This is a fascinating book, set in an unknown place in a somewhat future time. Junior and Hen(rietta) are married and living a quiet life on a farm. A stranger arrives with surprising news: Junior has been “selected” in a lottery to travel to a space station. What does this mean to their married relationship? Can a biomechanical replica replace Junior? The story creates unease, a really creepy feeling. At its core, this story is about relationships, with shifts in the balance of power creating compelling reading. Highly recommended.
Wild Life – Amanda Leduc
Ms. Leduc, the author of the brilliant The Centaur’s Wife, has created an imaginative fable, a fairy tale that explores the boundary between humans and animals. There are talking hyenas, the feral disciples. There are pilgrims, a maybe prophet, and a “religion”. Importantly, there is an animal reawakening, an acquisition of language and consciousness. This is an epic tale from 1908-2041 that is both surprising and exhilarating: what is human, what is wild?
The Inheritance Of Loss – Kiran Desai
This book, published in 2006, deservedly won the Man Booker Prize. The setting is India in the late 1980s, a town in the north-eastern Himalayas. The main characters: a retired cantankerous old judge and his orphaned grand-daughter, and the cook with his undocumented son struggling to survive in New York. And there are many other vivid characters. The complexity and intensity of India is illustrated graphically, like perfect details of the sounds and smells of monsoon rains. And there is the chaos of a Nepali insurgency with excruciating civil unrest. Simply put, this is tour-de-force writing and a joy to read.
The Burning Library – Gilly MacMillan
Reading this book produced vivid memories of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, except women take centre stage. Two rival organizations of women, The Fellowship of the Larks and the Order of St. Katherine, are in a bloodthirsty race to recover an ancient medieval manuscript. And there are puzzles and a protagonist with an eidetic memory, and settings that include Scotland, England and finally Verona. Ruthless ambition and obsessions include murder, so entirely entertaining.
The Hunger We Pass Down – Jen Sookfung Lee
Simply put, this is a seriously spooky book about trauma that spans five generations of Asian women, from Gigi, a comfort woman in Hong Kong during World Warr II, to Alice and her daughter Luna in contemporary Vancouver. Can terrifying physical abuse and anger create vengeful ghosts? How can unspoken legacies of violence shape a family? Moments of love and kindness are contrasted with evil and cruelty. Ms. Lee’s story progresses to a truly terrifying end – highly recommended.
The Game – Ken Dryden
Full disclosure – this is a book about hockey. But in my defense, this extraordinary book is widely considered to be the greatest hockey book ever written. For context, Dryden was the goaltender for the Montréal Canadiens during their epic success in the 1970s. Specifically, he writes about 1979 and the performance of the team and himself. Importantly, Dryden is a thoughtful and articulate observer. Has the team been spoiled by success, and is the team in decline? Dryden has also decided to retire after his 9th season: why? He describes ball hockey as a child, and offers cogent observations on his teammates. This is a great book about people and performance, aspects of image and reputation, and even superstition.
The Ferryman And His Wife – Frode Grytten
This is a beautifully written introspective story. On a grey November day, Nils Vik takes his last journey on his ferry boat on a Norwegian fjord. On the way, some dead passengers join him; other former passengers who have died observe as witnesses. His last day alive is not sad, but often transcendent with memories of relationships with his late wife Marta, his two daughters, and many others (including a dead dog who can talk). There is a spareness to his life that is meaningful. Finally, the writing (translated by Alison McCullough) is often breathtaking: “two brothers were like magnets with the same polarity – they approached each other, pushed against each other, and were flung apart again”. Overall, a masterful story about an ordinary yet utterly profound life – highly recommended.
Blood Ties – Jo Nesbo
Nesbo is an expert Nordic Noir author but his crime thrillers are typically from the perspective of the police and the actions of the legendary Detective Harry Hole. This interesting book instead features insight into the psyche of two brothers who are criminals (and killers). Can the brothers continue to cover their tracks over past murders and current criminal actions like bribery and overt threats? What about the stress of sibling rivalry? Great fun to read.
Karla’s Choice – Nick Harkaway
The subtitle “A Novel of John LeCarre’s Circus” is not surprising because Harkaway is the son of the late John LeCarre. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that the author can resurrect the character of George Smiley so perfectly. It is 1963, the missing decade between “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold” and “Tinker, Tailor …”. Smiley epitomizes watchfulness, the exercise of paranoia, and the awareness of constant danger. The plot is, of course, complex with a missing spy and action in London, Berlin and Vienna – very enjoyable.
What David Read 