Fiction A to Z December 2017 "The christening party took a turn when Albert Cousins arrived with gin."  ~ from Ann Patchett's Commonwealth   Recent Releases Dinner at the center of the earth by Nathan Englander The Pulitzer Prize-finalist author of For the Relief of Unbearable Urges presents a work of political suspense set in the highly charged territory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that pivots on a complex relationship between a secret prisoner and the guard who has watched him for more than a dozen years. The End We Start From by Megan Hunter This post-apocalyptic debut is set in London, England -- though parts of the city itself are deep under water. After giving birth to a baby boy, our unnamed narrator flees north with her husband and son, seeking refuge first with family, then with the government, and finally on their own. With spare prose and a meditative style, this novel almost reads like poetry; with an equal emphasis on both motherhood and the perils of catastrophe, it can also be read as a warning for a world threatened by climate change. To be where you are by Jan Karon Father Tim Kavanagh struggles to find meaning in an unexpected new job, while newlyweds Dooley and Lace are stricken by a crisis that overshadows their happiness, and 4-year-old Jack Tyler looks forward to the biggest day of his young life. By the best-selling author of Come Rain or Come Shine. Forest dark : a novel by Nicole Krauss Giving away all of his personal possessions after retiring, a once-ambitious man embarks on a journey to honor his parents in Israel, where a blocked writer is drawn into a mystery that alters her life in unimaginable ways. By the award-winning author of The History of Love. The exact nature of our wrongs by Janet Peery Gathering on a summer evening to celebrate the birthday of their ailing patriarch, the Campbell family confronts the difficult realities of an offspring's addiction problems, his mother's enabling behaviors and his siblings' conflicted views. By the National Book Award finalist author of The River Beyond the World. Heather, the Totality by Matthew Weiner Mark and Karen Breakstone have a smart, kind, beautiful daughter who is the center of their lives; though they tend to compete for her attention, they are more or less happy. Their daughter Heather, however, is uncomfortable with their affluent lifestyle, when those who work in their building have so little. She chooses a construction worker, Bobby, to help -- unaware that she has also caught his eye, and his intentions aren't nearly so compassionate. While the book itself is short (more of a novella than a novel), the bleak tone and lack of dialogue create a compelling take on love and obsession.   One-Word Titles Wintering by Peter Geye In and around the tiny town of Gunflint, Minnesota, the cold is nearly palpable; "winter" is a force to be reckoned with. Elderly Harry Eide has disappeared into the wilderness, mimicking a journey he took with his son decades earlier -- with useless maps and a nemesis to avoid back in town, that fraught trip gave birth to a secret that father and son still carry.  Narrated by Harry's longtime lover, Wintering carries forward the story of the family who first appeared in The Lighthouse Road.    Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Shortly after Japan annexes Korea in 1910, a fisherman and his wife -- having already lost three sons -- welcome a daughter, Sunja. At 16, Sunja becomes pregnant and, spurned by her married lover, reluctantly accepts a marriage proposal from the minister lodging at her family's boarding house. The newlyweds travel to Japan to begin their life together, setting the stage for a sweeping multi-generational family saga that spans decades and touches on pivotal events of the 20th century. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett It's at the christening for baby Franny Keating in Southern California that the implosion of two nuclear families begins -- when the dust clears, Franny and her sister have gained four step-siblings. Over the next few years, the Keatings and Cousins children are forced together by overwhelmed parents, growing "like a pack of feral dogs" during long summers in Virginia. Over the years, a fatal bee sting, long-held secrets, and the publication of a best-selling novel threaten their hard-won bonds. If you loved the complex family drama in Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere and yet somehow missed Commonwealth, consider this a nudge to rectify that.   Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has formed the basis for a number of re-tellings and adaptations, Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones' Diary possibly being the best known. And like that novel, this one features plucky, flawed characters, complex family dynamics, and the perils of modern life. It's all there -- the impending loss of a family home, embarrassing younger sisters, a haughty suitor, and a cousin's unwanted attentions. Just add some yoga, a former reality TV star, paleo diets, and an Ohio setting, and you have another enjoyable contemporary retelling of a beloved classic.  Contact your librarian for more great books! facebook.com/jefflibrary @JTPLtweet Main Library | 211 East Court Avenue | P.O. 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