How Do I
Sheila's Picks
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deWitt, Patrick The Sisters Brothers Fiction |
| Charlie and Eli Sisters are infamous assassins in the mid-nineteenth century Wild West. The brothers make their way to booming and frenetic San Francisco to kill a man. Their journey is not quiet or clean, but in the end the brothers take an unexpected turn that alters their career path. The novel is narrated by Eli, and his sparsely simplistic prose and descriptions render him unexpectedly human. While one character describes Charlie as being "simply too lazy to be good," we watch Eli try to act on the good in him, making himself vulnerable in the attempt. Did I mention that this book is funny? Nearly every page contains wicked dry humor, and this ox of a man is exposed as being witty and likeable. You never forget the fact that Eli is a feared killer, but you find yourself rooting for a better life for him, where his circumstances do not dictate his actions, and his simple dreams of shop keeping and clean teeth are realized. The Sisters Brothers was short-listed for the 2011 Man Booker Prize—it certainly had my vote. Recommended January 2012 |
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Hunt, Rebecca Mr. Chartwell Fiction |
| Watch out for the twist at the end! OK, not really, but
that leads me to explain that reviews are both precarious to read
and prickly to write. The purpose of a book is for readers to enjoy,
in their own time, the unfolding of the story in all its literary
glory. Mr. Chartwell does not keep the reader perched in
ambiguity too long, but I appreciated the brief mystery of Mr. Chartwell's
identity. In the summer of 1964, Mr. Chartwell is a looming presence
in the lives of both Sir Winston Churchill and Ester Hammerhans, a
librarian at the House of Commons. At times companionable and other
times fiercely objectionable, Mr. Chartwell is inextricably linked
to the two main characters during this momentous period in Churchill's
life, his retirement from Parliament. Fluid prose and a small cast
of quirky, amiable, and ever-loyal characters bring humor and hopefulness
into Churchill and Esther's unsettled paths. If you liked The
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (and I know
you did), then Mr. Chartwell will charm the anglophilic trousers
off of you. Recommended April 2011 |
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Petterson, Per I Curse the River of Time Fiction |
| Oh Per, you've done it to me again. I become mesmerized
by your beautiful writing and complex characters and then, WHAM! You
leave me clamoring for more. Immersed in the imposing Scandinavian
landscape, I Curse the River of Time explores the complicated
relationship between a dying mother and her grown son. Petterson does
not coddle these characters with sympathetic renderings. Sometimes
you want to cry with them, sometimes you despise their selfish actions.
The Los Angeles Times described Petterson as "a master at
writing the spaces between people," and these vast expanses leaves
the reader as bewildered as the characters themselves. Choose I
Curse the River of Time for your book discussion group—you could
talk about it for hours. Recommended December 2010 |
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Udall, Brady The Lonely Polygamist Fiction |
| Everything about Golden Richards is exceptionally large.
Physically, he's a towering giant of a man with an enormous family
- four wives and twenty eight kids to be exact. But whereas many people
may look upon the patriarch of such a grand polygamist family as domineering
and forceful, Golden is no such thing. In fact, it is quickly apparent
that his life is completely run by his quartet of competent wives.
He drifts from bedroom to bedroom according to a pre-determined schedule
decided upon by the women. Children, house repairs, church functions
- all mapped out for him. The only choices he seems to make for himself
(very poorly) in his god-fearing life are the decisions to construct
a brothel in a neighboring state and to fall in love with a mistress.
There is much comic relief in this tale, but there is also a poignancy
that is heartbreakingly real. Satisfying wives is one thing, but how
do you give twenty-eight children the love and affection they need?
You don't. You try to avoid any cause for comparison and jealousy
that may disrupt the family equilibrium. It is easy to feel sympathy
for Golden because he seems to not have the ability to alter his course
of existence, but that tolerance gets put-upon mightily when his passivity
becomes perilous for those around him. Golden's need to desperately
love in the singular makes it very apparent that it is possible to
have too much of a good thing. Recommended October 2010 |
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Strout, Elizabeth Olive Kitteridge Fiction |
| Olive Kitteridge is a grouchy former teacher who keeps
those around her feeling intimidated, put off, or antsy. She snaps
at her husband, dominates her son's life, and exudes an air of unfriendliness.
So why in the world do I like her? Because Elizabeth Strout has brilliantly
given us a 360 degree external view of this iceberg while matching
it with Olive's own straightforward view of life. The novel is told
in a series of 13 chapters, each from the viewpoint of a different
character. In some, Olive merely appears as a brief memory or as a
seemingly insignificant passerby, but each shows us a subtle but telling
piece of the puzzle that forms Olive. Many times I read a passage,
just a blip of observation on a character's life, and later found
myself pondering its poignancy, and admiring Strout's acute precision
in looking at the mundane moments that make up our lives. Olive
Kitteridge won the 2009 Pulitzer for fiction. I'm only disappointed
that they got to the recommendation before I did. Recommended July 2009 |
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Barry, Brunonia The Lace Reader Fiction |
| "My name is Towner Whitney. No, that's not exactly true.
My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time."
Don't you love a completely unreliable narrator? So begins The
Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry. Towner's disclaimer faded from
my mind as I was introduced to the inhabitants of her hometown, Salem,
Massachusetts. Some of these characters are endearing and some utterly
despicable. Towner and the other women in her family have the ability
to read lace in order to see the future, although this mystical ability
feels more like a curse than a gift to Towner. After many years trying
to live an independent life across the country, Towner returns to
Salem to deal with an imposing family matter, and she is forced to
confront her past and the loss of her beloved twin sister. You'll
call your friends and insist that they read this novel, because you'll
want to discuss it, dissect it, and wonder at it. Recommended May 2009 |
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Davidson, Andrew The Gargoyle Fiction |
| I was taken from the first by this edgy story with its
unlikely mix of historical flashbacks. The novel begins when our narrator,
a slightly unlikable man with a morally questionable lifestyle, rockets
his car off a cliff while incredibly intoxicated. He survives to face
an agonizing recuperation in a hospital burn unit where he dreams
up an intricate plan to commit suicide once he is discharged. His
all-consuming desire to die begins to melt away when he meets Marianne
Engel, a presumed schizophrenic who is convinced that they were lovers
in 14th-century Germany. Marianne, a sculptress of gargoyles, weaves
intimate tales of love throughout the ages, from plague-infested Italy
to the Vikings of ancient Scandinavia. While our narrator listens
to the marvelous tale of their centuries-old bond, he gradually acclimates
to his post-burn reality, and falls in love with Marianne. Like the
narrator, we have the pleasure of deciding if these tales are mere
fabrications of her altered mind or (if we're willing to take a faith-filled
step) if they are exciting, intangible possibilities. The Gargoyle
would appeal to those who liked Life of Pi. This unique,
intelligent, and humorous novel was one of my favorite books from
the past year. Recommended April 2009 |
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Groff, Lauren Monsters of Templeton Fiction |
| Willie Upton returns to her hometown in utter disgrace
and is left with the choice to either sputter and fail, or to allow
the town's essence and its mysteries to get her back on her feet.
The day she returns to Templeton, a huge water monster is found floating
dead in the lake. While an investigation into the beast's origin is
carried out, Willie begins to investigate her own family history in
an attempt to find her real father -- there are skeletons galore in
these closets. Groff deftly weaves Willie's present day dilemma with
rich and intriguing characters from the past. Ghosts, secrets, and
eccentrics abound in both the past and present, making this well-written
novel one to put on your "Read It Soon" list. Recommended June 2008 |
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Phillips, Marie Gods Behaving Badly Fiction |
| Oh, what fun! This original romp takes place in modern
day London where the entire pantheon of Greek gods are alive and well....and
bored. They are all finding it a bit difficult to cope in a world
where no one believes in them and where they are reduced to taking
on everyday jobs: Aphrodite is a phone sex worker, Artemis is a dog-walker,
and Dionysus owns a sleazy night club. There seems to be no excitement
or pleasure left in life, so they create their own by tricking and
tormenting one another. Unfortunately, the gods' housekeeper and her
friend become caught in the crossfire of these lightning-wielding
egomaniacs. Can these mere mortals save each other and ultimately
save the world? I give two thumbs up for this entertaining and clever
look at the gods and their humans. Recommended May 2008 |
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Petterson, Per Out Stealing Horses Fiction |
| Out Stealing Horses is a wisp of a novel narrated
by sixty-seven-year-old Trond who has recently decided to live a reclusive
life. His thoughts very often return to the seminal summer of his
fifteenth year when his relationship with his father and his friendships
form the centerpiece of his life to come. The story is poignant and
powerful, but Petterson does not allow this novel to feel sorry for
itself. While the writing is simple and functional, its staggering
beauty draws you so convincingly into Trond's world that you clearly
experience events through his senses. This two hundred and fifty page
book could easily have been much longer, but Petterson's expertise
and profound talent pares down the tale to its essentials without
insulting the reader by spoon-feeding each twist and turn and inviting
us to capitalize on our own imaginations. This would be a great pick
for book groups because the threads of discussion and interpretation
are endless. Was I left wanting more? Absolutely! But I savored every
minute of this gorgeously-told gem and have not stopped thinking about
it since I closed the last page. Recommended April 2008 |
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