Unless – Carole Shields

Sometimes when the CPL hold system fails to provide a new book, it is a great pleasure to revisit a classic book from my personal library, like this great novel from 2002 by Ms. Shields, a Canadian literary icon. Full disclosure: this is a book about and for women. Reta is a 44-year-old married mother with three daughters, and a writer/translator. Her female relationships are complex. Notably, her 19-year-old daughter Norah is living on the street; her motivation of choose a path of self-abnegation is a mystery. And Reta’s interactions with her female fiends and colleagues are also complex with profound feelings of powerlessness. As always, Ms. Shields’ writing is exquisite; for example, the description of a library trip is sublime.