This is a hard book beautifully written, and one I’m glad I read. It reminds you that the line between health and sickness, between the life you planned and the one you get, is thinner than we like to believe.
All tagged a good cry
Forty Acres Deep – Michael Perry
Michael Perry’s “Forty Acres Deep” may be short, but it carries the emotional weight of a full-length novel in its 130-pages. Here, the author explores heavy topics: loss, survival and the quiet erosion of a way of life. It’s a book that operates on multiple levels – an intimate character study, a eulogy for small-scale farming and an unflinching look at the toll of solitude.
Small Rain – Garth Greenwell
Garth Greenwell’s “Small Rain” explores the isolation and unraveling of self that so many of us endured during the first COVID-19 summer. His unnamed protagonist experiences this in a way that’s magnified tenfold, as he is confined to a hospital room with a potentially fatal diagnosis: an aortic dissection. The fact he survived such low odds and remains coherent adds an underlying tension to every encounter. He is suspended in a liminal state, living on what feels like borrowed time.
Call Me By Your Name – André Aciman
Expectation: A slow-burn coming-of-age story about forbidden love.
Reality: A beautiful, sensual and deep exploration of desire and connection. While closely aligned to the film adaptation, the source material is worth the read.
Good Material – Dolly Alderton
Expectation: A lighthearted break-up story with the usual rom-com tropes.
Reality: A surprisingly affecting exploration of self-discovery and navigating heartbreak from the perspective of a dumped male.
The Winners – Fredrik Backman
Expectation: A crowd-pleasing finish to a beloved series.
Reality: Uneven, but ultimately satisfying, fans of the series shouldn’t skip this one as it is a closer cousin to the first novel than the second.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow – Gabrielle Zevin
Expectation: A romance novel rooted in the world of tech and gaming.
Reality: Nuanced and gorgeous writing, paired with a genre-melding plot made this one of the most immersive and surprising stories I’ve read all year.
The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11 – Garrett M. Graff
The stories are raw, painful and incredibly difficult. Only a few have happy endings. I had to pause the book several times to collect my thoughts. I cried frequently. That’s a testament to how Graff structured the book, its phenomenal narration, and the fact that it is an oral history.
A Monster Calls – Patrick Ness
Expectation: A mushy, hopeful tale of a teen manifesting a monster to help him grapple with the death of a parent and the ways it will change his life.
Reality: A simply told, yet incredibly impactful exploration of the ways in which we lie to ourselves.
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
Expectation: A science-fiction version of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
Reality: A deeply emotional, highly philosophical and ultimately feel good “what if” story.
The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne
A decades-spanning examination of a completely unremarkable life faced with remarkable situations.