Fiction and the Big C: Prescribing 12 Cancer Novels

Bette-Lee Fox -- Library Journal, 3/26/2009 10:08:00 AM

The C word. People never used to say it aloud, yet cancer has now become fodder for every conceivable type of fiction. As a theme, it is a ticket to immediate communion, catharsis, compassion, concern, and commiseration. It can also be comic, clever, catty, and caustic. Don’t be afraid of cancer fiction; it will open new worlds even to those who’ve been there and done that. Chemotherapy optional.

1. Bostwick, Marie. A Single Thread. Kensington. 2008. 328p. ISBN 978-0-7582-2257-2. pap. $14.
Following her divorce, Evelyn Dixon ends up in New Bern, CT, where she stumbles upon a dilapidated building and decides to open a quilt store. Three women discover the shop just as Evelyn is diagnosed with breast cancer. Their camaraderie is a balm, and Evelyn finds strength and healing in their company. And we learn all there is to know about quilting. First in a new series. (LJ 10/15/08)

2. Cohen, Tish. Inside Out Girl. Harper Perennial. 2008. 352p. ISBN 978-0-06-145295-6. pap. $13.95.
Olivia Bean is ten years old and has a nonverbal learning disorder. It makes life challenging for her widower father, Len, diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Who said life is fair? This beautifully written story will tug at readers’ hearts, and Olivia will captivate everyone she meets.

3. de los Santos, Marisa. Belong to Me. Morrow. 2008. 388p. ISBN 978-0-06-124027-0. $24.95; pap. 2009. ISBN 978-0-06-124028-7. $14.99.
Neighbors Cornelia and Piper, who should have more in common, are traveling down different paths, while Cornelia and waitress Lake seem to hit it off. Then Piper becomes caregiver to her longtime friend Elizabeth, who is diagnosed with cancer. The way the disease alters those not directly affected will resonate with family members in a similar situation. De los Santos keeps us totally engaged with these characters, whose fragility is part of the novel’s strength. (LJ 3/1/08)

4. Frank, Dorothea Benton. Full of Grace. Avon. 2008. 352p. ISBN 978-0-06-137453-1. pap. $12.95.
Grace Russo loves Michael Higgins, even though he is Irish and her big Italian family won’t acknowledge him. All along, she has questions about faith, God, prayer, the works. Michael, a devout agnostic, is diagnosed with brain cancer, but something miraculous happens on their trip to Mexico City. This novel might hit a few too many religious notes for some readers, but it keeps the laughs coming. (Xpress Review 4/25/06)

5. Garner, Helen. The Spare Room. Holt. 2009. 192p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8888-5. $22.
Two Australian sexagenarians share living quarters while one undergoes alternative treatment for her stage-four cancer. Helen wonders if the torture of Nicola’s protocols is worth the cost in terms of her dignity and time with family and friends. Garner’s neat prose suits these two crusty dames, revealing as much about friendship as the encroaching limitations of the body. (LJ 11/15/08)

6. Hannah, Kristin. Firefly Lane. St. Martin’s. 2008. 528p. ISBN 978-0-312-36408-3. $23.95; pap. Griffin. 2009. ISBN 978-0-312-53707-4. $14.95.
Tully and Kate have been best friends since age 13. This rather long novel describes their lives together and apart, as TullyandKate become Tully, the famous news anchor and reporter, and Kate, wife and mother. Eventually, the pair discover they are still best friends despite their differing paths. Kate’s inflammatory breast cancer makes the women face longtime fears and overcome them. (LJ 12/07)

7. Kluun, Ray. Love Life. Griffin: St. Martin’s. 2007. 315p. tr. from Dutch by Shaun Whiteside. ISBN 978-0-312-36681-0. pap. $14.95.
Amsterdammer Dan is the ultimate louse (or dickhead, as he would say) as he continues his wild, amorous ways even after his wife, Carmen, is diagnosed with a virulent form of breast cancer at 34. Kluun, whose young wife died of the disease, manages to build enough character into Dan to make us care for him as well as for Carmen and their young daughter. Cathartic, big time, but even men may wince at Dan’s behavior. (LJ 5/15/07)

8. Marinovich, Matt. Strange Skies. Harper Perennial. 2007. 226p. ISBN 978-0-06-123391-3. pap. $13.95.
Paul Mauro considers cancer his “get out of having a baby” card, so despite a clean bill of health from his doctor, he assumes the stance of a cancer patient (with self-absorbed, arrogant privilege). Then he meets a ten-year-old leukemia sufferer in the airport, and suddenly this selfish bastard has met his match. Cancer can be funny—don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. For readers who might like an edgier Jonathan Tropper.

9. Monroe, Mary Alice. Time Is a River. Pocket Bks: S. & S. 2008. 400p. ISBN 978-1-4165-4436-4. $25; pap. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4165-4664-1. $15.
Losing her job, her self-confidence, and her husband, breast cancer survivor Mia Landan discovers female companionship, a long-ago mystery, and fly-fishing in the South Carolina mountains. She also learns to look at her damaged body as a symbol of her self-worth, not a sign of failure. This fascinating, nicely wrought novel by Monroe lets women see they can manage on equal footing with men—and then surpass them. (LJ 5/1/08)

10. Nash, Jennie. The Last Beach Bungalow. Berkley: Penguin Group (USA). 2008. 265p. ISBN 978-0-425-21927-0. pap. $14.
A strange beach house holds the key for April Newton, a five-year breast cancer survivor, even as her husband builds her a new home. Moving into the land of wellness is not always a smooth ride once cancer has entered your consciousness. This debut novel from Nash (The Victoria's Secret Catalog Never Stops Coming and Other Lessons I Learned from Breast Cancer) is an unpredictable tale of rediscovering life after cancer.

11. Roberts, Sheila. Love in Bloom. Griffin: St. Martin’s. 2009. 336p. ISBN 978-0-312-38481-4. pap. $13.95.
Think Cyrano with women, as florist Hope pens a note to contractor Jason from her sister, Bobbi, that sets Jason thinking he’s met the woman of his dreams. Hope is a breast cancer survivor with reconstruction issues and figures she’s out of the running even as her feelings for Jason blossom. Gardening, girl talk, and a gorgeous guy underpin this tale of what constitutes beauty and one’s true self.  

12. Sussman, Ellen. On a Night Like This. Grand Central. 2005. 304p. ISBN 978-0-446-69362-2. pap. $19.99.
Blair and Luke were high school classmates but obviously on different wavelengths. For a class reunion, the now-reclusive filmmaker is out to find the girl who so fascinated him that his Oscar-winning movie was based on her life. What he finds is a chef and single mother, dying of cancer. And so much more. Grand Central lists this affecting novel as out of stock; campaign for a new printing.