Novels Now

Chaz Wilmot is (by choice) an unsuccessful painter doing primarily commercial work. He obviously has more talent than what he’s using, and this fact is a constant source of frustration for his ex-wife and others around him. As part of a medical study, Chaz starts taking Salvinorin A, a drug being tested for its effects on artists’ creativity. Chaz is strangely affected by the drug; it not only increases his creativity, it makes him have the memories and abilities of the famous Spanish artist, Diego Valazquez. Is Chaz crazy, or is the drug truly giving him these actual memories and abilities?

Salvinorin A is a real drug, reportedly having real, similar effects as the ones occurring in this book. If you like art and psychological suspense, you may enjoy this book by Michael Gruber. It was a little too graphic for my tastes, but I did enjoy the basic story.

2008, 318 pp.
Rating: 3.5/5

Also reviewed by:

• Nicola

Isn’t this a cute cover?! I just love it. Keeper and Kid by Edward Hardy is about a single dad trying to be a father to a 3 year-old child he never even knew he had. It’s about the shock one gets with a child when one realizes your life will never be your own again. It’s also about how our lives are made even richer for it. Struggling to make his job and his relationships work with a new child in his life, James Keeper is just overwhelmed with it all. But little Leo is so cute and says the cutest things. Children are like that. They frustrate and inspire simultaneously. I enjoyed reading this book about child rearing and relationships from a man’s perspective, though the language was a bit strong for my tastes. I’d be interested in reading the sequel if the author decides to write one.

2008, 294 pp.
Rating: 3.5/5

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway is a moving story based on fact. It chronicles the few days in Sarajevo during 1992 when the real “Cellist of Sarajevo,” Vedran Smailovic, played his cello for 22 days in the exact spot where 22 people had been killed while waiting in line for bread.

In the novel, a counter-sniper, Arrow, is assigned to keep the cellist from getting shot and killed. Arrow is the best at what she does but still wrestles with the moral dilemma of having to take another’s life. She wonders if she is any better than the men in the hills trying to destroy her city.

We also meet Kenan, a man on his way to fetch water for his family, and we follow his life-threatening journey as well as his thoughts, fears, and hopes for the future. Another character, Dragan, misses his family, whom he helped to get out of the country. All of them are waiting. Waiting for help that never comes.

Told in a simple but unforgettable style, Galloway captures this unfortunate moment in history in a way that will break your heart for all victims of war.

This book will be released on May 15 from Riverhead Books.

2008, 231 pp.
Rating: 4/5

Eugene is a mover in New York City whose favorite author is Constance Eakins.  While doing a job one day, he runs into a biographer of Eakins who also happens to have a beautiful daughter, Sonia.  Everyone else in the world believes Eakins is dead — that he just disappeared in Italy quite a few years back and never showed up again.  He’s legally declared dead by the Italian authorities.  Sonia’s father, the biographer, demands that it isn’t so  — that his daughter speaks to Eakins regularly.  But, no one has heard from her after her latest trip to Italy.  Eugene decides to look for Sonia.

Meanwhile in a parallel story, an elderly Mr. Schmitz, also a New Yorker, is grieving the loss of his friend Rutherford who has just moved to Italy.  He receives lucid letters from Rutherford at first, but then they become more and more incomprehensible.  Schmitz also decides to take off for Italy to look for his friend.

This was a bizarre story that was unique enough to keep me reading and wanting to find out more.  The book has quite a few fantasy elements too, and that was unexpected, but it certainly added to the story.  It’s definitely a different book.

This is Nathaniel Rich’s first novel, and it was released on April 17.

2008, 310 pp.
Rating: 3.5

Arthur: How can you tell a cannibal?
Vivi: Well, they’re the only ones left, silly.
Arthur: No, before they’ve eaten the others.
Vivi: Oh, that. They’ve just got a look about them.

I received this arc from the Barnes and Noble First Look Book Club. It is so wonderful to be a part of this program because the authors are also on the message boards and will answer questions from readers. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed reading Poppy Adams’ responses to the questions posed. I will definitely be reading more of her work when it comes out. The Sister is her first novel.

Originally titled The Time of Emergence, and called The Behaviour of Moths in the UK, The Sister is a book where, after reaching the end, the reader may be left with more questions unanswered than answered. There are multiple interpretations that could be made about several different occurrences in the book. For me, that’s what makes this story so fascinating. I know that may be more of a frustration to some, though.

Vivien (Vivi) and Virginia (Ginny) are two sisters who grew up in a countryside mansion with lepidopterist ancestors. Their maternal grandfather and father were both lepidopterists, and Ginny becomes a lepidopterist. What is a lepidopterist? It’s a person who studies moths and butterflies. There is much discussion of the behavior of moths in this book, but it is an essential aspect of the story. While reading and after finishing the book, I realized many parallels between the behavior of moths and the behavior of the characters in the novel. This is a book I’ll probably re-read at some point to catch all the connections between the two.

Vivi and Ginny have been separated for decades, and the reasons why become apparent as the story unfolds. Very different from each other, Vivi is outgoing and leaves home for London at a young age, while Ginny is an introvert and a homebody. In fact, as the novel opens, we get the sense that Ginny hasn’t left her home for many, many years. Vivien decides to come back to the house, stating to Ginny that as sisters, they should spend their old age together. The entire novel only takes place over a few days, but as each day unfolds, we are also given glimpses from the past and why they have been separated for so long. All of this is told from Ginny’s perspective, though, and as Ginny and Vivi discuss their history together, they both realize that they saw their childhood in distinctly different ways. These differences are crucial to figuring out what is going on in the story.

What is going on in the story? I don’t want to tell you much, because it has a really good, creepy, gothic, Hitchcock feel to it that is better left to finding out by reading the story. If you don’t mind not having everything wrapped up in the end, and if you like having multiple interpretations of a storyline, you’ll love this book. I really enjoyed it, and the more I think about it, the more I love it.

2008, 275 pp.
Rating: 4.5/5

This second book by Marisa de los Santos is about friendship and family, and we see the highs and lows of both in the characters’ lives in this novel.

Cornelia and her doctor husband Teo move in to the ‘perfect’ neighborhood, but the women who live there are very slow to accept former city-dweller Cornelia. In fact, she sticks out like a sore thumb at her first dinner party, wearing a little black dress while the others are wearing pastels and linen slacks. It seems that the circle of friends not only dress alike, but also have an unwritten code for conduct and proper behavior as well. The ‘queen bee’ of the neighborhood, Piper, seems bent on criticizing Cornelia about everything from clothing to lawn care. While we see Piper at first as overly critical and a perfectionist, we later see her as a loving, compassionate woman as she cares for a sick friend. The development of her character as the book progesses was one of the most interesting to watch.

Cornelia does make friends with Lake, a woman who does not live in the neighborhood. Relieved to finally have someone to talk to, Cornelia spends more and more time with Lake and her gifted 13 year-old son, Dev. Dev was an interesting character to read about as well. He starts spending quite a bit of time with Cornelia and Teo at their house and through them meets his first girlfriend, Clare.

The chapters were structured such that each one was from only one character’s perspective and alternated mostly among Cornelia, Piper, and Dev. I thought this worked very well. By the end of the book, I felt that I knew and liked all the main characters in the story. Belong to Me is the second book by Marisa de los Santos, and apparently some of the characters in this novel were also in her first book, Love Walked In. I haven’t read that one, but definitely plan to after really enjoying Belong to Me. This book does stand alone, though, as I didn’t even know it was a continuation of sorts until after I had finished it.

Released 4/1/2008 by Harper Collins.

2008, 388 pp.
Rating: 4/5

Winter Haven, by Christian author Athol Dickson, is a mystery-suspense novel set on an island off the coast of Maine. Vera Gamble comes to the community of Winter Haven after receiving news that her missing brother’s body has finally been found after 13 years. After learning of some strange circumstances about the condition of the body, the local authorities refuse to let Vera go back to Dallas to bury her brother until they can look into the matter further. As a result, Vera is determined to poke around the island herself to see if she can uncover any details that might help resolve the case.

What she finds are community members that seem hostile, or at least aloof, to strangers and that they are generally unwilling to help with even simple directions for scouting the island. She does meet one man, Evan Frost, who is at least friendly to her and seems to enjoy her company. However, some of the citizens of the island warn her not to trust him, while he, in turn, says the same about them. As she searches for more details concerning the finding of her brother’s body, some very strange events start happening, but Vera is unsure whether they are actually happening, or whether they may just be in her own mind. Is she going insane, or just being tormented by an evil presence? She’s afraid of either option.

I was surprised at how suspenseful this book really was. It has a gothic feel to it, and I found myself very drawn into the story. One thing I was worried about was how Vera would be portrayed, but Mr. Dickson writes from the female perspective very convincingly. This book has mystery, suspense, and even some history and romance. I will be reading more of Athol Dickson’s work.

2008, 336 pp.
Rating: 4/5

It is almost always easier to learn about history through historical fiction or current world events through memoirs, and this book is no exception. Daoud Hari gives us a harrowing account of his experiences translating for various media outlets in the Darfur region. The violence in Darfur, especially toward women and children, is unspeakable. Though not overly graphic, it is still difficult to read in spots.

Similar to the plight of the Kurds, the people of Darfur have had their lives shattered due to boundaries set by people not of their region. This brief, engaging book will not only enlighten you to the situation in Darfur, but will also make you question the wisdom of meddling in other countries’ affairs at all.

2008, 189 pp.
Rating: 4

Sitting Practice by Caroline Adderson tells the story of Ross and Iliana, a newlywed couple, and how they deal with the aftermath of a car accident that leaves Iliana paralyzed. Ross is a film caterer who has had multiple ex-girlfriends, but he is absolutely in love with Iliana at the time of their marriage, much to the chagrin of his twin, Bonnie. Ross is also ‘in love’ with Bonnie’s son, Bryce, and very much longs to be a father. He and Bonnie of course share a bond that only twins can experience. In contrast, Iliana grew up in a very strict household, and Ross was her first real boyfriend. She meets Ross for the first time as a nurse assigned to him after a minor operation.After the accident, the marriage changes, as do Ross and Iliana. Ross struggles with wanting ‘the real’ Iliana back, while Iliana struggles with desiring independence from others. They do adapt, but not without repercussions.

Themes of love, guilt, forgiveness, religion, and the bonds between twins form the novel. I felt for all the characters in the book as they wrestled with the surprises life brings. I truly cared for them. However, I don’t care for bad language and s*x in the books I read. It would have been just as good (or better) without those elements. On sale in the U.S. on March 11.

2003, 329 pp.
Rating: 3.5

The House at Riverton is a strong debut novel by Kate Morton. Already a bestseller in the U.K., it is slated for release in the U.S. in April of 2008.Grace Bradley, a 98 year old former servant of the Hartford family, recounts in a series of flashbacks the events surrounding the house and the family during World War I. Grace is ever the loyal servant (perhaps too loyal) to the family and especially to one of the mistresses of the house, Hannah, who is very close in age to Grace. In the flashbacks, Grace recounts how family secrets and the devastating effects of World War I led to the Hartford family’s demise.

In the author’s acknowledgments, she cites The Chatham School Affair, Remains of the Day, Gosford Park, and Upstairs Downstairs as having influenced her and her novel. I was familiar with all of those sources, so I did feel a bit like the book borrowed too much from these works to be truly spectacular. Still, I did enjoy it, and I would definitely read a second book by this author.

(2007 [2008 in the U.S.], 468 pp.)
Rating: 4

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell is a fictional story about Agnes, a middle-aged woman from Cleveland, who finally gets the courage and means to travel on her own. Her choice is Cairo, and while there she meets up with Winston Churchill, Gertrude Bell, and T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) while they are drawing the new map for the Middle East after World War I. Russell’s descriptions of Egypt are spectacular. I have been to Cairo myself, and some of the points made were still true from when I traveled there. I enjoyed the setting of the book and the historical accounts from this period tremendously. From this conference in Cairo, the boundaries for present day Iraq and other countries in the Middle East were set. The book has encouraged me to explore more about this era of history and re-view the movie Lawrence of Arabia.

However, there were several things I did not like about Russell’s writing style. Normally I don’t care if a book is written in first or third person. This book was written in first person with Agnes as the narrator. It just didn’t work for me, especially when she speaks directly to the reader. I felt it would have been better had the book been written in third person. In addition, I did not care for the ending at all and actually thought it was quite silly. I can’t describe more, though, without giving spoilers. I’ve read Russell’s books The Sparrow and the sequel The Children of God, and together they were my most thought-provoking books of 2006. I have not read A Thread of Grace, but I have heard good things about it and still plan on reading it. I’m sad to say, however, that I was disappointed in Dreamers of the Day. It could have been an excellent book if it had taken a different path. I’m still rating it a 3.5, though, because the descriptions of Cairo made me miss it tremendously, and because it did make me interested in the history of how the present Middle East was formed.

2008, 251 pp.
Rating: 3.5