Fiction

Adams, Carrie. The Stepmother. Harper: HarperCollins. Mar. 2009. c.352p. ISBN 978-0-06-123265-7. $24.99. F

Bea, a divorced mother of three daughters, is overweight, drinks too much, and has issues with her mother. Tessa, a successful lawyer, is single, pushing 40, and beautiful. Unfortunately, they are both in love with the same man, Bea's ex, Jimmy, whom Tessa calls James. The names are just the beginning of the differences in their relationships. When James introduces Tessa to his daughters, the little girls are easygoing, but the 14-year-old seems a bit difficult. Tessa has great friends and amazing parents to ask for advice, and by taking their advice, using her godchildren as foils, and bribing the kids, she manages to earn their grudging respect. Meanwhile, Bea's life is sliding downhill rapidly. When disaster strikes, the whole family pulls together to work things out—but that leaves Tessa out in the cold. Or does it? Alternating between Tessa's and Bea's viewpoints, this fun sequel to The Godmother is a well- written, punchy fairy tale of a story. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL

After falling and suffering a miscarriage, Joyce moves back in with her aging father when her marriage dissolves. Suddenly, she starts having the strangest daydreams, finds herself able to speak Latin, and spouts academic facts regarding architecture and Irish history. Justin, a visiting professor at Dublin's Trinity College, wants to feel important—he imagines saving someone's life and having that person forever in his debt. After giving blood one afternoon, he keeps running into a mysterious woman wherever he goes and can't understand why he's attracted to her. Turns out, his donation went to Joyce during her hospital stay, and now the two are inexplicably linked. The secondary characters of Justin's family and Joyce's amusing father help to keep this tale grounded. Ahern (P.S. I Love You) has a knack for getting to the heart of human emotions—Joyce's emotional pain is palpable, as is Justin's longing for meaning in his life. The author started out writing chick lit before venturing into decidedly fairy-tale terrain. This title manages to blend the two elements smoothly. For all fiction collections.—Rebecca Vnuk, Glen Ellyn P.L., IL

Aleichem, the great Yiddish humorist whose Tevye and His Daughters became Fiddler on the Roof, is honored on the 150th anniversary of his birth with a complete translation of this sprawling novel, a panoramic view of the Yiddish theater in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Masterfully translated by Shevrin and including a foreword by Tony Kushner, the novel follows an antic troupe of Yiddish actors traveling from a small town in Bessarabia (present-day Moldova) across Europe to London and finally New York. As the novel opens, Leibel Rafalovitch, the rich man's son, and Reizel Spivak, the poor cantor's daughter, are entranced by a troupe performing in their small town. Enticed away by the promise of stage careers, they are soon separated, with Reizel becoming the concert star Rosa Spivak and Leibel, Leo Rafalesko, a serious stage actor. The colorful lives of the theater performers and the difficulties they face—including anti-Semitism, a lack of money, and matters of love—are even more captivating than what happens on the stage itself. As Leibel says to Reizel while they gaze at the sky above their village, stars don't fall but wander, as do these stalwart theater people. Highly recommended.—Molly Abramowitz, Silver Spring, MD

World War II-era expressions and details about how Americans made it through tough economic times form an authentic backdrop for Amick's (The Lake, the River & the Other Lake) unusual story about how some amateurs get involved in creating risqué photos for early girlie magazines in 1940s Chicago. The tale centers on returning vet Wink Dutton, a former illustrator who injured his drawing hand in a freak shipboard accident, and Sal Chesterton, whose husband is serving in the Philippines. Together with Sal's friend Reenie, they earn much-needed cash by making photos that grow more and more revealing. The ingenuity involved in making these pictures generates much of this novel's charm; less interesting is the predictable romance between Sal and Wink. And Amick throws in a bit too much as the novel nears its end—the House Un-American Activities Committee, a local mafia, the Pulitzer Prize, and even Hugh Hefner. Overall, though, this is a satisfying slice of lesser-known Americana. Recommended.—Evelyn Beck, Piedmont Technical Coll., Greenwood, SC

In this compelling and complexly plotted tale, disparate elements in a quiet western Massachusetts college town come together uncomfortably after a young woman is sexually assaulted. When Mount Stoneleigh college student Mary Steckl claims to have been assaulted by someone at the home of Doyle Cutler, one of the town's most prominent if secretive citizens, one of his employees, Conor Williams, is suspected. Also under suspicion is English professor Stuart Symes, who had been there that night, and whose lover, Angela, is in the same advanced-writing seminar as Mary. As security company owner Edward Inman learns more about the incident, his suspicion shifts to the well-connected Cutler, who attempts to divert the focus to Mary's father, Walt Steckl, a disabled electrician who had been earlier convicted (wrongfully, he believes) of molesting Inman's son. Meanwhile, Steckl's attempt to obtain the justice he feels he is being denied drives him toward a devastating act. This powerful and riveting novel from the author of Human Capital is highly recommended for all public libraries.—Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, North Andover, MA

Best known for his thrillers, deft storyteller Archer (A Prisoner of Birth) tries something different with this entertaining novel based on the life of famed British climber George Mallory, who disappeared along with climbing partner Andrew Irvine on Mount Everest in 1924 while attempting to become the first man to reach the world's highest peak. Mallory's body was found on Everest in 1999, but whether he succeeded in reaching the top before his death remains one of mountaineering's greatest mysteries. In creating his own imaginative answer to this enigma, Archer provides a readable tale that traces Mallory's path from an adventurous childhood to his education at Cambridge, followed by marriage and military service in World War I. Throughout, Archer interweaves the overarching theme of Mallory's passion for the mountains, which leads him inexorably toward Everest. Although Archer's prose occasionally feels flat and overly workmanlike, this quality is offset by the frequent inclusion of heartfelt and moving letters from Mallory to his beloved wife. This novel is best suited for general readers who enjoy popular fiction, while climbing or adventure devotees may prefer Jochen Hemmleb and others' Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine. Biography fans may like Peter and Leni Gillman's The Wildest Dream: The Biography of George Mallory. Recommended for larger public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/08.]—Ingrid Levin, Salve Regina Univ. Lib., Newport, RI

In September 1921, silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was tried for the murder of budding actress Virginia Rappe after a wild, boozy bash at a San Francisco hotel. The case was particularly notorious because William Randolph Hearst unleashed the full force of his media empire on it, allegedly tainting evidence and claiming Arbuckle crushed Rappe under his immense weight. A key private investigator for Arbuckle was none other than a young Pinkerton agent named Sam Dashiell Hammett, who turned up much more than a botched police investigation and an unethical autopsy. On the margin of the case was a web of Hollywood intrigue and corruption worthy of its own scandal, fueled by the looming demise of the silent film and Hearst's desire to preserve mistress Marian Davies's acting career. Atkins's (Wicked City) latest noir historical thriller showcases one of the most infamous Hollywood murder trials with a compelling style and a deft blend of fact and fiction. Sure to appeal to Hollywood buffs and mystery readers alike, this is recommended for popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 12/08.]—Susan Clifford Braun, Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA

This important novel from Atxaga (The Lone Man) about the still unresolved struggle for Basque cultural independence is both epic and intimate. Covering several decades and including a vast cast of well-drawn characters, the story focuses on David Imaz and the development of his political conscience. Growing up in the Basque village of Obaba, David spends much of his adolescence caught between the traditional peasant life of the workers on his mother's family estate and the more modern life of his school friends. When he learns of his father's past activities in support of the fascist government, David continues to sit on the fence until events touch too close to home. Along with a political story that will be new to many readers, this book also offers a universal coming-of-age story about friends, family, first (and second and third) love, and finding one's own path. Recommended for academic and public libraries.—Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis

Backhaus situates this debut novel in Oak Grove, CA, in the mid-1970s. The story centers on Jeeto Rai, the youngest teenage daughter in a traditional Sikh family who faces the strong likelihood of an arranged marriage. Though her sister Neelam has recently wed according to custom, Jeeto longs to find love in her future marriage and perhaps attend college. Neelam's scandalous affair with Hari, who was not selected by their parents or the local matchmaker, only fortifies their mother's efforts to marry Jeeto to someone more appropriate than handsome Pritam. As a historical parallel to this coming-of-age story, Backhaus introduces the chronicle of Jeeto's uncle Avtar, one of the first Indian immigrants to settle in Oak Grove in the 1940s. Avtar has established strong roots and plays a major role in events that affect future family affairs. Though Avtar's story is sometimes a loose thread in the generally well-woven central narrative, Backhaus's beautiful prose makes this book a welcome addition to other Indian American voices. Like Jhumpa Lahiri in Interpreter of Maladies, Backhaus has excelled at depicting the tension that immigrants and first-generation progeny often experience when tradition clashes with Western ways. Recommended for large fiction collections.—Faye A. Chadwell, Oregon State Univ. Libs., Corvallis

Winner of the Biblioteca Breve Award when it was published in Spanish, this work takes as its inspiration the biblical narrative from Genesis, as well as often more interesting apocryphal versions of the tale. Nicaraguan novelist and poet Belli (The Inhabited Woman) asks whether eating the forbidden fruit was sin or perhaps intellectual curiosity and a quest for the knowledge of good and evil. Was Eve more intelligent than Adam? The novel chronicles Eve's and Adam's journey from paradise into the real world of hunger, thirst, painful childbirth, the joys of sex, the jealousies of children, and the murder of one son by another. Throughout, Eve continues to hold philosophical discussions with the Serpent on the nature of God, humanity, and knowledge. Recommended for all libraries. [See also Elissa Elliott's Eve, p. 77.—Ed.]—Mary Margaret Benson, Linfield Coll. Lib., McMinnville, OR

Boyden's absorbing second novel (after Three Day Road) sweeps across northern Canada's barren landscape, capturing the dignity of the Cree people, who, haunted by their proud past, struggle with modern life. Two narratives intertwine, that of Will Bird, a Cree bush pilot lying comatose in a hospital, and Annie Bird, his niece who has just returned from New York City in search of her missing sister, Suzanne, a supermodel involved in the dicey Manhattan drug scene. Once back in Moose Factory, Ontario, Annie comes to Will's bedside every day, hoping he can hear her words about her futile search for Suzanne. From his comatose state, Will recounts his own life—his perilous flights as a bush pilot, his spiritual encounter with a blind old bear, his numerous run-ins with a local gang, and his continuous battle with alcoholism. Will's and Annie's linked stories, full of many eccentric characters, attest to their family's future survival despite all the misfortune and heartbreak. Boyden writes with unassailable authenticity; his latest is strongly recommended for all fiction collections.—Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO

This sweeping, epic novel follows Jin from her homeland of Korea to a new life on the blossoming Hawaiian Islands. The year is 1914, and Jin is a "picture bride," a sort of mail-order bride to a Korean man living in Hawaii whom she has never met. Not the wealthy husband she was promised, he is a poor laborer who treats her cruelly. Escaping her abusive husband, Jin must make her way in Honolulu, eventually finding love and stability. But as the growth of Hawaii results in racial tension and violence, Jin and her family struggle to adjust. Seeing life through Jin's eyes is a pleasure as she changes from a farm-bound, repressed immigrant girl to an outgoing, educated member of Hawaiian society. Brennert (Moloka'i) weaves the true stories of early Hawaii into his fictional tale, and many of the captivating people Jin encounters are real. His depiction of the effects of the Depression is startling. Let's hope Brennert follows up this second novel with a third and continues to capture this intriguing and little-explored segment of American history in beautifully told stories. Recommended for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/08.]—Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

Burnside (The Devil's Footprints) sets his new novel in Innertown, an economically depressed town still reeling from the closure of the chemical plant years earlier—a chemical plant that leaked contaminants into the water and soil and caused strange mutations in animals and people. Innertown's problems don't end there, however: nearly every year, another boy disappears, never found. Policeman John Morrison discovered the first boy's body but covered it up. Now he's stuck pretending each subsequent disappearance is merely a runaway boy and not a case of murder. Meanwhile, a young boy named Leonard wonders if he might be the next victim. Burnside's story is haunting and twisted but, ultimately, incomprehensible and unresolved. He evokes a mood of an eerie otherworld and lets plot details swirl like fog around readers. Not a usual murder mystery, this is suitable (but not essential) for large public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/08.]—Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib.

Dana is at a loss after burying her husband, a Pennsylvania senator, a few miles from the United 93 crash on 9/11. Her marriage had almost ended when Graham was diagnosed with cancer, and she nursed him to the end before beginning the task of selling her home. Originally from the South, she heads back to Georgia, aimlessly driving and thinking about her future. She decides to visit her grandmother's house, only to find it has been turned into a strip mall. Once again at loose ends, she looks up old friend Cassius Huston, and they begin an affair, which is problematic because she is white, and he is black. After receiving a vitriolic letter from his ex, Dana moves on, eventually heading west. Little does she realize that this move will lead to a life-changing event. Burroway, the author of Writing Fiction, among the most widely used creative writing texts in the country, crafts memorable characters while challenging readers' assumptions about race, love, and family. For fans of social issues novels.—Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH

In Child's latest (after his last solo effort, Deep Storm), scientists studying the effects of climate change in the Arctic Circle find frigid temperatures—and something more. While exploring an ice cave, the group uncovers the remains of a frozen saber-toothed tiger. When documentary filmmakers learn of the find, they come up north to record the discovery for a television special; then, the director has the bold idea to thaw the creature out on live TV for a ratings grab. When one of the scientists realizes that their discovery is bigger than the big cat, he tries to stop the unveiling, but the director is thinking of awards rather than everyone's well-being. Child excels in creating strong characters, isolating them, and forcing them to overcome impossible odds. Readers will be reminded of the film The Thing, but this book has more hard science to back up the chaos. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/08.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Book clubs in search of the next Kite Runner need look no further than this astonishing, flawless novel about what happens when ordinary, mundane Western lives are thrown into stark contrast against the terrifying realities of war-torn Africa. Their marriage in crisis, Andrew and Sarah O'Rourke impulsively accept a junket to a Nigerian beach resort as a last-ditch attempt to reconcile. When machete-wielding soldiers appear out of the jungle and force them to determine the fate of two African girls, everyone's lives are irrevocably shattered. Two years later in a London suburb, one of the girls, now a refugee, reconnects with Sarah. Together they face wrenching tests of a friendship forged under extreme duress. Best-selling author Cleave (Incendiary) effortlessly moves between alternating viewpoints with lucid, poignant prose and the occasional lighter note. A tension-filled dramatic ending and plenty of moral dilemmas add up to a satisfying, emotional read. Highly recommended for all libraries and book clubs. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/08.]—Christine Perkins, Bellingham P.L., WA

Molly Snow isn't worried when she gets a phone call notifying her that her sister is in the ER. A world-class runner, 32-year-old Robin Snow has had many injuries, and Molly arrives at the hospital expecting nothing worse than an ankle sprain. But Robin has had a massive heart attack while running, and the prognosis is not good. As the devastated Snow family holds a bedside vigil, they learn things about Robin that alternately surprise and distress them. Graced by characters readers will come to care about, this is that rare book that deserves to have the phrase "impossible to put down" attached to it. Delinsky (The Secret Between Us) does a wonderful and realistic job portraying family dynamics; the relationship between Molly and Robin, in particular, is spot-on. This touching and heartbreaking novel is highly recommended for public libraries where women's fiction is popular. Readers of Kristin Hannah and Patricia Gaffney will enjoy it.—Elizabeth Mellett, Brookline P.L., MA

It is not difficult to imagine why novels about humanity's first family are rare—the biblical passages about Adam and Eve are contradictory, confusing, and deeply divisive, especially in their depiction of the role and place of women in society. But this debut novel by a contributing writer for Books and Culture tackles the subject with the right combination of background, research, and positive spin. Through the voice of Eve, Elliott brings the old story of humanity's fall from the Garden of Eden, retelling events in a fresh and thoughtful family drama. But the male players in this drama—Adam and sons Cain and Abel—are not shortchanged or slighted. While the complete biblical story is told, most of the emphasis goes to Adam and Eve's struggles after their expulsion. Anita Diamant's The Red Tent became a huge hit, and Eve will likely become as widely read and discussed while raising eyebrows for its nontraditional depiction of its titular character. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See also Gioconda Belli's Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand, p. 76.—Ed.]—Mary K. Bird-Guilliams, Wichita P.L., KS

What otherwise might be a mundane story of an overprotective father and his teenage daughter becomes involving when it is revealed early on that he is mysteriously haunted by the spirit of his recently deceased son. The title's double entendre indicates that this is a novel with many subtexts. The work can be read as the confessions of a middle-class intellectual who considers anything beyond his classical art, music, and literature-based comfort zone to be uncivilized. But it's also about the frustrations of an aging man who feels alienated by today's youth culture. British novelist Haig is no stranger to the theme of family tragedy, though his previous works were told from the perspective of a Labrador canine (The Last Family of England) and an 11-year-old boy (The Dead Fathers Club). Haig's use of metaphors to reflect the protagonist's emotional state is guaranteed to stimulate the reader's imagination. Thoroughly capturing a father's desperation, fear, pain, and madness over family fatalities, Haig is a good interpreter of the human soul. Recommended for both public and academic libraries.—Victor Or, Surrey P.L. & North Vancouver City P.L., B.C.

Harvey's ambitious debut novel bears compassionate witness to the ravages of mental decline. After being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Jake retires from his architectural firm and contemplates his past and future. As scenes from Jake's career, marriage, and political activism unfold, readers receive a complex portrait of a not entirely sympathetic protagonist who serves as the ultimate unreliable narrator. Readers who appreciate style will be riveted by the subtle progress of Jake's condition, which Harvey gradually teases out in a slow, deliberate pace with excellent use of language. Flashbacks and third-person narration are also used to good effect, and the dreamlike, stream-of-consciousness passages that appear late in the story will have even careful readers questioning the nature of Jake's reality. Meanwhile, anyone looking for thematic depth will enjoy wrestling with Harvey's subtle commentaries on faith and politics, expressed via Jake's conflicted explorations of his Jewish identity. A treat for literature lovers who appreciate complexity in their novels and aren't afraid to deal with tough topics, this book is recommended for medium to large fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/08.]—Leigh Anne Vrabel, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh

Grace Lisa Vandenburg's love of numbers defines her world—and limits it. Unable to hold down a job, Grace lives an ordered and solitary life. Her only deviations from counting are her fantasies about Nikola Tesla, mathematician and inventor of the Tesla Coil. But when she meets Seamus Joseph O'Reilly, the ensuing romance inspires Grace to seek treatment for her obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Unfortunately, as therapy and medications help to diminish her need for numbers, they also begin to erode her very being. This well-crafted debut explores the assumption that sufferers of OCD need to be cured. Australian writer Jordan gets you into Grace's head in an intimate and compelling way and presents the disorder with irreverent humor and poignancy. Those who enjoyed Steve Martin's The Pleasure of My Company may be interested in this portrayal of OCD from a woman's perspective. Highly recommended for all popular fiction collections.—Anika Fajardo, Coll. of St. Catherine Lib., St. Paul

Sadie Hollander, the widow of a British rock star, is quietly drinking herself into oblivion. She lives with her two gifted children in a Greenwich Village town house, but life begins to change for the Hollanders when the house next door is purchased by the Colonel, an elderly Southern gentleman. Under the Colonel's aegis, people begin to create an unlikely family—including Cap'n Meat, the homeless Vietnam veteran with his pet cat, Titus; the ultra-efficient interior designer Mrs. De Angelo; Joe, a nonunion repairman who plays honky-tonk piano; Ette, the Colonel's South American housekeeper; and Deen and Hamish Hollander, who worry about their mother's drinking and their institutionalized older sister, Gretchen. This is, however, New York, and there are also dangerous, malignant individuals on the scene. Kernan, an artist, masterly limns her assemblage of New Yorkers in this first novel. Her vivid characterizations of these damaged but good-hearted people and the joyous but realistic manner in which she draws New York City come together in an utterly charming fable about the creation of community. Highly recommended for fiction collections.—Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS

British novelist Kerr's fifth Bernie Gunther thriller finds the German private detective in 1950 Argentina, where he has fled with other "Old Comrades" after his identity was compromised (see The One from the Other). Bernie's past as a police officer involuntarily absorbed into the SS continues to dog his heels. Recognized by Colonel Montalbán of Juan Perón's secret police, he is forced into investigating an apparent lust murder and the disappearance of a wealthy young girl. The first case has eerie similarities to an unsolved homicide that Bernie investigated in Berlin in 1932; the second ties in with an attempt to seize Nazi plunder hidden in Swiss banks. But the situation becomes complicated as the detective risks his life to track down and interrogate several ex-Nazis involved in nefarious deeds. Authentic period detail, biting wit, sparkling metaphors, and an engaging character whose moral ambiguity places him in perilous situations make this a read to savor. Fans of the earlier series titles will love the extended sections that re-create the grimly decadent atmosphere of the last days of the Weimar Republic. Highly recommended for public libraries.—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tuscon

Despite its shortcomings, this sweet book is a satisfying read containing several aspects of a fine novel, including adequate character development, interesting philosophical meditations, and the ability to illuminate the intricacies of seemingly unexceptional small-town life. But Klein's story, set in the fictional, Richard Russo-like town of Grandville, MA, gets too often bogged down by throwaway dialog and the epiphanies the author forces on his characters. The book revolves around the de Vries family, which consists of Wendell; his unmarried thirty-something daughter, Franny; and her teenage daughter, Lila. Wendell and Franny have lived in tiny Grandville their whole lives, without any inclination ever to leave despite the gradual descent of well-off "second-homers" from New York City. Much like the town itself, all three characters eventually break out of their self-imposed shells to varying degrees, with varying results. Klein uses these characters to demonstrate how extensive personal growth can occur without leaving the confines of your small town. Recommended for large fiction collections.—Kevin Greczek, Hamilton, NJ

The tragic loss of hope is the theme of this powerful debut novel from Morocco-born Lalami, author of the highly regarded story collection Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits. University student Youssef El-Mekki studies English while living with his mother in the squalid slums of Hay An Najat. The handsome, blue-eyed Youssef has always been told that his father is dead. But when he comes across a photo of Nabil Amrani, a wealthy businessman who looks just like him, Youssef immediately realizes that this man truly is his father. Youssef reunites with Nabil and is given a job at Nabil's luxury hotel, and he thinks his future is secure. But his mother intervenes, leaving him jobless, and he is eventually recruited by a fundamentalist group to assassinate an outspoken journalist. The culture and politics of contemporary Morocco are well displayed in this beautifully written tale, with the talented Lalami deftly portraying Youssef's struggles for identity, work, and family. A brilliant story of alienation and desperation that easily transports readers to hot, dusty Casablanca; highly recommended.—Lisa Rohrbaugh, New Middletown, OH

The last thing in the world grieving Iowa widower Alex Voorman wants is to hear from the woman who now has his wife's heart. It's been a year since his beloved Isabel was killed in a truck/bicycle accident, and he's barely moving on. Close to his mother-in-law, Bernice, he resents her push for him to speak with Chicagoan Janet Corcoran, who was near death until she received Isabel's heart. First-time novelist Lovely writes unflinchingly of the medical and emotional realities that attend a heart transplant and the terrible toll it can take on recipients and their families, who are desperate to stop worrying, and the donors' loved ones, who will never stop grieving. First novelist Lovely throws into the mix a couple of over-the-top elements, including the truck driver, a disturbed young man whose intrusion into the lives of the two families adds a tension that goes a bit too far as the novel draws to its powerful close. Still, Lovely's sensitive handling of families going from catastrophe to something that looks like normal bodes well for a long, rich career. Strongly recommended.—Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI

Orphaned at three, Aloma has spent most of her life in a settlement school that takes her on as an employee once she finishes her studies. When a group of college boys come to give a presentation, Aloma falls hard and heavy for one called Orren. Soon, they are spending all their spare time with each other, a romantic idyll that ends when Orren's mother and brother are killed in an accident and he convinces Aloma to follow him to the family farm. As Orren struggles to raise a profitable tobacco crop during a season of little rain, Aloma fights to find her identity in the unknown realm of farm life. While Aloma has accepted her loneliness as the natural way of things, Orren is so crushed by the absence of family that he can no longer relate to the young woman trying so hard to be what he needs. Morgan writes beautifully of their hardscrabble farm life, Aloma's longing for something more, and the grieving that weighs them down. The strong tradition of Kentucky literature has found a great new addition in Morgan. A gorgeous debut; recommended for both popular and scholarly fiction collections.—Debbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati State Technical & Community Coll.

Morris, a PEN/Faulkner finalist (Vanished) and Oprah Book Club author (Songs in Ordinary Time), here offers a melodramatic plotline that develops into a memorable, cinematic novel through strong portrayals of complex personalities. The central figure is Massachusetts wife and mother Nora Trimble Hammond, admired for her charitable work, married to a popular member of a prominent family, and happily employed at her in-laws' newspaper. Nora has no clue how fragile her customary existence is until her husband confesses to a long-term affair with a former sweetheart. Nora's emotions are further shattered by the reappearance in her life of conniving Eddie Hawkins, who knows too much about a violent episode from her troubled adolescence. As suspense builds, Morris adds context and depth by carefully revealing inner lives dominated by deception and loneliness, creating empathy for a variety of flawed characters, including even monstrous Eddie. Recommended for most fiction collections.—Starr E. Smith, Fairfax Cty. P.L., VA

Known for her incisive short stories, published in literary journals like the Iowa Review, Novack has written a haunting first novel in which a girl's disappearance from a small town in 1970s Pennsylvania forms the backdrop for a family's coping with loss and remorse. When Sissy Kisch learns that her former best friend, ten-year-old Vickie Anderson, never returned home one summer evening from the local park, she feels guilty about having been mad at her. Compounding Sissy's regret is that her own restless mother is absent from the family home. With her mother gone, Sissy is under the care of her teenage sister, Eva, who tries to provide some comfort but is herself directionless and angry. Together, the two girls struggle with their father's constant irritability and often uncommunicative manner. When Sissy's mother suddenly returns, feelings among this family are not easily mended, just as an explanation for Vickie's disappearance remains elusive. Told with emotional honesty and a unique grasp of the sometimes searing complexity of human relationships, this novel manages also to convey some depth about the very randomness of life and fate. Recommended for all public library fiction collections.—M. Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ

High school senior Jasper Van Arsdale knows something is up with his best friend, Q, but it isn't until a fatal car accident that he realizes it's an otherworldly something, and it now includes him in its clutches. A demonic entity named Leo has taken over his life—and his death. Jasper and Q struggle to fight Leo with the assistance of a demon hunter and war survivor, Ileana, and a psychiatrist, J.D. Thomas, but everyone's motivations are complex; soon, the young men aren't sure whom to trust. Leo keeps upping the ante (and the body count), while the friends pin their hopes on a scientific explanation for the phenomenon. Peck (Now It's Time To Say Goodbye) uses several narrative points of view, adding to the complexity of the characters and story. He is also expert at keeping the suspense high and the pages turning, despite an occasionally heavy hand with religious and literary allusions. Dark, blood-soaked, and sex-driven, this novel is billed as a literary thriller but will also appeal to fans of horror and speculative fiction.—Devon Thomas, DevIndexing, Chelsea, MI

Retired psychologist Joe O'Loughlin is coping with his Parkinson's disease by leading a quiet life with his family on the London outskirts, lecturing at a nearby university. His hopes for peace are dashed, however, when he is literally pulled from a lecture and asked to coax a suicidal woman from a bridge. The woman, naked, in high heels, and talking on a cell phone, seems transfixed by the call and ends up taking her own life. Although it's quickly labeled a suicide by the authorities (for obvious reasons), Joe doesn't agree and sets about trying to solve the mystery, which deepens when a second, similar death occurs. Initially rebuffed by the police, Joe calls in his old friend, retired policeman Vincent Ruiz, whom readers will recognize from Robotham's earlier thrillers Suspect, Lost, and The Night Ferry; Joe also figured in Suspect and Lost, and together they start a harrowing investigation. Robotham once again delivers. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/08.]—Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland Lib., OR

In Roby's latest novel about the infamous Rev. Curtis Black family (after Sin No More), Alicia, the first-born child of Black, is the one who continues the family's drama. At 22, Alicia marries the man of her dreams—the handsome, educated assistant pastor of her father's church—and he treats her like a queen. The couple believes their love is enough, but Alicia has a stronger love—shopping. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she's used to the finer things in life, and she's not about to give them up because of her husband's meager salary. Alicia will find someone who'll support her habits, someone like Levi Cunningham, a big-time drug dealer who long ago was on the receiving end of her father's disapproval. But Alicia's growing debt and Levi's deep pockets draw her closer to him. This like-father, like-daughter tale is predictable and all too familiar. Still, fans of Roby and the series will embrace this addition to the Black family saga. Recommended for all public libraries and African American fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/08.]—Carol Johnson, Cleveland P.L.

Sánchez Piñol follows up his impressive first novel, Cold Skin, with another feat of literary fabulism that far exceeds his debut in imagination and scope. A summary of the premise would require at least twice this review's word count. It involves a team of ghostwriters for a series of pulp African adventure stories; a disastrous mining expedition to the Congo whose sole survivor is Marcus Garvey (not the Rastafarian prophet); a mysterious white-skinned, underground-dwelling African tribe; the German bombing raids of England in World War I; and a fierce, shell-less turtle named Marie Antoinette. The various plot points are indebted to Joseph Conrad, Henry Rider Haggard, H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne as well as narratives of British colonial expeditions to Africa. Originally an anthropologist, Sánchez Piñol interlaces the narrative with dark ruminations on human nature as well as an underlying concern for the legacy of colonial literature. His primary intent, however, is giving his readers their money's worth in entertainment value. This is a work that will appeal to Ph.D.s and Indiana Jones obsessives alike. Recommended for all libraries.—Forest Turner, Suffolk Cty. House of Correction Lib., Boston

Titled in reference to Dickens's unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Simmons's latest (after The Terror) casts one grotesque—the drug-addled and paranoid Wilkie Collins, author of The Moonstone and The Woman in White—to write about another grotesque, Charles Dickens, who's bursting with energy and colossal egotism, already secure in his position as England's greatest living writer. Collins becomes convinced that they are both being pursued by a vampiric mass murderer named Drood. Drood's eyelids have been excised and his teeth filed to points. He has mastered the ancient Egyptian black arts, and he leads an army of undead followers who live in the sewers and caverns beneath London. But is Drood real, or is he a phantasm of Collins's opium-filled brain? This sprawling monster of a novel is Collins-like in its exotic extravagance, Dickensian in its sharply delineated characters, major and minor. Simmons has captured to a tee the high style of late Victorian melodrama: the story line is consistently engrossing and utterly unpredictable. This rip-roaring adventure is a true page-turner. Enthusiastically recommended for all popular collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/08.]—David Keymer, Modesto, CA

It's 1997, and 25-year-old Marissa Bishop could be a bit crazy, or perhaps it's just pregnancy that makes her send her adoring husband, Matt, on an impossible quest: find her own childhood cradle, which was removed from her home ten years earlier when her mother left Marissa and her dad. To appease the woman he loves, Matt leaves their Wisconsin home to traverse the Midwest on a journey that might leave the geographically challenged running for an atlas. In 2008 Chicago, children's book author and sometime poet Renee Owen is dealing with her 19-year-old son's enlistment in the military, with the likelihood of his shipping out to Iraq. The stories alternate chapters and eventually come together in this satisfyingly sweet tale of love, commitment, and self-discovery. First novelist Somerville keeps us engaged in this slim novel from the outset. Though readers might guess the connections, they will want to see how the author provides the perfect denouement. Highly recommended for public libraries.—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

Set in Stockett's native Jackson, MS, in the early 1960s, this first novel adopts the complicated theme of blacks and whites living in a segregated South. A century after the Emancipation Proclamation, black maids raised white children and ran households but were paid poorly, often had to use separate toilets from the family, and watched the children they cared for commit bigotry. In Stockett's narrative, Miss Skeeter, a young white woman, is a naive, aspiring writer who wants to create a series of interviews with local black maids. Even if they're published anonymously, the risk is great; still, Aibileen and Minny agree to participate. Tension pervades the novel as its events are told by these three memorable women. Is this an easy book to read? No, but it is surely worth reading. It may even stir things up as readers in Jackson and beyond question their own discrimination and intolerance in the past and present. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/08.]—Rebecca Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Matthew Sobol, a mad computer scientist, is dead; however, the programs he developed, called the Daemon, are alive and well and being directed by his planted thoughts. The Daemon is lethal, and the bodies pile up rather quickly in this inconsistent first novel of what could happen if computers go bonkers and take control. Pete Sebeck is a police detective in a small California town who gets swept up by events while the mysterious systems analyst Jon Ross fights the Daemon. Of course, government types are slow to realize the scope of what is happening. After an intriguing first half, the remainder of the novel falls apart as credulity is strained beyond the breaking point. Yes, the government is fallible, but could one man, even after death, bring the world to its knees without the population noticing? Suarez's dialog is crisp, and his action exciting, but he needs a more logical plot. For larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/08; this book was originally self-published in 2006 under the anagram/pseudonym Leinad Zeraus.—Ed.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Selecting an author is the first oddity of this book. Is it Thermopolis, the fictional main character from Cabot's "The Princess Diaries" series, or is it Cabot, who in her introduction points out that similarities between the characters of Mia's imagination and those in Mia's (fictional) world are purely coincidental? Then there's the medieval setting that juxtaposes proper historical details with women who are saucily outspoken and in total control of their lives. As for the plot, it's simple and familiar: the fair Finnula, confirmed tomboy, kidnaps Hugo, the Earl of Stephensgate, on his return from the Crusades and angrily falls in love only to become a reluctant bride/lady. Before their happy ending, they uncover who's trying to kill Hugo and frame Finn while sharing their combative joy with family and friends. Is it new author Thermopolis writing a standard, formulaic romance, or is it Cabot poking fun at what can make some romance novels seem so cliché? With likable characters and snappy dialog, this book will be sought by Cabot fans of all ages; however, sex scenes prevent it from being suitable for her youngest readers.—Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH

In Trigiani's (Big Stone Gap; Rococo) launch of a new trilogy, 33-year-old Valentine attempts to save her family's custom shoe business while dealing with family and relationship dramas set against the backdrop of New York City and Italy. If she's going to realize her dream of becoming a master shoemaker, Valentine must come up with a plan to rescue the financially troubled family wedding shoe business and prevent her brother from selling the building (located in Greenwich Village and worth millions) for a quick profit. In addition, Valentine has a new man in her life, sexy restaurateur Roman, who is just as dedicated to his business as Valentine is to hers—leaving little time for romance. In the midst of it all, Valentine travels to Italy with her grandmother Theodora to buy supplies and later rendezvous with Roman for her birthday. Things go well for Valentine professionally, but her personal life is more up in the air. This, as well as the many entertaining characters introduced, leaves plenty of material for the two books to come. Nicely written with vivid images of high fashion, New York City, and traditional Italy, Trigiani's latest is sure to be eagerly anticipated by her many fans and attract some new readers. Recommended for all public libraries.—Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

Focusing on the world of medicine, this epic first novel by well-known doctor/author Verghese (My Own Country) follows a man on a mythic quest to find his father. It begins with the dramatic birth of twins slightly joined at the skull, their father serving as surgeon and their mother dying on the table. The horrorstruck father vanishes, and the now separated boys are raised by two Indian doctors living on the grounds of a mission hospital in early 1950s Ethiopia. The boys both gravitate toward medical practice, with Marion the more studious one and Shiva a moody genius and loner. Also living on the hospital grounds is Genet, daughter of one of the maids, who grows up to be a beautiful and mysterious young woman and a source of ruinous competition between the brothers. After Marion is forced to flee the country for political reasons, he begins his medical residency at a poor hospital in New York City, and the past catches up with him. The medical background is fascinating as the author delves into fairly technical areas of human anatomy and surgical procedure. This novel succeeds on many levels and is recommended for all collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/08.]—Jim Coan, SUNY Coll. at Oneonta

When 34-year-old British feminist Dorothy Townsend intentionally starves herself to death to win attention for women's suffrage, she leaves behind two children. It's 1914, and the pair is separated, never to reunite. Walbert's latest work—her previous novel, Our Kind, was a 2004 National Book Award finalist—imagines the impact of Townsend's suicide on four successive generations of Townsend women, all of them named Dorothy. Was the act a sign of desperation, a brilliant way to divert attention from an impending world war, or a selfish renunciation of maternal obligation? Walbert's intricately layered novel examines the past 100 years with subtlety and wit, simultaneously addressing the ways historical memory intrudes and recedes in individual lives. It's gripping, intense, and powerful. Walbert's language is elegant, her images resonant. Characters are recognizable but not clichéd and will stay with readers as wise, if also flawed and struggling, exemplars of political and intellectual engagement. Highly recommended for all contemporary fiction collections.—Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY

This engrossing and beautifully written first novel will catapult Waters into the ranks of such well-known writers of the classical world as Mary Renault, Steven Pressfield, and Michael Curtis Ford. Fourteen-year-old Roman boy Marcus's first sea voyage with his father ends violently when their vessel is overtaken by pirates, leaving Marcus the only survivor. This single event sets the course of his life. Overshadowing his youth spent as a merchant and, later, his time as a soldier in the war against Philip of Macedonia is an unquenchable thirst for revenge, which even his love for Menexenos, a beautiful, young Greek athlete, cannot ease. Waters brings the world of third-century B.C.E. Greece to vivid life. Skillfully interwoven into the fictional story of Marcus and Menexenos are actual events and people of the times—e.g., the struggle between Rome and Macedonia for the freedom of Greece, the early years of Roman influence and conquest, and the grace, dignity, and culture of the center of civilization, Greece. This first book in a planned series is highly recommended for public and university libraries.—Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK

Doriel Waldman, a reclusive and scholarly European Jew living in New York City, has tried to block out the nightmarish events of the 20th century by retreating into the world of medieval Jewish history. He is a student of Jewish traditions and the Jewish community, but he is incapable of forming relationships. Now, at age 60, he is so lonely and depressed that he fears his soul has been stolen by a dybbuk. In desperation, he decides to try traditional psychoanalysis but proves to be an extremely difficult patient, arguing with his female therapist every step of the way, just as he has argued with God. He is especially reluctant to discuss his parents, who died in a car crash just after World War II. The therapy novel is a distinct genre, and Wiesel takes full advantage of the format by gradually revealing the important traumas in Doriel's life and illuminating them with extracts from the therapist's notebooks. Originally published in France, this dense and difficult novel expands on some of the provocative themes in Nobel Prize winner Wiesel's celebrated memoir, Night. For larger fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/08.]—Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law Sch. Lib., Los Angeles

While most of its characters and events are based in the ragtag fictional northern Queensland town of Desperance, this book is a sprawling, surreal anti-Odyssey in which time and space contract and expand and experience takes place in the Dreamtime, on the sea, and on and under the continent of Australia. Normal Phantom, patriarch of an Aboriginal family residing in Westend Pricklebush, undertakes a harrowing spiritual journey. Seeking to do right by himself, his friends, and his people, Phantom faces one adversity after another. Though compromised and haunted by his relationships with others—among them, his devastatingly erotic ex-wife, the corrupted patriarch of a rival Eastend clan, a traveling Aboriginal holy man, and Will Phantom, the prodigal son who defies his father by acting against the personal and institutional tyranny of the local white officials and the corporate mining interests they serve—Phantom maintains a love for his once-estranged grandson that finally redeems and releases him. Published in Australia in 2006, Wright's award-winning second novel (after Plains of Promise) offers in Phantom one of the most compelling literary protagonists since Odysseus and will surely stand as a masterpiece of modern English-language literature.—J.G. Matthews, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman

African American fiction has come a long way from the days of Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison, and its wealth and variety are recognized in this first in an annual series. The volume includes both short stories and excerpts from adult and YA fiction written in 2007. The six short stories show a diversity of themes and locales. Chris Abani's "The White Albatross" combines the jazz milieu with a search for a mother, while Tiphanie Yanique's "The Saving Work" deals with two mothers on a Caribbean island watching a church burn down. Amina Gautier's "Dance for Me," about a minority girl's alienation and eventual acceptance of a sort at a white private school, fits nicely with Emily Rabotea's "Orb Weaver," about a young African American woman's experience at a writers' conference. The four excerpted novels include Junot Díaz's popular The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and cult author Samuel Delany's Dark Reflections. The inclusion of YA fiction—there's a selection, for instance, from Walter Dean Myers's Harlem Summer, about a meeting with Fats Waller and Dutch Schultz—brings another dimension to this volume. A good addition for large public and academic libraries.—Josh Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. Syst., Poughkeepsie, NY

At 88, Bradbury is a national treasure who does not seem inclined to be set aside on the trophy shelf. With this collection of 21 stories and a poem, he employs the humor, empathy, and quirky approach that have been the hallmarks of his career to the question of "What if?" Bradbury has a gift for quickly building an intriguing premise and then allowing readers room to speculate about what might happen next. The witty winners here include "The Twilight Greens," about the meandering preoccupations of men of a certain age; "Come Away with Me," which concerns one man's attempt to save another from an unhappy relationship; "Fly Away Home," a nostalgic, somewhat melancholy look at the dream and reality of space travel; and "Apple-core Baltimore," a backward view of the lingering effects of childhood cruelty. These accessible stories are quick to read but may linger long after the book is done. Recommended for all public libraries and story collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/08.]—Neil Hollands, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA

Readers may find it difficult to adhere to the title's admonition as they navigate the devastating territory covered in Gaitskill's latest collection after PEN/Faulkner nominee Because They Wanted to. With "College Town, 1980," "Folk Song," and "A Dream of Men," the author revisits themes of sexual abuse and its resulting trauma. In "Mirror Ball," readers are treated to a hauntingly magical depiction of a one-night stand where, as the young couple climax, the girl offers her soul to the unwitting boy, with lonely repercussions. For this reviewer, the most powerful story is "The Arms and Legs of the Lake," in which Gaitskill uses a stream-of-consciousness style to take us inside the heads of Iraq War veterans, strangers on a train, struggling to reconnect with their humanity while violent images invade their psyches. While this collection won't be every reader's cup of tea, the author's exquisite use of language and metaphor is enough to recommend it for all libraries with a serious literary bent. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/08.]—Sally Bissell, Lee Cty. Lib. Syst., Fort Myers, FL

This short story collection tracing the lives of three generations of the immigrant Italian American Comingo/Cummings family by first-generation Italian American Romano (When the World Was Young) is startlingly sophisticated and engrossing. Fundamentally, each story is about identity, belonging, and growing up—a process that lasts well into old age. Youngest son Jimmy Cummings (born Giacomo Comingo), an outsider to both his family and his 1950s Chicago neighborhood, is the character around whom the book revolves. The stories are told from various points of view that rotate among family members and an omniscient narrator; each is a pearl by its own merit, but strung together they form a thoughtful, provocative family history that reveals each character's humanity in finer detail. Romano's spare, expert prose allows even tropes such as a food-pushing, helicopter Italian mother and infidelity to transcend stereotype and cliché. Romano deftly and sensitively guides readers through lives that are both pedestrian and profound. An impressive sophomore effort; recommended for public libraries.—Megan Hodge, Randolph-Macon Coll. Lib., Ashland, VA

The stories in this new collection from Smith, the Scottish-born author of the prize-winning novel The Accidental, are more challenging than conventional. In "The Child," one of those rare literary short stories that is quite funny, a woman shopping at the supermarket manages to acquire a toddler who is not as cherubic as he looks. In "Fidelio and Bess," the characters from Porgy and Bess begin to appear in Beethoven's opera Fidelio. Smith has a gift for clever phrasing, e.g., a character having an affair says that sometimes a marriage needs three hearts beating as one. Aspects of the surreal are present, but there is also enough of the real world to support the stories; in "Writ," a middle-aged woman has a disconcerting visit from her sullen 14-year-old self. This collection will appeal to anyone looking for imaginative short fiction that is experimental enough to be thought-provoking but also remains accessible to the discerning reader. Recommended for university and larger public libraries.—Leslie Patterson, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence

Vollmer's impressive first book is a rare and gratifying achievement: a superbly written collection of short stories. Vollmer writes with great wisdom and insight about love, sex, and loss. He is particularly adept at depicting the thrilling experience of young love. Vollmer's narrative voice, reminiscent of T.C. Boyle, is also fully realized and very appealing—irreverent, vital, and bristling with vivid imagery and detail. Perhaps most impressive, Vollmer has populated these stories with a formidable variety of beautifully drawn characters. These include a young man named Harper who is working at Yellowstone National Park and mourning the loss of his best friend; an angst-ridden, middle-aged mother who unexpectedly encounters her estranged gay son at her vacation cabin; and a wonderfully drawn young teenage girl who falls in love with a devout Christian boy. Overall, an inspiring and impressive collection highly recommended for most libraries.—Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT