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.
Author: AJ
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.
My Friends – Fredrik Backman
Simply put, Backman has produced a work of exceptional storytelling. First, there is a famous painting that shows three friends at the end of a pier, a work of art that illustrates friendship and laughter. And 25 years later, a 17-year-old young woman Louisa learns the backstory during a trip with Ted, one of the friends on the pier. The magic reality of relationships is paramount, especially the reckless exuberance of 4 young 14-15-year-olds. Full disclosure: the unfolding story cannot be read without tears; there is fear and profound sadness with cruelty. But there is also great love, both explicit and unspoken. Backman’s prose is evocative and poignant, so the importance of the translator, Neil Smith, must be acknowledged and celebrated. One of my best reads this year – highly recommended.
The Book Of Records – Madeleine Thien
Full disclosure: this magnificent book is difficult to describe and, for me, a challenge to read but it is a totally rewarding experience. First, there is Ms. Thien’s exquisite writing. And second, the story is a blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Most of the book takes place in The Sea, an enclave for people in transition, on the way to a “better” place. Lina arrives at age 7 from China with her ailing father, and experiences a fluidity of time with other residents who represent the poet Du Fu, the philosopher Spinoza, and the writer Hannah Arendt. So there is storytelling with sublime writing about such diverse topics as lens grinding (Spinoza) and a breath-taking escape from Europe by Hannah in 1941. So, accept a challenge to read about philosophy – you will be richly rewarded.
People Of The Book – Geraldine Brooks
In 1996, an Australian rare book conservator travels to Bosnia to inspect the Sarajevo Haggadah, a 500-year-old book with illuminated Hebrew text. The history of the book is presented as historical fiction: creation in Spain in the late 15th century, rebinding in Vienna in 1844, and preservation from Nazis in World War II. Importantly, there are critical roles for Muslims and Catholics in the history of this book. Mysteries are revealed, with a backdrop of contemporary intrigue. Overall, very entertaining.
A Table For Two – Amor Towles
Towles is a great writer of novels (A Gentleman in Moscow, The Lincoln Highway). This book features his shorter fiction. First, there are six short stories set in contemporary New York: art in the Metropolitan Museum, dining at Balthazar, music at Carnegie Hall – what’s not to love! These stories feature brief encounters and the delicate mechanics of compromise in a marriage. And second, the book contains a novella set in 1938 Los Angeles featuring Eve from Rules of Civility in a noirish role, in a classic crime caper. Towles writing is stylish and compelling, as always.
In Winter I Get Up At Night – Jane Urquhart
Ms. Urquhart is a Canadian literary treasure and this book is one of her best. In the 1920s, the McConnell family travels from Ontario to the Northern Great Plains (aka Saskatchewan). Emer is a young girl whose life is transformed by a catastrophic injury and slow hospital convalescence separated from her family. What follows are transcendent images and memories revealed in a looping non-linear narrative, in other words, the mind of a child with confused imaginations and an adult’s poignant nostalgia. Emer has a profound and moving life – a must read book in my opinion.
What David Read 