"Beartown" by Fredrik Backman

FTC Disclosure: I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I checked out the audiobook from my library through Overdrive.

Fredrik Backman's signature blend of humor, charm, and heartfelt portrayals of close, life-shaping relationships is right up my alley. His novella brought me to tears, and his novels have warmed my heart. His most recent novel, "Beartown," has a different tone, but was deeply affecting nonetheless.

In "Beartown," we meet a small town whose very heart is its hockey team. Indeed, at this point, the town doens't have much else going for it, with jobs dwindling and people moving away. Backman presents a large cast of characters, all of whom are connected to the town's junior hockey team: players, classmates, coaches, parents, ardent fans. The team is headed to the national championship playoffs when its star player is pulled due to a horrific act he commits at a victory party.

The town is rocked by the allegations and Backman has characters on all sides. He portrays these characters with empathy without excusing the reprehensible acts of some. Right and wrong are clear, as are the paths that lead characters to their decisions and actions. Readers feel deeply for them, and never more so than when two sides of the same relationship are shown.

This novel lacks Backman's humor that lightened the heavy subject matter n ""My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" and "Britt-Marie Was Here" (thugh readers of the latter will recognize a tiny bit of overlap). This more somber tone fits "Beartown"'s serious central themes, and the novel does not suffer for it. Rather, it rises to the occaision, having a deeper impact on the reader for its sincere, serious portrayal of this town and its community members at a time of crisis.

Verdict: Affirmed. For both fans of Backman and those who couldn't connect with the humor in his previous novels, "Beartown" is an excellent novel.

"Beartown" by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith, published by Simon & Schuster on April 25, 2017. Audio narration by Marin Ireland, published by Simon & Schuster Audio on April 25, 2017.

"The Mothers" by Brit Bennett

I don't remember first hearing about Brit Bennett's debut novel, "The Mothers," by I remember the buzz building throughout 2016. It helped that Riverhead (the publisher) designed a fantastic-looking tote based on the cover art to help promote the book, but too many early reviewers were raving about this for the popularity to be based solely on good marketing. In fact, so many early reviewers raved throughout the year, that by the time its October publication rolled around, I felt I was the last to read it! Luckily, Book of the Month offered it as an October selection, so I was able to get my hands on a copy quickly.

I ended up saving it for my honeymoon when I could devote my full attention to it. This was the right choice for the wrong reason. this book is engrossing. Bennett writes simple, accessible, but beautiful prose. Once I started, I could not put it down. Luckily, I was able to focus on reading it in 24 hours while on vacation!

The novel opens in a small black church community in Southern California, shortly after Nadia Turner's mother has committed suicide and Nadia has started a relationship with Luke, the preacher's son. Soon, Nadia gets pregnant and decides to have an abortion. Though their abortion is kept a secret, its ramifications ripple through the years, impacting their relationships with each other, their families, their friends, and the larger church community.

The church mothers collectively narrate the book, offering their commentary and perspective that has been shaped largely by rumor. Yet the book offers more than a rumination on secrets within a community, exploring also the evolution of a powerful female friendship and how our struggles and secrets can unite or isolate us from those we love most.

Verdict: Affirmed. One of the best books I read in 2016, I highly & widely recommend this debut novel.

"The Mothers" by Brit Bennett, published October 11, 2016 by Riverhead Books.

"The Girls" by Emma Cline

FTC Disclosure: I received an e-ARC of "The Girls" from the publisher through NetGalley for review consideration. I ordered a print copy through my Book of the Month Club subscription. 

I was thrilled to see Emma Cline's debut novel "The Girls" as an option for my July Book of the Month Club book. I'd heard the buzz around this loose retelling of the Manson murders focusing on the girls who flocked to the cult leader, and was excited to dig into it.

As I mentioned in my Goodreads review, the infamous cult setting may generate the buzz, or at least be the piece that will stick in many readers' minds. But it was the writing kept me enthralled. The novel opens on Evie, a grown woman, recalling the summer of 1969, when she was only 14 and fell in with the group living at the ranch, then largely unknown to the larger world. For Evie, it is not the leader, Russell, who attracts her, but Suzanne, a 19-year-old who first allows her into the group. 

The ranch and its inhabitants are interesting, but Cline shines when she writes about the mundanities of growing up. Evie's parents have divorced and she is distant from them both as they each look to build their own romantic relationships. Perhaps most tragic is the dissolution of Evie's relationship with her best friend since childhood, Connie. Cline captures the end of their friendship, rendering it familiar as a natural casualty of growing up. Anyone who has experienced the havoc that can be wrecked by teenage girls will relate to the incident of their final confrontation, a scene that stands out as one of the most touching and well-crafted in the novel. 

Verdict: Affirmed. As other reviews have noted, it's the coming of age story that shines in this novel that happens to be set alongside one of America's most infamous cults.

"The Girls" by Emma Cline, published June 14, 2016 by Random House.

"Behold the Dreamers" by Imbolo Mbue

FTC disclosure: I received an e-ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I checked out the audiobook from my library through Overdrive. 

Ah, this book. I tore through the audio, supplementing with the e-ARC when I couldn't listen. 

"Behold the Dreamers" is the story of Jende and Neni Jonga, a couple who immigrate to the United States from Cameroon. They came to New York City to pursue the American Dream, like so many immigrants before them. We meet Jende as he is on his way to interview for a job as a private driver to Clark Edwards. Unfortunately, Edwards is an executive at Lehman Brothers, and it is the eve of the company's collapse. As the two families' lives intertwine, the reader can see the ruin hurtling toward them, and the country. 

This is the first novel I have read that is set during the 2008 recession, and it captures that moment well. Even more so, it captures an immigrant experience with sincerity and an impeccable relatability. The Jongas' story is just one of many immigrant narratives, but certain elements are familiar in many such narratives. From their confusion and frustration navigating the broken immigration system, to their constant struggle to find work that will allow them to save while still supporting their family both in the US and in Cameroon, to their re-evaluation of the American Dream and how they can make it work for them - their story highlights the everyday struggles and the overarching system through which immigrants must fight.

The characters are well drawn, and the ways they fit into each other's lives are compelling and drive the story on. The relationship between Neni and Edward's young son, Mighty, is particularly touching. Each character makes their own mistakes. But they feel like honest, real-people mistakes, not mere plot devices. You will almost certainly disagree with some of these characters' choices, but you understand how they have been driven to make them. To top it off, the ending was both not what I expected going into the novel, and entirely satisfying, a difficult & rewarding balance to strike. 

Verdict: Affirmed. There are many well-deserved reasons to praise this debut, but I expect the characters and ending will stick with me above all. 

"Behold the Dreamers" by Imbolo Mbue, published August 23, 2016 by Random House. Audio narration by Prentice Onayemi, published August 23, 2016 by Random House Audio.

"Rich and Pretty" by Rumaan Alam

This book feels mostly mis-marketed. Its summer release, its light & happy cover, its description of two best friends living enviable lives in New York City all scream light-hearted beach read. It is not light, and not overly happy. There are stakes in this story of childhood BFFs Sarah and Lauren figuring out how their friendship works now that they are adults living separate and rapidly diverging lives. 

It's not an incessantly light, happy book, but it is a true one. Alam describes the ins and outs of deep friendship with ease and intimacy. How you can love someone while you also hate their flaws more than you could with a blood relative or partner. How you can understand someone better than they understand themselves, but still be surprised by their decisions and actions. How you want what is best for your friend, but have to support them even when they don't listen to you. Sarah and Lauren navigate their changing friendship as they grow older, reaching different stages of their lives at different times. They decide what and when to tell their best friend, and what to keep to themselves.

The core friendship is portrayed honestly and truthfully. Though, unfortunately it really is all the book has. There isn't much of a plot, and even time passes strangely. We check in with Sarah and Lauren weekly, then monthly, then after years go by without any real reason for the acceleration of time in the second half other than the absence of a true plot or stakes that would prevent such and acceleration. But neither does a plot exactly call for it. It was nice to check in with the characters at these points in their lives, but I wish they had felt more deliberately chosen or the pacing structured more consistently. 

Alam's writing is solid, with interesting descriptions and turns of phrase. The audio narration is good, though I would have preferred two narrators as the book shifts from Sarah to Lauren. It was sometimes difficult to determine whose thoughts I was privy to at any given moment, particularly because there is no indication of a new chapter beginning that I noticed. Overall, it was worth the listen for the deep character study, despite its structural flaws. 

Verdict: Jury's Out. In a year of strong reads, it's not going to make my top 10, or even 20. But I enjoyed getting to know Sarah and Lauren and think book clubs would find a lot to discussing in their different lives. 

"Rich and Pretty" by Rumaan Alam, published June 7, 2016 by Ecco. Audio narration by Julie McKay, published June 7, 2016 by HarperAudio.

"Britt-Marie Was Here" by Fredrik Backman

FTC Disclosure: I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I checked out the audiobook from my library through Overdrive.

Fredrik Backman knows how to pull on all my hearstrings. He did it first with "A Man Called Ove," and now he has done it again with "Britt-Marie Was Here." I can't wait to get off the holds list for "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry," so I can complete my Backman trifecta.

"Britt-Marie Was Here" is the story of Britt-Marie, a woman who is at a crossroads in her life after the conclusion of her marriage. Her life was previously structured around and defined by caring for her husband, so without those daily routines and responsibilities, she is adrift. But her personality does not lend itself well to idleness or relaxation. She marches into an unemployment center, and winds up with a job in the small, economically devastated town of Borg. As the recreational director for the village, she comes to know its quirky inhabitants and find a place for herself amid their lives.

Like Ove, Britt-Marie has a certain amount of the curmudgeon in her, though not quite as strongly as Ove. She is slow to let others into her life, but once she does, she is a fierce protector and advocate for them. She takes her job seriously, and is able to find new loved ones to care for to replace what she lost in the disintegration of her marriage. Perhaps best of all, the ending was utterly different from "Ove," and delightfully ambiguous and fulfilling (as I mentioned in my spoiler-tagged Goodreads review). Britt-Marie was a wonderful character with whom to spend an afternoon, and I look forward to seeing her pop up again in "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry."

Verdict: Affirmed. I'm officially here for all the Fredrik Backman books, and can't wait for his next.

"Britt-Marie Was Here" by Fredrik Backman, published May 3, 2016 by Atria Books. Audio narration by Joan Walker, published May 3, 2016 by Simon & Schuster Audio.

"The Swans of Fifth Avenue" by Melanie Benjamin

FTC Disclosure: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I checked out the audiobook from my library through Overdrive.

In my junior year of high school, we studied Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood." I was wowed by Capote's masterful use of language and his ability to wrap me up in a story I wouldn't otherwise have picked up. We also watched the film "Capote" to get a sense, though fictionalized, of the man behind the book and how involved he became in the case. I have been intrigued by Capote himself ever since.

Enter "The Swans of Fifth Avenue," and the opportunity to get another glimpse, again fictionalized, into a different chapter of Capote's life. During and after the publication of "In Cold Blood," Capote was a high society darling, a fixture on the New York City social scene. He befriended the most beautiful, powerful women, gaining their confidences and attending their parties and vacations. He later betrayed them by revealing their secrets in a short story published in Esquire. This novel tells the story of his intimate friendships with these women and the falling out over the story. 

Benjamin crafts her novel out of the truth, building lives and personalities out of the public records left behind by these women. She also helpfully includes specifications on what she fictionalized and what is documented truth at the conclusion of the novel. Shining above all is the relationship she portrays between Babe Paley and Truman, providing glimpses into both of their innermost thoughts about the other so the reader can see how these very different people formed the perfect odd couple. 

Cassandra Campbell and Paul Boehmer do the narration on the audiobook, though as the novel features a close third-person narrator, I found the dual audio to be a bit confusing. Campbell's portrayal of Capote's nasaly drawl was a bit grating at times, but otherwise the audiobook was an enjoyable format for this novel.

Verdict: Affirmed - for readers looking for a gossipy summer read complete with scandal and betrayal, or a glimpse into NYC's elite in the late 1960's to mid 1970's.

"The Swans of Fifth Avenue" by Melanie Benjamin, published January 26, 2016 by Delacorte Press. Audio narration by Cassandra Campbell and Paul Boehmer, published January 26, 2016 by Random House Audio.

Listening Lately: 8/4/2016

In the lead-up to the bar exam, I was cramming all day and breaking only to walk the dog. This made for some great audiobook listening time. I read through these three titles in the week before the bar & would recommend all three as good summer reads. Bonus points for all because they'd make great book club picks as well.

"The Girl from the Garden" by Parnaz Foroutan
I studied Persian in college & am always on the lookout for novels set in/around Iran. Here, Foroutan tells the story of a Jewish family living in Iran in the early 1900's, as remembered by its sole descendant who now lives in Los Angeles. The framing device was a bit clunky at times, but the story told in flashbacks was beautiful and heartbreaking. Rakhel and Khorsheed are two sisters-in-law trying to make their place in their husbands' family. Rakhel has been unable to conceive, and thus give her husband his long-desired heir. Khorsheed is able to get pregnant, and their close friendship while living in such close proximity makes Rakhel's burden that much harder to bear, pushing their family to drastic measures to find a way forward.


"A Bollywood Affair" and "The Bollywood Bride" by Sonali Dev
I had read such great things about this romance-literary fiction crossover that I was excited when I saw my library had its audiobook in stock just before the bar. Dev excels at telling the stories of Indian families straddling life in India - both traditional and modern elements, with life in the US. She brings out the points where the cultures clash and how Indian expats make their own community and bring their own traditions to the US. "A Bollywood Affair" is the story of a woman, married at 4 to a husband she doesn't remember, who is in the US to get an education and earn her husband's respect. Her brother-in-law travels to the US to find her and secure a divorce for his brother before his new wife, who he married at an appropriate age, gives birth to their child. "The Bollywood Bride" tells the story of a famous Bollywood actress who travels back to the US for the wedding of her dear childhood friend, even though it means confronting people she has not seen in decades due to family secrets she wants to keep hidden. Both novels have a romance at their center, but delve far more deeply than a traditional romance novel into the familial and cultural issues that drive the plots. These would be great bridge books if you're interested in trying out romance, if you want to have your book club dip a toe into the romance waters, or if you're looking for literary fiction with strong love stories at the core.

"The Expatriates" by Janice Y.K. Lee

FTC Disclosure: I received an e-ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I checked out the audiobook from my local library through Overdrive.

When I saw the description of "The Expatriates" on NetGalley, I knew this was a book for me. Intimate portrayals of three American women living abroad? Yes. Their stories intertwine? Even better.

Mercy, Margaret, and Hilary live in Hong Kong. Mercy floundered after graduating from college, and found herself pursuing work in Hong Kong when she was priced out of New York City. Margaret lives with her children and husband and is struggling to cope after tragedy besets their family while on a trip to Korea. Hilary moved to Hong Kong for her husband's job, and is feeling the weight and strain on their relationship of their inability to have children. In the surprisingly small Hong Kong expat community, these women interact and their lives become inextricably intertwined in unexpected ways.

Lee does a great job getting into the heads of these three women, drawing out their unique personalities that shape how they address the same concerns and challenges. With women at different stages in their lives, the reader sees different expat experiences that accompany different life stages. The novel offers a peek into a the world of Americans living abroad, and into the touching, heartbreaking private moments in the lives of these three women. The audio narration is also on point, bringing each of these characters to life.

Verdict: Affirmed, an enjoyable read, and a great pick for book clubs.

"The Expatriates" by Janice Y.K. Lee, published January 12, 2016 by Viking. Audio narration by Ann Marie Lee, published January 12, 2016 by Penguin Audio.

"Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness" by Susannah Cahalan

Our book club was looking for a short, quick read after "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides. One member suggested "Brain on Fire" and it was quite the hit. Several members read it in a single day.

Susannah Cahalan was a successful journalist with the New York Post when she suddenly lost her mind at age 24. Over the course of just a couple weeks, she went from living independently in her Hell's Kitchen Studio to a functional commitment to the epilepsy ward of New York University Langone Medical Center. Doctors came and went, trying to figure out what was causing her fits, outbursts, hallucinations, and severely impaired speech and movement.

Part medical mystery, part personal discovery, Susannah rebuilds the month she doesn't remember from video footage from the epilepsy ward and writings and recollections from her friends, family, and doctors. Her journalist background serves her well, and its fingerprints are seen on her investigative skills and writing style. We know she survives, because she went on to write the book, but the book still manages to maintain a sense of mystery around the cause of her illness & the extent to which she will recover. The writing is fast-paced and easy to read, letting the fascinating subject matter shine through. Cahalan's breaking down of medical terms and concepts so that the average reader can understand them is particularly impressive.

Verdict: Affirmed. This was a hugely popular book club pick, with nearly everyone finishing it! As we're all close enough to Cahalan's age at the time, much of the book hit close to home. Quite a few of us were thoroughly spooked by the time we finished the book.

"Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness" by Susannah Cahalan, published November 13, 2012 by Free Press.