I, like many others, was conflicted over Alexis’ previous book 15 Dogs, despite all the awards. In contrast, this new book is a delight – a mystery and a heist caper. The characters are a treasure, each vivid and unique. And like De Wit’s Sisters Brothers, there is some philosophizing over good and evil, so overall, a very entertaining book.
Author: AJ
Party Wall – Catherine Leroux
This is a really excellent book, not surprising since this was a Giller finalist. The chapters are all about pairs, for example, two sisters. But some of the pairs are not what they seem: a husband and wife, a mother and son, and a brother and sister. There is a strong sense of place but not of time. And finally, lives begin to intersect. This is dazzling writing and exceptional translating (the translator won a Governor General’s Award), so a “must read”.
The Piano Maker – Kurt Palka
This is a wonderful example of superb story telling: France up to WWI, then Quebec and New Brunswick. Both piano making and piano playing, and a compelling adventure story in an Alberta winter and finally a criminal trial. And best of all, there is a strong female character, Helene.
The Transcriptionist – Amy Rowland
This book is a gem, a short but meaningful book about loss and finding one’s place in the world. First, it is a very New York book. But it is mostly an existential book. Lena is a transcriptionist at a prestigious newspaper; her job is to transcribe dictation, a job that is disappearing in 2001. Thus, Lena is looking for meaning in her life, a quest that is precipitated by chance encounter with someone on the subway. A very good read.
The Japanese Lover – Isabel Allende
A story of inter-woven lives, mostly in San Francisco: a young woman from Moldova, a Polish woman who escaped from Germany in 1939; a Japanese gardener interned during WWII. There is a powerful love story, what love can overcome and what love cannot overcome. As always, Allende’s writing is beautiful – an example from the end of the book: “In the darkest hour of the night, that mysterious hour when time thins and often the veil between this wold and that of the spirits is drawn back, the guest Alma was waiting for arrived at last”.
The Blue Guitar – John Banville
Banville is a fine writer (Man Booker award for his previous novel, The Sea): his writing is elegant with words that sparkle (a dictionary is also useful). This latest novel is about the complex relationships between two couples. The main character, Oliver, is fascinating: annoyingly self-absorbed, a thief of small and large objects, and a coward. And he is a painter.
Umbrella Man – Peggy Blair
Blair is a Canadian who writes mystery novels about Inspector Ramirez in Cuba. The plot is complicated: murder and spies and double/triple agents. But as in most mystery stories, the context is more important than plot. In this case, the context is Havana: decaying elegance, a hopelessly under-resourced police department, and the general deprivations of life in Cuba. This is a very fun read, and topical since Cuba has received more attention after the death of Fidel.
Stranger – David Bergen
Iso is a young Guatemalan woman who has an affair with an American doctor in Guatemala. Iso become pregnant and at birth, her newborn daughter is taken away to America. So much of this book is about her travel to America as an undocumented person, to attempt to recover her daughter; the risks, acts of kindness and treachery, and the over-arching powerlessness. Given the world’s situation, understanding the plight of undocumented individuals is important. Lawrence Hill’s book The Illegal is better but Bergen’s novel is a worthwhile read.
Harmless Like You – Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
There is much to love about literary festivals, but one distinct pleasure is the chance encounter with a new author. Buchanan is such a bonus from the Calgary Wordfest. This is a remarkable first novel with two parallel time lines: NY from 1968-83 and contemporary 2016. Profound sadness pervades Yuki’s story in NY as an abandoned 16 year-old and her subsequent struggle to do art. She then abandons her son when he is 2 years old to live in Berlin as a struggling performance artist. The contemporary story line is about her adult son Jay who has remarkable insecurities. Mother and son are finally reunited and the confrontation/reconciliation is both beautiful and painful. This is an excellent read, exploring the thin line between attachment and abandonment, love and pain, sacrifice and selfishness, with an impressive maturity. This is an author to follow in the future.
What David Read 