This 18th Inspector Gamache mystery is genuinely suspenseful with some eery parts. The complicated but compelling plot combines elements of a cold case with current crimes. Gamache and Beauvoir are revealed to have blind spots, so very human characteristics. There is art, and finally, a strong theme of forgiveness despite considerable darkness. This is one of Ms. Penny’s best Three Pines novels.
Author: AJ
The Fraud – Zadie Smith
And now for something entirely different: Ms. Smith has written a fantastic novel of historical fiction. The central character, Mrs. Eliza Touchet, is an acid-tongued spinster with abolitionist views, who moves in with her cousin in the 1840s, the hapless writer William Ainsworth, and lives with him for the next 30 years. England is captivated by the Tichborne Affair, in which Arthur Orton, a lower-class butcher from Australia, claims to be Sir Roger Tichborne and thus heir to a sizable estate (ant title). His outrageous claim results in two lengthy trials where a Black Jamaican, Andre Bogle, supports the claim. What is truth in a world of hypocrisy and self-deception? Overall, the writing is rich and detailed, a joy to read.
The Islands – Dionne Irving
Short stories about the Jamaican diaspora, women immigrants or descendants of immigrants. With multiple locations over many years, the poignant stories reveal the complexities of live, issues of identity and belonging, of uncertainty. Overall, very moving and deservedly Giller short-listed.
All The Colour In The World – CS Richardson
Henry is born in 1916, and raised by a Shakespeare-quoting grandmother. His artistic talent is colouring and copying which leads him to art history. Marriage to Alice ends with a tragic accident and a disastrous war experience leads to PTSD. Best of all, art and history permeates Richardson’s writing: Giller short-listed and highly recommended.
The Mystery of Right and Wrong – Wayne Johnston
Mr. Johnston has written many fine books about Newfoundland (The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, The Custodian of Paradise), but none so graphic as this new novel. Wade is a young man from a Newfoundland outport, a true provincial in every sense of the word, who meets South African born Rachel in the MUN library. Rachel is a wounded soul, obsessed with reading and re-reading The Diary of Anne Frank; her three sisters are equally conflicted. Most of the book takes place in South Africa and Amsterdam in 1985. Be warned – this story contains some dark and disturbing secrets that are very intense.
Invisible Boy – Harrison Mooney
Subtitle: a memoir of self-discovery. Harry/Harrison is a black child who is adopted by a white evangelical couple in Abbotsford, the BC bible belt. What follows is indoctrination by home-schooling and church fundamentalism, tent revivals, and demon possession and oppression. What is African is explicitly evil. What an adopted Black child learns is shame, confusion and suspicion, and thus is rendered invisible. Can mixed race adoptions ever be successful? Thanks Amy, for this thoughtful memoir.
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver
This fascinating book is a retelling of the classic Dickens’ David Copperfield, transposed to contemporary times in rural Appalachia. Demon/Damon has a teenage single mother who subsequently dies. Thus, the story contains crushing poverty, mean-spirited foster care and an indifferent social services system. Most compelling, however, is the descent into addictions prompted by the (mis)use of oxycontin. The perils of Demon’s journey to maturity are profound, given his perception of his own invisibility. Highly recommended.
My Murder – Katie Williams
What an interesting premise for a murder mystery: Lou/Louise, a wife and mother of a toddler, is murdered by a serial killer, and then resurrected by cloning, masterminded by the resurrection committee. But there are unsettling discrepancies between the before and after. What if the murder you have to solve is your own? And of course, VR games are a complicating factor. Overall, a very original and startling book.
The Double Life of Benson Yu – Kevin Chong
The author of the prescient The Plague has now written an inventive story of metafiction. The narrator/author creates a fictional version of himself as 12-year-old Benny living in 1980s Vancouver Chinatown. Accordingly, there is a blend of reality and invention. What if the author loses control of the narrative? Consequently, the story is often confusing because of two timelines, and thus can be frustrating. Some complex themes of child sexual abuse and suicidal ideation abound. This original story is deservedly on the Giller long-list.
What David Read 