Reading Recommendations from the Northwoods

The Submission--Amy Waldman

 

Two years after 9/11, a jury in New York City finally announces the winner of the competition to design the memorial for that tragedy.  Because designs were submitted anonymously, the jury is shocked to discover the winner is a Muslim-American architect named Mohammed Kahn.

Following this fictional premise, the story unwinds just as chaotically as you will expect, (especially since we all watched the actual national uproar this past year about a proposed mosque to be built near the site of the twin towers.)

In Waldman's debut novel, we see a wide variety of people involved:  a young widow on the committee, a victim's brother who opposes the memorial, the governor of New York, the architect and his parents and his lawyer, the Muslim community. 

One character is definitely a "bad guy," a tabloid journalist who will do anything to advance her career.   And, one character is definitely a "good guy," the Bangledeshi widow of an illegal immigrant who was a janitor in one of the towers. Otherwise, all characters were well-drawn, multi-faceted, and in most cases, portrayed sympathetically.

The novel sheds light on our society and the different directions our freedoms of expression and opinion allow individuals.  While no easy answers are given, I was left with a reinforcement that bigotry is clearly harmful to individuals and to society.  Also, refusing to listen to one another and refusing to try to understand those who are different leads to chaos and negative results for all involved. 

The Submission is very well-written, and I liked the author's careful style.   While not a "happy" book, it does have interesting characters, a great ending, and worthwhile themes.   

Although the book's content deals with a political situation, I think book clubs would enjoy the picture given of our society and our inclusiveness of minorities, no matter what a person's political sympathies are.     (Thanks, Dorla.)

Turn of Mind--Alice LaPlante

 

For adults past middle age, a scary novel doesn't have to include monsters.  The "monster" most of us seem to be afraid of as we age is Alzheimer's disease.

Like the widely-read novel  Still Alice, LaPlante's new book Turn of Mind takes the reader into the mind of an intelligent and educated woman as she experiences her own memory loss.   In this debut novel, Dr. Jennifer White is 64 years old, the mother of two, and an orthopedic hand surgeon.   Her best friend and neighbor Amanda has been found dead, and Jennifer is a suspect.   But, as her memory fades, Jennifer herself does not remember if she committed the murder, and if so, for what reason??

So, the novel can be called a mystery, and yes, the reason for the murder is gradually uncovered.   But more fascinating to me was the depiction of a memory that comes and goes---from crystal clear to more and more muddy.   

Jennifer is an interesting character and the novel reads easily and quickly.  As I read, I kept trying to decide when she was reliable as a narrator, and when her thoughts were suspect.  Her two grown children and her friend Amanda are revealed only through Jennifer's eyes, so you gradually make your own assumptions about the people and places around her.

I liked the book a lot, and didn't find it depressing.   I am curious about memory loss and how it must feel to the sufferer, and thought this author did a great job trying to describe what goes on in a disappearing memory. 

Free copy of Iron House on audio

 

Here's a new experience for me in my simple blogging about books:  a contact from a publisher to offer a free copy of Iron House on audio.

I was contacted by Macmillan Publishing, telling me I can offer an audiobook of Iron House.   (I reviewed this book below on September 4th.)  

The editor didn't specify how I should do this, so how about this?   If you would enjoy Hart's book on audio, please email me at johncarmf@gmail.com, and I will let Macmillan know the name of the the fifth email I receive.    

There are no strings attached, but the editor did suggest that book clubs may like using books in the audio version.  I replied that many of our book club members already enjoy doing much of their "reading" in audio form.   

Two of our local book clubs have Hart's first book Last Child on our reading lists, and I think we will like Iron House, too.