Weeks after reading these stories, a glance at the table of contents brings back their characters and arcs in a moment. (With "Flower Watching" and "Eskimos" I also required the aid of the characters' names I'd noted.) These stories stood out, not only as independent narratives but, simultaneously, for the
Khaled Hosseini's And the Mountains Echoed and Maurice Mierau's Detachment: An Adoption Memoir are a perfect pair. Penguin Random House, 2014 And the Mountains Echoed begins with a story, told by a father to his son and his daughter. "Father never felt more present to Abdullah, more vibrant, revealed,
Cristina Henriquez’s The Book of Unknown Americans (2014) Bond Street Books - Random House, 2014 It’s risky, fragmenting narration into a large number of voices, but it’s the perfect format for a novel about the experiences of newcomers to the United States, who can have an astonishing variety
Knopf, 2013 Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland (2013) “Naxalbari is an inspiration. It’s an impetus for change.” One brother in Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel is a member of the Naxalbari movement, Udayan. His involvement with the far-left radical Communist group in Calcutta vitally impacts the entire family, even Subhash, who
Of course I made a reading list. Then, I saw Vasilly’s list. (You probably already know where this is heading.) Her list has many temptations on it, including some of my favourites. But I have been looking for a reason to read the rest of Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet series since I
