Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
It's a retelling of Snow White, and it's a passing novel, and it's mystical realism, which seems too ambitious, but Oyeyemi does it well. (A passing novel is a story of a black person "passing" as white, usually set in the early 1900s.) What I loved most about Boy, Snow, Bird was the unreliable narrator. As the book progressed, it became harder and harder to differentiate between heroine and villain. I won't say it's a "fun" book, but it was intriguing and haunting.
Word of caution: deals with child abuse, race, gender, and mental illness. One mention of rape, and some profanity.
Following the life of Gogol, a second-generation Indian-American with a Russian name, The Namesake is a coming-of age story that searches for the meaning of country, race, and family. Gogol is trapped between two worlds: the India of his parents and the America of his peers. Because of a mix-up at the hospital, he's stuck with the name of an obscure Russian author, which further complicates his search for self. I loved The Namesake for its patience with Gogol's search and shortcomings, although fictional. It's short, but not rushed in its journey. The intimate look into immigrant families and the dynamic of race in the educated middle-class was fascinating.
Word of caution: Generally fine, though Gogol does sleep with several women, although no graphic descriptions that I can remember. Some profanity.
Robert Peace was born into poverty in Newark to a single mother. He was brilliant, and his mother sacrificed to send him to a private school, and later on, Yale. But despite his brilliance, despite his opportunities, he was murdered by his enemies in the drug trade. It's the story of one man, written by his friend and college roommate, but it's really a much broader story. Without attempting anything beyond a detailed biography, this book gives insight into poverty, education, economics, and race. Even though the plot is summarized on the cover, I couldn't put it down. It's heartfelt and engaging.
Word of caution: Rob smoked and sold a lot of weed. He started drinking and smoking at 11. The book quotes Rob and his friends frequently, and they used profanity liberally. Because they used it so much, it lost its offensiveness to them, and likewise to me in this situation.
Some Luck tells the story of the Langdon family with one chapter for each year between 1920 and 1953. Although it's mighty in its scope, the novel manages to go intimately into the thoughts and experiences of one family member in one chapter and pan back out to inform the reader of major events in the next chapter without any major halting or plot holes. The Langdons farm barley in Iowa, and we experience the Great Depression and World War Two through their story. The Langdons could be my family, and they could be your family. I loved riding along with their struggles and their successes.
Word of caution: More sex than I expected, and a bit more graphic than I felt comfortable with, so just prepare to skip some pages. The oldest son is disturbingly without conscience sometimes. Occasional profanity.
While I have not had the experience of caring for elderly parents or grandparents, I still quite enjoyed this graphic memoir (graphic as in illustrated/cartoon). Jake read it as well, and he and his family cared for his grandmother for seven years before she passed away, so he enjoyed it even more than I did. It's at times hilarious and other times heartbreaking.
Word of caution: Some profanity.
So, I read a lot, and I can usually sense the narrative arc in a way that leaves me fairly certain of a book's ending by the 70th page. Not so with this book. Holy cow, what a plot twist. We Were Liars is the story of Cadence Sinclair, a 17 year old granddaughter in the massively wealthy Sinclair family. Each summer, the whole family vacations on their private island. This summer, Cadence knows she hasn't been to the island for two years. She knows something terrible happened two summers ago. But she can't remember what it was, and no one will tell her.
Word of caution: It's YA, so generally fine. Nothing I can remember. Perhaps some teenage make-outs and occasional profanity.
I heard an interview with the author on NPR, remembered the title, convinced my library to purchase it, waited for it, and then stared at it for two weeks. I knew it would be a great book, but it intimidated me. But I renewed it and started reading. Although it's slow at the beginning, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I knew how it ended, but I was so invested in the lives of the miners and their families that I had to keep reading as if somehow my reading marathon would get them out of the mine faster. Deep Down Dark is a story of miracles, faith, survival, and brotherhood on a local and global scale. It's well researched and well told. Loved it.
Word of caution: Nothing really to worry about, although when quoting the miners, there's some profanity.
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