So Far Gone - Jess Walter

 

An entertaining quick read. Although there is a some violence, I thought of this novel as one of happenstance. As troubles pile up on Rhys Kinnick, who has been living off the grid in the woods for seven years, the fact that he has been out of touch for so long catches up with him. In the search for his daughter, he realized that he may have been mistaken. You can never really forget your family. 

The Lover -- Marguerite Duras

A year for classics. Another book I read because it was recommended by my mom. I am surprised. Something this dark is not her usual type of read. Set in Vietnam in the 1920's, the autobiographical story of a French family, is told as a remembrance of the author. The novel centers around the affair Duras has as a 15 year old girl with a wealthy Chinese son of a businessman. Her family is poor, her mother psychologically damaged, and her two brothers are sketchy and complicated. Vietnam is a difficult place to be young, poor, and white. There is a lot of pain to go around here. 

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf

I  remember reading Mrs. Dalloway when I was in college and loving the story. Now, 100 years after publication, Virginia Woolf's masterpiece is still an affirmation of life. As Clarissa Dalloway's day unfolds, the sounds, smells, and atmosphere of London washes over her. The many characters entering the story, some related to Clarissa and her impending party, and others acting out their own sad tales on the periphery, all teem with energy and tension. It amazed me how much sensation of living Woolf could squeeze into this single, swirling day. I loved it again. 

Heartwood - Amity Gaige

 

A quick missing person mystery set in Maine on the Appalachian Trail. When Sparrow, or Valerie Gillis, disappears while hiking the trail, it is assumed she'll be located soon. But, as the search goes on for days, we get to know not only Valerie, but those looking for her, those missing her, those who hiked along side her, and those who are conjecturing as to her whereabouts. Beverly, the Game Warden, leads the search; while her parents and partner await her return. In the background, Lena is communicating online with a young man who may know her whereabouts from her room at an assisted living facility. I was in the mood for a mystery, and this fit the bill.

The Emperor of Gladness - Ocean Vuong

The Emperor of Gladness is a compelling and intriguing novel that is kind of a magical realism mix of an emotional young man, a woman with dementia, a crew at a fast food restaurant, immigrants, a failing Connecticut town, and poor people.  Hai, the main character, is a naturally sweet, but a very unsettled guy. Drugs, family, college, and depression, keep him permanently on edge. The rest of the cast are also charming, although off-kilter. Vuong's writing is poetic and at times dreamy...to me, the language occasionally seemed to ask for more attention then the story when it reached for image over plot. On the whole, the story made me feel a little sad for how many people can easily get lost in our world.

You Can Never Die -- Harry Bliss

I love daily cartoons, and I really love Harry Bliss's daily cartoon, Bliss, and I am very fond of his dog Penny who is depicted in many of them. So, when I saw he had written a graphic memoir about the death of  his dog, I had to pick up a copy. Or course, being a memoir, You Can Never Die is about more then Penny. Bliss had a rough childhood, and dabbled with drugs, and his parents are more than a handful, but he draws beautifully. His memoir may be a little self-indulgent and slightly smug, but it's also sweet, honest and revealing. If you'd like to get inside the mind of a famous cartoonist and illustrator (New Yorker cartoonist, Steve Marin collaborator, picture book author, teacher and more), give it a whirl. 

Flashlight - Susan Choi

Flashlight is an absolutely engrossing novel that delves deeply into identity, family, nationality, illness, and suffering. It is hard to describe the totality of the characters, since their essence is so shaped by what is done to them, as well as their perception of what they have seen. When a displaced family is left adrift by a disappearance, their precarious and distrustful lives unravel in troubling and unexpected directions. This is a difficult book to summarize since it jumps in time, location and characters. There are mysteries solved, and threads that meander away. Susan Choi writing is as intricate as the story, but also wry and unsettling.

The Next Day - Melinda French Gates

Melinda Gates tells us that even if you have a very supportive family, a lot of money, a slew of good friends, and you're smart, transition can be hard but worthwhile. Of course, if you don't come from such a place of privilege, you may find it hard to empathize with her. I know she has done a lot of good, but her book did not speak to me. Oh well. I did keep reading. 

Three Days in June -- Anne Tyler

A sweet fun read, which is just what I needed. Gail Barnes is kind of a misfit who is at a crossroads in her life. Her daughter is getting married, her ex-husband Max has just shown up with a cat needing a home, and she may have just lost her job. The story is told in three days where Gail struggles to reconcile her past and open up to her future. If you like bittersweet family stories, Gail and Max's will be right up your alley. 

Perfection -- Vincenzo Latronico

Perfection is an odd and fascinating book. I have not read Things: A Story of the Sixties by Georges Perec, which it is based on, but in reading of a description of that novel, it is obvious that Latronico followed the structure of the earlier work. Perfection describes the lives of  Anna and Tom, new arrivals in Berlin. There is no  dialog in Perfection, but we are given an in-depth look at the couple's world through the lens of their things, their space, and their work. While I can't say I really cared about Anna and Tom, I was intrigued by them and their surroundings. Taking place in the twenty-tens, Berlin comes clearly into view, as does the hollowness of their dilettante existence. Is it lucky to have the means to work on your own and live a self-contained life, or is it really an empty way to be? This book is on the shortlist for the International Booker and I can understand why..Latronico makes you think.