Fiction

Arabella Hicks was named after the main character in a romance novel, and this seems to lead her life in the trajectory of all things fiction. She's seven years into writing her novel, and her day job is teaching a fiction class in Manhattan. The rest of her time is taken up by her difficult mother, who's suffering from Parkinson's and living in a nursing home. Breen, a teacher at Gotham Writers' Workshop, structures her first novel as a treat for any fiction lover. Each chapter starts with Arabella's weekly fiction class and its topic, for example, "character" or "point of view." We get to sit in as she explains the subject matter and closes with an exercise for her students to work on at home. The students in the class are another set of characters, some wacky and some sweet, and one handsome older man, Chuck, flirts endlessly with Arabella. Arabella's class, her novel, a possible relationship with Chuck, and stressful visits to her mother, who might also have an interest in writing fiction, converge into a poignant, lovely read. For most fiction collections.—Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

When Australian rare-books author Hanna Heath travels to Sarajevo to restore the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah, she gets a lot more than she bargained for. The beautiful book was rescued during a Serb bombing by Muslim librarian Ozren Karaman, and Hanna ends up deeply humbled by his suffering after their too easily launched affair. Eventually, she's led into her own past, where she unearths the truth about the father she never knew. What the reader gets in the meantime is an intriguing history of the Haggadah itself, revealed through artifacts accumulated over time and things the book has lost—its silver clasps, which were turned into earrings for a Viennese doctor's mistress in the late 1880s. From an insect wing, we learn that the book was saved from the Nazis by Partisan fighter Lola and a Muslim family friend; wine stains recall the Inquisition in early 1600s Venice and saltwater droplets the Jews' expulsion from Spain in 1492. A single cat hair returns us to the book's creation in 1480 Seville and the unexpected story behind its illustrator. Each story is engrossing and deftly woven into the narrative, though the telling is sometimes facile or cloying. Nevertheless, this latest from Pulitzer Prize winner Brooks (March) is a good addition to most libraries and excellent for discussion groups. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/07.]—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

In this debut novel by Carlson, a film actor and author (The Commercial Actor's Guide), Gladys Presley gives birth to twin sons on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, MS. One is named Elvis; birth records indicate that the other was stillborn. In April 1977, Ray Johnston, a Memphis lumberyard worker with an uncanny resemblance to Elvis, discovers that he was adopted. Identical birthdays, a common birthplace, and other coincidences convince Ray that he is Elvis's twin brother, but few others take his claim seriously. An article in a local newspaper finally catches the King's attention, along with a number of Elvis watchers and curiosity seekers, launching Ray into the most exciting five months of his life. As rejection gradually becomes acceptance and Ray and Elvis begin sharing personal moments, good times are overshadowed by unscrupulous paparazzi, a kidnapping attempt, and an abiding need for secrecy. Of course, Elvis's death on August 16, 1977, ends the adventure. Facts of Elvis's life are meticulously woven into this novel of "what ifs" that will catch the fancy of Elvis fans. Recommended for popular fiction collections.—Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Irish writer and musicologist Curtis interweaves personal reminiscence, local and national history, and storytelling into a tapestry richly illustrating a life spanning almost a century. Narrator Mariah—a healer from the sparse Burren region of north County Clare, Ireland—bears witness to the progress that threatens the old ways and could lead to renewal. Based on a woman (a friend Curtis made as a child) who was born in 1858 and died during the mid-1950s, she speaks to readers in a voice that is lyrical, haunting, and serene; it credibly conveys transcendent joy and tragedy in equal measure. Gifted throughout life with second sight and the ability to cure the sick, Mariah experiences time and space as dimensions where spirits and specters coexist with the living, those who suffer and those restored to wholeness. Like his narrator, Curtis's work is uniquely liminal, neither memoir nor novel, and affirms the curative powers of stories, both for those who tell them and those who hear and read them. The title refers to a tree rooting Mariah to her home, family, and community and becomes a symbol of time's ravages, illumination and inspiration, and the resilience of hope. For literary fiction collections.—J.G. Matthews, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman

Fallenberg (creative writing, Bar-Ilan Univ., Israel), who has translated the works of several renowned Israeli authors, presents his first novel, which takes place in 1996 Tel Aviv on the eve of literature professor Joseph Licht's 50th birthday. As Joseph prepares to reunite with his five sons for the first time in 20 years since he left their mother for a prominent male rabbi, flashbacks enlighten us as to the circumstances of his choice as well as to the characters of his sons, who serve as a bizarre microcosm of Israeli society, ranging from the completely secular to the ultra-Orthodox. After so much buildup, the denouement feels somewhat rushed, and several characters are little more than stereotypes. But Joseph's story, in which he eventually realizes his desires, is a compelling one. Recommended for general fiction collections.—Alicia Korenman, Florida State Univ. Lib., Tallahassee

Fowler's debut is the heartbreaking story of a woman who made what she thought was a responsible decision, only to have to live with the consequences. Meg Powell had always loved Carson McKay, and the families thought they'd end up together. But when Brian Hamilton offered to forgive the mortgage Meg's irresponsible father couldn't pay, Meg agreed to marry him. Seventeen years later, Meg's a successful obstetrician in a loveless marriage. Her daughter, Savannah, almost 16, thinks she's found love on the Internet and acts recklessly. Carson is a successful musician, on the verge of marriage to a younger woman, although he's never forgotten Meg. When Meg discovers she has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), she knows she has only one chance to make peace with the past and give her daughter hope for the future. The choices made by Meg and Savannah may be controversial with some readers, but, nevertheless, this outstanding debut is recommended for all public libraries.—Lesa M. Holstine, Glendale P.L., AZ

When Maggie Sorenson, a cop in Duluth, MN, finds her husband murdered in their home, she knows the spouse is always the prime suspect. Jonathan Stride, her partner, her best friend, and the chief of detectives, is off the case but trying to help, as is his lover, Serena, an ex-cop from Las Vegas and now a private investigator. Stride also is busy with an old murder case and a newly missing woman, while Serena is in the middle of a disturbing blackmail case. A vicious convict who literally escaped from the dead returns from Serena's past, and there are more murders—and perhaps more than one killer. Minnesota winter weather makes a stark backdrop to vivid depictions of Duluth neighborhoods, but it is the twists and turns of the complex plot that drive this heated tale. Freeman just keeps outdoing himself with each book. This third thriller involving Stride and Serena (after Immoral and Stripped) is a striking display of skilled storytelling that will have readers surprised more than once well before the shocking ending. Highly recommended for fiction collections.—Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

In the very near future, the U.S. president has invaded Iran, declared martial law at home, and is now serving a third term. Enter bumbling but earnest Jason Walker, a 38-year-old freelance editor and photography buff, who soon finds himself in deep water after taking photos of a building under construction. He's snatched off the street in Chicago, flown to a foreign country, and tortured by Homeland Security agents until he confesses to a crime he didn't commit—only to be told they believe his original story. But there's a catch. He's asked to infiltrate a Lebanese community center back home, some of whose members may be planning a terrorist attack. Before long, Jason is walking a fine line between his handler, who asks the seemingly impossible; his girlfriend, who entangles him in a protest movement; and his new Lebanese American friend, who wants him to act as a double agent in the name of patriotism and civil liberty. Can anyone be trusted? Graff, a Booklist editor and author (Cold Lessons, under the pseudonym Michael McCulloch), has a light but sure hand. Jason's harrowing adventures, perfectly paced and leavened by touches of humor, are gripping from start to finish. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tuscon

Darcy, a rich, world-weary teenager on a European tour, meets Will, a boy she thinks she recognizes from her high school. Will, world weary in a different way—the down-on-your-luck kind—has been traveling for several years with Justine and has been schooled in the art of the scam. They con Darcy, separating her from her tour group, and through a series of circumstances, she becomes a part of their group, funding most of their travels. The older and more experienced Justine is the mastermind, but Darcy is easily her match intellectually. Holden's latest novel (after The Jazz Bird) is riddled with cat-and-mouse games between the two. Justine's shady connections in the drug world set up a situation that culminates in a life-threatening encounter, but the real story centers on the emotional void in each of the three characters and how their chance meeting sets them on the road to healing. Holden has written a fast-paced novel with compelling and complex characters. Some of the graphic sexual material is probably best suited to older readers. Recommended for large public libraries.—Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland Lib., OR

In his 12th legal drama (after The Suspect), San Francisco defense attorney Dismas Hardy takes on the open cases of missing attorney Charlie Bowen. What seems to be simple housecleaning presents the case of Evan Scholler, a National Guard reservist convicted of the murder of Ron Nolan, a former friend and a private contractor in Iraq. As Dismas works on Evan's appeal, he begins to suspect that the security company Nolan worked for in Iraq and the government money it was bringing in have something to do with Bowen's disappearance, Nolan's death, and an FBI cover-up. With a complex plot, it would be easy to become bogged down in backstory, but Lescroart keeps the action moving. Lescroart's depiction of the measured cynicism of what America is doing in Iraq is so compelling that readers will hardly notice that Dismas and his police detective friend Abe Glitsky are absent for two-thirds of the book. Fans of the duo may be disappointed in the lack of movement in their personal stories, but the novel is still extremely satisfying. Recommended for public libraries where legal thrillers are popular. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/07.]—Amanda Scott, Cambridge Springs P.L., PA

McCullough's seventh book in her best-selling "Masters of Rome" series begins immediately following the assassination of Julius Caesar (as recounted in The October Horse). Without Caesar's decisive though controversial leadership, Rome is mired in civil unrest, food shortages, and divided loyalties. Three men vie for control of the empire: Octavian, Caesar's heir; Antony, the people's favorite; and Lepidus, high priest and patron of a majority of the senators. When Cleopatra, pharaoh of Egypt, begins lobbying for her son by Julius Caesar, the political waters are further muddied. Readers expecting a tragic story between Antony and Cleopatra of two star-crossed lovers à la Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor will be disappointed. Antony is a loud, crude, wine-soaked boor, and Cleopatra's ruthless pursuit of Antony is based almost solely on a desire for political gain. But by concentrating less on the romantic mythos and more on the history and political climate of the times, McCullough's depiction is far more realistic and fascinating. A complex, gritty novel for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 8/07.]—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK

Paretsky, best known for her acclaimed V.I. Warshawski mystery series (Blacklist), turns to her roots in rural Kansas for this stand-alone novel of bigotry, lawlessness, and rampant biblical fundamentalism. It is the 1970s, and the Schapen and Grellier families have been farming adjacent land since the Civil War. Familiarity has bred contempt, and though both families profess Christianity, they practice it very differently, which sets them at odds. When one of the Schapens' cows gives birth to what may be a "perfect red heifer" and a local Orthodox Jewish sect shows great interest in it for potential sacrifice, a media frenzy ensues, stirring religious and monetary fervor. Then, a young Wiccan moves into a local empty farmhouse and starts conducting pagan rights, and the tiny community begins an active harassment campaign. All this is background for the star-crossed love between teenagers Lara Grellier and Robbie Schapen. Paretsky has written a powerful tale with overtones of the Wild West that illustrates the ease with which communities become zealous, ignited by fear and ignorance. Different in style from her crime fiction, this will nonetheless prove popular among her readers. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/07.]—Susan Clifford Braun, Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA

Pressfield, author of five war novels set in antiquity (most recently The Afghan Campaign), turns to desert warfare in late 1942. Lt. R.L. Chapman, 22, a tank officer in a British armored brigade, finds himself seconded to a special-ops force in North Africa, the Long Range Desert Group. The LRDG has been tasked with creating havoc behind enemy lines. If they can track down and kill Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, they may avert a looming catastrophe. Rommel's Panzerarmee has routed the British Eighth Army and is poised to take Egypt, Suez, and the Middle East. If his troops gain the oil fields, Hitler will crush the Red Army. In these desperate straits, Chapman and his fellow commandos work to carry out their mission. Pressfield's story, remarkable for its historical accuracy, is dense with detail. At times, like war, this can be a hard slog, but readers will be rewarded with a vivid and gripping re-creation of the North African campaign. A signal achievement recommended for all collections of historical fiction.—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

In this sequel to Seven Deadly Wonders, Reilly increases the tension and the threat to produce another winner. Jack West Jr. and his team thought they had saved the world, but it turns out they only delayed the coming destruction. Now they must travel the globe again, recover six stones, and place them in a certain sequence in the "Great Machine." The team must split up in order to guarantee success in this epic quest, but their every move is being watched, and traitors with their own agendas have infiltrated the teams. Can they save the world again? The interwoven combination of action and mythology in the narrative makes for the perfect winter beach read. One warning: this is definitely the second book in what will be a trilogy, and saying it ends on a cliffhanger doesn't truly convey the desperate desire for the next book in hand when the last page is turned! For all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/07.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

In Robertson's first novel (following the story collection Proudflesh), three narrative strands slowly unite around the design of a memorial to victims of senseless crimes. Eight-year-old Pearl is the lone survivor of a playground shooting by a crazed father denied access to his children; one of the seven victims is her younger brother. Sonia, the grieving widow of a well-known furniture designer, is helping to assemble a retrospective collection of his work. Renting out her late husband's vacant studio is avant-garde sculptor Adam, who experiences a brief moment of notoriety when he exhibits a life model he's cast from the young casualty of a drug overdose. These separate stories connect at the characters' shared concern over a proposed memorial to honor the slain children, at their interest in Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house in southwestern Pennsylvania, and through Pearl's preternaturally wise and self-assured observations on how grief touches them all. A deeply affecting novel for all public libraries.—Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.

Iraq War veteran Jason Palmer finds his own personal Baghdad when he returns home to Chicago. Whatever peace he hoped for as a civilian is shattered the moment his brother's south-side tavern is burned down, and Michael Palmer's corpse is found in the ashes. Jason snaps back into the only role he knows—being a soldier—when it becomes clear that whoever murdered his brother wants to kill the only witness: Michael's nine-year-old son, Billy. Michael had been an antigang community activist, but Jason can sense this killing goes beyond ordinary retaliation. Struggling but forging ahead, he assembles a squadron of people he can trust—Elena, gang intelligence officer for the police; Washington, dedicated former gangbanger who runs a halfway house; and Ronald, who understands Jason's fury. Sakey's conspiracy and corruption scenarios twist together in startling ways in this ambitious thriller. It's fast paced from the get-go and just as good as Sakey's stellar debut, The Blade Itself. If you don't already, start recommending him to all your George Pelecanos fans. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 9/1/07.]—Teresa L. Jacobsen, Solano Cty. Lib., Fairfield, CA

In Ovid's myth about Iphis, the title, female character is raised as a boy, falls in love with another girl, and then is transformed into a man the night before her wedding to her beloved, Ianthe. Whitbread Award winner Smith (The Accidental) retells Ovid's story using modern-day Scotland as a backdrop and substituting socially rebellious Anthea and Robin in the roles of Ianthe and Iphis. With her sister Imogen's help, Anthea gets a job at Pure, a company that sells bottled water. During a staff meeting intended to solicit marketing ideas, there is a disturbance outside: Robin, a girl dressed in boy's clothing, is defacing the Pure sign with a spray-painted message about the immorality of selling water. One look at Robin, and Anthea is in love. She leaves her new job to join forces with Robin in tagging public buildings with provocative social statements. The real metamorphosis, however, comes with Imogen, who starts out a rigid anorexic and ends up embracing a freer existence. Part of "The Myths" series, wherein writers retell classical stories, Smith's small novel imaginatively touches on big subjects of political and social importance. Recommended, especially for collections with other novels in the series.—Joy Humphrey, Pepperdine Law Lib., Malibu, CA

The titular bad girl of Vargas Llosa's (The Feast of the Goat) latest effort possesses the beguiling ability to re-create herself in a different place whenever she gets bored. From Lily's first re-creation, back in the Peru of her birth, when she pretends she is Chilean, her fate becomes linked with that of Ricardo Somocurcio. Because Lily yearns only for men with ambition, she rejects the affections of the smitten Ricardo, whose sole ambition is to leave Peru for Paris. But as a translator and interpreter frequenting conferences the world over, he manages to meet up with Lily in each of her incarnations, and they resume, ever so temporarily, their lovemaking. Whether she has raided someone else's Swiss bank account or smuggled aphrodisiacs to Japan from Africa, the obsessive narrator takes her back, no questions asked. Ricardo's expatriate life spanning the 1960s to the 1980s poignantly shows the pitfalls of unreflective idealism on a variety of levels. Vargas Llosa, a Peruvian expatriate living in London, is one of Latin America's most valued authors; here he does not disappoint. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/07.]—Jack Shreve, Allegany Coll. of Maryland, Cumberland

Verhaeghen's debut novel, which has some of the intrigue of Robert Stone's Damascus Gate, deals with arguably the most important and traumatic events of the 20th century: the Holocaust and the arms race. The novel's success is in its complex structure and the fascinating relationships among its three main characters—a graduate student, a Holocaust survivor, and a physicist working on the Manhattan Project—whose lives stretch across the century and who both impact and are impacted by these enormous historical events. Yet despite the structural intricacies of and interplay among these characters, the novel's credibility suffers in several significant ways: e.g., the conveyance of scientific information is often stilted, and the Holocaust survivor's rendering of his experience is diluted compared to other firsthand accounts (like that of Ernö Szép) of the plight of Jews in wartime Europe. The scale is ambitious, but the novel would have benefited from more rigorous editing. Nevertheless, recommended for public and academic libraries.—K.H. Cumiskey, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh

When commitmentphobe Lucy Lyon finds a time machine, she takes the opportunity to leave behind a messy modern life that includes soon-to-be ex-boyfriend Anthony and no job. Her initial destination is 1813 to meet Lord Byron, the first in a series of trips to meet some of her fantasy men: John Keats, Ovid, Leonardo da Vinci, Al Capone, and Casanova. Wanting to spend time with anyone other than her Anthony, Lucy searches throughout history for the perfect man. But the more time she spends with these historical lovers, poets, and artists, the more she realizes how wonderful boring old Anthony is. Just as her commitment fears begin to fade, though, he is suddenly engaged to his old girlfriend, and Lucy must use her wiles and wits—and even the time machine—to win him back. Unbelievably, British author Wright manages to make this time-travel love story believable. This chick lit-meets-Back to the Future novel is recommended for popular fiction collections.—Anika Fajardo, Coll. of St. Catherine Lib., St. Paul, MN

Arnoldi's (The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom) collection, winner of this year's Juniper Prize for Fiction from the University of Massachusetts Press, features women on the lam, "crazy" women creating visionary art, small-town single mothers with plans to get out of Dodge. Mennonite women who wash men's feet, and squatters in Manhattan's Alphabet City tenements who form makeshift families in vacant lots. Many are more like poems than stories, and some are more readable than others. Arnoldi has a good ear, a clean writing style, and a distinctive voice that at times is reminiscent of Grace Paley, another writer who has teased the boundaries of poetry and fiction. One particularly striking narrative features Dottie Barr, who uses a blowtorch to construct in her own front yard the ultimate environmental sculpture featuring welded iron bedsprings crafted into "a huge chair shape," a huge lamb with Ban® roll-on deodorant balls for eyes, and special effects created by multiple lawn sprinklers, "whirligigs...[that] made rainbows in the sunlight." Recommended for academic and large public libraries.—Sue Russell, Bryn Mawr, PA

The 14 stories in this 2007 winner of the Miguel Mármol Prize span three decades in the lives of others like author Báez: Dominican-born women raised in the Bronx. The stories are sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce, with innocence and adolescent sexual tension and traditional and individual values all competing within a tightly knit immigrant community. Playing hooky from school results in accusations of sexual activity, followed by severe beatings, for 13-year-old cousins Eva and Mia in "To Tell the Truth." In the subsequent "Awakening," the still-bruised Mia discovers spiritual gifts and ultimate reconciliation with her father. While some of the stories were originally published separately, all are interrelated, and together they form a moving, sensitive novel. In addition to writing fiction and poetry, Báez, a trained psychotherapist, works as a clinical social worker. Highly recommended for larger public libraries and academic literary collections.—Mary Margaret Benson, Linfield Coll. Lib., McMinnville, OR

This first short fiction collection by Booker Prize winner Doyle spotlights the street-level impacts of Ireland's recent transformation into a multicultural, multiracial country because of an immigrant influx from Africa and Eastern Europe. Originally published as 800-word chapters in a magazine devoted to Irish immigrants, these eight energetic stories depict the exhilaration of a newly prosperous society in flux. The title story brings back irrepressible Jimmy Rabbitte from The Commitments, who forms a band representing the new face of Ireland and then some. In the darkly comic "Guess Who's Coming for the Dinner," traditional dad Larry, proud of what he believes to be his very forward-thinking views, is flummoxed when his daughter invites a "black fella" to meet the family. Other tales introduce a Polish nanny taking horrific revenge on obnoxious employers, a (literally) black Irishman seeking his ethnic roots in New York City, and assorted young adults coping impressively with rapid social shifts. Every selection reflects the author's mastery at creating authentic dialog and a realistic sense of place; readers will find themselves drawn into the sounds, sights, and highly charged atmosphere of contemporary Dublin. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/07.]—Starr E. Smith, Fairfax Cty. P.L., VA