family – Page 3 – What David Read

Prophet Song – Paul Lynch

Trigger warning: this is a tough read, bad things progress to worse things. Contemporary Ireland is becoming dystopian with national emergency legislation and suspension of constitutional rights. Eilish is an approximate 40 year old mother of 4. Her life is upended when her trade unionist husband is abducted by the state. How can she protect her children and her mildly-demented father from the political chaos that descends into civil war. Does she stay or attempt to flee? The writing is dense with run-on dialog that is consistent with the intensity of emotions (desperation, despair). What will a mother do to hold her family together in the face of societal collapse.

Thanks Mike, for giving me this important book.

The Relatives – Camilla Gibb

A relatively short but insightful book about family and motherhood. There are three separate storylines. Lila is contemplating motherhood. Tess is the mother of an 8-year-old whose relationship with Emily is ending. And Adam is the enigmatic sperm donor. What are our responsibilities to each other in order to create a family? This is a remarkable book – highly recommended.

The Covenant of Water – Abraham Verghese

Be advised that this is a long book, more than 700 pages, but the writing is exquisite. The setting is South India from 1900-1977, with a focus on three generations in a single family. The story begins with a 12-year-old bride meeting her much older widowed husband. Being India, some tragedy is inevitable ranging from an inherited propensity for drowning to leprosy. Verghese’s writing is exceptional; some examples are describing Madras evening breezes to rail journeys, plus medical information. Family secrets abound, of course, and historical India provides an indelible backdrop to lives full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss. A must read book – highly recommended.

Starling House – Alix E. Harrow

This is an excellent modern gothic fantasy. There is a spooky mansion that may be sentient. Can dreams and nightmares create monsters? What constitutes bad luck? Opal is a 26-year-old survivor who is fighting to create better future opportunities for her younger brother. And finally, the Kentucky setting provides a sinister background to a tale of worlds within worlds. Highly recommended.

Moon of the Turning Leaves – Waubgeshig Rice

In this sequel to the excellent Moon of the Crusted Snow, 12 years have passed since a mysterious cataclysm produced a total blackout. Now, six Indigenous members of a remote northern community journey 500 km south to their original location on the north shore of Georgian Bay. How will anarchy shape their journey? This is a compelling story of resilience and survival that is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy’s brilliant account of a post-apocalyptic journey in The Road. Highly recommended.

Tom Lake – Ann Patchett

Simply put, this is another great novel by Ms. Patchett (her 9th). Lara (age 57) and her three adult daughters are picking cherries at their Michigan orchard. During this time together, Lara shares details from when she spent 4 months at a summer stock theater, specifically about an intense relationship with another actor when she was 24. At its core, this is an insightful relationship story between parents and children, and offers a gentle meditation on youthful love in contrast to married love, and the life parents led before they had children. What do we reveal to our children at different ages and maturity, and what, if anything, is withheld? Fabulous story telling, highly recommended.

Hang the Moon- Jeannette Walls

Previously, Ms. Walls has written autobiographical (The Glass Castle) and biographical (Half Broke Horses) books. This new book is a novel that follows the trials and tribulations of Sallie Kincaid in 1920s Virginia. At ages 17-20, Sallie has to deal with family secrets in rural areas dealing with the prohibition. There are conflicts between what is right and wrong, and legal and illegal. Sallie is both clever and quick, but how will she operate in a world that devalues women?

Happiness Falls – Angie Kim

Ostensibly, this is a missing person mystery: a father goes missing from a Korean-American family (wife, three children). What elevates this story is a unique point-of-view, emphasizing the family impact. Why do people do and say what they do? For a family in crisis, there are many discussions on cognitive psychology. What if suspicion falls on the youngest son who is non-verbal because of autism and Angelman Syndrome? Questions of loss, language and the expectations and assumptions regarding communication abound. Finally, the ending is somewhat enigmatic, as is real life.

Happy-Go-Lucky – David Sedaris

And now for something entirely different: a collection of mostly humorous essays. Sedaris offers wry observations on many topics (e.g., pandemic experiences) but his most poignant essays are about his family relationships, most notably with his elderly father. He is candid and self-deprecating, with the use of wonderful words (one-downsmanship) and phrases (crocheted blanket the colour of sorrow). A very fun read.