The House by the River

The House by the River by Lena Manta
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable but not earth-shattering book about 5 daughters who leave their home by the river to find love, adventure, and make mistakes as they make their own ways through life. Each daughter has very different experiences (although none of them have to struggle with poverty, which I found curious) and learn sometimes through their mistakes, sometimes through others the value of family. All of their adventures are interesting, though not riveting. It is an enjoyable beach read--especially if you can manage to be on a Grecian coat.

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Moloka'i

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book about a leper colony on the island of Moloka'i in Hawaii covers a lot: From details about the condition of the disease and its various treatments, to chronicling the history of the leper colony, to the beliefs of the native culture, to the sacrifices of the nuns and doctors who served in self-exile on the island. Brennert also explores what being an outcast of society means, and how the lepers created their own family. I think Brennert does a good job of exploring all these issues without losing the narrative thread, and creates characters that are believable and relatable. There are no easy answers to many of the questions raised--how do you choose between the safety of loved ones and loving those who are infected? does it matter what you look like on the outside? what can you believe in when all hope seems lost? Brennert doesn't offer answers, just allows the reader to watch the scenes unfold as each character tries to grapple with them.

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Half of a Yellow Sun

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This novel about the civil war in Nigeria in the 60's didn't grab me at first. I had seen a TED talk Adichie gave about the importance of telling our own stories, and it was very inspirational. I thought, well, this is her story, and it's ok if it's not totally grabbing me. But as I read, the lives of these characters became so real to me that when it ended, I felt bereft. Although politics and war are ever-present, it is the characters and their universal humanity that makes this novel transcend the bounds of time and place and made me deeply care about Nigeria and Biafra in the 1960's.

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White Heat

White Heat by M.J. McGrath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars. This is more of an exploration into surviving in the polar regions of Greenland, and the traditions and way of life of the Inuit people who live there, with a rather complicated mystery thrown in. Edie, the main character, is resourceful, stubborn, skilled, and impulsive. She drives the story forward and ultimately puts the pieces of the puzzle together (mainly because she doesn't share much of the details with anyone else). The lifestyle is fascinating--how much of what the population there does is tied to the weather, the amount of light at different seasons, the food they eat and the skills considered valuable. Still, there might have been just a touch too much detail--every meal, every time someone took off boots or coats, etc. While the details make the living conditions very real, it tampered the tension, and made the whole experience a little more tedious than it needed to be.

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Marlena

 

Marlena by Julie Buntin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a story of two best friends. I can't say the plot is something I would search out: poverty, drugs, parental neglect--but the writing is so stellar. Buntin is able to get under the skin of Cat so completely--all of the things she thinks and knows and feels--blending the past with the present--describing the past as present and then adding the benefit of hindsight when it's needed. Just in awe of how completely Buntin was able to transport me to when I was in high school, hanging out with my best friends and trying to figure out life. Which is why it is so beautiful--I may not have got high or even cut school, but perhaps we've all had those relationships where we were in awe of our friend, worried for them, and then somehow had to leave them behind.

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East Wind, Rain

 

East Wind, Rain by Caroline Paul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great historical novel about a Japanese bomber from Pearl Harbor landing on Nihau, a private island off Hawaii, and the aftermath. I found the whole episode to be completely astounding--an island owned by one family, hardly anyone there even aware of a world war, the terrain and weather of a Hawaiian island that is not tropical (sadly, never visited Hawaii yet), and all of the resulting events that followed. (Yes, I wikipedia-ed it afterwards and all of the facts are true). Great read.

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had never felt before the lack he'd felt as he rummaged in the cockpit pushing and pulling at strange buttons

he also knew it represented a whole world he did not know and, worse, should not comprehend.

On Nihau, being under-educated meant that the people remained incurious about the world, and so protected from it...

They were fighting beauty and love because otherwise they would be weakened by it.

Human Acts

Human Acts by Han Kang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I admit this is a hard read. There is death and torture and the horribleness of humanity on display. So why read it? Because it rings true--it is a novelization of a historical event and it becomes a humanization of the facts and statistics. It helps us to understand, to bear witness to, to grieve for these characters who stand in for real people. Kang lays bear all of the horribleness and its aftermath but somehow by giving it a human depth, she creates empathy and hope, too.

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the Korean context, such issues can also be connected to animist beliefs and the idea of somatic integrity--that violence done to the body is a violation of the spirit/ soul that animates it.  

if we can only keep our eyes open, if we can all hold our gazes steady, until the bitter end.

Modern Lovers

Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Straub is a good writer. She captures mood and creates good characters. Conversations seem realistic and descriptions are vivid and illustrative. But unfortunately, this book felt like it went nowhere. What I thought might be a driving plot point--the movie about a real college band--was only a side note. While some secrets did come out, there didn't seem to be any traction. None of the characters made any pivotal changes and I don't think I learned anything from it.

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The Four Winds

 

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I learned a lot about the Dust Bowl--that it lasted so long, took in such a great area, was inadvertently caused by farming practices, that you could milk mud out of a cow, that there was such a thing as dust pneumonia--and the subsequent migration to California for work, clear air, and food which led to a "refugee" crisis. However, the characters were seemed to be caricatures of the time, and I felt a lot of the sad events were manipulated and over-sentimental. Also, the actions of her daughter at the end didn't sit well with me. Overall, I just thought this book was over-hyped, but I will look for more literature about this era.


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