Julie Z

Set in Dublin in the 1980's, Anna Hughes meets Peter, an older man. The relationship progresses to eventual marriage, yet all the while, Peter seems only partially interested in Anna, spending much time away pursuing his own interests.When the relationship finally ends, Anna meets Kamir, and quickly falls in love. She immerses herself in his Muslim faith. It seems she continually bends herself to adapt to the men with whom she is involved. I found Anna likable, yet I was frustrated by her inability to free herself from these loves that obviously were not in her best interest.

Beth Ann Fennelly has written an exquisite collection of what she calls micro-memoirs. Some entries are a number of pages in length, where others may be only one sentence. Fennelly is a poet, and her careful use of words is apparent in these memoirs. Her writing brought me to tears more than once- she talks of her mother-in-law Betty's battle with Alzheimer's. My mother Betty died from the disease.

The death of her sister as a young woman devastated her- "How without farewells you slipped out the back door of the party of your life, O my sister." My own daughter died suddenly at age 32. So many parallels, and such a gift this book was to me.

The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy is her sophomore novel. Her first, The Turner House was a finalist for the National Book Award. The Wilderness, no doubt, will also be held in such high esteem. Centering on the relationships of 5 women, their stories take place over two decades, ending in 2027. Each of the characters is fully realized, showing their histories, their relationships- both with each other and with their own families, and the ghosts they confront.

It took me a bit to get into the story because of the jumping back and forth between years, but particularly in the second half of the novel the stories coalesced. Excellent writing, great characterizations, and a true to form look at living in the United States of which we are currently dealing.

A fascinating story about hidden realities- whether an heir to a fortune is an imposter, which is woven with a story of a young woman who forges paintings for a living. This novel is set in England at the end of the 1800’s. The writing is lush and evocative, and Steven’s keeps you guessing the outcome until the end. I had previously read two books by Nell Steven’s, and The Original seals her as a must- read for me.

Emily and Gen meet as high school girls, and begin a very close friendship. Gen is being raised by her grandmother, as her single mom has died of a narcotics overdose. Emily is being raised by a single mom, with occasional visits from her distant father. When they part after a contentious visit during freshman year of college, Emily has strong regrets. She masks these by beginning a relationship with an extremely wealthy Jack.

He falls deep for her; they marry, have children, but Emily cannot forget what she had with Gen. Though some of the book is from Gen's point of view, this is Emily's story, and she is a difficult character to deal with. Her decisions were too long in the making. Gen, on the other hand, becomes an Olympic athlete, and the look into her world as both an athlete and an "out" lesbian were much more authentic. The book did hold my interest until the end.