Fiction

By Staff -- Library Journal, 05/15/2007

Addonizio, Kim. My Dreams Out in the Street. S. & S. Jul. 2007. c.272p. ISBN 978-0-7432-9772-1. $23. F

Serendipity is the watchword in this second novel (after Little Beauties) from National Book Award-nominated poet Addonizio; this luminous work dares readers to believe in the redemptive power of love. Twenty-four and homeless, Rita believes that life has no meaning without her husband, Jimmy, who mysteriously vanished months ago. As she searches the streets of San Francisco for news of his whereabouts, Rita juggles the gritty necessities of daily survival with the painful memories of an abusive past. A private investigator with troubles of his own could be the key to the answers she needs, but at what cost? Addonizio peoples her novel with a stream of motley unfortunates, sparing the reader none of the ugliness that results from their petty thieveries and sundry addictions. Stylistically, the novel reads like a prose poem, with lyrical sentences and complex images transforming Rita's search into an archetypal heroine's journey. Readers who enjoy a rigorous mental challenge and accept Addonizio's premise that there are no accidents will relish entering this labyrinthine novel and extracting its treasures. Recommended for medium to large fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/07.]—Leigh Anne Vrabel, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh

As a literature professor at Columbia University, the wife of a heart surgeon, and the mother of two boys, Eleanor Cahn appears to have it all, but like Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, the topic of Eleanor's scholarly writing, she is torn between her conventional life and her need for passion. Presenting a paper at a conference in Paris, Eleanor reunites with the commitment-phobic Stephen, a childhood friend to whom she has always been attracted. Stephen's interest in her unleashes memories of him along with those of other past loves, and in exploring these memories, Eleanor hopes to untangle her confused feelings. The problem with Bialosky's second novel (after House Under Snow) is that Eleanor's quest for identity and clarity is not grounded in enough physical detail, so that her self-probing questions seem endless, the dialog obtuse, and the action arbitrary and disconnected. The more promising parts—Eleanor's literary career and her home life—are sacrificed, like Eleanor herself, for the stories of the self-absorbed men in her life. This, perhaps, is the point, but it makes for frustrating and repetitive reading. Recommended only where Bialosky's first novel was popular. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/07.]—Joy Humphrey, Pepperdine Law Lib., Malibu, CA

Imagine Homer's Odyssey set in 1924 New York City, with Odysseus a 22-year-old woman who escaped the Russian pogroms only to try to make her way back in search of the daughter she left behind. Lillian Leyb arrives at the home of her cousin Frieda to begin her new life in America. She meets Yiddish theater impresario Reuben Burstein, his actor son, Meyer, and Reuben's friend, Yaakov Shimmelman, and the three men are instrumental to her education. Lillian becomes romantically involved with both Burstein men, but when she learns that her daughter, Sophie, was spared the fate of her husband and parents, the fate that causes her constant nightmares, Lillian begins a trek west, across the United States to Canada and Alaska and finally to Siberia. Her encounters broaden to include other men, a Seattle prostitute and her pimp, and prospectors and line operators along the Telegraph Trail. In earthy, less-than-genteel language, Bloom (Normal) draws a picture of a no-longer-innocent abroad whose mother-love never diminishes despite the hardships she endures. Bloom reveals the fates of all those Lillian leaves behind, and this knowledge is satisfying, even as Lillian trudges onward. Recommended for large fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/07.]—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

After killing an opponent in the ring, boxer Luke Braden decides to change his life. Hired as a security guard at an investment firm, he grows envious of the young Olympians who work the trading floor. Educating himself in the world of high finance, he soon catches the eye of hedge-fund king Paul Tremont, who offers him a job managing hedge-fund accounts and sports marketing. The salary: $630,000 a year, provided Luke passes three tests. But Tremont, a master manipulator, has yet bigger plans for Luke, whose true identity figures in a scheme to assassinate Castro and take over the Cuban economy. Hedge-fund manager Buchholz's (New Ideas from Dead CEOs) fiction debut is a mixed bag. Readers will root for Luke as he tries to handle the challenges of high finance, even if they find the details of his rocketing career difficult to believe. The entertaining story, however, is marred by disconcerting jumps in point of view and awkward shifts in verb tense. And the expectation of an explosive finale fades away in the face of a subdued and rushed conclusion that disappoints. Not quite at the level of Christopher Reich or Joseph Finder, this business thriller is recommended for larger public libraries.—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tuscon

A Mafia family's business is satirically examined in bloody detail in this tongue-in-cheek first novel by an Italian journalist. Lou Sciortino, the heir-apparent to his grandfather's murky empire in the United States, is sent to Sicily for a vacation after a bomb blows up the movie studio/money laundering operation he fronts. There, Lou is put to work by Uncle Sal, a hapless Mafia underboss looking for a fall guy for the accidental murder of a policeman in his neighborhood. As the body count rises, Lou's grandfather makes a visit to Sicily to straighten things out; so of course, more murders ensue. The novel reads like The Sopranos on speed: fast-paced, violent, convoluted, and yet perversely appealing. Murder should not be this funny. It takes the entire book to understand the plots within the plots as the action cuts from scene to scene without resolving issues until the novel's conclusion. If there is an appetite for cheerful murder and mayhem in a public library, this may be the book to delight the palate.—Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS

Researcher Conrad Senior attempts to piece together a book about the lives of anti-Nazi resistance leader Axel von Gottberg and his close Oxford companion Elya Mendel, a Jew, with whom he had a falling out before von Gottberg was hung by the Nazis, his death ordered to be filmed by Hitler. While his own life unravels—his wife has moved out and then discovers she's pregnant—Conrad inherits a cache of letters, interviews an aged lover and other survivors of the era, and even travels to Berlin to find a copy of the film of the gruesome execution. With many flashbacks and forwards, multi-award-winning Cartwright (The Promise of Happiness) deftly and vividly re-creates the war era and examines the moral dilemmas faced by those caught up in human history's darkest hour. This tour de force explores the "paper-thin divide between idealism and delusion," while resonating on many levels. Sure to reward any reader concerned with the issues of that appalling time.—Edward Cone, New York

Cuba's leftist dictatorship is the perfect hiding place for a rightist torturer from 1970s Argentina. In unpolluted Havana, perfumed by sea breezes and tropical vegetation, Alberto Rios, aka "Triple-O" for Orlando Ortega Ortiz, can for the first time in his 55 years finally lead a healthy, productive life. As he works on a book called Fruitful Cruelty, about the horrors of nature ensuring the survival of biological species, he believes he is at heart a true scientist. But former victim Aldo Bianchi knows his original identity, and with the help of the prostitute girlfriend Bini they share, frames Rios for a hit-and-run car accident of which Bianchi himself is guilty. This griping political thriller abounds in bawdy humor and creepy descriptions of the ingenious tortures dreamed up by Latin American thugs. Chavarría, a Uruguayan writer living in Havana whose interests are classical literature and the history of prostitution, has won high praise for his Adiós Muchachos, which has been compared to the work of Elmore Leonard and John D. MacDonald and won a 2001 Edgar Award.—Jack Shreve, Allegany Coll. of Maryland, Cumberland

Coulter (Point Blank) will delight her fans with her latest FBI thriller, which begins with Special Agent Cheney Stone saving wealthy widow Julia Ransom from being drowned in San Francisco Bay. As their relationship develops, Julia continues to be the target of a murderer, and Cheney serves as her protector. In an equally captivating subplot, Virginia Sheriff Dixon Noble receives information that a certain woman in San Francisco is a dead ringer for his wife, Christie, missing for more than three years. With the help of FBI Unit Chief Dillon Savich, Dix travels to San Francisco to meet this woman, Charlotte Pollack, and is amazed at the resemblance. But still more disconcerting is that Charlotte is wearing a bracelet almost identical to one he bought Christie years earlier. As the two plot lines creatively merge for intense mystery and suspense, romance sizzles between Julia and Cheney. But can Julia survive the efforts of a determined murderer to build a new life with Cheney? Coulter, one of the best romantic suspense authors, is in top form, providing readers with pulse-pounding mystery that continues until the breathless conclusion. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/07.]—Sheri Melnick, Enola, PA

This final novel in Crowley's dense and fascinating Ægypt tetralogy blends historical fiction with a hint of magical realism as protagonist Pierce Moffitt seeks to uncover the truth behind the persistent myths of Ægypt. An alternate reality of alchemy, magic, and hermeticism, Ægypt is supposedly accessible through the great mystical texts of such Renaissance writers as John Dee and Giordano Bruno (both of whom appear as characters in the novel). Crowley's labyrinthine plot unfolds with a confident ease that will excite readers looking for a novel as absorbing as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code yet written at a higher level of language, plot, structure, and erudition more akin to Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. Crowley (creative writing, Yale) deftly weaves the obscurantism of Renaissance hermetic culture into his novel in a manner that is accessible yet scholarly, entertaining but still educational. For those familiar with the previous Ægypt writings, this work offers a supremely satisfying conclusion to Crowley's tetralogy and is recommended for any public library already carrying the author's previous works.—Christopher Bussmann, Pratt Inst. Lib., Brooklyn, NY

Lebanese Canadian accountant Aline Hallaby flunks her accounting exams, turning her life upside down and putting her boring job at a prestigious Montreal firm at risk. To make matters worse, her long-term relationship suddenly looks staid and lifeless. The weight of her double life—Ali is both a successful, obedient Muslim daughter and a hard-partying, fashion and product-obsessed young professional—finally collapses. Instead of a week in Mexico with her classmates, Ali grabs her best friends Sophie and Jaz and heads off to Cuba, land of Mojitos and endless beaches, telling no one at home the change in plans. For the first time, out from under her parents' watchful supervision, Ali tries to figure out who she is and what she wants in life (of course, this includes a hot Cuban, designer sandals, and a cathartic blowup with her best friends). Fashionably Late could be the perfect beach read. Almost. About 150 pages too long and in need of further editing, it might cause readers to abandon the book beachside. Still, this debut may be a good purchase for public libraries with very large chick-lit collections.—Andrea Y. Griffith, Loma Linda Univ. Libs., CA

Pivotal to this novel is the key in ten-year-old Sarah's pocket. It opens the cupboard in which she has hidden her younger brother from the French police, who are rounding up Jews in Paris. It is July 16, 1942, and Sarah, along with her parents and hundreds more people, are brought to the stadium Vélodrome d'Hiver, where they spend several days without food or water before being sent to French camps en route to Auschwitz. Arriving at the camp Beaune-la-Rolande, Sarah is separated from her parents and manages to escape. Nearby farmers not only protect but eventually adopt her. In alternating chapters, we read of American-born journalist Julia Jarmond, who's working on a magazine story about the "Vel'd'Hiv" roundup on its 60th anniversary. Because the grandparents of Julia's husband moved into the apartment once owned by Sarah's family, we learn what Sarah discovers when she finally returns ten years later with the key—knowledge so traumatic that it changes Julia's life forever. This debut by French-born de Rosnay has been translated into 15 languages and will surely be an international best seller. Masterly and compelling, it is not something that readers will quickly forget. Highly recommended.—Lisa Rohrbaugh, East Palestine Memorial P.L., OH

On 9/11, a man working in the towers, Keith, survives and returns to his estranged wife, Lianne, and young son Justin. Keith self-medicates with poker, flying between casinos and home; Lianne becomes obsessed with Alzheimer's and the support group she leads for sufferers. This novel is divided into three sections, each named for a character who is unidentified until the end of the section and serves primarily as a thematic element: "Bill Lawton" is Justin's distorted version of Bin Laden, for whom he searches the sky with binoculars; "Ernst Hechinger" is the real name of Lianne's mother's lover (now known as Martin), a former violent demonstrator against the German Democratic Republic, the extent of his crimes unknown; and "David Janiak" is the Falling Man, a controversial performance artist who falls from heights in a suit and a harness. Each section ends with a short chapter on the terrorists; strangely brief, they serve well to humanize the perpetrators without delving into the territory of judgment, sympathy, or demonization. Acclaimed novelist DeLillo (Underworld; White Noise) offers the definitive creative text on the 9/11 world in a time when most novels are addressing the post-9/11 world. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/07.]—Anna Katterjohn, Library Journal

In his debut effort, Doyle, a contributor to The New Yorker and a former writer for The Simpsons, has basically novelized a madcap teen graduation flick. That's not to say the book isn't a lot of fun, but it's not particularly memorable, either. We open with geeky valedictorian Denis Cooverman doing something of which most valedictorians only dream—forgoing the typical "the future is what we make of it" speech to instead incriminate all his classmates for their bullying, conceitedness, self-indulgence, closeted sexuality, and other qualities that made his high school career a living hell. But the biggest bomb drops in the form of Denis's declaration of love for the goddess-like Beth Cooper, with whom he has never actually spoken but has worshiped from afar. The pace is ratcheted up to warp speed after the groundbreaking disquisition, and the speech leads to Denis's experiencing more sex, violence, substance abuse, and all-around life in one night than he thought humanly possible. This is not exactly a fresh take on a boy's coming of age, but Doyle's sharp, unaffected brand of humor provides sufficient laughs. Recommended for large general fiction collections.—Kevin Greczek, Hamilton, NJ

This novel about a pianist plays out as gracefully as one of the protagonist's concerts. Hardin, a well-known political theorist, has written short fiction before, but with this novel he sustains a full-length narrative that wryly, slyly encompasses a wealth of observation about musicians, relationships, Europeans in America, and art itself. The eponymous hero is a brilliant, emotionally constricted son of émigrés who makes his way through composers and through life in a haze of musical passion, while his strongest emotions in his human encounters are remorse and embarrassment. Since this is a languid tale with an obtuse main character, it's rather puzzling that the novel is as compelling as it is. Perhaps it is because it pulls the reader inside the world of classical music and does so with spare, elegant prose, and a meticulous structure in which each chapter is a movement. Perhaps, like music of the masters, its appeal transcends examination. Essential for any collection of fine arts-related fiction and recommended for public and academic library collections.—Laurie Sullivan, Sage Group Int'l, Nashville

Matthew King has an unusual lineage—he is the royal descendant of one of Hawaii's largest landowners. This should be quite a fortunate situation, but life has a way of turning things on end. Matt's beautiful young wife is in a life-threatening coma. A model who lived life fearlessly, she was thrown overboard while racing in a motorboat. The news from the doctor isn't good, and Matt must find a way to tell friends and family. Being a busy attorney, he has not been the most attentive husband and father. Now he suddenly finds himself in charge of feisty ten-year-old Scottie and incorrigible 17-year-old Alex. Both girls are dealing with puberty, school, and the realization that their mother isn't coming home. Confronting tragedy brings this family unit together in surprising ways, and Hemmings has created an endearing yet humorous portrait. The characters are vivid, and the book flows along with strong narration. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH

Hynes, the legendary Brooklyn District Attorney, has struck gold with his searing first novel—a story of police corruption and its effect on the legal system. Steven Holt rose through the NYPD ranks to become a decorated sergeant, owing largely to his reputation as an ethical, conscientious law enforcement officer. But when Holt is accused of executing three men—including one cop—his trial uncovers layers of police corruption and intimidation, which will remind readers of the 1970s real-life scandals exposed by Frank Serpico. Intertwined with Holt's story is the tale of his uncle, who also faced institutional corruption in the same department 20 years earlier. The interwoven stories document the degeneration of a once-proud police department and the devastating effects that occur when good cops go bad. Writing in a documentary prose style, Hynes sometimes blurs the line between fiction and history, making it hard for readers to tell whether he was referring to real incidents or fictional events. Despite this flaw, the novel provides a fascinating glimpse inside the fabled "blue wall of silence" that protects many police departments. Hynes's experience as a DA lends instant credibility and an insider voice that few authors are able to attain. Hopefully a second novel isn't far behind. Recommended for all fiction collections.—Ken Bolton, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

In search of an illusory father, the naive Chamdi runs away from his quiet orphanage and is adopted by other street children. Soon, he is caught up in a dangerous web of exploitation on the streets of Bombay. Throughout the narrative, Chamdi spins a tale about Kanusha, a fantastic utopian reality that he uses to transcend his grim existence. The novel shocks and educates us about the degraded life of children on the streets of Bombay, and the fantasy of Kanusha demonstrates the power of imagination in the face of adversity. Though this is a compelling work recalling Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, Chamdi's story does get eclipsed and eventually derailed by the depiction of ethnic violence that reconfigures the landscape. After the dust settles, Chamdi remains, trapped and vulnerable. His future, disturbingly foreshadowed, is left unfinished if uneasily imagined. Recommended for public and academic libraries, especially owing to the social and cultural commentary; the Bombay-born Irani (The Cripple and His Talismans) now lives in Canada.—Henry Bankhead, Santa Clara Cty. Lib., Los Gatos, CA

Ex-con Gladesman and two teenage accomplices set out to salvage (steal) in the aftermath of a hurricane that hits the Florida Everglades. Two ex-military hardguys on a secret mission for a global oil company are dropped on a mysterious island in the area. And Max Freeman, Philadelphia cop-turned-P.I. (Killing Night), and his lover, Sherry, plan a rare vacation at his isolated Everglades cabin. How these plot lines converge on one storm-battered island is the stuff of King's fifth Freeman novel, following last year's standalone (Eye of Vengeance). Although the bodies pile up quickly, King displays a deft touch for sketching rounded characters, has a sympathetic eye for the south Florida environment, and stirs up a suspenseful plot that only in its ending flirts with melodrama. Rather self-absorbed in earlier tales, Max now is energized by action—and love. He is likely to return and so are the many fans of the Edgar award-winning King. For all thriller and crime fiction collections.—Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Amsterdammer Dan van Diepen loves his wife, Carmen, but his monophobia (fear of monogamy) prevents him from being faithful. When Carmen is diagnosed with a virulent form of breast cancer at 34, one would expect Dan to come up to snuff. Not bloody likely. He continues to go clubbing with his friends, dropping the odd Ecstasy tab, shagging the occasional ex-girlfriend, and beginning an affair all while Carmen undergoes chemotherapy and radiation. Kluun, whose young wife died of the disease, has presented us with a conundrum. How do we feel sympathy (or empathy) for our Dan when he is, to use his own vernacular, a dickhead? Yet somehow we do learn to care for Dan, for Carmen (who knows what her husband is like), and for their toddler, Luna. In addition, we learn a good deal about soccer, advertising, nightlife, and music, with lyrics quoted at the beginning of each chapter. Kluun also lets Dan step outside the action to describe, via sidebars (similar to those in nonfiction), people, things, and institutions mentioned in the narrative. It should be distracting, but it's not. And though the resolution of Carmen's illness is never really in doubt, the path Kluun takes to get there is cathartic for the reader as well. This title won Kluun a Dutch book prize in 2006, and he's already written the sequel. Recommended for public libraries.—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

Set in the 1960s, this harrowing coming-of-age tale features an unnamed 14-year-old Australian boy with a troubled past. As the book opens, he, his mother, and his younger brother are leaving his abusive father to make a life on their own. With his mother unable to care for both sons, he is left to fend for himself, moving between city and country and working a variety of jobs in order to survive. He learns the value of work well done from a skilled ranch hand, meets a restless girl from a strait-laced farm family, and experiences joy and sorrow at a migrant labor camp. Throughout, he imagines himself a stoic loner making his way through a harsh and ruined world—until he's drawn to a deadly "instrument of fate." Poet and novelist Kocan (The Treatment), who spent years in prison and mental hospitals for the attempted assassination of an Australian politician, has crafted a dark, Dickensian work based on the events of his own rough-and-tumble youth. Recommended for most public libraries. [Winner of the 2005 Fellowship of Australian Writers National Literary Awards and the FAW Christina Stead Award for Fiction.—Ed.]—Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, Andover, MA

Program coordinator for FEMRITE, the Ugandan Women Writers' Association and publishing house, novelist and children's author Kyomuhendo (Secrets No More) here offers a novel encompassing a family's fearful response to life in dictator Idi Amin's Uganda. The novel specifically addresses the effects of war on central character Alinda, who also acts as the eyes of the story. Kyomuhendo explores the lives of women not just in a dictatorial state but at different stages of life, including childhood, puberty, pregnancy, and motherhood, and shows the reader the different struggles associated with each stage. In a beautifully direct narration, she is able to show her characters reacting to the horror that Amin's regime has put them through. While the story can be used pedagogically, the writing does not feel either syrupy or pedantic but instead profoundly realistic. Recommended for public and academic libraries.—Shalini Miskelly, Highline Community Coll. Lib., Des Moines, WA

Dismissed by Lord Byron, John Polidori, the brooding physician hired to accompany the famously tortured poet in his final exile, returns to London poor, frustrated, and aimless only to discover that Byron continues to dominate his life as he is mistaken for the poet by the bookish Eliza Esmond, who harbors secrets of her own. Two lost souls, desperate to live life fully, are caught up in an impossible web of deceit. Markovits's (Fathers and Daughters) sensually poetic and evocative prose occasionally intrudes into the narrative in a way that will limit the book's appeal to readers who prefer their fiction literary. For larger collections or where literary fiction is popular.—Cynthia Johnson, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA

Opening with an unexpected view of street life in antebellum New Orleans, this debut Civil War novel features Elias Abrams, the Jewish son of an indentured servant. Elias joins the Confederate Army to escape the police, who are after him for his misadventures as a member of a gang of rogues called the Cypress Stump Boys, who robbed, looted, drank excessively, and more on Gallatin Street. As a private in the Third Louisiana Regiment, Elias fights for his life; the bloody battle scenes, showing men dying from their wounds and from the dire conditions of hunger and drought, are portrayed vividly. A classics professor comrade opens Elias to a loftier reality, and he is also caught up in the epistolary romance he is having with an observant Jewess, Nora Bloom, who has written to "a soldier" to lift his spirits. The past catches up with Elias, who needs to face his demons before he can lead the proper life he craves. A somewhat overstocked novel that will appeal to readers of page-turning historical romances.—Molly Abramowitz, Silver Spring, MD

Award-winning writer Mosher (A Stranger in the Kingdom) places his new novel once again in mythical Kingdom County, a region in northeastern Vermont. There, in 1930, resides Miss Jane Hubbell Kinneson, an eccentric library/bookstore proprietor and bird carver of Scottish and Native American ancestry. Jane is also the last remaining heir to mile-high Kingdom Mountain, a vast unspoiled wilderness that includes streams where a rare species of blue trout spawn. When she learns that a new road, the Connector, is scheduled to be built on the mountain, she makes a firm stand against it. As she goes up against the local politicos, a stranger, aviator Henry Satterfield, literally flies into her lonely life, giving her both companionship and support. Having designs of his own regarding Kingdom County, Henry recruits Jane in his search for clues concerning stolen gold coins and the unsolved disappearance of her uncle, Pilgrim. Offering a dose of magic realism and an assortment of odd, endearing characters, this novel takes another good look at the ongoing struggle between progress and preservation. In the midst of it all, with humor and wistfulness, he has also fashioned a love story. Recommended for all public libraries.—Maureen Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ

Murr's third novel (after The Genius of the Sea) follows the movements of Raj, a young Indian boy who is remanded by his globetrotting British father into the care of his aunt in rural Missouri. The small town of Pisgah, peopled largely by recent European immigrants, is much like Chekhov's provincial Russia in that nothing appears to be happening until the dark secrets of the inhabitants are unearthed. Murr's vast cast of characters includes neither sympathetic straw men nor unlikable antagonists; instead, his characters exhibit a humanity that makes it impossible to accept or totally reject them completely. An exquisite stylist, Murr deftly balances narrative and dialog to give us a highly literate and eminently readable novel. In this sense, Murr's achievement is remarkable: he combines two unlike qualities in crafting what we might call a "literary page-turner," one that, despite its length, comes to an end faster than we'd hoped. Replete with Faulknerian foreboding, this novel is a welcome addition to any fiction collection. Strongly recommended for public and academic libraries.—Chris Pusateri, Jefferson Cty. P.L., Lakewood, CO

At age ten, Victoria, a girl from the Arctic outpost of Rankin Inlet, is sent south to a sanitarium in Manitoba for treatment of tuberculosis. In her absence, diamond-mining interests and nonnative clergy, medical staff, and teachers seeking refuge from unsatisfied lives have moved up north and brought with them Western diseases and psychic alienation. The transformation of the Arctic from a place long accustomed to travel by dog sled, the hunting of sea animals for food, and the carving of shelter from the ice to one of heated tract houses, well-stocked refrigerators, and snowmobiles is underway. How the outsiders—including Robertson, the mine overseer who becomes Victoria's husband—adapt to life in the north is as affecting as the story of Victoria's difficult reentry. Tuberculosis is only one kind of consumption afflicting the people of Rankin Inlet—their spiritual erosion turns out to be the far graver threat. Patterson's (The Water in Between) hauntingly beautiful novel mourns the passing of a way of life not easily imagined. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/07.]—Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.

Sixty-seven-year-old Trond Sander lives alone with his dog in a remote cabin in easternmost Norway. He hopes this isolation will help him take life one step at a time after the deaths of both his sister and his wife three years ago. This peaceful solitude is broken by the appearance of his only neighbor out looking for his dog. Meeting Lars, a boyhood friend Trond hasn't seen in 50 years, brings forth a multitude of memories. In flashback, the story centers on the summer of 1948, three years after the German occupiers left. The defining moment in those memories was when Lars, at age ten, accidentally shot his twin brother with a hunting gun. Now Trond's daily routines mask other unresolved tensions from his boyhood: his passionate feelings for Lars's mother, his father's role in the resistance in 1944 and later abandonment of the family, and his own estrangement from his daughters. Petterson (In the Wake) has established his reputation abroad, winning several international prizes including the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, but he deserves critical acclaim here as well. Highly recommended for all fiction collections.—Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO

First-time novelist Portes, a Los Angeles nightlife columnist, tells a coming-of-age story no one should have to live through. Thirteen-year-old Luli is used to spending time in bars with her parents in rural Palmyra, NE, and friends calling know to try the number at the bar first. Drink three or four, everyone is best friends. Five: everything gets quiet. If you're smart, you'll get out before drink seven. One night, after an ugly scene around drink ten, "Uncle" Ray steps in to take Luli home and comes on to her in the car. That sets her packing her bag and hitting the road to Las Vegas. But not all drivers have strictly altruistic motives when picking up young hitchhikers, and her trip quickly deteriorates into an episode of sexual bondage. At least Luli lives to tell the tale, something that can't be said of all those involved. The book covers just a few short weeks but has enough experiences for several lifetimes. Portes's fresh voice and compelling story will appeal mostly to Gen Xers, Yers, and Millennials. Recommended for public libraries.—Debbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati State Technical & Community Coll. Lib.

The world was young in 1957 when the Peccatoris, an Italian family in Chicago, suffer the loss of two-year-old Benito. This death precipitates dramatic change, as family members begin revealing secrets or creating new ones to hide. When oldest brother Santo tries to keep his sister, Victoria, from hanging around with local hood Eddie Milano, they spot an older Italian woman attacking their father, Agostino. After the death of Benito, Santo is determined to discover what precipitated the attack, and Victoria becomes even more determined to see Eddie. Agostino sees Benito's death as punishment for his philandering, and wife Angela Rosa believes she could have saved Benito; their guilty feelings lead to an iciness in their marriage affecting all the children. Eventually, Agostino confesses his sins to his brother Vincenzo, which enables Santo to find out the truth. Examining the loss of innocence, respected short story author Romano gracefully considers whether knowing the truth is always for the best while capturing the values and characters of a 1950s Italian neighborhood. Recommended.—Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. Syst., Poughkeepsie, NY

In 17th-century China, pampered daughters of wealthy families emulated the romantic tragedy depicted in the popular opera The Peony Pavilion. These teenagers, known as the lovesick maidens, starved themselves to death, writing of romantic perfection. Such is the basis for See's extraordinary new novel. During a performance of The Peony Pavilion on her family's estate, 15-year-old Peony (the real-life Chen Tong) has a chaste but daringly forbidden chance encounter with a young poet just as she is about to enter into an arranged marriage. Now unable to bear being wed to a stranger, Peony refuses all sustenance while she writes her thoughts of romance in the margins of the play's script. At her death, Peony, trapped in the afterworld as a tortured "hungry ghost," infiltrates her beloved's subsequent marriages, seeking respite from her torment. See takes another little-known chapter of Chinese history, flavors it with the minutely researched customs and superstitions of the time, and produces a soaring, stunning novel of Chinese women who gave voice to their creative endeavors, no matter what the cost. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/07.]—Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI

Israeli operative Gabriel Allon (The Messenger) is back again in Silva's excellent new thriller, and that means truly bad news for terrorists and other bad guys. In a typical Silva plot that is extremely exciting, suspenseful, and complex, Allon must investigate why a Muslim immigrant murdered a terrorism analyst in Amsterdam and find the kidnappers of Elizabeth Halton, the goddaughter of the U.S. President. His hunt occurs as bombs explode all over Europe. The terrorists hope repressive actions to find Halton will result in an Islamic fundamentalist revolution in Egypt. Almost as chilling as the terrorists' actions is Silva's depiction of the inertia afflicting several European countries that, for all intents and purposes, do not believe there is a threat from Islamic extremists and whose immigration policies make them prime candidates for their own Islamic revolution. At any rate, the exploits of Allon and his team make for great entertainment and a thought-provoking cautionary tale. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/07.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Novelist and Whitbread Biography Award winner Taylor (Orwell: The Life) sends us back into the 1860s, when a riding accident widows Isabel Ireland, a delicate and purportedly mentally unsound woman. Isabel is sent to live on a nearby estate owned by the celebrated naturalist and local oddity James Dixey. This decaying estate is filled with stuffed bears, rare osprey eggs, and locked-up specimens. On the grounds, with orchards in complete neglect, a tame wolf roams and a pack of dogs runs. The large cast of protagonists and vile characters is filled with dregs, lawyers, henchmen, and sympathetic servants, every one of whose lives is intertwined with that of the secluded widow. Investigating the death of Mr. Ireland is Captain McTurk of Scotland Yard, who methodically cobbles the evidence together, eventually stumbling upon a sinister plot. Taylor has captured the essence of the Victorian novel and weaves it through his gripping narrative. Suitable for all libraries.—Ron Samul, New London, CT

Frank and Jerry Lee Flannigan's road to nowhere veers straight to hell when Jerry Lee kills a kid while driving drunk. After dumping the body, the brothers take off in a crappy Dodge, drink countless 12-packs of cheap beer, and contemplate their useless existences. Their lives, no picnic since their mom died when they were in grade school and their deadbeat dad took off, are flat and meandering, as is the prose in this choppy, inconsistent effort. Jerry Lee, the simpler-minded of the two, is a lost cause—he's missing a leg as a result of a stupid teenage prank, and his one escape is drawing (expressive line drawings at the beginning of each chapter are purportedly his). Frank, on the other hand, has a slim shot at a happier future, though debut novelist Vlautin makes no promises. What could have been as poignant as a short story or a three-minute single (Vlautin fronts an alt-country band) is monotonous and overlong in novel form. For larger fiction collections or where Raymond Carver or Charles Bukowski have a following.—Christine Perkins, Burlington P.L., WA

You know what road is paved with good intentions? Bartender/ex-minister Stu Carlson gets pretty far down that road when he turns amateur sleuth and tries to clear his artist friend Daniel of the murder of a slimy college dean art hustler. First novelist Larson (who has done his time as clergyman and bartender in the real world) serves up a tepid tale of temptations in Texas as an extended comparison between bartender and cleric, all wrapped into a single character with hang-ups of his own. Larson has a light, engaging prose style, but his basic story is dull because the narrator is dull. Even a fiery finish that puts the protagonist in the hospital doesn't make up for 150 pages of self-examination. As detectives go, Carlson makes a pretty good bartender, and he should stick with that. Recommended for large mystery collections only.—Ken St. Andre, Phoenix P.L.

In this very noir depiction of life in post-World War II Italy, there is detective Commissario De Luca and a crime—murder—but they just provide the occasion to talk about life at a time when the country's moral anchors had come loose and every Italian had a grudge. To avoid reprisals for his service under the fascisti, De Luca flees, carrying false papers. He's caught and blackmailed into investigating the bludgeoning murders of a family. Frightened for his life, De Luca makes an uncommon detective but a sympathetic protagonist. He solves the murders by no great feats of ratiocination, just the common sense of his profession. This second novel in the De Luca trilogy (after Carte Blanche), told by Lucarelli in spare, flat prose, is emotionally wrenching and aesthetically satisfying. Some may be reminded of Alan Furst, but this fine novella has most in common with the earthy, severe fiction of Ignazio Silone and the claustrophobic, psychologically drenched novels Georges Simenon wrote when he wasn't writing about Inspector Maigret. Highly recommended.—David Keymer, Modesto, CA

The Australian team of Inspector Hal Challis and Sergeant Ellen Destry (Snapshot) work together, though 1000 miles apart in Disher's latest gritty, modern police procedural. Challis must hurry back to his hometown of Mawson's Bluff in the outback to attend to his dying father while Destry steps in for him in the Peninsula police station in Queensland. The police are searching for a missing child and question whether pedophile ring rumors are true. In addition to depicting new cop Destry's simultaneous mix of self-doubt and growing confidence, Disher introduces an array of fascinating, complex, and well-rounded characters, including the residents of a rough public housing estate. His female characters—officers Destry and Pam Murphy as well as the mother of the abducted child—are especially well drawn and believable. Challis's visit home uncovers a long-buried murder as well as family loyalties, old hurts, and potential healing. The story is full of unexpected twists and brilliant clues but the conclusion is a true surprise. Highly recommended for all mystery and Australian fiction collections.—Susan G. Baird, Chicago

Despite our common Anglo-Saxon heritage, Australian mysteries have never done well in this country. Perhaps they aren't exotic enough for readers who prefer their murders set in the chilly climes of Scandinavia or the sultry heat of Italy. But if this superb novel by one of Oz's finest crime writers breaks out here, pop open a can of Fosters beer and get ready for an Aussie crime wave. Melbourne homicide detective Joe Cashin, reassigned temporarily to his hometown on the south Australian coast after an incident that left him severely injured and a partner dead, is called to investigate the brutal attack on Charles Burgoyne, a prominent and wealthy local citizen. Suspicion soon falls on three Aboriginal teenagers; two are killed in a botched stakeout, and the third drowns himself in the Kettle, a jagged piece of coastline also known as the Broken Shore. Case closed, but Joe, who has Aboriginal cousins, probes further and uncovers far darker crimes. Temple's (Identity Theory) eighth novel deservedly won the Ned Kelly Award, Australia's highest crime fiction prize; in prose that is poetic in its lean spareness, though not without laconic humor (a character has the "clotting power of a lobster"), it offers a haunting portrait of racial and class conflicts, police corruption, and strained yet unbreakable family ties. A helpful glossary defines such colorful Down Under terms as "stickybeak." Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/07.]—Wilda Williams, Library Journal