Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Green
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.samgf.com
CITY: Brooklyn
STATE: NY
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2017009785
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2017009785
HEADING: Graham-Felsen, Sam
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PERSONAL
Born Boston, MA.
EDUCATION:Harvard University, graduated cum laude, 2004.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, novelist, educator, and public speaker. The Nation, Washington, DC, reporter, 2004-07; Blue State Digital, Washington, DC, content director, 2008-09; Columbia University, New York, NY, adjunct assistant professor of creative writing. Previously worked as the chief blogger on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, 2007-08; produced videos for Current TV; and was a featured speaker with the American Program Bureau.
WRITINGS
Contributor to periodicals, including the New York Times magazine, the Nation, and the Washington Post; and to websites, including LitHub and the Jewish Book Council website. Also a writer and columnist for the Harvard Crimson while attending college.
SIDELIGHTS
Sam Graham-Felsen grew up in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in social studies and has worked for and contributed to periodicals and websites. Graham-Felsen was also a video producer for Current TV, reporting from Cambodia, France, and Pakistan and a blogger for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign. His debut novel, Green, is a coming-of-age story in which Graham-Felsen presents his take on the so-called “American dream.”
In an interview with Lauren Frayer published on the NPR: National Public Radio website, Graham-Felsen noted that he campaigned enthusiastically for Barack Obama with the hope of bringing about significant change but added: “I never thought we would turn into a post-racial country overnight, but when I saw the sort of enormity and swiftness of the backlash against Obama …, it really gave me pause.” Graham-Felsen went on to tell Frayer that he was contemplating the idea for his novel back then in 2007 and 2008 while campaigning for Obama, noting that following the campaign he found he “wanted to explore … why is racism such an intractable problem in this country? And I realized … I have this fairly unique experience as a white kid who went to mostly black schools growing up, and maybe if I dive … into my own past, I can kind of understand what happened to me better and maybe a little bit better about what happened to my city and even my country.”
The novel takes place in 1992. It’s protagonist, David Greenfield, attends Martin Luther King, Jr., Middle School. As one of the only white kids at the school he is constantly made fun of by his black and Latino classmates and largely ignored by girls. His parents are hippies who refuse to buy him high-end tennis shoes and his request to be transferred to a private school. David’s only hope is to perform well enough on aptitude tests to get into one of Boston’s better public schools.
Black classmate Marlon “Mars” Wellings lives in the public housing project close to David’s neighborhood, which is becoming gentrified. One day David is astounded when Mars defends him during an incident at the school cafeteria. The two form a friendship that changes how Dave sees his black schoolmates and black culture in general. It turns out that Mars does not fit the typical stereotype of a youngster living in “the hood” but is smart, kind of nerdy, and more than a little neurotic. The two spend a lot of time together at Dave’s house watching their favorite team, the Boston Celtics, with Mars’s favorite player being the white Larry Bird. They also study together in hopes of passing the entrance exam to the prestigious Boston Latin high school.
Dave and Mars stick together at school as well, as they face taunts, bullying, and other middle school dramas. Eventually, however, their bond starts to fall apart as they compete for a girl and Dave seemingly has all the advantages of being white as he tries to get ahead, sometimes betraying Mars in the process. Meanwhile, Dave does not seem to want to acknowledge that as a black boy Mars is facing a much harder time trying to achieve a better life due to discrimination and overall societal viewpoints concerning the black members of American society. Eventually, Dave, who serves as the novel’s narrator, comes to perceive the real impact of racial discrimination, which he calls the Force. Nevertheless, the two friends’ vastly different backgrounds seem to be a barrier to a true, lasting friendship.
“Dave tells his story in his own idiosyncratic, vaguely streetwise voice, with hip-hop overtones that perfectly capture the [tale’s] mood and tone,” wrote Michael Cart in Booklist. Writing for Library Journal, Joshua Finnell remarked: Green “poignantly captures the tumultuous feelings of adolescence against the historical backdrop of a racially segregated city and country.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, October 1, 2017, Michael Cart, review of Green, p. 25.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2017, review of Green.
Library Jounral, September 1, 2017, Joshua Finnell, “Fiction,” includes review of Green, p. 101.
Publishers Weekly, October 16, 2017, review of Green, p. 46.
ONLINE
NPR: National Public Radio website, https://www.npr.org/ (December 31, 2017), Lauren Frayer,”In Green, A Pre-Teen Wisens Up To His Privilege,” author interview.
Sam Graham-Felsen Website, http://www.samgf.com (March 27, 2018).
Sam Graham-Felsen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Graham-Felsen is an American blogger and journalist who was the blog director of the presidential campaign of Barack Obama in 2008.[1]
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Career
2 Obama campaign
3 References
4 External links
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Graham-Felsen grew up in Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Boston public schools, including the William Monroe Trotter school and Boston Latin School. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 2004 with a degree in social studies. He was a writer and columnist for The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of the university.[2]
Career[edit]
From 2004 to 2007, he worked for The Nation magazine, covering youth politics. He also produced videos for Current TV, filing reports from France, Cambodia, and Pakistan.[3][4]
From 2008 to 2009 he was content director at Blue State Digital, a Washington, D.C.-based Internet strategy and technology firm. He is currently a featured speaker for the American Program Bureau and travels worldwide covering his experience with the Obama campaign and other new media campaigns.[5]
Obama campaign[edit]
Graham-Felsen was a member of the presidential campaign staff of Barack Obama in 2008. As the blog director of the New Media committee, he wrote for and oversaw BarackObama.com/blog, worked with key national and state bloggers to promote the campaign's message, helped direct the campaign's online rapid response operation, and produced and collaborated on dozens of online videos for the campaign.[6]
Sam Graham-Felsen’s debut novel, Green, was a New York Times Editor’s Pick, an Indie Next selection, one of Amazon’s “Best Books of the Month,” and one of “Six Debuts to Watch for in 2018” by Barnes and Noble.
His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post, The Nation, and elsewhere. From, 2007-2008, he worked as the chief blogger on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
Sam is currently at work on more fiction and serves as an adjunct assistant professor of creative writing at Columbia University.
The New York Times Magazine: Letter of Recommendation: The Pull-Up
LitHub: On Freaks and Geeks
Medium: On Humiliation
Jewish Book Council: Writing Jewishly
Jewish Book Council: How My Grandfather Influenced My Writing Style
Buzzfeed Long Reads: Remade in Taiwan: Manny Ramirez’s Season Abroad
The Nation: Hard Times at Occupy Boston
The Nation: How Cyber-Pragmatism Brought Down Mubarak
The Washington Post: Why is Obama leaving the grass roots on the sidelines?
The Nation: The New Face of the Campus Left (Cover Story)
In 'Green,' A Pre-Teen Wisens Up To His Privilege
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December 31, 20178:12 AM ET
Heard on Weekend Edition Sunday
LAUREN FRAYER
Twitter
LAUREN FRAYER, HOST:
It's 1992. Your hair is gelled up, you're sporting high-tops, maybe still listening to Run-DMC on cassette, and that's the setting for a new coming-of-age novel that's also a look at race in America. The book, titled "Green," follows a friendship between two adolescent boys in Boston, one black and one white. The author is Sam Graham-Felsen, and he joins us now from our bureau in New York.
Hi, Sam.
SAM GRAHAM-FELSEN: Hi, Lauren. Thanks so much for having me.
FRAYER: Thanks for coming. So who tells this story? Who's your narrator in "Green"?
GRAHAM-FELSEN: The narrator is a 12-year-old boy named Dave Greenfeld. He is half-Jewish, and his last name is Jewish, and he's pretty embarrassed of his last name. He's one of only three white kids in his entire middle school, and the last thing he wants is to also stand out for being Jewish. So he sort of gives himself a nickname, Green, which he thinks sounds kind of like a cool MC-rapper name.
FRAYER: Green is 12. He's just starting to wrap his head around some big concepts, trying to put them into words. And there's this thing in the book that he calls the force. What does he understand the force to mean?
GRAHAM-FELSEN: So the first time Dave sort of comes up with this concept is - he's watching the news on the day of - or one of the days of the LA riots. And there's a particular moment during the LA riots where a guy named Reginald Denny, who was a trucker, was stopped at an intersection where there was a lot of rioting going on. He was pulled out of his truck and beaten, and he was a white guy and presumably targeted because of that. And Dave sees this on TV, and he finds himself, even though he grew up in a very progressive household - you know, raised by very sort of anti-racist activist parents - he finds himself sort of rooting for this white trucker, and he feels kind of ashamed and embarrassed of it. And he says that what comes over him is something called the force.
FRAYER: And that force also comes between him and his best friend, Marlon.
GRAHAM-FELSEN: Yes. The force is kind of how Dave sees race interfering in all aspects of life. You know, he and Marlon - Marlon is his best friend, his black classmate. They have a really amazing, you know, easy friendship when they are in Dave's house together. They dress up in costumes. They make funny homemade videos. And then when they leave the house, all of a sudden, the simple world that they live in is kind of disrupted by these big, adult forces, including racism.
You know, they - one minute, they're jumping off trampolines, and the next minute, they're out shoveling snow and trying to make money, and no one is coming to the door when they ring the doorbell. Marlon then says, Dave, let me try something. I'll wait around the corner, and you ring the doorbell with your little brother Benno, and if two white kids are ringing the doorbell, I bet they'll answer. And it turns out that Marlon's right. And, you know, it's lots of little microexperiences like this that slowly waken Dave up to the fact that his friend is treated very differently by society than he is.
FRAYER: Marlon is dealing with some family issues, and yet we never hear his inner thoughts, his perspective. We have the inner life of the white character, but not the black character. Why was that?
GRAHAM-FELSEN: Well, the book is told from Dave's perspective. And, you know, part of the sort of tension in the book is, Dave is in his head. He's - you know, he's a 12-year-old going through adolescence. His body is changing. He's getting his first crushes. You know, frankly, he's a little bit self-absorbed, and he's not fully able to fully empathize with what his friend Marlon might be going through.
FRAYER: This is your first novel, but you've had some experience writing. You were the chief blogger for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. How did that experience inform your ideas of race and inform the book?
GRAHAM-FELSEN: So as Obama's chief blogger, I was helping to further the message of hope and change. And I mean, I really felt hopeful that an Obama victory would signal a sea change in America and would bring about, like, real racial progress. I never thought we would turn into a post-racial country overnight, but when I saw the sort of enormity and swiftness of the backlash against Obama from the Tea Party, it really gave me pause.
FRAYER: Is that when you started writing the book or had the idea?
GRAHAM-FELSEN: I started - I had the kind of idea in my head as I was working on the Obama campaign. And then after the campaign, I sort of felt more of a sense of urgency. I wanted to explore, you know, why is racism such an intractable problem in this country? And I realized, hey, you know, I have this fairly unique experience as a white kid who went to mostly black schools growing up, and maybe if I dive as deep as possible into my own past, I can kind of understand what happened to me better and maybe a little bit better about what happened to my city and even my country.
FRAYER: Sam Graham-Felsen is the author of the new novel "Green." Thank you so much, and Happy New Year to you.
GRAHAM-FELSEN: Thank you. Happy New Year to you too.
Print Marked Items
Green
Publishers Weekly.
264.42 (Oct. 16, 2017): p46.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Green
Sam Graham-Felsen. Random House, $27 (320p) ISBN 978-0-399-59114-3
From the chief blogger of Barack Obama's first presidential campaign comes a provocative debut that
wrestles with matters of race, white privilege, and institutional prejudice head-on. The subtly humorous,
surprisingly touching coming-of-age narrative is told from the perspective of Dave, one of the only white
students at King, a predominantly black and Latino public middle school in Boston. At the start of sixth
grade in 1992, he befriends Marlon, a smart black student from the nearby housing projects with a passion
for the Celtics and a gorgeous singing voice. The pals wade through typical middle school drama together--
flirting with "shorties," getting bullied by tougher classmates, handling academic stress. Their friendship
survives most of the upheaval, until competition over a girl and Dave's ease at getting ahead get in the way.
The significance of the boys' backgrounds is obvious--Dave might be an outlier at school, but he and his
Harvard-educated hippie parents are more set up in life than most in his gentrifying neighborhood. Where
Graham-Felsen shines is in his depiction of the pressures put on Marlon to rise above his circumstances and
to cope with his mother's mental illness. The novel is also a memorable and moving portrayal of a
complicated but deep friendship that just might survive the weight placed on it. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Green." Publishers Weekly, 16 Oct. 2017, p. 46. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A510652852/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7d51b800.
Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A510652852
Graham-Felsen, Sam: GREEN
Kirkus Reviews.
(Oct. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Graham-Felsen, Sam GREEN Random House (Adult Fiction) $27.00 1, 2 ISBN: 978-0-399-59114-3
A white boy in a majority-black Boston middle school gets an education on race and friendship.
This debut novel is set in 1992 and narrated by David Greenfeld, aka Green, the son of middle-class parents
who send him to a public middle school in the name of progressive politics. "They 'believe in public
schools,' even when they're mad ghetto," he explains early, deploying the hip-hop slang that distinguishes
this otherwise fairly conventional coming-of-age story. Bullying? Check: his whiteness makes him a target,
and he's quickly stripped of the expensive, gaudy outfit he buys to earn some street bona fides. Crosscultural
friendship? Check: Green bonds with Marlon "Mar" Wellings, a black classmate from the nearby
projects, over Celtics basketball and a mutual interest in passing the entrance exam to Boston Latin high
school. Budding self-awareness? Check: Green's growing awareness of Marlon's background is matched by
his own enlightenment in matters both primal (sex) and intellectual (his Jewish background). GrahamFelsen,
who has a similar background to Green's, writes sensitively about the multiple ways racism
manifests in this milieu: Green and Mar's snow-shoveling hustle only succeeds when Mar isn't visible to
white clients, and Green is oblivious to how Marlon is treated as suspect at a Harvard alumni gathering.
Throughout, Celtics star Larry Bird serves as Green's spirit animal and symbol for the narrative where
whiteness represents difference, and Graham-Felsen avoids the biggest danger by making sure Green's
language never feels forced. Green's delivery is often witty ("What do white girls like to talk about? The
Gap? Horses?"). But the author's focus on Green's quotidian concerns about school and girls limits attention
on Marlon, who has the more dramatic story, and other threads concerning religion, Green's quirky brother,
and his family's connection to the Holocaust feel extraneous and unfinished.
A well-turned if familiar race-themed bildungsroman.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Graham-Felsen, Sam: GREEN." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A509244128/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=1884b85f.
Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A509244128
Green
Michael Cart
Booklist.
114.3 (Oct. 1, 2017): p25+.
COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
* Green. By Sam Graham Felsen. Jan. 2018. 309p. Random, $27 (9780399591143); e-book,
$13.99(9780399591150).
The year is 1992, the place is Boston, and 12-year-old Dave Greenfeld ("Green") is one of only two white
boys in his sixth-grade class at Martin Luther King Middle School. It's not easy being Green when you're an
outsider, an easy target for verbal (and the threat of physical) abuse. Essentially abandoned by the other
white boy, once his friend, Dave is left alone until he meets Marlon, who is black, and the two strike up a
tentative friendship that soon blossoms. Dave poignantly thinks that Marlon isn't just his best friend; he's his
first. "Up until now I had no idea just how lonely I'd been." Graham-Felsen's fine first novel is clearly about
race relations at a specific time in American history, and, perhaps accordingly, the two boys' interracial
friendship is not always an easy one: Dave is diffident to a fault and has a habit of betraying his friend.
Worse is the specter of what Dave calls the Force--i.e., racial prejudice. Will it eventually shatter the two
boys' friendship? Dave tells his story in his own idiosyncratic, vaguely streetwise voice, with hip-hop
overtones that perfectly capture the mood and tone of the story. He and Marlon are wonderful characters,
fully realized and multidimensional, and Graham-Felsen has done a superb job of creating their
environment. Voice, mood, tone, character, and setting all contribute to the making of a memorable debut.--
Michael Cart
YA: Teens will be fascinated by this exercise in empathy and the immediacy of the author's exploration of
race relations in a crossover novel that could have been published YA. MC.
YA RECOMMENDATIONS.
* Young adult recommendations for adult, audio, and reference titles reviewed in this issue have been
contributed by the Booklist staff and by reviewers Poornima Apte, Michael Cart, John Charles, Joan
Curbow, Kristine Huntley, Biz Hyzy, Colleen Mondor, and Gilbert Taylor.
* Adult titles recommended for teens are marked with the following symbols: YA, for books of general YA
interest; YA/C, for books with particular curriculum value; YA/S, for books that will appeal most to teens
with a special interest in a specific subject; and YA/M, for books best suited to mature teens.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Cart, Michael. "Green." Booklist, 1 Oct. 2017, p. 25+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A510653737/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e92f4fe1.
Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A510653737
Fiction
Library Journal.
142.14 (Sept. 1, 2017): p101+.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No
redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
Bailey, Sarah. The Dark Lake. Grand Central. Oct. 2017.400p. ISBN 9781538759905. $26; ebk. ISBN
9781538759912. F
DEBUT When Rosalind Ryan's body is found floating in a lake surrounded by roses, Det. Gemma
Woodstock must face a past she'd hoped would remain buried. The beautiful Rosalind, whom Gemma
envied in high school, was a teacher and writer/director of a successful school play, murdered on the
production's opening night. The locals believe that to be violated so brutally, strangled, and dumped, she
must have been involved in something sinister. It is up to Gemma to untangle the list of suspects, including
Rosalind's strange-acting older brothers, the overly emotional school principal, and maybe even a student
with ties to Gemma. The detective insists that the case isn't personal, but threats to her family and secrets
surfacing from the past prove otherwise. Australian author Bailey's first novel weaves a tale of deception,
family secrets, and flawed but relatable characters. VERDICT While the ultimate plotline is fairly
predictable, several smaller mysteries and background characters make this a worthwhile read for fans of
fellow detective-focused authors Tana French and Lisa Gardner.--Natalie Browning, J. Sargeant Reynolds
Community Coll. Lib., Richmond, VA
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Balson, Ronald H. The Trust. St. Martin's. Sept. 2017. 368p. ISBN 9781250127440. $26.99; ebk. ISBN
9781250127464. F
Making his fourth appearance (after Karolina's Twins), PI Liam Taggert has not been back to his home in
Northern Ireland since the 1990s. When he gets the call that his Uncle Fergus is dead, he agrees to return
and soon learns that Fergus was murdered, leaving the administration of his estate to Liam. The terms of the
will prohibit its distribution until the murderer is found. Did Fergus know his killer? The police suspect
Fergus's family, and Liam is sucked back into the personal and political conflicts that drove him away. Not
far from the surface of daily life in Antrim, the Troubles still smoulder, and violence is sparked if too many
questions are asked. As Liam does his best to follow his uncle's wishes, he steps into a firestorm that
endangers his wife, his child, and the family with whom he has just reconnected. VERDICT This top-notch
thriller will keep readers riveted to the very last page. The Northern Irish setting will appeal to fans of
Adrian McKinty and Stewart Neville, and the familial and political issues will attract psychological thriller
addicts.--Susan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA
"5' Bergmann, Emanuel. The Trick. Atria. Sept. 2017. 384p. ISBN 9781501155826. $26; ebk. ISBN
9781501155840. F
DEBUT Bergmann's first novel tells the story of Moshe Goldenhirsch, the son of a rabbi in Prague who, in
the years after World War I, runs away from home to join a circus and becomes a magician performing as
the Great Zabbatini. In alternating chapters, a second story line focuses on ten-year-old Max Cohn, whose
parents are getting a divorce in 21st-century California. Max has discovered an old vinyl record of
Zabbatini's greatest tricks and is sure the magician can perform a spell of eternal love to reunite his parents.
The plot thickens with the impending Holocaust that is likely to destroy Zabbatini. VERDICT How Moshe
survives to be discovered in his old age by Max and how a link is found between the Cohn family and the
Great Zabbatini turn this novel into a magic trick of its own. Bergmann's ability to create appealing, welldrawn
characters and tell a gripping story is impressive. [See Prepub Alert, 3/27/17; "Editors' Fall Picks," p.
34.]--Andrea Kempf, formerly with Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS
Burton, Jeffrey B. The Eulogist Permanent. Oct. 2017.360p. ISBN 9781579625023. $29. F
FBI agent Drew Cady, recovering from injuries sustained during a case involving a serial killer, has been
transferred to Minneapolis where he's working in a Medicare fraud unit. He has also married a resort owner
and is enjoying the calmer life. But attending a conference in Washington, DC, he succumbs to his former
boss's plea for help. Sen. Taylor Brockman has been stabbed in the heart, killed in the same manner as a
drug addict he had pardoned a decade earlier as governor of Virginia. Drew and colleague Liz Preston
realize the connection also involves an international pharmaceutical company. When Liz is killed while
chasing a Canadian assassin, Drew must finish the case on his own, aided by a loner computer genius he's
tricked into helping him. VERDICT This third entry in Burton's "Drew Cady" series (after The Chessman
and The Lynchpin) is an action-packed thriller with a high body count. However, the assassin is more
intriguing than the hero, and the writing is marred by awkward explanations ofbureaucratic acronyms. Still,
the plot grabs readers from the start, twists abound, and good triumphs--mostly.--Roland Person, formerly
with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale
*Diaz, Hernan. In the Distance. Coffee House. Oct. 2017. 272p. ISBN 9781566894883. pap. $16.95. F
DEBUT After immigrating to America from Sweden in the 1840s, young Hakan Soderstrom is separated
from his brother in New York and inadvertently boards a ship bound for California, arriving during the Gold
Rush. He befriends a family of Irish immigrants and join them in the goldfields until he is captured by
vigilantes, taken to a nearby town, and made a virtual prisoner. Hakan's escape begins many years of
adventures across the West. He first falls in with a naturalist who teaches him about science, then with a
group of settlers, killing religious zealots who attack their wagon train, becoming a legend-and a wanted
manacross the West. 'While set in the American West, trus is no conventional Western, as it turns the genre's
stereotypes upside down, taking place on a frontier as much mytruc as real with a main character traveling
east. In this world, American individualism becomes the isolation that is its shadow and the dream 'of
freedom devolves into anarchic violence. And while Hakan longs for community, he fmds rumself a
stranger everywhere. VERDICT Resonant historical fiction with a contemporary feel.--lawrence Rungren,
Andover, MA
*Dressier, M. The Last To See Me. Skyhorse. Sept. 2017. 272p. ISBN 9781510720671. $22.99; ebk. ISBN
9781510720688. F
In a picturesque village along the coast of Northern California, mysterious events are occurring, and a
professional ghost hunter is called in to purge the old Lambry estate of malevolent spirits and help secure
the sale of the cliffside property. But the ghost of Emma Rose Finnis, strong and relentless, has been lurking
for more than 100 years and is not ready to give up her secrets. As a child, Emma was a humble servant at
the estate. When she and one of the young Lambry men fell in love, the family saw to it that their
relationship was crushed. Now the ghost hunter and the real estate agent must work together to expose
Emma Rose, but as they do, their own life stories begin to unravel. VERDICT In this rughly atmospheric
and beautifully crafted novel, the movements of the ghost of Emma Rose are both palpable and fascinating.
This latest from Dressler (The Deadwood Beetle) is spellbinding from page one.--Susanne Wells,
Indianapolis P.L.
Duenas, Maria. The Vineyard. Atria. Oct. 2017. 544p. tr. from Spanish by Nick Caistor & Lorenza Garcia.
ISBN 9781501124532. $26; ebk.ISBN 9781501124556. F
The author of The Heart Has Its Reasons and The Time in Between returns with this sweeping 19th centuryset
historical. The bold Mauro Larrea has worked his way up from the dire poverty of his early years in
Spain by becoming a miner and eventually a mine owner in Mexico. But now he stands to lose rus hard-won
fortune. Circumstances bring him to a desperate gamble in a wild game ofbilliards in Havana, Cuba,
winning him an abandoned house and vineyard back inJerez, Spain, where the sherry trade i just starting to
thrive. There Mauro meets the beautiful Soledad Montalvo, whose family previously owned the vineyard
before misfortune struck. We can see where this story is going, but there are many twists and tU1'l1S along
the way, as well as lots of lively characters, including a few villains, and vivid scenes from Mexico City,
Havana, and Jerez. VERDICT This sprawling fanlily saga is filled with romance, intrigue, adventure, and a
bit of melodrama. It's a leisurely yet always entertailling read that will appeal to lovers ofIsabel Allende's
Zarro. [See Prepub Alert, 4/10/17.]--Leslie Patterson, Rehoboth, MA
*Egan, Jennifer. Manhattan Beach. Scribner. Oct. 2017. 448p. ISBN 9781476716732. $28; ebk. ISBN
9781476716756. F
The latest from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Egan (A Visit from the Coon Squad) centers on the Brooklyn
Naval Yard during World War II. Anna Kerrigan lives with her mother and disabled sister, Lydia, her' father
having disappeared years earlier. She works measuring ship parts at the yard but longs to be a diver, doing
salvage and repair underwater. At fIrst by chance and later by design, she encounrers Dexter Styles, a
gangster who may know something about her father's disappearance. Along the way, Anna usually takes the
most reckless path, rarely considering the long-term consequences. The setting is rich and textured, and
unexpected turns of phrase, such as a male naval officer being described as petite, starile and delight. Egan
offers thrilling accounrs of shipwreck and of Anna's diving training, avoiding ITlOSt cliches in her
depictions of the criminal underworld inhabited by Dexter and Anna's f.lther, as well as the motivations and
conflicted loyalties that that life brings. VERDICT This large, ambitious novel shows Egan at the top of her
game. Anna is a true feminist heroine, and her grit and tenacity will make readers root for her. Highly
recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 4/19/17.]--Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs.,
Minneapolis
Graham-Felsen, Sam. Green. Random. Jan. 2018. 320p. ISBN 9780399591143. $27; ebk. ISBN
9780399591150. F
DEBUT As a member of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign staff, GrahamFelsen helped articulate
Obama's message of empathy and cooperative change across social media outlets. Here, in his debut novel,
he weaves those tQemes into a story about two friends navigating adolescence across the racial divide.
Nicknamed Green, Dave is one of the few white lcids attending Martin Luther King Middle School in
Boston. His life is occupied with a daily struggle to fIt in, which extends from his clothing to his demeanor.
Through a shared admiration for Larry Bird and the Celtics, a black classmate named Marlon becomes one
of Dave's only friends and allies. Together, they manage the awkwardness of nliddle school under constant
pressure to succeed from parents, teachers, and the larger community. As Marlon and Dave f01'l11 their
own individual identities, however, their similarities slowly become eclipsed by their di fferences, from
family backgrounds to life goals. VERDICT Based on Graham-Felsen's childhood in Bos~ on in the 1990s,
this work poignantly captures the tumultuous feelings of adolescence against the historical backdrop of a
racially segregated city and country. [See Prepub Alert, 7/31/17; "Editors' Fall Picks," p. 35.]--Joshua
Finnell, Colgate Univ., Hamilton, NY
Harrison, Phil. The First Day. Houghton Harcourt. Oct. 2017. 224p. ISBN 9781328849663. $23; ebk. ISBN
9781328849670. F
DEBUT Belfast preacher Samuel Orr seems to embody the Gospels, with his honesty about his own failings
and struggles with faith. But he shatters his fanlliy and upends his community when he has an affair and
then a child with teacher Anna Stuart. The unexpected death of Samuel's wife devastate Philip, his eldest
son, whose despair feeds into resentment toward his father. Affection for his half-brother Sam and a fragile
friendship with Anna seem to afford Philip solace, but when he deliberately disfigures Sam, he slashes the
veneer of equilibrium achieved between Anna and his family.
Though Philip disappears, his crime defines Sam's life. Thirty-five years after the incident, Sam lives in New
York and runs into Philip. Their encounter sets in motion a suspenseful and ultimately violent series of
events that change both men and their father forever. VERDICT Screenwriter Harrison's absorbing debut
will surprise readers with its ingenious plot twists and nuanced characters. Though compared with the work
ofAlbert Camus and D.H. Lawrence, Harrison's cinematic first novel stands on its own.--John G. Matthews,
Washington State Univ. libs., Pullman
Hasbun, Rodrigo. Affections. S. & S. Sept. 2017. 144p. ISBN 9781501154799. $23; ebk. ISBN
9781501154812. F
One of Grantas, 22 Best of Young Spanish-Language Novelists, Bolivian-born, Texas-based Hasbun makes
his Englishlanguage debut. In Part 1, set in the late 1950s, ex-Nazi filmmaker Hans Ertl moves with his
family to Bolivia and embarks on an expedition to unearth a lost Incan city in the Amazon jungle.
Accompanied by his two older daughters and two scientists, he finds some ruins but immolates their base
camp. Part 2 jumps ahead to the decade of the Marxist guerrilla warfare ravaging the country. Hans's wife
has died, and daughters Monika, Heidi, and Trixi have gone their separate ways. Most notably, the oldest,
Monika joins the Marxist Resistance with disastrous results. This relatively brief novel is split among seven
narrators (with the daughters' voices repeating), and the fast pacing and sparse narration mean a greater
focus on events than on development of the characters. The ironic title reflects the lack of real affection
among the characters, save perhaps for their quixotic causes. VERDICT Tracing the progress of two
generations of a dysfunctional Bolivian family set during a violent historical period, this novel captures
events in a country largely unfamiliar to most American readers. [See Prepub Alert, 3/13/17]--Lawrence
Olszewski, North Central State Coll., Mansfield, OH
Hayes-McCoy, Felicity. The Library at the Edge of the World. Harper. Nov. 2017. 368p. ISBN
9780062663726. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062663733. F
DEBUT The "edge of the world" is the southwestern coast of Ireland, on a fictional peninsula (think
Dingle). Librarian Hanna Casey, who has returned to her Irish hometown after discovering her English
husband's infidelity, drives the mobile library van among the villages of the Finfarran Peninsula. But all is
not sunshine in this beautiful, remote region. Developers and business interests plan to close the local
library, consolidating services distantly, further fragmenting the social interaction of the area's local
residents. When the plan is disclosed, Hanna finds herself leading the community's pushback. Nuns,
fishermen, senior citizens, young entrepreneurs, crusty curmudgeons, the local rich family recluse, and
library patrons band together to bolster their common purpose. VERDICT Making her fiction and U.S.
debut, the author of The House on an Irish Hillside delivers an appealing novel that will delight Maeve
Binchy fans. There are plenty of good discussion points about the nature of community for book clubs and
thoughtful readers.--Mary K. Bird-Guilliams, Chicago
*Hoffman, Alice. The Rules of Magic. S. & S. Oct. 2017. 384p.ISBN 9781501137471. $27.99; ebk.ISBN
9781501137495. F
Hoffman weaves a spell around the three Owens children--Franny, Jet, and Vincent--as she provides the
backstory to her best-selling Practical Magic. The family of witches has been cursed since the 17th century,
and as the Owens siblings come of age during 1960s, their second sight, magic potions, and other
supernatural abilities are not enough to keep them from the danger of falling in love and seeing their
beloved die. How each deals with the consequences and learns to fight the curse by loving more, not less, is
the key to freedom from the spell and an instruction to readers. Hoffman deftly weaves in dramatic events
from the era, including the Vietnam War and protests against it, without sacrificing the fairy-tale feeling of
her story. VERDICT Admirers of Practical Magic and readers who enjoy a little magic mixed in with their
love stories and prefer to be kept at something of a remove from the grittiness of life's tragedies will relish
this book. [See Prepub Alert, 5/3/17.]--Sharon Mensing, Emerald Mountain School, Steamboat Springs, CO
Ide, Joe. Righteous: An IQ Novel. Mulholland: Little, Brown. Oct. 2017. 336p. ISBN 9780316267779. $26;
ebk. ISBN 9780316267762. F
Isaiah Quintabe,"IQ," the Sherlock Holmes of East Long Beach, CA, uses his inductive reasoning skills to
investigate crime and has taken payment in the form of live chickens and baked goods. His Achilles heel is
an obsessive need to know who drove the car that killed his brother Marcus a decade ago. When Marcus's
old girlfriend Sarita asks IQ to help extricate her sister from a crushing gambling debt in Vegas, he can't
refuse. He has always been in love with Sarita and envisions this case ushering in their new life together. IQ
once again enlists the help of Dodson (Watson to his Sherlock) who has a pregnant girlfriend and a day job
in an attempt to go legitimate. Dodson's witty banter and dynamic personal life provide a piercing contrast
to IQ's solitary and sterile existence, and the scenes between the two are notable in this brilliantly executed
novel. Deftly weaving the search for Marcus's killer with various escapades in Vegas, Ide employs a clever
mixing of time lines that will keep readers guessing until the explosive, bloody denouement. VERDICT A
winning combination of skillful writing and flawless pacing, this second series outing is packed with
adrenaline-inducing scenes along with a colorful cast of violent and treacherous villains. [See Prepub Alert,
4/10/17; "Editors' Fall Picks," p. 32.]--Amy Nolan, St. Joseph, MI
*Keneally, Thomas. Crimes of the Father. Atria. Oct. 2017. 352p. ISBN 9781501128486. $26; ebk. ISBN
9781501128509. F
Perhaps best known for the Booker Prizewinning Schindler's Ark, released here as Schindltr's List and later'
adapted into an Academy Award-winning film, Australian novelist Keneally's literary career spans six
prolific decades and more than 30 novels. This book harkens back to both a theme in his first novel, The
Place at Whitton, and to his career path before becoming a writer: the Catholic priesthood..The novel opens
with Father Frank Docherty in a cab, returning to his hometown ofSydney, Australia, to visit his elderly
mother after being sent to Canada for his outspoken views. A terse and confrontational conversation with
the cab driver uncovers a sexual abuse scandal centered on the church's revered defender, Monsignor Leo
Shannon. As Docherty identifies the victims and reveals the truth, he begins challenging a hierarchy and
power structure that has sanctified and defined his own existence. VERDICT Through the mind of his
aggrieved and conflicted protagonist, Keneally pens an unf1inching meditation on the ways in which
canonical scripture, sacred tradition, and human conscience often coalesce to distort basic moral truths. [See
Prepub Alert, 5/15/17.]--Joshua Finnell, Colgate Univ., Hamilton, NY
King, Stephen & Owen King. Sleeping Beauties. Scribner. Sept. 2017.720p. ISBN 9781501163401. $32.50;
ebk. ISBN 9781501163425. F
Women worldwide are falling prey to an unusual sleeping sickness that shrouds them in a white cocoon.
Anyone who tries to interrupt their otherworldly slumber are killed, as the somnambulic women turn
murderous. In a small, economically depressed Appalachian town, Evie emerges half-naked from a trailer
park to smite an abusive drug dealer before she's arrested and put in the local women's prison just as the
outbreak reaches a fever pitch. While the males ponder a world without women, the enigmatic Evie remains
unaffected. Meanwhile, the sleeping women are in an alternate dimension, a near-postapocalyptic version of
their hometown. Following the renewed interest in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and an
increasing climate of wolf-whistle politics, this examination of gender stereotypes, systems of oppression,
and pervasive misogyny within American culture feels especially timely, though the exploration is centered
in a cisgender, fairly heteronormative experience. VERDICT Violent, subversive, and compulsively
readable, this latest novel from King (Mr. Mercedes), collaborating here with son Owen (Double Feature),
derives more horror from its realistic depiction of violence against women than from the supernatural
elements.--Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal and Library Journal
Lee, Mira T. Everything Here Is Beautiful. Pamela Dorman: Viking. Jan. 2018. 368p. ISBN
9780735221963. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780735221987. F
DEBUT Sisters Miranda and Lucia grow up as first-generation Chinese Americans in a loving, single-parent
home. Older sister Miranda is stable and hardworking; Lucia is more unpredictable. During college, she
travels the world, living in hostels and teaching English, unable to settle in any one place. After their mother
battles cancer and dies, Lucia begins to act even more impetuously, marrying an older man and moving to
New York City. She leaves him suddenly and takes up with a young, Latino immigrant, and they have a
baby together before Lucia suffers a mental breakdown. When recovered, she and her family move to her
partner's village in Ecuador. While maintaining her own life in Switzerland, Miranda attempts to get her
sister the medical help she needs, efforts Lucia does not always appreciate. In the end, Lucia must decide
her own fate. VERDICT First novelist Lee's story of mental illness and its effects on Lucia and those who
love her alternates points of view from among various characters. The portrayal of sisterly love and its limits
is visceral. A solid choice for general fiction readers.--Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs.,
Providence
McAfee, Annalena. Hame. Knopf. Sept. 2017. 592p. ISBN 9781524731724. $30; ebk. ISBN
9781524731731. F
In the wake of her failing marriage, Mhairi McPhail, armed with a book deal and her nine-year-old daughter,
sets out for the Scottish island of Fascaray to write a biography of Grigor McWatt, its most famous son, and
to establish a museum celebrating his life and works. A poet and tireless chronicler ofisland life and Scottish
history and politics, McWatt was best known for one small ballad, "Hame tae Fascaray," which became
something of a national anthem recorded by the likes of Bob Dylan and the Three Tenors. In spite of her
archival training and family connection to the island, Mhairi faces a formidable challenge as she pores
through McWatt's voluminous oeuvre and attempts to penetrate his fiercely guarded private life. His
relationship with the devoted Lilias Hogg was well documented, but there's still much to discover about
another woman, the elusive "Bonny" Jean. VERDICT If McWatt were a more compelling character, or his
story had a little more drama, it might have warranted McAfee's (The Spoiler) over-longish treatment
(complete with footnotes, glossaries, inventories and a bibliography). As it is, there is still something to
admire in this prodigiously imagined life. [See Prepub Alert, 3/13/17.]--Barbara Love, formerly with
Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.
*McGregor, Jon. Reservoir 13. Catapult. Oct. 2017. 336p. ISBN 9781936787708. pap. $16.95; ebk. ISBN
9781936787715. F
While on a winter vacation with her parents in a northern England village, a 13-year-old girl goes for a walk
on the moors alone and disappears. This event, plus the intrusive police investigation and fruitless search of
the area's multiple reservoirs and surrounding territory, shock the townspeople, lending the story its tense
tone. But the presumed crime remains unsolved, and though the teen is not forgotten, life goes on. As the
novel unfolds, an unrelenting accretion of declarative sentences describe the village residents, their local
traditions, the weather, the seasons, and even the wildlife, the narrative deftly getting us inside the lives of
the many characters, allowing us to understand their isolation and interdependence. Years slowly pass within
the tale yet go all too quickly--as in real life. McGregor's (This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to
Someone Like You) writing is extraordinary, and while the narrative technique is initially wearing in the
way village life can be--the monotony, the knowledge of everybody's business--it coheres remarkably into a
knowable, comforting, ultimately compelling world. VERDICT This treatise on timelessness and human
nature was recently long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. Highly recommended.--Reba Leiding, emeritus,
James Madison Univ. Lib., Harrisonburg, VA
Macmillan, Gilly. Odd Child Out Morrow. Oct. 2017.448p. ISBN 9780062697837. $25.99; pap. ISBN
9780062476821. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062476852. F
*Macmillan's third novel (after What She Knew and The Perfect Girl) reveals the story of the friendship
between two 15-year-old boys and the issues each face through the police investigation into their
involvement in what appears to be a tragic accident. Noah Sadler, an only child from a privileged family, is
pulled from a canal with serious injuries while his Somali-born friend, Abdi Hasad, looks on. Brought in to
investigate the matter, Det. Jim Clemo finds that it may not have been an accident and, with social tensions
in Bristol already high and a reporter determined to use the story to ratchet them even higher, learning what
really happened becomes increasingly urgent. VERDICT With characters who are sympathetic and
believable, Macmillan's latest will keep readers in suspense to the very end. Highly recommended.--Lisa
0'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg
Mercier, Pascal. Lea. Grove. Sept. 2017. 304p. ISBN 9780802121660. $25; ebk. ISBN 9780802189301. F
Martijn van Vliet and Adrian Herzog meet accidentally in a cafe in Provence, France. Both have daughters,
both have lost their wives, and both are casting about for a reason to continue living. Martijn befriends
Adrian so he can tell him his story. His daughter Lea was lost in grief after her mother's death until she hears
a violin played in a train station. The performance captivates her, and she declares that she would learn to
play the violin. Her latent talent is revealed, sweeping her into a world of performance and practice. Her
father neglects his career to support her and remain close to her. But cracks begin to appear in her mental
stability, and her father, concerned for her welfare, carries out a daring and illegal plan to bring her back
from the brink of collapse. Mercier (Night Train to Lisbon) tells a heartbreaking story of a father's love for
his child. His two main characters emphasize the parallel lines in the lives of men and the differences that
make their experiences unique. VERDICT This tragedy, told in the style of Somerset Maugham, will appeal
to serious fiction readers.--Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence
*Namdar, Ruby. The Ruined House. Harper. Nov. 2017. 528p. tr. from Hebrew by Hillel Halkin. ISBN
9780062467492. $29.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062467508. F
Winner of the 2014 Sapir Prize, Israel's equivalent of the Man Booker Prize, this artfully translated work
features Andrew Cohen, a 52-year-old professor of cultural studies at New York University. Urbane and
sophisticated, the divorced Cohen lives a stylish, carefully curated existence on the Upper West Side of
Manhattan at the turn of the millennium. Though he considers himself a rational, secular, intellectual Jew,
with disdain for the garish religiosity of his ancestors, he begins experiencing strange visions involving the
ancient Temple in Jerusalem. This existential crisis takes on nightmarish qualities, as his hallucinations as
well as his daily encounters begin to offer incessant and tormenting glimpses of death and decay. As the
dated chapters move toward what the readers know will be a contemporary slaughter, the tension and horror
multiplies. VERDICT Though Cohen's relentless, inexorable decline can get a little repetitive, and the
conclusion feels somewhat anticlimactic, this is an imaginative and visionary work about one man's
spectacular mid-life crisis, framed by sacred texts and filled with poetic and portentous passages.
Reminiscent of the work of Nicole Krauss.--Lauren Gilbert, Sachem P.L., Holbrook, NY
Roberts, Paige. Virtually Perfect. Kensington. Sept. 2017. 352p. ISBN 9781496710093. pap. $15; ebk.
ISBN 9781496710109. F
DEBUT When her famous cooking show Healthy U is canceled, followed by her monthly magazine column
and cookbook deal, Lizzie Glass quickly becomes a hasbeen, leaving New York City and moving in with
her mother. But her Aunt Linda pulls some strings and lands Lizzie a summer job as a personal chef to her
boss's family, the wealthy Silvesters. From their outlandish beach house on the Jersey Shore to summer
parties that put celebrity shindigs to shame, the Silvesters are not ashamed to flaunt their luxurious lifestyle.
However, the more Lizzie learns about the family, in particular their daughter Zoe, the more she learns how
looks can be deceiving. Roberts's spot-on debut novel delves into the virtually perfect facade of an internally
imperfect family. The author also eloquently splashes.in a dash of humor, from scenes of an overweight,
overly tanned, and chauvinistic family friend who ends up drunk in the ER, to an Eagle ice sculpture with an
oversight. VERDICT Readers who enjoy novels with cooking themes will laugh and commiserate with
Lizzie as she sweats her way through a summer of gourmet requests, grandiose demands, and secrets she
learns about almost too late.--Erin Holt, Williamson ety. P.L., Franklin, TN
*Scott, Sophfronia. Unforgivable Love: ARetelling of Dangerous Liaisons. Morrow. Sept. 2017. 544p.
ISBN 9780062655653. pap. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062655677. F
Scott (All I Need To Get By) reimagines Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's 18th-century French classic Les
Liaisons dangereuses setting it in 1930s Harlem. The manipulative Marquise de Merteuil is played here by
Mae Malveaux, an heires used to getting her way. The unprincipled Vicomte de Valmont is Valiant Jackson,
who could have any woman, but Mae is the one he desperately wishes to possess. Much to his chagrin, Mae
poses a bargain ofsorts: to seduce her innocent cousin Cecily and ruin her engagement' with Frank
Washington. As a reward, Mae promises Jackson that she will spend a night with him. ButJackson has plans
of his own: to entice the married, church-going Elizabeth Townsend. Her faith in his good character will be
Elizabeth's downfall. VERDICT Readers of classic and historical fiction will find this fresh retelling a
fascinating read.--Adriana Delgado, Palm Beach Cty. Lib., Loxahatchee, FL
*Thien, Madeleine. Dogs at the Perimeter. Norton. Oct. 2017. 272p. ISBN 9780393354300. pap. $15.95;
ebk. ISBN 9780393354317. F
Mei, a Cambodian war refugee from Phnom Penh, relates a harrowing story of genocide under the rule of
the Khmer Rouge regime. She and her family are torn apart as they are thrust into this reign of terror. Family
members "disappear"; food, housing, and medicinal supplies are scarce, making life a daily struggle for
survival; and everyone lives in constant fear. Escaping to Canada, Mei becomes Janie, changing her name in
a desperate act to start a new life. In stream-of-consciousness style, Canadian author Thien offers a
perceptive look into a truly nightmarish world, effectively capturing the essence of someone suffering from
prolonged posttraumatic stress. Janie's need for family, memories, and fulfillment ofher desi res have been
superseded by a crushing, despotic regime that kills not only people but souls. VERDICT First published in
Canada in 2011 and released here after the success ofDo Not Say We Halle Nothing, which was short-listed
for the Man Booker Prize, this second novel by Thien is a moving, powerful, beautifully written study that
illuminatesJanie's reality. An important addition to the canon ofdiaspora and refugee literature.-Lisa
Rohrbaugh, Leetonia Community P.L.,OH
*Todd, Jack. Rose & Poe. ECW. Oct. 2017. 248p. ISBN 9781770413993. pap. $15.95; ebk. ISBN
9781773051017. F
Todd's innovative novel (after Rain Falls Like Mercy) is loosely based on Shakespeare's The Tempest but
can be appreciated by those unfamiliar with the play. Instead of a magical island, the story takes place in
isolated Belle Coeur Valley. Prospero Thorne has been forced from his law practice by partner Anthony
Coyle; his daughter, Miranda, attends Harvard Law School but returns during breaks to the valley people
she's loved and known since childhood. Such a friend is Poe Didelot. This giant, simple man lives with his
protective mother, Rose, tends his small herd of goats, and meticulously builds a magnificent stone wall for
Thorne. Enter Sebastian Coyle, the son of Thorne's former partner, who befriends Miranda. She foolishly
thinks they can bring the families together. Instead, Sebastian assaults her, leaving the country to avoid
justice, and Sheriff Dunn reluctantly arrests Poe because he was found at the scene. After the trial verdict, a
fierce rainstorm floods the area, which Thorne is convinced he has caused. VERDICT Todd offers
fascinating embellishments to Shakespeare's story, and as elements of magic filter through this modern
retelling, his own plans for his characters shine through. Ultimately upbeat, this story stands on its own and
is splendid from start to finish.--Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO
Westbrook, William. The Bermuda Privateer. McBooks. Sept. 2017. 328p. ISBN 9781590137444. $22.95. F
DEBUT In the late 1700s, the wry and often contemplative Capt. Nicholas Fallon commands The Sea Dog,
a privateer schooner that protects his employer's lucrative salt trade in the Caribbean. With first mate and
longtilne childhood friend Beauty McFarland, he tangles with the notorious pirate Wicked Jak Clayton,
which begins the adventure of a lifetime. From heated sea battles to falling in love, Westbrook's novel
details the peril of maritime life in the 18th century as empires sparred for trade and riches. While this title
will satisfY nautical fiction enthusiasts, it doesn't belabor historical minutiae and terminology but
seamlessly weaves those details into the story line while jumping right into the action. Westbrook's captain
and crew are the embodiment offriendship, courage, and allegiance on the high seas. VERDICT Full of
adventure and intrigue, this first novel will be a solid entry point to a compelling series in the making. A
strong choice for Patrick O'Brian fans.--Ron Samul, New London, CT
*Whittall, Zoe. The Best Kind of People. Ballantine. Sept. 2017. 448p.ISBN 9780399182211. $28; ebk.
ISBN 9780399182228. F
Accusations ofsex crimes with students send local hero and former teacher of the year George Woodbury
and his family into a spiral of disruption and psychological damage that changes their lives forever. The
wealthy Woodburys, pillars of the community, are rocked to the core, as no one truly knows whether George
is innocent or guilty. His wife, Joan, stumbles through denial, anger, rage, and finally a degree ofacceptance
with the help of her work as a trauma nurse, her therapist, and a support group. Daughter Sadie, 17, escapes
to her boyfriend's house, where she numbs her pain with marijuana and lots ofsex. Older son Andrew
struggles to support his father while reliving the ostracism he suffered when he came out as gay in their
small, close-knit community. Whittall's writing is so strong and heartfelt that readers will wonder how such
a young writer is able to offer this depth of emotion and psychological insight. This Giller Prize finalist is
the Canadian author's first work to be published in the United States. VERDICT Sure to provoke debate and
send book discussion groups into overtime.--Lisa Rohrbaugh, Leetonia Community P.L., OH
SHORT STORIES
Bae Suah. North Station. Open Letter. Oct. 2017. 320p. tr. from Korean by Deborah Smith. ISBN
9781940953656. pap. $15.95; ebk. ISBN 9781940953700. F
One word describes Bae's latest: enigmatic. The seven stories that comprise her first translated-into-English
collection (and her third collaboration with prolifically adroit British translator of choice Smith) are more
fragments than linear narratives. In the opening "First Snow, First Sight," unreliable memory between two
people separated for eight years is di sected and reconstructed. "Owl" conflates books, stories, and dreams.
The title story features a couple longing to stop tinle to avoid parting. "The Non-Being of the Owl" is a
meditation on death, while "MollSon" discusses travel and encounters along the way. Representation and
identity are examined in "Dignified Kiss of Paris Streets," the title of a photograph that in fact depicts the
narrator's respiratory system. Even more than her novels (Recitation; A Greater Music), Bae's short works
den1.and deliberate attention as her words and sentences diverge, detour, elide, and suddenly (sometimes)
resume an abandoned narrative path. VERDICT Intrepid readers ready for a labyrinthine literary challengethink
Borges, Kafka, Faulkner-will enjoy deciphering Bae's quizzical, uncommon stories.--Terry Hong,
Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC
*Eugenides, Jeffrey. Fresh Complaint. Farrar. Oct. 2017. 304p. ISBN 9780374203061. $27; ebk. ISBN
9780374717384. F
Among our most highly regarded contemporary writers, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Eugenides (Middlesex;
The Marriage Plot) offers his first collection of short fiction. Not unexpectedly, the work is superb, but
perhaps most noteworthy is the compassion and generosity of spirit that informs it. Notable also is
Eugenides's ongoing focus on the fluid riature of personal identity and the transitional moments in our lives
when we must grapple with who we are, who we wish to be, and who we find ourselves becoming. The title
story is a disturbing portrait of a 16-year-old Indian American woman who goes to extraordinary lengths to
avoid an arranged marriage. "Find the Bad Guy" is a humorous story about a divorced husband and father
who is irresistibly drawn back to his home and family despite a temporary restraining order. "Complainers"
tells a beautiful, heartbreaking story about the end ofa 40-year friendship. These stories skillfully explore
the often elusive quest for happiness and self-knowledge, along with the many complexities that atend
relationships with family, friends, and lovers. VERDICT Es ential for all fans ofliterary fiction. [See Prepub
Alert, 4/24/17.]--Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coli., CT
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Fiction." Library Journal, 1 Sept. 2017, p. 101+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A504090942/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=19d89fc0.
Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A504090942
Green: A novel
Sam Graham-Felsen
Library Journal.
142.11 (June 15, 2017): p4a.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No
redistribution permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
A novel of race and privilege in America --a coming-of-age story about a life-changing friendship told
through the eyes of a white boy at a mostly black school.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
978-0-399-59114-3 | $27.00/$36.00C | 40,000
Random House | HC | January
* 978-0-399-59115-0 | * AD: 978-0-525-49443-0
LITERARY FICTION / COMING OF AGE
Social: @SamGF; Facebook.com/SamGrahamFelsen; SamGF.com RA: For fans of The Brief Wondrous
Life of Oscar Wao, Sag Harbor, The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian, and The Fortress of
Solitude RI: Author lives in Brooklyn, NY
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Graham-Felsen, Sam. "Green: A novel." Library Journal, 15 June 2017, p. 4a. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495668154/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=a01165d5.
Accessed 5 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495668154