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Fiction A to Z August 2016
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As always, if the library does not own one of the books on this list, please feel free to place a request. We will contact you when your book is available. Request a book
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| How to Set a Fire and Why by Jesse BallLucia's lost both her parents (one's dead; the other's been institutionalized) and is living with her aunt in virtual poverty. She doesn't fit in at school (she's a little too smart, a little too dangerous), and expulsion from one sends her to another, where she discovers a secret society with anarchist leanings. Fully self-aware, Lucia writes her thoughts in a notebook -- she's witty, intelligent, but not always likeable -- which chronicles how her situation goes from bad to worse, often as a result of her own actions. Imagine Holden Caulfield as a vigilante into arson and you'll have a decent sense of Lucia's struggles. |
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| A Thousand Miles from Nowhere by John Gregory BrownAs Hurricane Katrina approaches New Orleans, Henry Garrett flees -- in addition to escaping the storm, he's also running away from the mess he's made of his life and his fears of inherited madness. In Virginia, he comes to a stop at an odd roadside motel with a proprietor who offers him a room for as long as he needs it. Her quiet friendship, as well as that of those around him, slowly help him rebuild his life. A contemplative, compassionate novel, A Thousand Miles from Nowhere is an "affectionate, understated approach to questions of sanity, survival, and redemption" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Hopefuls by Jennifer CloseThough happy in NYC, Beth follows her husband Matt to Washington, DC in order for him to achieve his political ambitions. Without political dreams of her own, she's a bit lonely until she meets fellow outsider Ash and her husband Jimmy, another politico. The four maintain a close friendship that is tested by Jimmy's success and Matt's frustrations with his career path. Eventually, all four end up in Texas, where the pressure intensifies. Set against a sharply depicted insider's DC, this story of troubled friendships addresses what happens when your friends get what you want. |
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| Here Comes the Sun: A Novel by Nicole Dennis-BennThough the cover suggests a light and sunny read, this complex, character-driven debut addresses topics of class and identity, sex and social status in stark and emotional terms. Set in Jamaica, where lavish resorts displace existing communities and exploit poor black Jamaicans, it revolves around two sisters and their abusive mother. Though Margot has a prestigious hotel job, she also has a sideline in sex work to earn money to provide a better life for her sister, Thandi. Thandi, however, wants something different from the future that Margot is sacrificing herself for. Jamaican patois may slow down some readers, but the topics discussed -- tourism and homophobia in poor countries, the cycle of poverty and destruction -- and the vibrant characters make for a deep and often heartbreaking read. |
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| Miss Jane: A Novel by Brad WatsonIn rural Mississippi in 1915, a baby is born -- inauspiciously conceived, she is also born with genital abnormalities that make her unmarriageable. As she grows she has few champions other than the doctor who delivered her, but her strength of spirit -- and a deep connection to nature -- allows her to engage in the world on her own terms. Inspired by the story of the author's great-aunt, this novel is a portrait of a "lonely, lovely life" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Focus on: Women in Translation
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| My Brilliant Friend: Childhood, Adolescence by Elena FerranteThis first episode in a coming-of-age series by a bestselling, pseudonymous Italian author, My Brilliant Friend begins in mid-century Naples, with two friends who grow up together, though under different circumstances. The neighborhood is poor, violent, and lacks opportunity, especially for girls, and while Elena is educated (and increasingly looks to education as a means of escape), Lila is not, and must find alternate ways to leave or improve her home. Dense and detail-filled (it is likely autobiographical, after all), this leisurely paced novel is driven by Lila, who disappears, and Elena, who writes her story. |
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| The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel by Nina George; translated by Simon PareFrench bookstore owner Jean Perdu considers himself a literary apothecary, prescribing exactly the right books to heal whatever ails his customers. His own heart, however, remains unhealed, at least until an unusual encounter leads him to read a long-sealed letter, which in turn compels him to board his bookshop (yes, it's a floating bookshop on the Seine!) and sail in search of his own happy ending. His journey -- enlivened by quaint French towns, delicious cuisine, and friendly strangers -- made this winsome novel a bestseller in Europe. |
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| Blue Is the Warmest Color by Julie MarohClementine is in high school when, for the first time, she is instantly and undeniably attracted to a young woman. At first they begin a friendship, which soon turns into a romance, testing her relationships with her friends and family and her own sense of self. Clementine's story is told in flashback, as Emma (the blue-haired girl she fell in love with) reads her teenage diaries after Clementine herself is dead. Moving and intimate, this graphic novel was originally written in French, and a film version (La Vie d'Adèle) won the Palme d'Or in 2013. |
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| The Lake by Banana YoshimotoMuralist Chihiro and science student Nakajima begin a tentative friendship after they notice each other standing in the windows of their apartments, which face each other. Both damaged by their upbringing, though in different ways, they soon begin a romance of sorts, though their relationship is more spiritual than it is sexual. But it is tested by the slow reveal of Nakajima's difficult childhood after a visit to the lake of the title. Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto's writing has a dreamlike quality; readers unfamiliar with her work may enjoy starting here. |
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| I'll Be Right There: A Novel by Kyung Sook ShinSet in politically turbulent South Korea, this melancholy, reflective novel tells the story of Jung Yoon, who is drawn back to the intense years of her early 20s after a phone call bears bad news. As a young woman, Jung started college far away from home at the same time that she was mourning the death of her mother; only the friendship of two politically active students keeps her grounded, despite the unrequited love she feels for one of them. These relationships, along with her childhood friend and an influential professor, form the center of this novel, the author's second to be translated into English. |
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