Argentinian and Latin American author Selva Almada penned “Not a River”, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2024. Annie McDermotArgentinian and Latin American author Selva Almada penned “Not a River”, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2024. Annie McDermott is the translator. Almada chose her because “I see her efforts to capture the music of the writing, the lyricism, the colloquial aspects, which are very important to me in the construction of my narrative.”
I chose to read this one because I am not familiar with Argentina, culturally or otherwise. Almada is known as an influential feminist intellectual. Those two elements alone intrigued me.
Almada stated, “’Not a River’” is inspired by the territory where I was born and raised by the people who inhabit that land and who, in many cases, were marginalized by neoliberal policies.” Further she states, “The characters in my novel, men and women who live on what the river can provide are a reflection of what the neoliberals of the 1990s has done to Argentina: Impoverishing it, condemning a significant part of its citizens to poverty and marginalization.”
This is a dark story of two friends who go on a fishing trip with the son of their cherished deceased friend. The story opens with the 3 men wrestling with and catching a manta ray. It’s a brutal scene. From the start, Almada tells her story with sparse, lean language which allows a hazy, or dreamlike setting. The reader feels the poverty she is conveying in her scenes of bare huts/shacks and provisions.
The three men gain the fury of the locals when the men brazenly display the ray on a tree. Adding to the infraction, the three allow it to rot. This becomes a revenge story because the men are outsiders, not part of the island. While the locals plot revenge, the three men laze around, drinking and remembering an earlier fishing trip that ended badly. Almada writes a deep sense of foreboding.
The female characters are the most interesting to me. One local mother of two teenaged daughters sets fires when she’s frustrated and angered. The teen daughters are interesting in their own teenaged way, flowing through the story.
This very interesting work is only 87 pages long. I dare you to read it and NOT go back and re-read passages. The ending is intriguing.
Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; PEN/Faulkner Award
Hernan Diaz wrote “In the Distance” about a Swedish boy, Hakan, who becomes separated from his oldeFinalist for the Pulitzer Prize; PEN/Faulkner Award
Hernan Diaz wrote “In the Distance” about a Swedish boy, Hakan, who becomes separated from his older brother in Portsmouth England when they were about to immigrate to NYC. This is an adventure story of a plucky boy who gets on the wrong boat and finds himself in the California frontier when the gold-rush was attracting all those down-on-their luck.
Hakan cannot speak English, and when he pronounces his name, the English-speaking folk hear “Hawk”. He can’t understand English nor American customs.
This is a story of the wild, wild west. Poor Hakan wants to be reunited with his brother, who he assumes is in New York. Once he learns where he is and where New York is relative to his current location, he decides he’ll travel, on foot, against the gold rush fervor and head East. He encounters religious fanatics, swindlers, homesteaders, marauding civil war veterans (the Brethren), crooked lawmen, and all-around bad people. His journey brings him to good people as well. Hakan learns some medical skills from a Scottish scientist which ultimately comes in handy. He learns how to survive.
He's a boy when he lands in California, and as his journey takes him East, he grows unnaturally tall. It’s his height that makes him memorable. When he protects homesteaders from marauders, the story gets skewed, and he becomes a wanted man, a man with an unwanted legend attached. His height makes him noticeable, and he must hide. This is basically an immigrant’s story, one of being misunderstood and judged based upon looks alone.
Because it’s a western and an adventure story, I chose the audio format, narrated by Peter Berkrot. It took me a few starts to get into the story, but once I did, I was fully engaged. As with all Westerns, this is a bloody tale, with more fight scenes than I’ve read in a very long time. Diaz prose is beautiful. That fact necessitated many rewinds. This is a little over 9 hours of nonstop action. You will hold your breath in concern. I highly recommend it when you are in the mood for a very interesting take on a Western Novel....more
It’s time for the International Booker Prize, which recognizes authors and their translators. “The Crooked Plow” takes place in Chapada Diamantina, thIt’s time for the International Booker Prize, which recognizes authors and their translators. “The Crooked Plow” takes place in Chapada Diamantina, the Bahia region of Brazil. Author Itamar Vieira Junior brings to the forefront Brazil’s history of slavery and European colonizers. Johnny Lorenz is the translator. This book is short-listed for the 2024 Prize
A bit of background, Brazil received close to half of the Africans brought to the Americas by European colonizer. In 1888, Princess Isabel signed the “Golden Law” that freed over 700,000 slaves. Akin to the southern states in the USA, plantation owners conspired to keep the slavery infrastructure through tenant farming. It’s difficult to read how the Portuguese colonizers kept their slaves, thereby creating economic injustices. Vieira writes, “The owners drummed into their workers just how kind they were for providing shelter to those Blacks adrift in search of a place to live. How kind they were, no longer reaching for the whip.”
Author Vieira Junior is known for storytelling; he takes the authentic voices of ancient storytellers, showcasing their culture’s embedded beliefs of the spirit world. This is authentic storytelling at its finest. The Bahia region held close to 1/3 of enslaved Africans. Vieira includes indigenous people and their spirit world beliefs. He includes the closely held superstitions: “My father used to say that during a leap year it was forbidden to plant trees with deep roots and cultivate perennial crops such as coffee. Nor were you allowed to build the center room of a house.”
The story is told from two sister’s POVs. They are daughters of an indentured farmworker, three generations out of slavery, although their parents work just as hard as if they were slaves. The sisters have the first two sections of the story. The last section is narrated by an ancient spirit (encantada), Santa Rita (the Fisherwoman) who was summoned by the sister’s father during a religious ceremony. The story begins with a story involving a family and evolves into a story about the working class of Bahia.
I wasn’t aware of Brazil’s slave history. Thankfully, authors such as Vieira Junior provide voice to the disenfranchised. ...more
My interest was piqued by Tom Baragwanath’s debut “Paper Cage”. It is billed as a suspense/thriller with a social commentary element of the Maori peopMy interest was piqued by Tom Baragwanath’s debut “Paper Cage”. It is billed as a suspense/thriller with a social commentary element of the Maori people’s tribulations in New Zealand. I’ve read a few novels highlighting the social injustices that Maori confront. I find stories involving indigenous people’s plight fascinating and disturbing in equal measure. Maori have similar social issues and misunderstandings as the Indigenous American Indians.
A quick note: the Maori of New Zealand are indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand who migrated to the country around 1320-1350. They developed their own culture in isolation from the white New Zealand people. Like the American Indians, tensions over land confiscations; new diseases that the New Zealand white population introduced into their population along with forced assimilation into Western culture devastated their population. The Maori are the second-largest group in New Zealand after European New Zealanders (known as Pakeha). European settlement in New Zealand began in the 19th century, although the first European explorers arrived in 1642.
Now to the book. Lorraine Henry, the protagonist, works as a file clerk at a police station in a small New Zealand town. She’s Maori, working with whites who do not understand the cultural nuances of the Maori. The story opens with two Maori children missing. The police give the missing children little attention. Drugs and street gangs are all the police think about when they think about the Maori. The police assume it’s some gang related crime. Lorraine is frustrated that the authorities are doing little to find these missing children. When her 7-year-old nephew goes missing, the police determine that it’s a gang retaliation against the nephew’s father, a known drug dealer.
Her nephew’s disappearance prompts an out-of-town investigator to come into their town to assist in finding the now three missing children. While Lorraine’s work colleagues try to keep her in the file room, Justin, the new investigator, sees her as a resource. Through Lorraine’s eyes, the reader becomes intimately involved in the mystery of who is taking these Maori children, and why.
I needed to google many words in the novel in an attempt to understand the cultural nuances. I still don’t think I fully understand the Maori plight, but I’m more educated. Baragwanath writes a great thriller while explaining, through Lorraine’s eyes, the cultural misunderstandings and social issues, drugs being number one (at least in this story).
This literary thriller was shortlisted for the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards and the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards. I highly recommend it for those Maori curious and for those who love a great literary thriller. There’s an excellent plot twist that I did not see coming! ...more
For those who believe children are resilient, and that one need not worry about trauma induced on those children, read this book. For those who believFor those who believe children are resilient, and that one need not worry about trauma induced on those children, read this book. For those who believe that children are best with birth families, even when the parents have severe mental illness (bipolar, etc.) and those parents are not responsible in taking prescribed medication, read this novel.
The structure of the story is outstanding. Author Kaya Apekina uses multiple narrators (my favorite structure) and multi-media (letters etc.). Her writing style is impressive. Even with the amazing structure, I only recommend this to people who are not triggered from the previously stated TWs. Her prose is so realistic, that I corporally felt I was there. I wanted to metaphorically punch a few characters in the face, especially Dennis, the father.
Interestingly, Apekina shows how art is produced to work through trauma. I will pay far more attention to artists work, wondering what heck happened to them for them to produce such an amazing piece of work. I wonder what prompted her to write this story; hopefully it wasn’t her story.
5 Stars to structure, plot and writing 1 star for content.
I listened to the audio, narrated by Amy Melissa Bentley and Roger Wayne. As a note, Bentley portrayed a6-year-old Edie like the character Ruth in the TV series “Ozark” which was the perfect voice for such a spunky and irrepressible character.
I enjoyed listening to Robert Schenkkan’s very intimate play “Bob & Jean”. It’s about his parents’ lives and dalliances prior to being married. Does aI enjoyed listening to Robert Schenkkan’s very intimate play “Bob & Jean”. It’s about his parents’ lives and dalliances prior to being married. Does any of us truly know about our parent’s romance, their courtship?
Through a series of letters, he found buried in his parent’s attic, moldy and most likely eaten by South Pacific rats, he was able to deconstruct the romance. As a bonus, he learned some unknown family secret! Aren’t we all a bit fascinated in our parent’s beginnings? I am astounded at Schenkkan’s talent in writing a play, detailing the letters, and creating an amazing story/play.
For those who are not familiar to Audible Original productions, the quality is stellar. The sound affects make the play realistic and entertaining.
The Tony nominee Scott Ellis directs the play. Santino Fontana, Peter Friedman, and Betsy Wolfe are the narrators. Outstanding job done by all. Highly recommend! ...more
It’s the holiday season, and I want something light and amusing. Christmas is a time of magic, and Sedona, AZ is noted as being magical. I was immediaIt’s the holiday season, and I want something light and amusing. Christmas is a time of magic, and Sedona, AZ is noted as being magical. I was immediately drawn to Kerry Fryar Freeman’s “Sedona”. Look at the book cover! It beckons! Plus, it was longlisted for the 2022 Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Award.
The protagonist, Cal Novak, recently moved from Atlanta GA to Sedona AZ at the behest of her cancer-addled grandmother. Neither have been, but both have heard of the magical healing powers of the area. Plus, she was ready for a change.
Cal is an editor by trade. Once she relocates them, she needs to find work, to bring in cash flow. She had contract work for the local Crystal Magazine, but she needs more money. Her grandmother’s expenses are hefty.
A Tour Company moves into the area and is hiring. Sedona is tiny, a tourist town that survives on tourists. Once Cal is hired, she receives a tip that this new business may not be as upstanding as at first appeared. Perhaps there is a newspaper article in this that can jump-start her career and provide needed cash. Once Cal begins her sleuthing, she uncovers conflicting information.
Meanwhile, her grandmother is making remarkable progress. Perhaps there is something to be said about the healing springs, magic crystals, and vortices.
Now Cal wants to stay in Sedona for her grandmother, and to become part of a community. As she falls in love with the area, she learns some of the secrets that keep it functioning. There could be some shady business dealings going on, and Cal is just the reporter to extricate the truth!
This is a witty read. Cal is the plucky protagonists that this reader needed. ...more
4.5 stars: I found a new Nordic crime author, Jussi Adler-Olsen! And with that author comes a new series for me, The Department Q series. “The Keeper o4.5 stars: I found a new Nordic crime author, Jussi Adler-Olsen! And with that author comes a new series for me, The Department Q series. “The Keeper of lost Causes” introduces the reader to Carl Morck, who upon introduction has been “promoted” to this new department, Department Q which is where all the cold cases go. The reason for the promotion is a police mission gone bad in which one of his best friends ends up paralyzed, another dead. This guilt follows Carl and almost becomes a character.
His first case involves a missing person, Danish stateswoman Merete Lynggaard. She mysteriously disappeared during a ferry crossing with her brain-damaged brother, Uffe. Ashe was presumed to have committed suicide. Adler-Olsen slowly builds the story. We learn more about Merete and her brother. Slowly Carl reimagines Merete and Uffe’s life and last days prior to her disappearance. It’s 5 years cold.
Aided by his new assistant, Hafez al-Assad, the two at times seem bungling and other times are stealthy. Of course, Carl is required to undergo counselling after the tragic and devastating shooting, which becomes a nuisance in multiple ways.
Adler-Olsen tells the story in two different time frames. 2007 opens with the tragic stakeout-gone-bad that leaves Carl partnerless. Five years earlier, 2002 contains the clues to Merete’s disappearance. The 2007 portions are real-time, as Carl and al-Assad diligently go through Merete’s life and last days. The 2002 time allows the reader to learn that not only is Merete alive, but she’s being held under bizarre circumstances. We learn more of Merete and Uffe’s life prior to her disappearance. Kudos to Adler-Olsen for dreaming up a torture that is not only diabolical, but crazy.
The joy is the twisty story and Carl’s journey. There are reasons this is one of Denmark’s bestselling series. This isn’t a bloody crime noir; this is a psychological thriller. Dark humor and wit combine with the frenzied pace. Carl is the perfect protagonist, with his tortured soul, active wit, and keen mind. Add the perfect sidekick, Assad, “The Department Q” series is one I will be following.
I listened to the audible audio, narrated by Erik Davies. He was excellent!
So few novels have been built around the Reconstruction Era. Author Nathan Harris uses the era to contemplate how to restore peace after war in “The SSo few novels have been built around the Reconstruction Era. Author Nathan Harris uses the era to contemplate how to restore peace after war in “The Sweetness of Water”.
The story takes place in fictitious Old Ox, Georgia. Union troops were needed to enforce the emancipation to reluctant southerners. Those troops were open to bribes. Harris paints a volatile setting. Slaves were freed, but slave owners felt their slaves “owed” them for sheltering and feeding them for the past years. Slaves had little agency. Although the Confederate army lost the war, the Confederate people did not lose their attitudes.
The story opens with George Walker walking his land, looking for a mysterious animal that has alluded him since his youth. George is a white man, originating from Nantucket, MA. Through family money, he owns land in Georgia and leads an idle life. When he needs money, he sells plots of his land.
He happens upon two young black brothers in this walk. They were recently emancipated from a neighbor’s plantation. They plan to work jobs until they have enough money to travel and find their mother who was sold to another plantation.
Through minimal negotiations, George hires the two brothers to help him with his land. They will live in his barn, receive food, plus get fair wages. Although the story begins with kindness and cooperation, it is not the continual experience.
Of course, George has always been misunderstood in Old Ox. His hiring 2 former slaves and then having the audacity to pay them fair wages brings George to a new level of pariah. His long-suffering wife, Isabel, has always supported him and supports him in his new endeavor of farming his land with the two new workers.
Word gets out in Old Ox that George and his wife are employing former slaves. Trouble ensues.
Author Harris creates kind and humble protagonists. There are plenty of hateful and cruel folks in the story, but he writes the main characters with compassion. They are good people trying to lead honorable lives. Harris writes a hopeful story, one that shows peace can be restored if we see each other as human beings.
I read this for book club. I found Harris’ novel to be interesting in that I haven’t given much thought to how peace was restored after such a bitter fight. ...more
I obtained an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) from my local library of “Forgottenness” by Tanja Maljartschuk. This was the winner of the BBC Ukrainian Boo I obtained an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) from my local library of “Forgottenness” by Tanja Maljartschuk. This was the winner of the BBC Ukrainian Book of the Year Award and the German Usedom Prize. It’s touted as illuminating the intricacies of the Ukrainian experience. I am illiterate in Ukrainian history. Given world events, I wanted to change that.
An unnamed female narrator begins the story by stating that she and Viacheslav Lypynskyi (1882-1931) have little in common other than their birth dates, although a century apart. Lypynskyi was an intellectual and an envoy of the Ukrainian State. He was heralded as an eminent historian and a prominent politician. He was born a Pole, and it was from Poland Lypynskyi intended to carve out a portion, known as Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic to be a Statehood in it’s own right.
The narrator is a novelist of six tiny books who aspires to become a relevant Ukrainian novelist. While researching early Ukrainian publications, she came across Lypynskyi’s name in a Ukrainian newspaper. All it stated was that “VIACHESLAY LYPNSKYI DEAD”. She felt that he must be of some importance and relevance to have front page status.
After reading his obituary, she immediately bonded with his history; he was known as being sickly, as does our narrator both physically and emotionally. Plus, his history slightly mimicked her Grandpa Bomchyk who had just turned 5 when Lypynskyi died.
Maljartschuk structures the story with chapters defined by: us; him; me. Most of the chapters involve Lypynskyis’ “he” chapters. It is here that the reader learns of the chaotic history of the Ukraine. Of course, Russia has always laid claims, but poor Ukraine needed to fight against the Austro-Hungarian empire, the Poles, the Germans. In fact, at the beginning the Ukrainian language was considered a dialect of rural Polish Russia, a peasant tongue. For a time, it was illegal to speak the Ukrainian dialect. Without a recognized language, there can be no newspapers, no academic texts.
I know much of the historical subtleties went over my head. I started to look up all the names in Lypynskyis chapters, trying to assess who was an historical figure versus what is Maljartschuk’s imagination. One thing I learned is that all they used newspapers to further their causes. The history of Ukraine needed to be written in an accessible writing to rouse the national consciousness of the general public. It was through publications that their independent ideals were launched. A newspaper was power.
Maljartschuk’s skill in weaving a story from known facts of Lypynskyis life, dates and places is astounding. As I read, I pictured a black and white tragicomedy. Maljartschuk gracefully added the comedic to misfortunes and misadventures. I’m prohibited from quoting, which is a shame. There are some funny moments!
If there is a weakness, for me, in the novel it is “her” sections. I think Maljartschuk was attempting to meld their Ukrainian experiences and identity, but it served as a distraction for me.
All in all, I learned much about Ukrainian history. I recommend this to anyone who is Ukrainian curious.
A shout-out to the translator, Zenia Tompkins for her translating work! ...more
I chose to listen to Carmen Maria Machado’s memoir “In the Dream House” because it fulfills my monthly challenge of reading a book outside my favored I chose to listen to Carmen Maria Machado’s memoir “In the Dream House” because it fulfills my monthly challenge of reading a book outside my favored genres. I am not a fan of memoirs.
Machado’s memoir is noted for its unorthodox structure. She narrates her memoir, and it’s unusual in that it’s written in second person, so it seems removed, somewhat passive. But the narrative is not passive. In a passive, and at times monotone voice, Machado tells a chilling story of her disturbing relationship with her partner. Machado uses her memory, those pivotal moments to tell her story; there is no linear timeline. At times, it reads like a series of essays. I have read reviews on the written work, and it seems that she includes footnotes, which I didn’t notice, perhaps because she was speaking with great flurry. Thus, I may have missed important information in the audio version.
What I found eye-opening is our society’s lack of recognition of domestic abuse in the queer community. Unfortunately, that carries into the queer community…no clear consensus of what defines domestic abuse. From the memoir, I learned that violence in queer relationships is silenced in the queer community as well.
This is at times a painful read. There is so much drama, negative drama. Because Machado is a writer, and much of her relationship with this woman was during her graduate school years, and as was her habit, she wrote her rage, confusion, worry at that time. Her writing became a lifeline. It is from these raw compositions that Machado engineers her memoir; at times her story has the present tense “feel” about it because she uses the original text of significant events.
Do I recommend it? Yes, because she covers a topic that deserves attention. I learned some nuances of the queer community. I was shocked to learn that queer violence has no legal enforcement. Or, if there could be enforcement, it becomes fuzzy because laws were made for heterosexual people. I became engrossed and enraged with her story.
I wish Ms. Machado well. She deserves a happy ending. ...more
The 2023 Booker Prize Longlist nominee, “Pearl” is a quiet, yet powerful meditation on grief, motherhood, and memory. Marianne, the protagonist and naThe 2023 Booker Prize Longlist nominee, “Pearl” is a quiet, yet powerful meditation on grief, motherhood, and memory. Marianne, the protagonist and narrator, tells her life story which is marred by tragedy: when she was 8-years-old, her mother vanished. She left Marianne and her baby brother Joe. For a bit, Marianne felt responsible because all the adults were asking her where her mother could be, as if Marianne inadvertently lost her. Author Sian Hughes brilliantly writes young Marianne; she’s confused and struggles to make sense of her mother’s disappearance.
Marianne was homeschooled. She spent all her youth with her mother, Margaret. They raised chickens and had a makeshift garden. After her mother disappeared, Marianne struggled emotionally. She cannot reckon with her feelings of abandonment and takes out her frustrations on her own body.
A memory Marianne treasures is when her mother recited the medieval poem “Pearl” which is a story of grief…a man lost his Pearl, sees her in his dream and jumps into water to get to her, only to awaken. Margaret is a name that means Pearl. Marianne’s fuzzy memory tries to bring back her Pearl.
Marianne becomes a mother and continues to wonder why her mother left her. The story begins with adult Marianne reflecting on her mother after she herself becomes one. It is these musings, these memories of struggles that allows Marianne to see the beauty of her life, the kindness and patience of her father. As an adult, Marianne sees her mother as a person. As she processes through her fuzzy memory, and with the help of a plot twist, she allows for an alternative view of her mother.
Hughes shines in showing how experiencing a loss at a formative age is emotionally damaging.
I listened to the audio narrated beautifully by Laura Brydon.
Can a boy, born into poverty with no family support and no foundation have a chance in the world? What if said boy was born to a drug-junkie mother? WCan a boy, born into poverty with no family support and no foundation have a chance in the world? What if said boy was born to a drug-junkie mother? Where does the road to ruin begin?
Barbara Kingsolver sets her story of a such a boy in the mountains of southern Appalachia, in Lee County Virginia. The time she sets is when Purdue Pharmaceuticals targeted patients who have pain, claiming that it’s non-addictive, and providing monetary bonuses to doctors who write the most scripts for their drug, OxyContin. The time is when Purdue intentionally withheld information on the devastating addiction risk. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Kingsolver uses the first-person narrative which allows the reader to experience Demon’s POV.
Demon Copperhead is a Melungeon, which means he has red hair (copperhead), dark skin and light-colored eyes. Melungeon’s generally have American Indian features. Historically, calling someone a Melungeon is an insult because it refers to Appalachians who have mixed-race ancestry. Through Demon the reader feels his pride of being a Melungeon despite the negative attention he receives throughout the story. From an early age, Demon sees that he’s disadvantaged, but he also sees his place in the dysfunction. He understands some of the adults around him. His POV is intelligent, clever, witty, and resilient.
Demon has lucky breaks as well as bad. One lucky break is that he was born in a trailer near the Peggot family. His mother was passed out (from drug and alcohol use )in the bathtub while she was in labor. Thankfully Mrs. Peggot was there when he was born, in his amniotic sac. Mrs. Peggot has always told Demon that being a caul baby means good luck and he will not drown by drowning which Demon holds on to throughout the story. Mrs. Peggot cares for Demon throughout his childhood.
Kingsolver exposes the systematic failures of all the American institutions, from the welfare system to all social services. The most disheartening part of Demon’s youth was his experience in the foster home situation when his mother relapses into drug use.
Demon has some luck. His last foster home was with the celebrated football coach of Lee County. He finally has a quasi-stable home environment when he had an injury requiring pain meds. I need not explain where Kingsolver takes that.
Luckily, he has two teachers who believe in him. Kingsolver needed to add some kindness to keep us reading! Plus, Demon’s thoughts on his counselor, Mr. Armstrong, are witty and chuckle worthy. Demon is a funny guy, and he sees much more than people give him credit.
This is a story of a boy, a journey of a boy to manhood. It’s heart-wrenching. It’s got some silly moments. Demon is a character that one roots for. He’s a person with a brave and hardy spirit, who sees the world and its problems, yet perseveres. The reader goes on his very eventful journey; it’s dark and depressing. But Kingsolver makes Demon a person who keeps pulling himself up and persisting. It’s his spirit that keeps the reader engaged.
Kingsolver won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. This novel deservingly received many awards and appeared on many “Ten Best Books of 2022” lists. I chose to listen to the audio, narrated brilliantly by Charlie Thurston. I highly recommend the audio. I was totally immersed. ...more
Thank you, GR friends who encouraged me, to read “Boulder” by Eva Baltasar, translated beautifully by Julia Sanches. Baltasar is poetic in her prose, Thank you, GR friends who encouraged me, to read “Boulder” by Eva Baltasar, translated beautifully by Julia Sanches. Baltasar is poetic in her prose, and Sanches was able to translate her poetic feelings, thoughts, and observations. Translators don’t get enough accolades for their brilliant work.
Our “sort-of” unnamed narrator is nicknamed Boulder by her lover, Samsa. Boulder is a no-nonsense cook on a merchant ship. She requires very little, just great sex and smokes. Samsa is approaching 40, and her biological clock is ticking. Boulder doesn’t possess that clock and is mystified as to Samsa’s obsession.
Samsa moves them to an apartment in Reykjavik Iceland; she works 10 hours a day leaving Boulder rudderless. The women have been together for eight years, and Boulder is afraid of losing Samsa.
What I enjoyed was Boulder’s musings on being a parent. Her ambivalence at first, and then downright animosity towards being a mother was written well. Author Baltasar brilliantly pens a story of a person who struggles with becoming a parent yet wanting to maintain a romantic/sexual relationship. Boulder’s conflicted feelings burned off the page. Boulder’s need for freedom complicates her need for human contact. She is afraid to lose Samsa.
When Samsa embraces her changing body and pregnancy, Boulder becomes even more confused. What’s a girl to do? She hits the local pub where she drinks away her sorrows with Brennivin, her drinking buddy.
This is an interesting study of an “alternative” look at motherhood. Boulder’s version of motherhood is a bit different than most, but her love for her child is strong, just different. Can a person be a wonderer, and explorer, and still be a parent? Baltasar explores motherhood with a very interesting protagonist.
“Trust” by Hernan Diaz is a meta-adjacent sort of read. The story is told in four parts with four protagonists., and it’s all about money: stocks, bon“Trust” by Hernan Diaz is a meta-adjacent sort of read. The story is told in four parts with four protagonists., and it’s all about money: stocks, bonds, and it’s potential “to bend and align reality”.
The first part is entitled “Bonds: A Novel” by Harold Vanner. This part is about a financial tycoon named Benjamin Rask. Rask’s young adult life began with his inheritance of the family tobacco fortune, and he detested anything related to tobacco and smoking. When his family banker informed Benjamin that a bond investment had made an impactful profit, Benjamin saw that favorable political shifts and market fluctuations could lead to substantial monetary gains. This piqued his interest in investing. This was during the “Roaring ‘20’s so Benjamin amasses a healthy amount of wealth. He marries a woman named Helen who becomes a beloved patron of the arts. Neither Benjamin nor Helen are interested in growing even more wealth…it just happens.
The Crash of 1929 resulted in more wealth for the Rasks. He “inadvertently” made massive amounts of money through speculations, or short sells. Rumors begin that Rask manipulated the markets for ill-gotten gains. The Rasks are shunned in polite society. Meanwhile, Helen suffers mentally and requests to be sent to a sanitorium in Switzerland, a place where her beloved father convalesced.
Part two of this novel is narrated by Andrew Bevel. Mr. Bevel describes himself as a financier in a city ruled by financiers. He has ancestral accumulated wealth. This part is in the form of notes for a potential biography. These notes are a déjà vu from the first part of the story. It’s almost a retelling of the first story; the difference is Bevel is a benevolent character in his own story as opposed to the ruthless Rask.
The third section is narrated by Ida Partenza. She’s been hired to write a biography of Andrew Bevel. Ida provides her background, a life living with her father in a meager existence. It’s the Great Depression and they need money. Through Ida the reader gets to know more of the authentic Andrew Bevel. Bevel is convinced that the novel “Bonds” by Harold Vanner is really about his life and that of his beloved wife Mildred. Bevel wants to correct the story, creating a story showcasing his magnanimity and generosity. Ida is left to wonder what reality is, what is delusion. Ida is the novel’s sleuth, attempting to ferret-out what Bevel is concealing. She finds final clue hidden in Mildred’s personal belongings.
Which leads to part four entitled “Futures” which is Mildred’s journal during her convalescence in Switzerland. Mildred is nothing like Rask’s psychiatrically challenged wife. Nor is she the wife that Andrew tried to portray to Ida. The reader sees her superior intelligence and the role she played in the Bevel fortune. In fact, one of the best descriptions of short sells and how she took advantage of the over-whelmed tickler system.
A very interesting read for those who quasi understand the money market machinations. This is about greed and money. Diaz literary prose is remarkable. I enjoyed the format of one story told through the eyes of four different characters. This was longlisted for the Booker prize in 2022 and it was one of NYT Best Books of 2022. This is a novel in which you take your time reading. ...more
Many thanks to GR friend Peter who steered me to the longlisted 2020 Booker Prize novel “Who They Was” by Gabriel Krauze. I was captivated and horrifiMany thanks to GR friend Peter who steered me to the longlisted 2020 Booker Prize novel “Who They Was” by Gabriel Krauze. I was captivated and horrified in equal measure.
Krauze lists this as autofiction because everything in the book occurred “in one way or another”. This reality brings an added intensity to the reading experience. The man can write; his observations keen. With this work, he shows how an intelligent man, from a well-meaning, loving immigrant family can be drawn to a life of crime.
The story is written in slang which gives the story further authenticity. I chose to listen to the audio (which is narrated by Krauze) and read the pulp simultaneously. In full disclosure, I’m the person who watches Netflix with closed captions. I found that Krauze’s narration while I read what he was saying to be advantageous for me. The slang is abundant, almost a second language. Listening and reading(seeing) the slang made it easier to interpret/define the words. I’m not sure how I would have felt about the novel if I had just read it. I know for certain I couldn’t absorb the novel if I had just listened to the audio because I am so out-of-touch regarding his slang. The audio/book combo really worked for me.
The story takes place in South Kilburn, a suburb of London. His family immigrated from Poland. Krauze was enrolled in Queen Mary University working towards his English degree during the time of the novel. His observations of what he knew and experienced as an “at risk” immigrant was in deep contrast to the experiences of his university colleagues. An example:
“The professor talks about human suffering being a confirmation of our existence and I start rubbing my finger over the sharpness of the diamonds in one of my teeth, looking at the faces in the room, attentive, uninterested, thinking you don’t know what I know about myself and then I raise my arm. The professor says Gabriel. I say one of the points that Nietzsche makes is that morality is just a rule of behaviour relative to the level of danger in which individuals lived. If you’re living in dangerous times, you can’t afford to live according to the moral structures the way someone who lives in safety and peace can.”
Yes, this is raw, gritty and full of gang culture. Krauze pulls no punches, describing the substance abuse, violence and male toxicity. His life was full of vengeance-seeking gang rivalries. He gets graphic in the retelling of mugging wealthy citizens. I frequently cringed while reading.
Why read/listen to this amazing work? If you are curious as to how intelligent individuals, for whom one can see a wholesome future because of innate talent, can be drawn to a life of crime, Krauze shows how easy it is to fall into gang life. Krauze doesn’t show how to turn those lives around, nor does he provide simple solutions/remedies. He does none of that. He shows what is. He shows a culture in play. I think of him as a grittier Spike Lee. Very powerful! ...more
I needed this audio! What joy, what fun, how silly!!
The premise is that twenty-two middle-aged men annually reenact Joe Theismann’s career ending playI needed this audio! What joy, what fun, how silly!!
The premise is that twenty-two middle-aged men annually reenact Joe Theismann’s career ending play, the Throwback Special. For you non-football enthusiasts, it happened in 1985 and Theismann’s leg was severely broken, in fact, audibly broken. The late Frank Gifford commentated the game and advised those with weak stomachs to NOT watch the playback.
What makes this fun is that author Chris Bacheider ‘s clever narrative of ordinary guys getting together once a year and having a “boys weekend”. The weekend ends up being like what I imagine a woman’s weekend. The men discuss their children, their marriages obsessions, and Bacheider has great fun with it. The observations about manhood, middle age, and marriage, from a male perspective is refreshingly astute. The men even share beds! What cracked me up? Passages such as this:
“They were all young sales associates for Prestige Vista Solutions 2 or 3 years out of college. After a day in the conference room the felt like falsely convicted inmates exonerated by DNA evidence. The interior of the sedan was humid with fertility and body spray. The seat belts felt like a form of sexual restraint, a precaution.”
“Robert unsnapped the chinstrap from the helmet, and from his duffle bag he removed a sewing kit, a wicker box with a hinged lid that had originally belonged to his first wife’s aunt…Robert selected a needle from the tomato pincushion”
Narrator R.C. Bray does a fantastic job. This is just short of a 5 hour listen. It’s a freebee with Audible. I chuckled throughout the whole story. It’s silly in a very clever way. I highly recommend the audio for when you need a fun change of pace.
I have mixed feelings about Ann-Helen Laestadius’ “Stolen”. I listened to the audio, narrated by Jade Wheeler. It’s advertised as a “Louise Erdrich meI have mixed feelings about Ann-Helen Laestadius’ “Stolen”. I listened to the audio, narrated by Jade Wheeler. It’s advertised as a “Louise Erdrich meets Jo Nesbo” story. I believe it’s far more Louise Erdrich. Because of the advertisement, I expected a dark and gritty story. I expected a sinister narrator, or a narrator with a foreboding lilt. Narrator Jade Wheeler could be used in any Judy Blume books; she has that sweet, girl next-door sort of voice. If I read it, as opposed to listening, I might have gotten the Nesbo vibe.
On to the good stuff: I was very pleased to learn about the Sami reindeer herders in Sweden. This is an excellent story for those who are interested in this indigenous group and interested in the daily mechanisms of reindeer herding. It’s a brutal life. Because of the isolating nature of the herding life, mental health issues are abundant. Suicide is something all Sami families have endured. I learned of the social prejudices against the Samis, including racism. Author Laestadius is of Sami descent and used actual events occurring in the Sapmi territory, which allowed authenticity. The Sami population is around 80,000 and roam the Arctic areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. For centuries the Samis have been repressed by national governments involving stealing their land rights and allowing enterprises, such as those timber and mineral distraction on their herding routes. This has resulted in impacting climate change harming the reindeer herds. Even their native language has been repressed.
The plus side of listening to the audio was narrator Jade Wheeler’s authentic Sami voice in phrases and words. Shout-out to translator Willson-Broyles’ translation. In translating into the English language, she integrates the Sami language into the story, allowing authenticity to the story. Sami words grace the text.
The story revolves around a Sami girl Elsa, who is 9 at the start of the story. She witnesses a horrendous killing of her reindeer calf. The perpetrator threatened to kill her and her family if she told anyone. That trauma follows Elsa through adulthood. The authorities look at the killing of reindeer as a theft; the Sami view it as murder and a hate crime against their way of life.
“Stolen” won the Swedish reader-voted Book of the Year Prize in 2021. It’s going to be made into a Netflix film. This novel has allowed growing awareness of Sweden’s responsibility for the treatment of the Sami.
This is an excellent story that brings focus to a little-known indigenous community. I do enjoy learning about cultures I have had no previous knowledge. It’s a powerful story that illuminated the trials of the Sami culture.
If you get the audio, abandon the Jo Nesbo vibe. Appreciate the authentic Sami language! Learn about reindeer herding and the plight of the Sami people....more
As a woman of a certain age, I could not pass up “Killers of a Certain Age” by Deanna Raybourn. Ms. Raybourn did justice to the mature woman. I mean, As a woman of a certain age, I could not pass up “Killers of a Certain Age” by Deanna Raybourn. Ms. Raybourn did justice to the mature woman. I mean, we aren’t dead yet. Yes, we recognize the fact that we are invisible, which I personally love. Our four protagonist, about to retire, world-class assassins, use their cloak of invisibility well. Yes, we are arthritic and experience hot flashes, rarely debilitating. But by working standards, especially work involving taxing physical effort, women of a certain age, age out much faster than men. Our feisty protagonist take issue with those who want to push them aside, simply because society thinks they are too old to work.
The women were recruited when they were in their 20’s, by a clandestine organization called “the Museum”. They were recruited to hunt Nazis. It was called “Project Sphinx”. The recruiter was to find killers, natural killers. The Museum intended to refine their skills and point them in the correct direction. The Museum doesn’t create killers, they just direct their natural inclinations in the desired direction.
They ladies are called for a last assignment, before retirement. They aren’t please to be put out to pasture. It’s just that they are considered to be obsolete because modern spies rely more on technology than personal skills. On this last mission, they discover that there is a hit placed upon them! Now they must sleuth their way into understanding why The Museum wants them eliminated.
The ladies get themselves into some interesting jams. Ms. Raybourn had loads of fun writing this one. For example, the ladies needed ways to keep in contact with each other, without being discovered. So, they used an app on their phones, The Menopause App, which they knew would defy detection. The prose is witting and clever.
The story jumps between the current time when the ladies work to reveal who placed a contract on them, to the 1970’s and 1980’s when they were first recruited. The reader learns of their training and initial assignments, along with other players in the game of espionage.
Who doesn’t want to root for a group of ladies outwitting conniving men? The story is structured in such a way that the reveal of the mystery is timed perfectly with the meshing of the history and current circumstance of the women. I highly recommend this!
I listened to the audio, narrated by the amazing Jane Oppenheimer and Christina Delaine. The narrators were outstanding. ...more
4.5 Stars NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION Thank you, GR friends Peter and Linda, for e4.5 Stars NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION Thank you, GR friends Peter and Linda, for encouraging me to get Louise Kennedy’s “Trespasses”. I remain in amazement at how Kennedy blended newsreels along with her moving story about a young catholic schoolteacher during the time of the Troubles in Ireland, 1975. Kennedy showed how people existed, attempting to live “normal” lives when bombs routinely dishevel daily lives.
Cushla is a young teacher at a Catholic school. Her family owns a bar that her brother manages after her father’s tragic death. Her mother has fallen to the drink. Cushla helps at the bar in addition to caring for her dipsomaniac mother. Cushla has taken a particular caring attitude towards a young boy in her charge, Davy, who is a playground target. Adding to Davy’s problems is that he lives amongst Protestants. His father was badly injured, rendering him unable to work. His mother does her best, but she could use help.
At the start of the story, Cushla is working at the bar when she notices a man, Michael Agnew. She ascertains that he’s a Protestant (Cushla is Catholic) and he’s married. He’s a barrister who is known to defend wrongfully accused Catholic men. He persuades her to help a group of his friends to learn how to speak Irish. From here, a romance is formed.
Kennedy perfectly captures how a young woman could be attracted to a man twice her age. Cushla is the protagonist who takes the reader through her daily emotional journey. From the moment she awakes, she sees violence and fear. Yet she’s a schoolteacher who is surrounded by youthful innocence, and Kennedy cleverly peppers the story with their much-needed exuberance and simplicity. She returns home to deal with her increasingly drunken mother. School has its own hazards with pedophile, predatory and mercenary priests. You know the type, the ones who encourage “private catechism”. The Father Slattery in this story is the doppelganger to my hometown priest, Father Fox!
I listened to the audio, brilliantly narrated by Brid Brennan. Her voice brought life to the characters. If I had it to do over, I would have accompanied the audio with reading. Kennedy’s prose is such that I wanted to see it so I could get the full affect. I did rewind many times. After I completed the audio, I automatically went to the beginning, to listen again to the story. The ending will elicit a tear.
Loading...
