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Heading Out to Wonderful

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Liked A Reliable Wife? So did I. But I liked this better.

Author Robert Goolrick’s sophomore effort, Heading Out to Wonderful, is worth your time on a long, rainy weekend. Or a road trip. Or the doctor’s office. It doesn’t take very many pages before you are completely engrossed in the tale of Charlie Beale, and his journey to Brownsburg, where his life intersects with that of Will and Alma Haislett, their son Sam, and the residents of this tiny town in Virgina in the late 1940s.

Here’s what you need to know—it’s historical fiction, it’s a love story, and it … doesn’t end well. I’m not saying it’s not a good ending—it’s just, well … I don’t want to give it away. Like The Midwife of Hope River, I find love stories like these so much hotter than that “50 Shades” tripe.

“She took off her dark glasses, very slowly, bowing her head to do it, gentle, graceful. She looked up at Will briefly, nodding hello. Then she just stood, and she turned her head slowly to stare at Charlie Beale. Five seconds. Ten, maybe, no more, but it seemed forever.

His hands were on the counter. He felt the urge to do something, to wipe the butcher block, to jingle the change in his pocket, but nobody moved, and he didn’t either …

…But Charlie Beale had heard her name. Sylvan Glass. She went off in his head and his heart like a firecracker on the Fourth of July. Something dazzling. Something stupendous.

Something, finally, that was wholly and mysteriously wonderful.”

Instantaneous, want-to-die-without-her love at first sight. It doesn’t make sense, but it never does. Goolrick is masterful at painting emotions on the page—it’s as if you can reach out and touch the illicit love between Charlie and Sylvan. Their story, and those separately—Sylvan’s desire to escape her destiny and Charlie’s desire to create the perfect family—are indeed wondrous, and sad, and touching. A great escapist read (and by that, I mean you will love Charlie and despair at his descent into madness, but if you were reading this as a true account in the local paper, you’d probably think he was whack and a creepy stalker dude.)

Me? I’m going to go grow a bubblegum tree.

Heading Out to Wonderful
Robert Goolrick

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Caravan of Thieves

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Is it a screenplay masquerading as a book, or a book masquerading as a screenplay?

David Rich may be a debut author, but he’s no novice. His work prior to this book was heavy on the screenplay—and I’m not sure that was knowledge that helped or hurt the cause as I read.

Lest you think I’m about to insult, I’m not—the book is a good read. I may not put it in the same category as a Clancy or Baldacci, but for the CIA-style thriller, it was enjoyable. The story’s main character, Rollie Waters, is drawn into a three-way war over money that was stolen in in Iraq and Afghanistan and shipped back overseas. It’s when Rollie realizes his father is involved that the story really takes off.

Here’s the rub for me—with the number of times Rollie has the shit kicked out of him, I had a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact he was even alive. Seriously—the guy is taking a fist to the face, the butt of a gun to the back of the head, roundhouse kicks to the gut … on what feels like every third page of the book. And he just.keeps.going. People are dropping like flies, but not him. He’s superhuman, which makes it not so believable. And that screenplay thing—if you are a reader who loves to picture the movie version in your head, you will love this book. I didn’t mind it so much except that scenes seemed to jump very quickly one from one to another, as if there was just a “fade to black” note missing on the page. Dialogue, too, could be a tad hard to follow — easy enough if you’re watching the character saying it, but not so much when you’re reading it instead.

It’s fairly violent, but no more than a “Bourne” movie, so I tossed my copy to my teen son, who may like it. Here’s my “Olive Garden review” comment, and then I’ll leave it … As much as I love Clancy and Baldacci, the tiny type on the pages of the paperbacks can drive me nuts. I went hardcopy here, and it was way easier on the eyes. I’m just sayin’…. if you’re in the mood for a thriller, this is a good option for a quick weekend read.

Caravan of Thieves
David Rich

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The Light Between Oceans

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Grab the book, grab a Kleenex, say adios to the family for at least the day.

M.L. Stedman’s debut effort (What IS it with debut books, lately?) is astoundingly good and well worth your time to read. The story of lightkeeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife Isabelle in early 1900s Australia, it will only take a few pages for you to become completely immersed in their lives on Janus Rock.

Tom is a war hero, Izzy the only remaining Graysmark child after Vi and Bill’s two sons die at war. So before you go judging Izzy, put yourself in her shoes for just a few minutes–you’re the only source of hope and happiness for your mother and father, who are taking the loss of their sons hard. Girl’s had it tough, OK?

And Tom’s life pre-Janus isn’t much prettier—brought up by the strictest of fathers after his mother abandons the family, you can only imagine how he feels about being a father. He’s determined to do it differently.

Life would have been much easier if only Izzy could have had her own children. Then she wouldn’t have to keep someone else’s. And there goes the main plot—Tom and Izzy and the repercussions of taking something that doesn’t truly belong to them, no matter how much love is involved.

The book is very much in the same vein as “The Snow Child”—a childless couple in a harsh environment that suddenly find themselves caring for a child. And it’s the same raw emotion that powers the reader along to the devastatingly heartbreaking, but bittersweet end. This is going to haunt my heart for days.

The Light Between Oceans
M.L. Stedman

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The Casual Vacancy

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So J.K. Rowling can write for adults, after all.

“The Casual Vacancy,” the sordid tale of politics and personality in the small town of Pagford, is the author’s first true foray into adult literature—although, let’s be honest, she already had adults reading her work when she was the queen of all things Potter. The book is engrossing—unwieldy at first, but once you get in, it’s difficult to put it down. If you choose to take it on, here’s a quick primer on the characters:

Barry and Mary Fairbrother: Barry dies at the outset, resulting in a “casual vacancy” on the Pagford parish council. Widow Fairbrother soon has the attention of …

Gavin Hughes, a solicitor who works with Miles Mollison and is the lover of …

Kay Bawden, a social worker with a teen daughter Gaia, who has moved recently to Pagford in hopes to establish a closer bond with Gavin. Gaia is friends with …

Sukhvinder Jawanda, a young teen that has turned to cutting herself in retaliation for the emotional pain inflicted by local teen jackhole “Fats” Wall and her mother, Parminder, a GP who was secretly in love with Barry, even though she’s married to a hot surgeon. Even …

Samantha Mollison, Miles’ wife and the owner of a lingerie shop thinks Vikram is a hottie. Of course she also thinks the boy band her daughter Lexie loves is full of hotties. It’s pretty apparent Sam is a little restless in her marriage. But when you’re married to …

Miles, who works with Gavin, and is the son of local deli owner and fattie Howard, who lords over the parish council, you’d be restless too. The Mollisons are pretty intent on running …

The Weedons out of town. Krystal is the town bad girl, her mom Terri is a junkie, and little 3-year-old Robbie just needs his nappy changed. Krystal wants a better life, and the …

Walls’ son “Fats” may be the ticket. Fats may be a sociopath — who knows. But his dad Colin is the headmaster at the local private school, and his mom plays counselor there as well. It’s probably not a good idea that

Andrew Price spends so much time with Fats, especially since his home life with rage-aholic dad Simon isn’t that wonderful.

Whew.
I just saved you about an hour of going back and forth for the first 100 pages, asking, “Who was that again?” And lest you think I gave too much away, trust me — I didn’t even scratch the surface.

A number of the adults mentioned above see fit to put their names in the hat to fill Barry’s spot on the parish council, at a time when the future of Pagford hangs in the balance—all because of a little neighborhood referred to as “The Fields.” As mentioned earlier, politics and personalities take hold, and the ending is, well … heartbreaking. Dumbledore does not save the day. Where is that damn gillyweed when you need it?

Nevertheless, it’s realllly good. I like books that get under my skin the way this one did. My heart aches for the characters, and there’s nothing better than a solid emotional connection with something that you’re reading. Because the character development takes so long, I found it to be solid and grounding for the story. You can’t care if you don’t know these guys, and that certainly isn’t a problem here.

There have been some reviews that suggest Rowling is trying too hard to shed her Potter past. I disagree. It’s a great read and well worth the time it will take to tackle almost 500 pages. No magic, but still spellbinding.

The Casual Vacancy
J.K. Rowling

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Sharp Objects

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Looking for a quick, can’t-put-it-down psychological thriller? Look no further than “Sharp Objects.”

The book, author Gillian Flynn’s first, debuted to critical acclaim when it was published in 2007. It’s getting renewed, and well-deserved, attention thanks to Flynn’s success this summer with “Gone Girl.” Themes? Where do I start? Family dysfunction, serial killers, pain, loss, grief, rejection, batshit crazy people … it’s all packed nearly into 252 pages.

Chicago crime reporter Camille Preaker is sent back to her southern Missouri hometown to cover the possibility a serial killer is stalking the sweet little girls of Wind Gap. Camille’s upbringing was less than spectacular, and throughout the story, we’re slowly introduced to the hell that was her childhood—so much so you’ll shake your head and say out loud, “Girl be messed up.”

Camille’s trip back in time has her revisiting her past sins, along with that of her family and friends—it’s got to be tough to go home, only to discover not much has really changed. Boys are still jerks, mean girls are still mean, and yep, Mommy still doesn’t love you. Still, she soldiers on, determined to figure out who is killing feisty tween girls and why the heck they’d be interested in keeping their teeth as a souvenir.

Camille’s much younger half-sister Amma features prominently, as does her mother Adora, who makes Joan Crawford look like Carol Brady. Just like Gone Girl, there’s not too much I can say that won’t give away the ending. But really, you don’t need me to tell you. I promise you that it won’t take long to finish, and you’ll be highly entertained. If “Gone Girl” was your first Gillian Flynn experience, run, don’t walk, to get this one.

Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn

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The Age of Miracles

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The hell?

I’m not sure who or what told me to read “The Age of Miracles.” And let me be clear—I am not disappointed I did. But seriously …. what the hell?

This debut novel from Karen Thompson Walker was as disturbing as it was entertaining. And by entertaining, I mean that it swallowed up my day whole. I didn’t want to put it down, mesmerized by the desperate plot line. Sixth-grader Julia narrates a year in her life, beginning with a cataclysmic event—the slowing of the Earth’s rotation.

I drew an immediate connection from this book to Tom Perrotta’s “The Leftovers”—easily one of my favorites in the last couple of years. It’s the end of the world as most everyone knows it, and of course, people handle that news differently. Some deny, others accept, still more adapt. Julia’s family is a representation of those who freak, those who falter and those who simply put one foot in front of the other for no other reason that that’s really all there is to do, besides stock up on canned goods.

For fear of giving too much away, I can’t delve much more into the story. Julia’s story—the pain of adolescence, only to be exacerbated by “the slowing,”—intersects with so many others struggling to find their way. Her parents, her crush—the sad, sad Seth Moreno—her grandfather, those bitchy middle school girls you hated when you were in middle school, the “real-timers” …it’s a sad story and heartbreaking in so many ways, but so incredibly well-written and one that book clubs would love to dissect.

Go get it, read it, and someone call me to debrief! Argh!

The Age of Miracles
Karen Thompson Walker

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The Sandcastle Girls

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You know the term “investment piece?”

We hear it a lot in fashion and furniture. Sure, it’s not exactly trendy, and it costs more, but it lasts longer. You’ll use it forever. It’s well-worth the larger financial and/or emotional investment.

That’s “The Sandcastle Girls.”

This book isn’t going to blow up the summer reading charts in the same fashion as the “50 Shades” trilogy or Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl.” But it certainly isn’t any less worthy of accolades. It’s simply a really tough read. It is about a love affair, but it’s not traditionally romantic. Set in the early 1900s in Aleppo, Syria, young Katherine Endicott has traveled from Boston on a goodwill mission to aid victims of the Armenian Genocide. It’s fiction set in fact—while the story of Katherine and her true love, Armen, may not be real, the atrocities around them are—thousands upon thousands of women and children marched hundred of miles through the desert, essentially, to their deaths. Author Chris Bohjalian leaves little to the imagination, making the reading of this book hard on the heart. And that’s really the point, I think. When should reading about a genocide ever be easy?

Still, the tale is touching and the investment Bohjalian makes in each character results in an engaging narrative. Katherine, Nevart, Hartoun and Armen sink into your soul while you read their story. And in typical Bohjalian fashion, the ending includes a twist that leaves you yelling, “Noooooo!” —not something I expected in this novel, but nonetheless, I was left breathless.

From one reader to another—historical fiction set in the Middle East has never been my bag. But Bohjalian is one of my favorite authors, so despite the occasional thoughts of abandoning it (and for no other reason than because its descriptions of the atrocities are really depressing), I kept on—and am glad I did. Bohjalian’s prose never fails me, and in the end, it was a beautiful love story. I’d love to know what other people think of Katherine’s decision in the end.

The Sandcastle Girls
Chris Bohjalian

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Unholy Night

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Full disclosure: I am not the most religious person in the world. Not even close.

I’m not sure if that made “Unholy Night” more enjoyable or not. Even the most religiously-challenged have a vague idea of what went down on the night of Jesus’ birth. Three wise men appear thanks to a star in the sky and bestow the world’s first Christmas gifts on the wee Baby Jesus (insert Ricky Bobby prayer here). But, as author Seth Grahame-Smith notes, how much do we really know about these guys?

For me, not knowing all the intricate details of King Herod, Judea and the empire of Rome made Grahame-Smith’s novel all the more interesting because I wasn’t keeping mental tally of historical inaccuracies. It’s fun to think of the three wise men as a rather nefarious bunch, led by the criminally contempt “Antioch Ghost,” Balthazar. Befriending two thieves as he awaits execution, Galspar and Melchyor, we’re introduced to the three men who play a small but important role on the holiest of nights.

This is my favorite of Grahame-Smith’s three historical tales (“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” rocked my world, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer” was my least favorite, but still likeable)—not beholden to Jane Austen’s prose or the journalistic style found in “Vampire,” this is more true storytelling, and a compelling one at that. Given how fiercely gory this story is, (this is NOT a book to sit and snack with), I found myself surprised how touched I was at the end, and how much I really did care for Balthazar, Mary and Joseph. There’s a piece of bittersweet irony, as well. A neat twist to the story, and hopefully not too blasphemous for anyone easily offended by historical alterations.

One word of caution to the reader—when I say gory, I mean, GORY. I’m a Stephen King fan, and even this was beyond the pale of anything he grossed me out with in the past. In addition to some pretty gruesome sword fighting, we’re talking serious torture and one UGLY king. Herod is sick. Sick in mind, body and spirit. Just … be ready for a couple of “Ewwww!”s and you’re good to go.

Unholy Night
Seth Grahame-Smith

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No Pulitzer for Fiction in 2012? Boo!

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The Pulitzer Awards are the book industry’s Oscars—and it was with great anticipation that I waited for the release of the list of winners. Only to be followed with an audible “WTF?” when it became clear there was no winner in the fiction category for the first time since the late 70s.

Book geek message boards began to light up with similar reactions—2011 was such a fantastic year for fiction, I thought, how could it be possible for there to be no winner?

I knew Salon.com writer Laura Miller would have something to say—and her column has offered the most insight so far. Having served as a judge, I do think her opinion carries some heft. She explains the process well, and it’s her assertion that the inability of the board to come together on a book may indicate a larger problem with the public at large—that we, for whatever reason, aren’t reading enough to make any kind of formal pronouncement on which book deserves to be labeled the best.

Chances are good that the three novels recommended by this year’s Pulitzer jury — “Swamplandia!” by Karen Russell, “Train Dreams” by Denis Johnson, and “The Pale King” by David Foster Wallace — are the only three serious new novels many of the board members read last year, apart, perhaps, from one or two others. These people are, after all, pretty busy doing things like editing the Denver Post and running the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, jobs that are a lot more time-consuming than they used to be, as well as selecting the winners in the other Pulitzer categories.

By all accounts, the group could not reach a majority on any of the three titles recommended by the jury. It’s certainly unlikely that enough of them read fiction widely enough to agree on an alternate choice. In that, they truly are representative of American readers, and that bodes worse for our national literature than a year without a Pulitzer winner.

Hmm. I agree with this to a point. I’m sure that given everything the board does professionally, outside of board deliberations, and their Pulitzer duty, is enough work to stop a team of oxen in its tracks. Still, I think it’s an incredible disservice to literature to avoid choosing a selection. The Pulitzer already suffers from its snobbish perception—only made worse when it appears as if the board can’t agree on one.single.book! to bestow the honor upon. As someone who loves to read, I shudder at the thought of thousands of casual readers not knowing there’s something better than “Twilight.”

The Pulitzer raises awareness. The Pulitzer can take a wonderful but obscure book and knock the likes of Snooki off the display table for at least a few days. For just a little while on the literary calendar, authors like Karen Russell, David Foster Wallace and Denis Johnson get a little more attention than Stephanie Meyer and EL James.

And I’ll admit—I have yet to read any of the three finalists, though they are now on my short (ha!) list. Maybe that’s the positive we can take from this—that all three authors will have garnered some well-deserved attention.

Here are a few others that also received some Pulitzer “buzz” last year that I did get around to reading.

Ten Thousand Saints

The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore

The Tiger’s Wife

The Art of Fielding

State of Wonder

And a few more of my favorites from 2011:

The Night Strangers

The Leftovers

11/22/63

The Night Circus