Patchett is a great writer and this latest book is a wonderful story of what appears to be entirely dysfunctional families. A blended family with step-children united in their dislike of their parents, and each other, is described wonderfully. Then over 5 decades, relationships change and evolve. A favourite sentence that encapsulates how relationships change: “She had loved Bert Cousins, and then grown used to him, then was disappointed in him and then later, after he left her, with five small children, she had hated him with the full force of her life”. Wow.
Category: Book themes
Swing Time – Zadie Smith
An un-named narrator tells a story that alternates between two times: childhood in NW London in the 1980s, and adulthood in the 2000s. All the important relationships in the narrator’s life are with women: her mother, her friend Tracey, and her employer Aimee, a Madonna-like rock star. A sub-plot in Africa is especially rewarding. Smith’s prose is insightful, she is an acute observer of the narrator’s world. This is sensational writing, the best of Smith’s books so far.
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 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 Witches of New York – Ami McKay
This book takes place in 1880 New York, with Moth from The Virgin Cure as one of the central characters. Witches abound in New York, along with ghosts and spirits. The practise of witchcraft is mostly folk magic. The story-telling is excellent, with some peril of course for the sisterhood. And there is an alienist. Will there be another sequel?
Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury
Not sure how I missed reading this classic science-fantasy book from 1962, but thanks to Amy, this serious omission has been rectified. This is a classic morality tale of good versus evil with two 13 year-old boys, a library as sanctuary, and a soul-destroying circus. How about this description of the circus carousel: “Its horses, antelopes, zebras, speared through their spines with brass javelins, having contorted as in death rictus, asking mercy with their fright—coloured eyes, seeking revenge with their panic-contorted teeth”. A dark fantastic masterpiece.
An Uncommon Education – Elizabeth Percer
This is a remarkable first novel about relationships (my favourite topic): Naomi and her parents; Naomi and her childhood friend; Naomi and her fellow Wellesley College students. Parts of this book reminded me of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which is high praise.
Winner of the National Book Award – Jincy Willett
A story of two fraternal twin sisters, both remarkably similar and dissimilar, and a misogynistic psychopath whose relationships with both sisters are both bizarre and sinister. This is an excellent read, some really funny parts, and some creepy parts.
Vinegar Girl – Anne Tyler
A man has two daughters, the oldest is Kate, there is an attempted arranged marriage – yes, this is a delightful retelling of Shakespeare’s Taming Of The Shrew by Anne Tyler, an American treasure as a novelist. A total hoot.
What David Read 