Another slow reading month!! I guess I’ll just blame it on all the sewing I’ve been doing. Here are the fun titles I did get around to. Thank you Random House for gifting me these books, noted with a star!
Afterlife
Julia Alvarez
I participated in a virtual author talk with Julia Alvarez hosted by Brookline Booksmith and it was a dream. She’s one of my favorites and hearing her speak about this new book was fascinating. A departure from her longer works, this short but poignant piece follows a widow dealing with grief, family turmoil, and a migrant worker crisis in her Vermont home town. It’s a wonderful read.
Little Eyes
Samanta Schweblin
Samanta Schweblin is my favorite author and I’ve been desperately waiting for this release. In “Little Eyes” people can purchase robotic stuffed animals that move around and interact with them. The catch is that the animals are controlled by real people who have paid to “inhabit” the toy. They can see, hear, and follow you around. I was quick to think ‘that’s crazy, I would never do that,’ but the truth is our own technological and voyeuristic world is pretty much already at this point. People are quick to categorize Schweblin as a horror writer but I don’t think that’s accurate. I see her as a cultural critic colored by the magical realism of Latinx literature and the darkness of the contemporary Argentine consciousness. I can’t recommend this read enough!
A Curse on Dostoevsky
Atiq Rahimi
This was an interesting piece about a man in Afghanistan who murders an elderly woman a la Crime and Punishment. The plot of Dostoevsky’s famous novel is woven into the story of this man, and similarly, it’s hard to know what’s real and what lives in his mind. I haven’t read much Middle Eastern literature and I enjoyed this.
In Pursuit of Disobedient Women*
Dionne Searcey
Searcey is a reporter for the New York Times and this book follows her and her family’s journey to another continent when she takes the position of West African Bureau Chief. I really loved this book. Not only is it a look at a dual-career family trying to juggle everything in life, but it gave some insight into the reporter’s mind. The Times is the holy grail of journalism and as a much smaller time reporter I loved seeing that those journalists are just as vulnerable, and mistake-making, and even at times as frightened as I am.
Young Heroes of the Soviet Union*
Alex Halberstadt
Full disclosure I’m still in the middle of this one. A fascinating memoir, the piece follows Halberstadt as he digs into his Soviet family history. After finding out that his grandfather was Stalin’s bodyguard, he goes to Russia to reconcile with a personal background that falls seemingly on the wrong side of history. Really, really interesting book.
Thanks for sharing!