces victims to jump through obfuscating, nearly impossible hoops to preserve their right to even reach that step. Nguyen exposes this in her memoir and so much more about being a survivor that non-survivors have the fortune to never experience, such as needing to decide between pressing charges or derailing momentual career plans -- all this while navigating the emotional, physical, and mental trauma of rape.
I also loved how Nguyen explored her path to healing through a story within her story -- an imagined journey she takes with younger versions of herself through the lands of Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Sadness, and Acceptance. It's a creative and cathartic way for her to come to terms with the pain and grief she's experienced her whole life.
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Alternate timelines � Gay love stories � Revolutions
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A pretty solid, multi-layered st[Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Alternate timelines � Gay love stories � Revolutions
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A pretty solid, multi-layered story of heritage and love. In 2018, two college students head down to Havana and San Salvador to research family histories. In 1978, a young man meets with other revoluntaries in Havana and ends up falling in love with another man. How do these lives intersect? And how would they have intersected if the Salvadoran war had ended differently?
This novel does a lot of things I like. I thought the prose was lovely and that Reyes did an admirable job of guiding us through alternate realities without confusion. The highlight of the novel is undoubtedly the chapters about Neto and Rafael, two men involved in movements across two countries, trying to sustain a bright but forbidden love. Reyes crafts a beautiful message about love that transcends timelines, universes, and war.
The story of the two college students, Ana and Luis, on the other hand, was less compelling. Sometimes they felt more like vessels to carry out the plot than genuine, fleshed out characters. The message of their relationship is a little less clear. I also am not completely sold on the Defractor, a technology that can show you possible alternate timelines in response to a specific question. I go between feeling like Reyes did just enough with the Defractor to justify its inclusion to questioning if it was truly needed to tell this story.
Overall, I enjoyed this. I like that it highlighted complicated, human stories from often overlooked countries. Reyes is a strong writer, and I hope for more novels from him in the future!...more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Returning home after a long time away � Family-run businesses � Starting life over after disaster strik[Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Returning home after a long time away � Family-run businesses � Starting life over after disaster strikes
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A heartfelt, endearing story about family and finding your path in life. Jack Jr. wakes up in the hospital to learn that he's been in a coma for two years. With his former life in NYC completely gone, he moves back home to Fort Lee, New Jersey, back to the family he fled years ago and back to the Korean-Japanese sushi restaurant that was supposed to be passed down to him.
I'm so impressed by how Chong can write mind-mending science fiction one year (FLUX, one of my favorites of 2023) and then some moving contemporary fiction with a dash of romance thrown in the next. While I don't think I LEAVE IT UP TO YOU is as strong as FLUX, I do think I see what might become one of Chong's signatures -- a smart, effective, and deliberate structure to the story that adds depth to his themes or character development. I love this kind of intentionality in writing.
I enjoyed how Chong explored the weight of family expectations combined with the fear of being trapped into an unwanted life. There were a few things left unclear, which made me feel unsatisfied at first. But upon reflection, it also feels realistic. There are elements to every family that are muddled -- a story never fully told, someone's behavior never fully explained -- that we either have to live with or walk away from. And we each have to make that choice.
There's a moment in the novel when a character explains that family is about give and take. When you're young, you take, take, and take. As you grow older, you give more and more to try and make up for what you took. That's a beautiful summation of what this novel explores....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Beautiful, messy, best friendships � Broken people lifting each other up � Art
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A hear[Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Beautiful, messy, best friendships � Broken people lifting each other up � Art
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A heartbreaking and heartwarming story of friendship helping broken people survive. Louisa, an almost 17-year-old who skipped out on her foster home, slips into an art auction to see her favorite painting in person, a painting that's anticipated to sell for a fortune. After getting caught and thrown out, she collides with a man in an alleyway as she runs from security and that sets off the strangest adventure of her entire life.
Nobody writes broken people like Backman does. This was a lovely, beautiful story of troubled people living in bad situations, hanging in there because they've found their people. This is also a story about the power of art of any kind and how vital it is to humans to create it
I thought Backman's writing overwrought at times -- in some sections, it felt like he was trying too hard to make every sentence a framable quote, to the point where it affected the flow of the storytelling. Sometimes the character of Louisa also felt much younger than her supposed 18 years. But overall, I very much enjoyed this novel and the fierce friendships found within....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Alternate timelines � Examining the effects of domestic abuse/violence � Tear jerkers
I THOUGHT IT WAS..[Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Alternate timelines � Examining the effects of domestic abuse/violence � Tear jerkers
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A heartfelt, tender, and captivating family drama told through an unique structure. It's a fall day in 1987 and Cora is faced with a huge choice. She is registering her son's name for his birth certificate. Does she follow her domineering husband's expectation of naming her son after him? Does she take the fun but meaningful name suggestion from her nine-year-old? Or does she go with a name she discovered on her own?
First, I love the way this book is structured after the prologue. In seven year chunks, we drop into three versions of the lives of this family, each of which features Cora's son with a different name. We see how one choice begets more choices, the consequences reverberating out to affect many lives. And above all, we see that life is complicated. Every trajectory has its ups and downs, which is why we should never take the good times for granted and never give up even when it feels like everything has crumbled.
I think Knapp did a great job of exploring the importance that a name can carry, how a name can embody legacy and expectation, how it can shift perspectives and impressions. But just as much as a name can affect lives, so too does domestic violence. I'd argue that some versions of the Atkin family are shaped more by that than anyone's name. Knapp explores the different forms abuse can take vividly, and it's a reminder that no one ever deserves to live or suffer like that.
All signs point to this book getting very hyped up this year. I think it lives up to the hype....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � True crime/detective stories � Revenge � Dry or dark humor
I THOUGHT IT WAS... An extremely smart story about rising against racial oREAD IF YOU LIKE... � True crime/detective stories � Revenge � Dry or dark humor
I THOUGHT IT WAS... An extremely smart story about rising against racial oppression wrapped in the structure of a true-crime page-turner. The authorities of Money, Mississippi are baffled when confronted with two gristly murders. While the mutilations of the killed white men are horrendous, it's the presence of the same dead Black man at each one that they simply can't explain, especially because they put that Black man in the morgue after the first one.
I know Everett is a prolific writer, and I've only read two of his titles but I can already understand just how much of a literary treasure he is. THE TREES may just be the best satire I've read to date. The pacing is excellent, the exaggeration that's found in most satire is just enough without going over the top, and the jokes land. And over all that is a powerful acknowledgement of the violence people of color have suffered over the course of U.S. history -- so many murdered, so much justice unserved, so many unheard names that deserve to be unheard, to be witnessed. This novel is something special, and I was hooked the whole time....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Scholarly and academic insightfulness � Finding your way from rock bottom � Dating adventures
I THOUGHT [Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Scholarly and academic insightfulness � Finding your way from rock bottom � Dating adventures
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A novel of unexpected depth that I greatly appreciated. Two years after earning her Ph.D., our unnamed Iranian-Indian American protagonist is on the verge of broke, living in L.A. with no teaching or publishing prospects. When her best friend jokingly suggests she just marry rich, she decides to give it an earnest shot, creating a plan, a spreadsheet, and a goal to go on 100 dates before hopefully being engaged by fall.
There are two major parts to this novel and the biggest thing that stuck out to me was how different they are from each other. I think overall I liked the tone and writing shift -- especially since it became a catalyst for the protagonist's character development -- but there's something about it that also nags at me. Perhaps the change was too abrupt, right on the edge of out-of-character for the protagonist we'd gotten to know so far.
The first part reads like what you'd expect for a novel about a girl who decides to date rich people in L.A., with all the usual deprecating humor albeit sometimes elevated through an academic's haughty, critical gaze. While interesting, the second part of the novel is where it truly shines, exploring concepts with more gravitas like cultural identity, Third vs. First World countries, belonging, and family legacy.
Because this section was so rich, the ending felt weak as the author attempted to reconnect it with the dating project in part one. But, among all the novels out there about young women trying to find themselves, I think this one stands out for its depth and uniqueness....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Short stories and anthologies � The way stories bring us together
I THOUGHT IT WAS...[#gifted by @harperperennial @bibliolifestyle]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Short stories and anthologies � The way stories bring us together
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A collaboration that had so much promise but didn't deliver. In the midst of the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of New Yorkers start to gather on the roof of their building every night. Whether it's just to get some fresh air or to stave off loneliness from an appropriate social distance, these very different neighbors start to tell each other stories.
I wasn't planning on reading this book, but it put itself in front of me so many times that I finally gave in. I was intrigued by the premise. What does it look like when the geniuses of so many blockbuster, well respected authors come together in one book?
I don't know what prompts these authors were given, but it felt a little like they were simply told, "Write whatever the heck you want." No matter the prowess of the authors, when there is no obvious through-line tying an anthology together, the stories present themselves as kind of a cluster. Some are really good, and some had me questioning why I was spending my time reading this. And unfortunately, I think most stories fell toward the latter portion of the spectrum than the former.
Overall, I don't think the stitched together nature of this book worked out. Perhaps because it was stitched together in pieces, there were inconsistencies and confusing bits. I like the message this book tries to embody -- that stories bind us together and are also what make us us, human. But perhaps a clearer theme or direction to this collaboration would have made it a more enjoyable reading experience....more
I had high hopes for this. Nowhere in the history I was taught about Mexico's Indigenous peoples and the Spanish conquistadors did Malinalli make an appearance. In a crowded market of feminist retellings, I thought this was a worthy subject, exploring a time in history I wish I knew more of.
Unfortunately, I couldn't fully enjoy this because it suffers from one of my biggest pet peeves: uneven and sometimes confusing character development. One moment we see Malinalxochitl covet her namesake goddess' shield. A chapter later, she's content to let it be. Another chapter later, she wishes for it again, with no acknowledgement that she had mentally relinquished it. Later in the book, she recoils from war after seeing the devastation firsthand. But a few pages later, she relishes the idea of having her own army. The inconsistencies start adding up even when they involve small details.
There's also the matter of uneven pacing. Huge reveals and developments feel glossed over by their matter-of-fact delivery. Meanwhile, small scenes and moments are sometimes unnecessarily drawn out. The last part of the novel started as its strongest, but lost steam as it dragged on. I can't tell if editing decisions are to blame for the bumpy storytelling, but the bumpiness took away from what could have been a great novel....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Child's clarity through an adult's hindsight � Family drama � Atmospheric tension
I THOUGHT IT WAS... An [Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Child's clarity through an adult's hindsight � Family drama � Atmospheric tension
I THOUGHT IT WAS... An insightful exploration of family, parenthood and childhood. An extended family comes together for a family party. As often happens, the children of the gathering drift off from the parents to form their own group. But when the youngest cousin goes missing, the ordinary gathering turns tense as the rest of the children venture into the forest to look for her.
Bamford's writing is incisive, describing feelings from childhood with exactitude that you can immediately recognize and relate to. The family of the novel is also recognizable, one with underlying tensions that get uncomfortably rehashed every holiday or occasion. The child's perspective on these complex family dynamics throws into harsh relief how unhappy adults -- especially parents -- often are.
I also liked the way Bamford described the dynamics between the children, the way defacto leaders emerge, the way things can snowball to cause intense joy or sudden hate. All in all, I think this was a great exploration into family and having kids, but I didn't necessarily pick up on the themes the book is marketed to have, like "the sinister histories of property and privilege" or "the distortions of wealth." They're there, lurking in the background, but not the focal point I was led to believe....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Searching for the past � The link between violence and art � Short fiction
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A short no[Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Searching for the past � The link between violence and art � Short fiction
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A short novel that packs a punch, but is perhaps a little too aloof. Bonita is visiting Mexico from India on a language immersion trip when a mysterious woman crosses her path and tells her that she knew Bonita's mother as an artist many years ago. Skeptical, Bonita finds herself giving into this stranger and drawn into a search for a side of her mother she never knew existed.
Desai's prose is spectacular -- so fluid and descriptive, gracefully moving the story forward. I also loved the character of the Stranger, a woman so dramatic and expressive, convincing one day but suspect the next. Even Bonita's mother -- the titular Rosarita -- is beautifully sketched out despite the one chapter she gets in the novel.
History trails its chilling fingers over the core of this novel, over Rosarita. There's tragedy and violence lurking in the shadows as Bonita follows her mother's footsteps in Mexico. Desai draws a link between India's Partition and the Mexican Revolution and this comes out in the subtlest of ways. I think the novel would have been stronger if this history's presence was a little heavier, but I also recognize that there is intention behind the subtly....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Multi-generational stories from multiple perspectives � Lucha libre � Searching and hiding identities
I [Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Multi-generational stories from multiple perspectives � Lucha libre � Searching and hiding identities
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A solid novel about traditions and secrets that are passed from one generation to the next. Ernesto Vega, the once famed luchador with the name El Rey Coyote, is in hospice. As his son and his son's son grapple with their messy lives and his impending death, Ernesto reflects back on the life he himself lived -- the good, the bad, and the parts he kept hidden.
Espinoza is a great writer, and this novel is very good. I really loved the exploration of gay men hiding their identities paralleled with lucha libre, a sport all about hiding your identity behind a mask and a persona. That mask and persona is holy, to the point where it's a shameful and dramatic plot point for a fighter to get unmasked by their opponent. Over time, does it get hard for a luchador to separate their true self from their persona in the ring? Especially if it's easier than admitting who they really are?
That being said, I wasn't satisfied with all aspects of the book. Elena, Ernesto's wife and the sole female point of view in the book, was very one-dimensional, full of feminine rage that dragged on and on through every single one of her chapters without a worthy conclusion. Similarly, Ernesto's son and grandson had character arcs that felt too abruptly resolved, if one could even call it a resolution considering all their issues we explore throughout the book. But all in all, Espinoza is a fantastic storyteller and I'm glad I took the time to get to know these characters....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Writing about writing � Confronting oppression � Confronting the Western myth about the Israeli state
I [Copy provided by publisher]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Writing about writing � Confronting oppression � Confronting the Western myth about the Israeli state
I THOUGHT IT WAS... An incisive mediation on journalism and writing, told through three parts, three experiences that each exemplify, in Coates' view, a crucial aspect of responsible storytelling -- his first trip to Africa to witness his proverbial homeland, a visit to South Carolina where a debate rages over banning his book, and his time in Palestine confronting the unpleasant truths of reality.
In many ways, this book is a testament to the importance of perspective. The perspectives we have, the personal myths we subscribe to, are built by the knowledge we have and the stories we've been told. In order to be a better writer, Coates encourages us to "walk the land," to see firsthand the origins of the stories we try to tell ourselves. Because when you do so, as he did, you may come to realize that our perspectives, our myths, are not the innocuous realities that we thought.
I really liked Coates' commentary on the importance of discomfort and the huge role discomfort plays in learning. Coates points out that all the book bans, all the school districts with policies where no student should ever be made to feel uncomfortable or guilty due to race, all these attempts to erase discomfort actually does students a huge disservice.
I felt that Coates' chapter on his time in Palestine was the strongest of the book in terms of analysis and commentary. His perspective as a Black man well acquainted with systems of oppression walking through the occupation of Palestine was poignant and searing to read. So was the crumbling of the myth of journalism as he saw the role America played in telling the story of Israel. Coates is the first to admit that he has more growing and unpacking to do on the subject, which is also evident in how he's written the chapter, but I think all of us are right there with him....more
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Wartime stories � Children stating unpleasant truths � Complicated mother-daughter [Copy #gifted @harperperennial @bibliolifestyle]
READ IF YOU LIKE... � Wartime stories � Children stating unpleasant truths � Complicated mother-daughter relationships
I THOUGHT IT WAS... A surprisingly poignant, twisted and dark exploration of many different themes through the eyes of a 14-year-old girl. Sofia and her mother had enjoyed a cultured and cosmopolitan lifestyle in the Capital, until another country invades in an attempt to take back land it previously lost. Against her wishes, Sofia is sent on a train out of the Capital with her mother's memoir manuscript, which she is tasked with smuggling out of the country. Things go awry when the train is stopped by soldiers and Sofia flees, losing the manuscript as she tries to survive.
I expected a bleak wartime survival story, with commentary on the tragedy and complexity of war. That is in adundance. However, what I didn't expect was the twisted whimsy of Sofia's teenage imagination, philosophical discussions with a talking goose, and a profound reflection on womanhood. I felt interesting parallels between the enemy's attempt to retake the Capital and Sofia's complicated relationship with her independent, highly sophisticated mother. This novel is rich in layers and would be a great source of discussion....more
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