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The Legacy of Eden
by Nelle Davy
Meredith has been long estranged from her family and childhood home, a farm in Iowa called Aurelia. She returns home on the death of her cousin to sort through belongings and unravel the family’s tangled history. The farm had thrived under the iron grip of Meredith’s grandmother, who created a prosperous showplace, only to see her machinations drive family members into various forms of dysfunction and the farm crumble into neglect. The author has created a compelling chronicle of the rise and fall of a family, with finely drawn characters who entice the reader into their drama. I recommend this novel for literary fiction collections.
Shannan Rosa, MSLS, Collection Development
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Drifting House
by Krys Lee
These short stories give insight into the Korean-American immigrant experience (both Northern and Southern), somewhere between ethnographic studies and folk stories being passed from family member to family member, or friend to friend, or stranger to an open ear. Told in many voices, from many perspectives, these stories will shock, sadden, and certainly touch a part of each of us looking to understand what it means to be a stranger in a strange land. Drifting House is essential for libraries serving Korean-American patrons and recommended for all libraries looking to broaden and strengthen fiction collections.
Dana Juriew, MILS, Collection Development
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The Darlings
by Cristina Alger
Paul is the son-in-law of a wealthy financier, Carter Darling, and he is the house counsel for the Darlings’ hedge fund. As he becomes aware of shady dealings within the firm, he must decide whether he will remain loyal to the family business or assist in bringing the illegal activities to light. The Darlings is a timely thriller set in the financial downturn of 2008, and it provides a fascinating glimpse into New York high society. It’s a solid choice for most public library collections.
Shannan Rosa, MSLS, Collection Development
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The Healing
by Jonathan Odell
Jonathan Odell’s The Healing has drawn advance comparisons to The Help, and while both are novels set in Mississippi, written by Mississippians, with plots dealing with race relations, the similarities end there. The Healing stands on its own as a piece of moving historical southern fiction. Set on the Sattersfield plantation before the Civil War, it is the story of Granada, a young slave girl who grows up in “the big house.” When a slave healer woman named Polly Shine is brought to the plantation, she recognizes a gift in young Granada and takes her out of the plantation house and under her wing (much to Granada’s protests). Soon, Granada becomes absorbed in the world that Polly Shine shows her, for while Polly heals the broken bodies of slaves, she also plants the seeds of freedom in their minds. With her newly found talent as a young healer herself Granada must learn to come to terms with who she is as a young black woman and what freedom can mean for her.
Linda Arrington Lusk, Guest Reviewer |
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The Orphan Master’s Son
by Adam Johnson
Adam Johnson’s The Orphan Master’s Son is part bildungsroman, part dystopian novel, and part love story, but it is entirely captivating. The author’s portrayal of the enigma of North Korea is cut straight from the mind of Orwell, but it is frighteningly realistic and so familiar that some scenes seem to be culled from the newspaper. Pak Jun Do’s journey from orphanage to tunnel solider, kidnapper, prisoner, and imposter of Commander Ga—rival of Kim Jong Il—is harrowing, at times difficult to comprehend from an American perspective. Fortunately, the love story that unfolds between Jun Do and the national actress Sun Moon lends some hope to an otherwise grim tale. As disquieting as Johnson’s picture of North Korea may be, he also reminds us that love, camaraderie, and sacrifice can still exist in a world that systematically and collectively goes dark. This is an addictive novel that I highly recommend for library collections.
Kelly Sweet, Guest Reviewer |
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Ruby Red Heart in a Deep Blue Sea
by Morgan Callan Rogers
Florine is a young girl in New England in the summer of 1963. Her father Leeman is a sturdy, silent fisherman who is much older than her mother Carlie, a free-spirited waitress. That summer, during the annual trip Carlie takes with her best friend, she vanishes. Florine and Leeman are left wondering if Carlie ran off, was kidnapped, died in an accident, or was murdered. As she struggles to grow up without her mother, Florine also must come to terms with her father’s moving on to a new relationship and with her own move into young adulthood. Ruby Red Heart in a Deep Blue Sea is a wistful and nostalgic debut about the love and pain of family ties.
Linda Arrington Lusk, Guest Reviewer |
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