Hello. It’s a long weekend here. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. This morning we have been treated to a few snowflakes, sleet, and rain, which is quite nice after a dry fall. Yesterday my husband, dog, and I had a beautiful hike with pretty views outside of town. We were pleased not to run into any hunters (or hear their guns) and had the hike mostly to ourselves. We walked through the fallen yellow leaves on the trail and made it up a few buttes to the end, where this photo is taken from. It was a nice way to celebrate Thanksgiving and now my husband is preparing a turkey dinner (I’m to stay out of the kitchen, ha). It’s still strange for me to have the holiday before Halloween, but that’s the way it goes up here … on a peaceful Monday without the telly or radio tuned in to the Supreme Court ruckus.
Meanwhile in book news, congrats to poet Louise Glück for winning the Nobel Peace Price in Literature last week. Wow, nice to have a poet win it. I want to get more familiar with Glück’s poetry so I’ve put myself on the library wait list for a few of her works, including a collected volume called “Poems 1962-2012.” Are you a fan of hers? She’s been called a confessional poet (somewhat similar to Sylvia Plath) but says: “I look for archetypal experience, and I assume that my struggles and joys are not unique. They feel unique as you experience them, but I’m not interested in making the spotlight fall on myself and my particular life, but instead on the struggles and joys of humans, who are born and then forced to exit.” Check out the rest of her interview with the New York Times here.
And now I’ll leave you with reviews of a few novels I finished lately.
A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet / W.W. Norton / 229 pages / 2020
Yeah author Lydia Millet might be smoking some strong weed with this odd little blistering tale that has a bit of dark humor thrown in. Like this one, her last novel “Sweet Lamb of Heaven” also included some biblical messages and allegory about it. This latest one reminded me a bit of Lord of the Flies for today’s world … mixed in with a little Walking Dead and Twister … and yet it recently made the fiction shortlist for the National Book Award, whoa.
What It’s About: A group of families go to a lakeside mansion … where all the parents do is laze about and drink and the kids (mostly teens) who are disgusted with them … veer off and go on their own. Then a major storm (or rolling storms) hit and the kids row away and end up meeting some Yacht Kids to party with … then come back to the parents’ mansion, which is flooded … then head out again with a man they meet named Burl in a van to an inland farm … and some roving bad guys with guns come and all feels like curtains — Uh-oh — then the mysterious farm owner shows up …
There’s some witty dialogue among the teens in this tale … which seems an angry generational divide kind of story with the group of kids on the one side … and their irresponsible parents on the other. It’s a world ravaged by climate change … which the parents have left to the kids to deal with. And the main protagonist/narrator is teenage Evie (or Eve, it’s biblical right?) who is trying to cope with what is happening and protect her younger brother Jack — who is trying to keep animals safe amid the storms (sort of like Noah).
It’s slightly odd, provoking stuff that has some interesting facets about generational divide and climate change to it, though perhaps I would’ve liked it a bit more if I felt more connected to some of the various teen characters — an irreverent rebellious bunch that Evie hangs with — including Sukey, Juice, Low, Jen, Terry, Rafe, and David. Whoa, they are not often a happy lot.
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali / Gallery Books / 320 pages / 2019
I didn’t know much about the story of the novel going in though somehow I conned my husband into listening to it with me as an audiobook on our long cross-country drive to the lake. He usually only listens to nonfiction so this was quite a coup (wink wink). Little did I know how sweeping the story would be …
What It’s About: It’s a story of young love told against the backdrop of political upheaval in Iran in 1953 — idealistic Roya, 17, meets Bahman Aslan, a young political activist, in Mr. Fakhri’s stationery/book store every Tuesday afternoon. They fall for one another (both hoping for democracy for Iran) and become engaged to be married though his mother is against the marriage and has someone else picked for her son. Then Roya and Bahman plan to elope, but on that day she waits for him in the town square, where political violence is enfolding, he never shows and she is told in a letter from him she should move on with her life. Sixty years later in 2013, Roya now in Massachusetts finds out that Bahman is living in a retirement home not far away and she has a chance to ask him what happened. And so the whole story of their lives unfolds … and the secrets not known.
I admit I was caught up in Roya’s and Bahman’s love for one another over many decades … (as we drove over hill and dale) and trying to figure out what happened and why things changed. I liked how it was set in Iran during the political upheaval in 1953 when the coup d’etat happened … and the story has a good flavor of that and who they were. Towards the end, the coincidence of Roya and Bahman coming to know and see each other in Massachusetts late in life seems a bit of a stretch … and the writing about their love at times becomes a bit over-wrought, but still I was the softie who was eagerly swept along and took it all in … a bit like a Dr. Zhivago kind of tale … that aims at the heart strings.
What’s Left of Me Is Yours by Stefanie Scott / Doubleday / 352 pages / 2020
From the outset in the prologue — you learn most of the plot about the story: that a married woman (Rina) is dead and a man who had an affair with her (Kaitaro) is on trial for the murder. Rina’s husband (Sato), you learn, hired Kaitaro to have an affair with his wife Rina in order to break up their marriage so he could get a divorce. Rina’s father (Yoshi), an attorney, is following the trial, while raising Rina’s daughter Sumiko age 7.
Once you learn all this — the story takes you back in time — alternating chapters among these main characters as to how and why it happened … as well as to the present some 20 years later when Rina’s daughter Sumiko (a newly minted attorney) begins to investigate her mother’s death, which she comes to learn was not accidental.
In time you find out that all these main characters are hiding truths from one another in attempts to protect those they love from getting hurt … but in the process they end up making matters worse… and ultimately contribute to the tragedy.
It’s a slow-burn of a family drama somewhat similar to a Celeste Ng type of story/novel … that unfolds in its details as it goes along. I give the Singapore/British author points for setting the whole story — which I listened to as an audiobook — in Japan and shedding light on Japan’s legal system surrounding trials, imprisonment, and especially divorce and child custody issues. Among other things, I had no idea about the covert industry “wakaresaseya” in Japan that is used to try to break up marriages … and I also didn’t realize that Japan has no joint-custody system after divorce, and that court-ordered visitation rights are often ignored. My, it seems not a great place for kids or parents of divorce … which is mixed into the plot.
Throughout the novel, the descriptions of the Japanese landscapes and atmosphere made the story interesting. My only problem with it was that since most of the plot is known at the beginning (and the rest can be pretty much surmised) … there isn’t a lot of suspense left to the story and so in places I felt it sort of plodded along … and goes on at times bordering on getting a bit tiresome and melodramatic. I felt a tauter telling or perhaps knowing less about the plot might have helped keep me more engaged. There was some fine dramatic writing at times, though other times it plodded for me. So in that way it seemed a bit uneven. Still it was an interesting debut and I liked finding out about the Japanese system and its rippling effects.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read these books or authors, and if so what did you think?
Your hike sounds wonderful and what a great picture! Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. How lucky that husband is making the turkey.
I love Lydia Millet though I freely admit she is often about as weird as they come. I am looking forward to this new one. I think teens are sometimes hard to know. I mean, gosh they hardly know themselves at that age.
I like the sounds of the Iran story.
Japan sure has it’s darker sides as well, right?
Thanks Judy, we had a good turkey Day weekend and I got out of most of the kitchen work -incredibly. My husband pulled together an excellent meal & we were stuffed from one serving of everything.
I am learning a bit about Japan this year from Pachinko and now this family drama one. Some tough policies there. And Millet seems on a roll these days with her allegories & environmental novels. You are right about the teens. All together not a bad mix of books.
I’ve been curious about that Millet book so thanks for your review. I like the premise of The Stationery Shop. Maybe I should add it to my list. In recent years, I’ve read a number of books set in Japan and there always seems to be this vibe of a lack of equality between women and men in relation to the nation’s laws, something that borders on outright misogyny. I’m left with the sense that it must be a very difficult society in which to be a woman. But then, that could be said of so many places in the world, couldn’t it?
Happy Thanksgiving Day. Even in such times as these, there are always things for which we are thankful. For example, I’m thankful for your blog!
Wow Dorothy — thanks for saying that about my blog & thanksgiving. Very kind. Always makes my day to get thoughtful / nice comments from my fellow bloggers & others out there. Very cool. it’s why at times we keep going.
I’m just starting to find out more about Japanese society so it’s a bit eye-opening. One of my good friends here is Japanese and perhaps there were a couple reasons why she emigrated … but it’s also a beautiful / interesting place – perhaps to visit. hmm. These books were a different but good mix.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Children’s Bible sounds very interesting. Responsible kids and irresponsible parents is interesting in relation to climate change. I think that it is indicative of the world today. I do not think that such a story would have been written in the past.
Thanks Brian. We had a really nice Thanksgiving weekend. I think you are right … that young people will lead the way on climate change … like in this novel. It’s a whole way of seeing things & dealing with them. I guess also we are leaving them with this world as it is … and they are responding in various ways. hmm.
All of the books you reviewed here sound pretty good and that last one, the cover. Really caught my attention.
I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving. I really love cooking that meal. I don’t know if my son will be coming home for that holiday because of work this year. That will be strange if he can’t make that happen.
I am just sitting here with the news on in the background but I am about to turn it off. We had some of those fake drop boxes that everyone is talking about and they were put out by the GOP. Unbelievable. And now, the Barrett situation is bothering me and I have to read The Testaments for book club which is fitting but also not what I want to read right now. I have been so stalled with my reading with everything going on. I need a week away at a cabin somewhere.
Hi Ti, I can relate. Those fake drop boxes are just crazy. I have turned off the Barrett hearings — as it is too upsetting. I feel much anxiety this month with the election coming up. It’s better to step away from the news perhaps. We did have a really nice Thanksgiving dinner yesterday but now the weather has turned freezing 34 degrees. Yikes. Let’s hope for a good (safe) Halloween coming up. Take a breather!
Happy Thanksgiving! We also went for a nice hike over the weekend – we climbed to the top of the mountain to see the view, however I suspect our mountains are not nearly as high as yours!
Millet’s book sounds like fun. It sounds like the plot of a YA novel these days – with the cli-fi and the irresponsible parents.
What did your husband think of The Stationary Shop? Is he ready for more fiction?
Hey Naomi, great to hear from you. I’ve been meaning to stop by your site and will do so soon. The Millet book does seem like YA – now that you mention it, great observation. And I think my husband liked the audiobook novel okay — though he was rolling his eyes a bit by the end. Ha. He’d rather do nonfiction — but he also just finished reading Ian McEwan’s 2019 novel “Machines Like Me” — so every once in awhile I can get him to finish a novel. Woohoo! On the other hand, I have to make myself read nonfiction – so it’s a two way street. Cheers.
Happy Thanksgiving! A hike is a perfect way to spend a holiday weekend. I love your photo. I guess an October Thanksgiving would be good because there’s no snow on the ground. You can get outside and do stuff. Have a great week!
Hey AJ, thanks for stopping by. You’re right: I guess that’s why they have Thanksgiving in October here … though it just snowed last night so now there is 2 or 3 inches on the ground, ha! It’s turning into a cold week … argh. Still there’s a lot of Halloween decorations in the neighborhood and we’re gearing up for what Halloween might be like this year. Cheers.
Happy Thanksgiving! I’m sure we celebrated Canadian Thanksgivings when I was little, but I sure don’t remember. Maybe we decided to stick with the American Thanksgiving since my mom is American and she was the one to do all the cooking. 🙂 Good for you to turn off the Supreme Court news. It doesn’t do any good other than to make me angry, so I’ve backed off from reading too much (in the way of news) right now.
You’re already getting snow and sleet? I guess it’s not that early. We had snow in Nebraska in early October… In Oregon, we’re already beginning to feel like it’s the rainy season. I guess my hope for a late summer is ridiculous, at this point. 😉 Lovely view from your hike. It has a bit more in the way of mountains, but it reminds me a little bit of eastern Washington. We lived in Pullman back in 1972 and your photo reminds me of that area (although I was only 10, so my memory may not be especially accurate). Glad you didn’t encounter any hunters! Would that spook your dog? It would’ve ours! But then she was afraid of cameras, the oven (gas), smoke detectors (with failing batteries), thunder, fireworks, people with hiccups and riding in convertibles. She was a silly girl.
You comment about Lydia Millet cracked me up! Not sure I’ll read the book, though. Sounds rather bizarre. Now, The Stationery Shop sounds more to my liking. I couldn’t tell you why, but it brings to mind A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) and Cutting for Stone (Abraham Verghese), both of which I LOVED! I’ll have to download the audio of Kamali’s book. As far as the book by Stephanie Scott, I think I’ll pass. I don’t like to know too much about what I’m going to read, rarely looking at the back cover blurbs or inside flap, so knowing the outcome and going back in time doesn’t really appeal to me.
Enjoy the rest of your week. We see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. Fingers crossed there won’t be surgery in my husband’s future!
Hey Lesley, we got 2 or 3 inches of snow last night! It’s on the ground. The season has begun, sigh. I had planned to read Cutting for Stone this summer but read Pachinko instead, but I still want to read CFS – though I’m swamped with books at the moment. I think you might like the audio of The Stationery Shop – just a decent (love) story. Good luck with Rod & his arm appointment — I really hope it won’t be surgery. Ohh I know what that’s like. Stay strong there … with all that is going on.
Yikes! That’s a bit of snow for October. Has it stuck or was the ground too warm? We were in the low 60s today, which is lovely for October. I’ll take it! Oooh, definitely read (or better yet, listen to) Cutting for Stone. It’s such a great book. Nice and long and full of marvelous detail. I wish I had more time to reread some of these favorites. I’m a sucker for love stories, if done well, so I’ll definitely listen to The Stationery Store. Ah, Rod’s appointment went as we suspected. He’s going to have surgery next month, but instead of pins and a plate, he’s getting a full shoulder replacement (reverse, actually). 6 weeks in a sling and 3 months of PT. He’s not a happy camper, but he’ll do anything to play the guitar again. As far as an overhead serve in tennis, that’s off the board forever. 🙁 Maybe I can finally get him to think about playing pickleball with me next spring! Thanks for the good wishes. We’ll get out on the road in our RV before his surgery for a little R&R. This too shall pass.
Ohhh that’s a lot to take in about Rod’s arm. I had a person in my former book club that had (reverse) shoulder replacement surgery just months ago — she is doing all the PT work for it now. I should check in with her to see what she says. It seems like it’s a long road but will relieve pain & the prob in the long run. I’m glad you’ll do some RV-ing before then. It’s a lot to wrap your mind around. Enjoy your pretty October days before winter sets in. best to you both.
I have a different status for each of these books! I really liked What’s Left of Me is Yours, but I bailed on The Children’s Bible because it was too dark for me. I’ve heard of The Stationary Shop, but haven’t read it. We’re pretty similar in our taste- would you say it’s syrupy at the end? Because the rest sounds really interesting. I just can’t do sweet.
Hey Catherine, thanks for stopping by. I too almost bailed on The Children’s Bible as I wasn’t connecting with it much, but I hung on. Yeah there’s parts of The Stationery Shop that might be a bit sweetened near the end … but I sort of want to know your reaction to the novel, ha. It might not be full syrup just a bit sweetened … I took the word sentimental out of my review — & put over-wrought, ha. I do like a thwarted love story plot (like this) – but I seem to rarely read them. The Japanese novel surely opened my eyes to the harsh realities of the legal/divorce system there, oh my. Cheers.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! We do have a lot to be thankful for this year. Number one is that my dad has not gotten sick. That is huge for me. And it does sound odd to have Thanksgiving before Halloween, but, then again, this has been an odd year.
We are preparing for a series of hikes on a trip we are planning in Arizona. I’m extremely nervous about this, but we’re staying in a remote location, in an Airbnb, and we are only going hiking…no eating out, no other activities. We are looking forward to a hiking adventure.
I tried Children’s Bible but it didn’t work for me. Not sure what was wrong, but I didn’t connect and quickly gave up on it.
I think I will try Stationery Shop. I’m in the mood for escape.
Have a good week!
Hey Deb, I think it’s great you’re going to Arizona. You need a trip! Sounds like a safe hiking adventure. And it is thankful that our relatives have not gotten Covid. So there’s much to be thankful for. I agree that Children’s Bible was not an easy novel to hang with … I had trouble connecting with it as well. You might like The Stationery Shop — just a good story. When do you leave for your trip? Hope all goes well.
We are leaving the second week of November, so it won’t be long from now.
The Stationery Shop is waiting for me at the library. Maybe I will get a chance to pick it up in the next couple of days. Thanks for the recommendation.
Oh good I hope you enjoy the book! Even if it’s a bit sad. That’s nice you can look forward to your trip. Sounds like a fun adventure. Enjoy.
Cool crisp days sound lovely. We’re in the middle of a heatwave (today is 92), just what bone dry California needs, right?!
Hey Helen, it’s weird that it’s so hot there, yikes! That’s awful. My parents’ town Redlands just had a fire — which was worrisome but they’re all right. It’s hard to believe it’s that hot in mid-October. Good grief. We have a snowstorm coming tomorrow night … I will send you snow in the mail. take care!
I’m late getting to this post… sounds like you had a good Thanksgiving weekend. Always a treat to get out for a hike! All three of your books are new to me and I’ve added The Stationery Shop to my list. Added bonus – my library has both the ebook and audio in their catalog! Have a good week, Susan.
Hey JoAnn: good to hear from you … hope you enjoy The Stationery Shop … a book/audio combo is always fun. We listened to the audio for hours in the car! We’ve had a bit of snow already … you probably don’t miss that. Enjoy your Sanibel and week … 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving, and what a fabulous place to celebrate it.
I’m not one for poetry but I’m intrigued by What’s Left of Me Is Yours, and it’s unique setting.
Wishing you a great reading week
Thanks Shelleyrae …. I think you would like What’s Left of Me Is Yours …. judging from the titles & books that are reviewed on your site. This one is a pretty intricate crime & family drama novel. It does highlight a bit about the Japanese legal system in an eye-opening way. Cheers!
I’ve only learned recently that Thanksgiving is celebrated at a different time than American Thanksgiving. What’s Left of Me is Yours sounds interesting and worth adding to my list of to reads! I’m not looking forward to sleet and cold rains, but hopefully we will be in Florida for the winter before it hits here.
Hi Judee: yeah I didn’t know about the different timing of Thanksgiving before moving here. Who knew? I think you might like What’s Left of Me Is Yours — it’s an eye-opening crime/family type of story.
It’ll be nice once you get to Florida … a perfect place to spend winter. Enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving!
All three sound great and I’m especially interested in The Stationary Shop. Iran’s history is just very fascinating although tragic as well so the fact that it is historical fiction makes it especially intriguing.
I love that you go for so many nature walks (and through some pretty sights)! Enjoy!
Thanks Athira, we are getting hit by much snow now … so I guess my fall walks are changing now. I think you might like The Stationery Shop … I thought it was a good story and the Iran aspect intrigued me. I’d like to read more stories set in Iran. I also liked: Reading Lolita in Tehran which was also quite eye-opening. I might want to reread that sometime — as I read it back when it came out in 2003. Cheers!
I think I’m the big outlier with A Children’s Bible. I loved it, but have seen so many people who either couldn’t finish it or who just didn’t enjoy it. It seems you liked it most than most, but maybe not quite as much as me. It’s definitely in consideration for one of my Best Books of the Year.
Your thoughts on What’s Left of Me is Yours are similar to mine. It was an interesting story especially about the Japanese legal system, but it unfolded a little slowly.
Hi Susie: thanks for stopping by. Good to hear your thoughts. Yeah I’m sure your reviews got me to get to both of these novels. And I’m glad I did. You probably liked them a bit more than I did … but I think both the authors are talented. I’ll stop by your site soon to see what else you can recommend. Enjoy your week.
I listened to the audiobook of The Stationery Shop, too, and I agree, it was such a sweeping story. I’ve been on the fence about A Children’s Bible for a while… it sounds so out there, and I like that sort of thing, so I’m not sure what’s been holding me back.
Hi Monika – thanks for stopping by & your thoughts on The Stationery Shop. Glad you listened to it too. I was caught up in the story. I don’t think it’s a big loss if you decide to skip A Children’s Bible. It didn’t really overly connect with me. Cheers!