Another excellent novel of historical fiction by Ms. Allende. Emilia is born in San Francisco in 1886 after her Irish mother was abandoned after a brief affair with a Chilean aristocrat. She grows up to become a strong self-sufficient young woman and an independent thinker. She begins to write pulp fiction and then turns to journalism, all using a male pen name. In 1891, she travels to Chile and becomes embroiled in a brutal civil war. Her war experiences are truly harrowing; overall, this novel is spellbinding.
Author: AJ
The Tiger And The Cosmonaut – Eddy Boudel
This Giller short-listed story is set in a remote area of the Sunshine Coast in BC. Three adult children return to their hometown when their father goes missing. Is this an early stage of dementia, or something else? The siblings must also confront the mystery of a missing brother from more than 20 years ago. This is an emotional story of identity in the face of secrets. There is also underlying violence and meanness that is unsettling, both in the past and now in the present. Overall, an unforgettable tale of survival and unspoken love.
A Truce That Is Not Peace – Miriam Toews
This exceptional book is hard to describe – a stream-of-consciousness memoir, perhaps, featuring electrifying honesty. There are questions like why does she write? There are letters to a silent sister. And there is profound melancholy when acknowledging the suicides of her father and sister (Page 31: “I was crazy with grief, guilt and dread”). But there are very funny excerpts about a European trip in 1988, and hilarious observations about the current domestic life in her multi-generational Toronto home. Bottom line- this is a powerful story that is both heart wrenching and joyful, in other words, Ms. Toews at her best.
Pick A Colour – Souvankham Thammavongsa
Remarkably, this first novel has been Giller short-listed. Importantly, there is much left unsaid in this accounting of a single day in a Nail Salon in an unnamed city. The three manicurists speak an unnamed language that allows them to talk and gossip freely about their clients. The owner Ning is an self-contained observer, so there is a seductive intimacy to common events. Overall, masterful writing as one might anticipate from a former Giller winner for short stories (How To Pronounce Knife).
Lullabies For Little Criminals – Heather O’Neill
This is Ms. O’Neill’s first novel, written almost 20 years ago and winner of Canada Reads in 2007. Baby is a 12-13-year-old girl living in Montreal with her single father Jules who is entirely irresponsible. Thus, O’Neill captures the exuberance of youth, with some breathtaking bad choices and the absolute lack of a moral compass. This is really a story of a life on the street, completely without self pity. Be advised: this is a gritty story with danger and extreme cruelties, and some sickening realities of feral children and their reckless decisions. A must read.
Katabasis – R.F. Kuang
Simply put, this is a fantastical story, one of Ms. Kuang’s best. Alice and Peter are graduate students in the Department of Analytic Magick at Cambridge. When their supervisor dies, they descend into Hell to retrieve his soul from the Underworld. What could go wrong? There are outstanding elements in this epic story-telling. First, the psychology of Alice and Peer as individuals is fascinating, and their relationship together largely based on competition and rivalry. And second, the description of the eight levels of Hell is brilliant with some parallels to academia (the first court, pride, is an academic library). As the courts become more sinister and dangerous, there is even an Escher trap, the Penrose Stairs. And finally, there are numerous philosophical discussions about principles like the Liar Paradox, and a brilliant Orpheus joke on page 536! This is a creative book about ideas, learning and thinking, an absolute must read.
The Homemade God – Rachel Joyce
Ms. Joyce is an exquisite writer, and this book is one of her best (along with The Music Shop). Four siblings travel to Italy because of the unexpected death of their father. At the Lake villa, they also meet the much younger woman their father has married recently. This is a relationship story, about fragile familial bonds, the paralysis of grief, about beauty and pain. The writing is beautiful and very evocative, so be warned: tears will emerge. Overall, this is a moving, insightful and imaginative story with a brilliant ending. Highly recommended.
Valentine in Montreal – Heather O’Neill
This exquisite story was created first as weekly installments in the Montreal Gazette. Valentine was orphaned at age 7 and raised by her grandmother in an apartment connected to the Montreal Metro system. Now age 24, she works at a Berri-UQAM depanneur. A chance encounter with her doppelganger leads to an adventure with the Russian mafia, a composer and a ballet dancer, and even a musical cricket, and there are stops at Metro stations. O’Neill’s fabulous prose creates a fable-like atmosphere, with beautiful illustrations by daughter Arizona.
The Paris Express – Emma Donoghue
In 1895, the Paris Express train begins a 7-hour trip to Paris. Donoghue writes with impeccable detail about the operation of the train but also about the passengers in first- second- and third-class carriages separated by wealth and status. What if an anarchist with a bomb is one of the passengers? Is this train rushing to a catastrophe? So the story shifts from historical fiction to become a thriller. Thus, a story that is impossible to stop reading – highly recommended.
What David Read 