Title: Everything was Good-Bye
Author: Gurjinder Basran
ISBN: 9780143186816
Pages: 272
Release Date: December 31, 2012
Publisher: Pintail
Genre: Literary Fiction, Cultural Fiction (South Asia)
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

Meena is a teenager in her last year of high school, and like any other North American teenager, she thinks often of what the future holds for her. One thing she knows for sure, though, is that what she wants for herself and what her mother wants for and expects of her are two very different things. Meena is one of six daughters and her mother has raised them singlehandedly. Though they live in Canada, Meena is expected to follow Punjabi Indian traditions and accept an arranged marriage. As Meena struggles to create an identity for herself within the strict confines of her community, she begins to realize that she may never find happiness unless she follows her heart.

Review:

Everything was Good-Bye tells the story of Meena through the long and difficult years of her life. At seventeen, she’s so bright and full of promise. She understands what’s expected of her, yet she is willful and hopes to break free of the strict rules her mother places on her. As the novel progresses and the years pass, it’s clear that Meena’s been worn down by her culture. She so badly wants to do what everyone around her believes is right, to follow her mother’s wishes, and it’s clear that those actions take their toll. Meena’s spark erodes; she becomes pliant, unable to make a decision because she doesn’t want to hurt those around her.

Meena is incredibly easy to sympathize with in Everything was Good-Bye. You don’t have to be Indian, or even from another culture, to understand the pressure of expectations. And indeed, it’s not difficult to understand why she chafes under Punjabi restrictions. It would be so easy to paint Meena’s mother as a tyrant, as a woman who needs to exert complete control over her daughters’ lives, yet Basran doesn’t let the reader demonize Meena’s mother. It’s clear that she’s doing the best she can, in the best way she knows how. It’s for this reason Meena can’t bear to disappoint her mother and is willing to sacrifice much personal happiness to fulfill her mother’s wishes.

Basran’s writing in Everything was Good-Bye is crisp and clear. This is an incredibly easy novel to read; readers will feel personally involved in Meena’s story. It’s not a heavy novel and it won’t drag the reader down while reading, but it is very contemplative. Readers will itch to discuss Meena’s motives and her decisions with others. As a result, this novel would make a great book club pick as it lends itself easily to discussion.

If you’re seeking out a thoughtful read that will draw you in emotionally, Everything was Good-Bye is a great choice. It’s a quiet novel about the clash of cultures embodied in one young woman; Basran’s commentary is thoughtful and she doesn’t provide any easy answers for the reader. It’s an incredibly well-written debut novel and I certainly look forward to seeing what Basran does next.

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Title: Sweet Tooth
Author: Ian McEwan
ISBN: 9780385536820
Pages: 320
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Nan A. Talese
Genre: Literary Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

It’s the 1970s in Cold War Britain and Serena Frome is attending Cambridge to study math. She would have preferred English, as reading is her passion, but her mother had strong opinions on the viability of an English degree. Serena is recruited by MI5, Britain’s counterpart to the American CIA, and due to her devotion to the written word, she’s put on a program which secretly funds writers whose politics align with the government’s anti-communist agenda. But as Serena gets to know one of the writers, she begins to wonder whether she’s doing the right thing and how long she can keep up her façade.

Review:

Sweet Tooth is a novel in layers. On the surface, it appears to be the simple story of a girl working a job and falling in love, but it’s so much more than that. First, there’s Serena. She’s complex and has immeasurable depth. McEwan includes so many details about Serena which might seem trivial at first, but he uses them to build up her character. As a result, the reader comes to know her intimately; they see her intelligence and wit and feel what she feels. It’s incredible to get under the skin of a character so fully, yet McEwan does it with seemingly effortless grace.

The story of Sweet Tooth starts off slowly. Readers are introduced to Serena and understand her circumstances before she joins MI5 (this is a novel in which the process of discovery is half the delight of reading it; as a result, I’ve tried to be as cryptic as possible about the details). And joining MI5 doesn’t mean that Serena is zipping off to exotic destinations and getting into car chases. No, this is a quieter, more subtle novel. It’s a book of literary suspense; the stakes may seem small to the outside world, but to Serena, they are everything.

At its core, Sweet Tooth is actually a book about books, about the pleasure of the written word. It’s about the manipulation of story and characters, how an author seems to have complete control over their work but yet does not because of his or her connection with the reader. It’s a love letter to the craft of authorship, and it’s
incredibly well done. Writers and readers will each find something different to love within this novel’s pages; it’s quietly, brilliantly executed.

As always, McEwan’s prose is simply flawless in Sweet Tooth; it’s almost not worth mentioning in a review because his writing is so reliably good in every novel he writes. If you’re looking for a novel of quiet suspense, a book driven by characters and an exploration of love and betrayal, this is a great novel to pick up.

Other books by Ian McEwan:

Saturday
Solar

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Happy Sunday, everyone! Today, I’m continuing with the house grind, trying to get everything in order before our guests arrive for Christmas. This is likely the last time I’ll check in with a Sunday Salon post before the end of the year (can you believe 2013 is right around the corner??) I’m finding it more and more difficult to find time to work on my blog on the weekends (you might have noticed the dearth of Monday reviews), as I’m consumed with doing stuff for the house, but the good news is that it’s in great shape for guests!

I unfortunately didn’t get much reading done last week, and that’s a trend that’s probably going to continue through the rest of the year. The good news is I have quite a few books I haven’t reviewed yet, so hopefully I can still keep regular reviews going. While I’m not meeting my four-per-week goal, I’m at least getting two to three per week out there, which isn’t so bad.

I usually don’t mention current events on my blog, but I wanted to say something about the shooting in Newtown, CT last week. For those of you who aren’t in the US, you may not have heard about the gunman that entered an elementary school in Connecticut and murdered 20 children and seven adults. There isn’t much to say, beyond a desire for some sort of understanding and peace, which we know will never come. But I wanted to mention it anyways in the vain hope that continuing to talk about it means that something like this will never happen again.

Reviews posted this week:

Title: Murder Most Austen
Author: Tracy Kiely
ISBN: 9781250007421
Pages: 304
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Source: Publicist
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Elizabeth Parker is headed to England with her aunt Winnie for the Jane Austen festival which happens annually in Bath. On the plane, Winnie gets into an argument with a professor named Richard Baines, who claims to be an expert on Jane Austen but actually just proposes outlandish theories in order to get attention. Elizabeth and Winnie do their best to ignore him, but Aunt Winnie’s friend at the festival makes it her mission to tell off Professor Baines at every opportunity. However, when Professor Baines is murdered and suspicion falls squarely on Aunt Winnie’s friend, Elizabeth must step up to unmask a murderer once again.

Review:

One of the things I always mention about Tracy Kiely’s Elizabeth Parker mysteries is that, while there are elements of Jane Austen in them, they aren’t actually about Jane Austen. Therefore, anyone suffering from Austen fatigue would still enjoy them, as they’re fun and engaging mysteries. Clearly, that isn’t the case for Murder Most Austen; this time, the author takes the reader squarely into the heart of Austen fandom and, happily, it works quite well.

If you’re not a Jane Austen fan at all, you probably won’t appreciate Murder Most Austen, but now that the furor over everything Austen has died down, it’s easy to kick back and enjoy it. As always, the novel doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s lighthearted, yet the mystery is interesting and keeps the reader guessing through the twists and turns. Elizabeth is a delight, as always; she’s really the highlight of this series, as she’s smart and savvy.

Cozy mystery fans should definitely take note of this series. It’s interesting and the novels are very well-written. It’s not difficult to pick up this series, as Kiely ensures that readers don’t have to read the books in order. If you’re looking for a fast, fun read that’s effortless, Murder Most Austen is a great choice.

Other books by Tracy Kiely:

Murder at Longbourn
Murder on the Bride’s Side
Murder Most Persuasive

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Title: The Prophet
Author: Michael Koryta
ISBN: 9780316122610
Pages: 416
Release Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Adam and Kent Austin are brothers living in a small town, but they haven’t spoken in years. Adam has never been able to get over the abduction and murder of their younger sister when she was a teenager and ekes out a living as a bail bondsman. Kent has become the high school football coach of a celebrated local team. But just before football playoffs begin, another teenage girl is kidnapped and murdered, and Kent and Adam realize this might be connected to their sister’s case.

Review:

The Prophet is a novel that revolves, first and foremost, around high school football. For those living in big cities, it’s difficult to imagine how much small town life revolves around the football scene, whether you have a child in school or not. It’s something that brings the town together, and Koryta captures that atmosphere perfectly in The Prophet. The reader can feel Kent’s desperation for the state title, understand the pressure he’s under to deliver for the town. The murder of one of his players’ girlfriends only serves to heighten that tension.

The murder mystery in The Prophet is very well told. Koryta takes the reader on twists and turns, back and forward through time, as the story unfolds. The reader gets to know this town, to understand how it was affected by such a horrific crime. It’s interesting because this isn’t a whodunit—the reader discovers the guilty party surprisingly early in the novel. The tension and suspense is much more personal. What decisions will Kent and Adam make? How will they react to these situations? It may seem mundane, but Koryta’s expert writing means that this novel is crackling with tension.

The highlight of The Prophet is really in the characters. At first glance, Kent and Adam seem so different. However, as the novel progresses, the reader realizes how alike they really are. The major difference between the two is how each reacted to their sister’s death; Adam was never able to move past it, and thus is haunted by her murder each day. With this new case, Adam sees a chance to absolve himself of past sins, to get the revenge he never was able to in the past. It’s incredibly interesting to watch Adam, to see what decisions he makes as he tries to find some sort of peace.

If you’re looking for a unique suspense novel with an incredible small-town atmosphere, The Prophet is a great choice. If you have absolutely no interest in football, the play-by-plays of the games might be a little tedious, but overall this is an excellent novel that should appeal to both fans of Koryta’s and newcomers alike.

Other books by Michael Koryta:

The Cypress House

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Title: The White Forest
Author: Adam McOmber
ISBN: 9781451664256
Pages: 320
Release Date: September 11, 2012
Publisher: Touchstone
Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary:

Jane Silverlake is a young woman in Victorian England who is frantic about the disappearance of her close friend, Nathan. Jane shared her darkest secret with Nathan—her ability to see the strange souls of objects—but since Nathan became involved in a mysterious cult led by a man named Ariston Day, nothing has been the same. Now, with Nathan’s disappearance, Jane must discover the truth behind this cult, as well as how it relates to her powers.

Review:

At the beginning of The White Forest, the novel appears to be a gothic historical novel, filled to the brim with atmosphere and mystery. Jane’s an engaging character, though her powers and her plain appearance have made her unsure of herself. She rejoices when she meets Nathan and Madeline, a neighbor, because it gives her people to confide in and be close to. She can unburden herself to them; only later does she realize that appearance aren’t what they seem and she might not be able to trust the people she thought were her closest friends.

The White Forest moves slowly at first as it builds its plots. McOmber’s use of language takes the reader back hundreds of years; it’s easy to become lost in his descriptions. It’s a thoughtful, contemplative novel, subtle rather than overt. It may take readers some time to fully engage with it, but it will inevitably draw the reader in.

It’s about halfway though The White Forest that the book starts to take a dark, strange turn. It slowly transforms from a historical gothic to a fantasy novel as Jane’s powers take center stage. The atmosphere and nature of the book are what appealed to me from the beginning, so this shift was incredibly jarring. Perhaps it was a case of mistaken expectations, but as the novel progressed, I had trouble following where it led just because the twists and turns were so strange. If you’re one who loves the unexpected and unbelievable in your reads, this part will likely appeal to you.

Despite my issues with The White Forest, I still enjoyed the book overall. McOmber created some vivid and memorable characters with Jane, Nathan, and Ariston Day. Additionally, his writing is beautiful; it’s worth picking up this book just to read his prose. If your book club enjoys off-the-beaten-path reads, this would make a good choice, as you’ll likely be itching to discuss Jane’s choices and the twists towards the end of the novel with others.

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Title: Joseph Anton
Author: Salman Rushdie
ISBN: 9780812992786
Pages: 656
Release Date: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:

The Satanic Verses was a novel quietly published in 1988 by Salman Rushdie. Most expected it would do what his previous novels had done—achieve respectable sales, be critically acclaimed, and win a prestigious prize or two. Few could predict what actually happened—widespread banning, controversy, and the issuance of a fatwa, or virtual sentence of death, against the author. This is Salman Rushdie’s account of the ten years he spent in hiding as a result of that fatwa and his struggles for The Satanic Verses to be accepted.

Review:

Joseph Anton is a beautifully written memoir that spans Rushdie’s entire life. Though it focuses on the aftermath of The Satanic Verses, it chronicles Rushdie’s upbringing, his years at university, and his struggles to become a novelist. Once he achieves that dream, only then does it turn to focus on his dark years, when he couldn’t show his face in public without fear of violence. It’s an intensely personal memoir; Rushdie chronicles his highs and lows and isn’t afraid to deliver his true opinion. He isn’t stingy with his praise, especially for those who protected him over the years, but also makes sure to indict those who stood by and did nothing, content to let the fundamentalists take away his right to free speech.

In some ways, Joseph Anton is a shocking memoir. The scandal surrounding The Satanic Verses has faded, but it’s no less relevant now than it was twenty years ago. With a religiously charged world and the constant fear of fundamentalist violence, it’s easy to imagine the same thing happening all over again, which is absolutely tragic. Free speech is an easy casualty when you only have to silence one man; it’s something that will haunt readers long after this book is finished.

This memoir also provides a glimpse into Rushdie’s head, a peek into his thoughts and writing processes. For a Salman Rushdie fan, the deep personal nature of this memoir is absolutely thrilling. Readers can see their favorite novels come into being, understand where Rushdie’s ideas came from and what he was trying to accomplish with books such as Haroun and the Sea of Stories and The Moor’s Last Sigh. This aspect of the book may be lost on those who aren’t avid fans of the author, but it’s a real treat for those who have followed his career.

Additionally, Joseph Anton contains an interesting look inside the politics of the publishing world. The struggles that Rushdie went through to publish the paperback version of The Satanic Verses are extraordinary; eventually, he had to settle on a form of self-publishing. It’s interesting to think about the role a publisher takes when confronted with a controversial novel; though sales are all-but guaranteed, that sometimes isn’t enough for the publisher to take the risk.

If you’re looking for an intellectual, thought-provoking memoir that’s not only beautifully written but is absolutely gripping, Joseph Anton is a great choice. It’s definitely long, but the subject matter is very interesting. If you’re not a fan of Rushdie’s, this memoir could still appeal to you if you’re interested in reading about the quagmire surrounding The Satanic Verses, though it’s really a gem for those who love this author. If you’re a Rushdie fan, RUN to your nearest bookstore and pick this memoir up immediately. You will be blown away by the breadth and depth of this memoir, as well as the honest emotion that leaps off of every page.

Other books by Salman Rushdie:

The Enchantress of Florence
Fury
Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Luka and the Fire of Life
Midnight’s Children

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Happy Sunday everyone! I hope those of you in the US had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. I had a relaxing Thanksgiving to be sure, but not the productive one I’d hoped. As a result, I returned home from my travels and was even more behind than when I’d left! Luckily, I managed to work hard last week and get to a point where, though I’m not completely caught up, I’m at a point where I can say I’m no longer drowning.

Of course, this didn’t bode well for my reading or reviewing last week. Indeed, I only managed to get two reviews up! While this isn’t horrible, it’s not anywhere near my goal of four to five reviews per week, so I’m hoping I start doing better on the reading and reviewing front. It’s difficult because there is so much we want to do around the house before we have guests for the holidays, so it’s still difficult to find time for anything blog related.

One thing that has been taking up my time over the past week is book organizing! While it might seem like a chore to some, I know my fellow book lovers will know how much fun it is putting together a new library. We had a contractor come out and build my dream library, complete with built-in bookshelves. It was completed last Monday and I managed to get all my books in some order over the week, so of course, I have some (not great iPhone) pictures for you guys! (Please excuse the mess in the room in the back—that’s my office, and it’s become sort of a box storage area).

Reviews posted this week: