Review: The Devil in Silver, by Victor LaValle
The Devil in Silver is one of the best books I've read this year. The brilliant novel takes place in a New York mental institution, and is a mix of Gothic horror, social commentary, and satire. It's laugh-out-loud funny and terrifying on more than one level, but in its heart the Devil in Silver is about compassion and commitment to loved ones. Here's my favorite quote: "'That's the funny thing,' she said, 'Men always want to die for something. For someone. I can see the appeal. You do it once and it's done. No more worrying, not knowing, about tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. I know you all think it sounds brave, but I'll tell you something even braver. To struggle and fight for the ones you love today. And then to do it all over again the next day. Every day. For your whole life. It's not romantic, I admit. But it takes a lot of courage to live for someone, too.'"
Rating: five celery sticks
Monday, October 8, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Review: With or Without You, by Domencia Ruta
With or Without You is a fractured family fairy tale. Like Grimm's witches, giants, or evil queens, Ruta's cast of characters fairly crackle off the page. I can imagine them weaving down highways in rusty cars, stealing my watch, perhaps burning down a house.
Ruta's parents were young when she was conceived, and throughout this memoir practically everyone who is an "adult" seems permanently stuck in adolescence. Kathi, Ruta's mom, is an addict, and Ruta's childhood was peppered with incidents ranging from mildly dysfunctional to downright abusive. Ruta's backwards gaze is unflinching, her memory is strong, and the characters are described with great detail, so it's a compelling read.
I received this memoir as an advance reading copy from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. If you're interested in reading With or Without You, the book will be released in March 2013.
Rating: four celery sticks
With or Without You is a fractured family fairy tale. Like Grimm's witches, giants, or evil queens, Ruta's cast of characters fairly crackle off the page. I can imagine them weaving down highways in rusty cars, stealing my watch, perhaps burning down a house.
Ruta's parents were young when she was conceived, and throughout this memoir practically everyone who is an "adult" seems permanently stuck in adolescence. Kathi, Ruta's mom, is an addict, and Ruta's childhood was peppered with incidents ranging from mildly dysfunctional to downright abusive. Ruta's backwards gaze is unflinching, her memory is strong, and the characters are described with great detail, so it's a compelling read.
I received this memoir as an advance reading copy from LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. If you're interested in reading With or Without You, the book will be released in March 2013.
Rating: four celery sticks
Friday, September 28, 2012
Review: All Gone, by Alex Witchel
All Gone is a poignant and heartfelt memoir about a parent's decline into dementia. The descriptions of Witchel's mother's increasing forgetfulness and depression are described with wonderful depth and emotion.
Alex Witchel is an accomplished writer (despite what her horrorshow of a father thought), but this book could have used stronger editing and a greater author commitment.
The refreshments mentioned in the subtitle are recipes at the end of each chapter, and are nostalgic but sometimes nasty -- frankfurter golash (shudder)? The book would have been better without them, as most are only tangentially mentioned in the memoir.
Witchel occasionally prattles on about her professional life rather than focusing on the painful reality of her mother's decline, and that feels like filler. In the end I wanted more, but it felt like Witchel was too exhausted to give it.
Rating: three and one half celery sticks
All Gone is a poignant and heartfelt memoir about a parent's decline into dementia. The descriptions of Witchel's mother's increasing forgetfulness and depression are described with wonderful depth and emotion.
Alex Witchel is an accomplished writer (despite what her horrorshow of a father thought), but this book could have used stronger editing and a greater author commitment.
The refreshments mentioned in the subtitle are recipes at the end of each chapter, and are nostalgic but sometimes nasty -- frankfurter golash (shudder)? The book would have been better without them, as most are only tangentially mentioned in the memoir.
Witchel occasionally prattles on about her professional life rather than focusing on the painful reality of her mother's decline, and that feels like filler. In the end I wanted more, but it felt like Witchel was too exhausted to give it.
Rating: three and one half celery sticks
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Review: My Hollywood, by Mona Simpson
In this novel absent husbands try to make it in Hollywood, anxious wives balance guilt with professional desires, and Philippino nannies quietly raise their children. One of the narrators, Claire, is a composer, and the book faintly thrums with a musical feel. It's full of pithy insights about marriage, motherhood, and friendship, a book that mothers will likely nod their heads to frequently.
Rating: four celery sticks
In this novel absent husbands try to make it in Hollywood, anxious wives balance guilt with professional desires, and Philippino nannies quietly raise their children. One of the narrators, Claire, is a composer, and the book faintly thrums with a musical feel. It's full of pithy insights about marriage, motherhood, and friendship, a book that mothers will likely nod their heads to frequently.
Rating: four celery sticks
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Review: Following Ezra, by Tom Fields-Meyer
I've read many memoirs about autism; Following Ezra is one of the best. What a nice change to read about parents who intuitively know their son and help him successfully.
"It wasn't about finding the right expert for my child; it was about learning to be the right parent."
"Ezra has a different kind of mind. The rules that make sense with other children simply don't work for him."
Fields-Meyer's creativity and compassion make this book a must-read for parents facing the challenges of autism.
Rating: four and one half celery sticks
I've read many memoirs about autism; Following Ezra is one of the best. What a nice change to read about parents who intuitively know their son and help him successfully.
"It wasn't about finding the right expert for my child; it was about learning to be the right parent."
"Ezra has a different kind of mind. The rules that make sense with other children simply don't work for him."
Fields-Meyer's creativity and compassion make this book a must-read for parents facing the challenges of autism.
Rating: four and one half celery sticks
Review: Blue Genes, by Christopher Lukas
Lukas tackles a high-charged, emotional issue, but the book comes across like a firecracker with a really long detonation cord, that eventually just fizzles rather than explodes. It's a strangely flat memoir with which I could not connect.
Rating: two celery sticks
Lukas tackles a high-charged, emotional issue, but the book comes across like a firecracker with a really long detonation cord, that eventually just fizzles rather than explodes. It's a strangely flat memoir with which I could not connect.
Rating: two celery sticks
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