“All Ma needed to do was survive these seven days.”
The opening chapter establishes a desperate countdown for Ma, who has struggled to pAdapting Morals
“All Ma needed to do was survive these seven days.”
The opening chapter establishes a desperate countdown for Ma, who has struggled to protect her family from the dire conditions of famine and flooding in Kolkata, India. She holds climate visas that will allow her, along with her two-year-old daughter, Mishti, and her father, Dadu, to join her husband in Dearborn, Michigan. That early statement, though, serves as a stark, foreboding clue that the week ahead will be anything but easy.
For over a decade, Ma had been managing a shelter for the poor, and she felt good about the work she had been doing there. Yet, as conditions worsened, her conscience remained unbothered as she began pilfering eggs, grains, and whatever else she could smuggle out for her family. The poor would always be needy. This was her family she was protecting. Ma was being the guardian.
Boomba is a young man who has been living in Ma’s shelter. He came to Kolkata to find help for his family– his destitute parents and his ailing toddler brother. Boomba has been a screw-up his whole life, accidentally burning down his parents’ house before arriving here. He has one important piece of information, though. He witnessed Ma taking eggs from the shelter and he is sure she has a glut of food stashed away. What good is honesty, he asks himself… “Take what you want, or others will take it.”
Boomba secretly broke into Ma's house one evening, stealing food from her storage room and snatching her purse before leaving. He was thrilled, knowing the money from selling the food would be a significant help to his family. The purse contained a cell phone and electrolyte tablets, but the three navy blue booklets inside were of little interest to him. Passing a garbage heap, Boomba tossed them away, kicking dirt over what turned out to be the precious passports. Boomba was being the thief.
The narrative hinges on moral ambiguity, forcing the question: How far would you go to protect your loved ones? Middle-class Ma exhibits no hesitation in taking what her family requires, and Boomba's questionable actions are similarly motivated by the desire to save his own kin. Even Dadu, Ma's father—a profoundly good man who trusts in the inherent decency of his city's inhabitants— does not hesitate to commit an unthinkable act to ensure his granddaughter is fed. Stunned, I had to reread the passage to ensure I had read it correctly.
In a world weighed down by extreme poverty, climate upheaval, and the struggle for human survival, two-year-old Mishti offers necessary relief. Though Ma's character initially appears cold and unfeeling, her entire existence is clearly devoted to the little girl. This devotion, in turn, illuminates Boomba's character, revealing that his love for his little brother flows from the same deep well.
Author Megha Majumdar has revealed that becoming a mother during the writing of this book significantly altered its focus, zeroing in on the fundamental drive to protect one’s children. It is not a new dilemma here, but in a crisis is there anything you would not do for the ones you truly love, even at the expense of others?
This is a brilliant and necessary novel, centering not just on the looming climate crisis, but on how catastrophic conditions could fundamentally redefine what we are capable of and what we consider moral.
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor– and to NetGalley – for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #AGuardianandaThief #NetGalley ...more
Jason Mott's "People Like Us" is an imaginative journey of two Black men, both reflections of the author, that is at once wildly creative andGunsights
Jason Mott's "People Like Us" is an imaginative journey of two Black men, both reflections of the author, that is at once wildly creative and humorous– and deeply tragic, as well.
Gun violence is a pervasive issue in America, manifesting as both national tragedies and deeply personal losses. Soot, a middle-aged Black man haunted by the violent death of his own daughter, is currently on a national tour addressing gun violence. His next stop is a college campus in Minnesota, a location particularly poignant as students there were recently killed in a shooting. In a striking and almost absurd twist, Soot himself now carries a gun. This is America, after all.
Simultaneously, we have an unnamed writer, like Jason Mott, the winner of the National Book Award, who finds himself terrorized by a deranged spirit promising to murder him. Already having planned a European book tour, this narrator makes arrangements to smuggle a gun for protection. He is American, after all. Once in Europe, he is taken in by an eccentric French billionaire who offers him everything he desires, provided he forsakes America permanently.
The duo encounters absurd and darkly comical twists at every turn, punctuated by moments of sharp pain. While some have noted a similarity to James Everett's "Erasure," I found myself recognizing the wildly imaginative style of his "I Am Not Sidney Poitier," with insistent misidentifications and, this time, a French Ted Turner character.
The central theme is the shadow the gun casts on us. The right to bear arms has somehow morphed into a fear of not being armed. At a critical moment, one of the characters attempts to throw his gun away… and it refuses to leave. While I appreciated some very clever humor, there were times, particularly when Soot’s memories of a living daughter started falling apart, when sharing that grief was devastating to read. Like any other recipe, the right balance of extremes makes all the difference.
A wild and sometimes heartbreaking book.
Thank you to Dutton and Edelweiss for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #PeopleLikeUs
“We're all standing in the shadows of our noblest intentions of something more -- Than being shot in a classroom in Oregon” --Guns of Umpqua – Drive-by Truckers...more
In “Heart Be at Peace,” Donal Ryan tells the story of a small Irish village through 21 chapters, 21 different voices. This tightly knit commThe Mosaic
In “Heart Be at Peace,” Donal Ryan tells the story of a small Irish village through 21 chapters, 21 different voices. This tightly knit community is portrayed through the perspectives of its various voices, revealing information about everyone's lives as the story unfolds. It takes some effort to put this mosaic together, but it is well worth the effort. This novel revisits the same town and many of the characters featured in Ryan's celebrated 2012 debut, "The Spinning Heart.”
The previous book focused on the town's struggle with a collapsed economy following the Celtic Tiger. Now the new crisis emerging is the escalating influence of illegal drugs. Bobby Mahon, the town’s de facto leader, is growing increasingly frustrated by the dealers' apparent immunity from justice while their influence poisons lives. Lily, a fascinating character known as the town witch, is dismayed to see her young granddaughter falling for the ruthless gang leader. There is a simple-minded ex-con, Trevor, living with his mother in an assisted living facility who is unwittingly storing the contraband. Vasya, “the hobo,” has some wonderfully poetic contemplations out in the wild before his conscience reprehends his involvement:
“… I wonder if ever I’m captured whether I’ll be able to keep myself from speaking the truth, to my captors or to myself, of the foul, thrilling things I’m party to, of the man I’ve allowed myself to become."
The drug issue is not the only concern. There are all the things that make up life in a small Irish town, the loves, the gossip, the betrayals. Similar to "The Bee Sting" by Paul Murray, we slowly get to know what's really going on as each person's voice sheds light to the bigger picture.
Every one of these characters feels authentic; their voices, their messages, the uncensored way they open up. Many of these characters deserve more exploration and I would not be surprised to see another visit. Although this is wonderful as a stand-alone book, it has been a number of years since I read the first book, and I plan on savoring these back-to-back.
Another brilliant novel from one of Ireland’s most acclaimed writers.
Thank you to the Penguin Group, Viking Penguin, and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #HeartBeatPeace #NetGalley...more
Konstantin Duhovny is being used as a conduit for the dead, tasting the flavors of their favorite meals. He discovers that by recreating these meals hKonstantin Duhovny is being used as a conduit for the dead, tasting the flavors of their favorite meals. He discovers that by recreating these meals he can unite the spirits with a grieving loved one. For the duration of the meal, the ghost reappears, allowing the two to bury any lingering issues. Konstantin dedicates his life to this mission, driven by a personal quest for reconciliation.
When he was ten years old, Konstantin had a heated argument with his father. “Mama’s right! We should have stayed in Kiev!... You’d cook! You’d own a restaurant instead of driving a stupid bus!... And I wouldn’t be so ashamed!... Go to the Devil!” His father died that day and Konstantin remained burdened by guilt. His desire to conjure the dead is, in part, fueled by his desire to reconcile with his father.
Early on, after Konstaantin’s first successful conjuring, his close friend, Frankie, persuaded him to get a tarot reading from the beautiful Madame Everleigh. When he confided in her and asked about his “gift,” she warned him he was treading on dangerous ground. “You’re dealing with hungry spirits and capital-D Death and the Hereafter… Let me be as idiot-proof as I possibly can here. Don’t ever make that food again.”
The book is heavily foodie-oriented, with deep dives into flavor profiles. In order to be able to successfully replicate the flavors he is tasting, Konstantin immerses himself in restaurant work. Here he will be able to hone his skills and have access to a vast array of ingredients. Eventually he opens his own humble establishment, part of what one spirit promotes as The Konstantin Duhovny Culinary Experience.
There is romance. Madame Everleigh, whose real name is Maura, tracks Konstantin down and changes her tune about helping him with his mission. She, also, is looking to find closure with someone she’s lost. They inevitably fall in love. Maybe the line of the book follows their profession of love for one another, the profound: “I love you like salt.” Foodies, IYKYK.
There are plenty of unforeseen twists and turns on the menu. In addition to creative and moving ghost encounters, there are gangsters, otherworldly food courts, and even a pure embodiment of evil– a food critic. The narrative poses two compelling questions: Will Konstantin find resolution with his father, and will there be a price to be paid for disturbing the balance between the living and the dead?
Daria Lavelle has prepared a delicious and inventive serving in “Aftertaste.”
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Aftertaste...more
With so much praise heaped upon it, I felt I completely missed the boat on “The City Changes Its Face.” It has been described asI missed on this one.
With so much praise heaped upon it, I felt I completely missed the boat on “The City Changes Its Face.” It has been described as a "difficult read," a sentiment I share. Initially I was taken with the writing, with lines reminding me of Samuel Beckett’s style.
We meet Stephen and Eily, characters introduced in author Eimear McBride’s 2016 novel, “The Lesser Bohemians.” Stephen is a 40-year-old actor and Eily is a 20-year-old student. Their two-year relationship is complicated by Stephen's reconnection with his daughter, Grace, who is only two years Eily's junior. The narrative alternates between the early stages of their relationship and the present.
Halfway through, Stephen's autobiographical film is presented to Eily and Grace, detailing his traumatic life, including childhood sexual abuse, his struggles with addiction, and his treatment of Grace's mother. Despite the horrific nature of many scenes, this lengthy scripting serves as a somewhat cumbersome method to show us Stephen's past.
I appreciated much of the writing, particularly the first third of the book. After that it seemed a slow trudge to get where it was going. I found myself pushing to continue, hoping to catch some of the magic other reviewers have enjoyed. A second reading may be in order; I just need to recuperate from this first. Giving the benefit of the doubt– three stars in the belief that I just missed a connection.
Thank you to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheCityChangesItsFace #NetGalley...more
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