Jennifer W

I enjoyed reading a novel set in Rwanda, and it was very easy to warm to the main character, Angel, and the positive message of reconciliation, however, the plotting was rather weak resulting in somewhat static characters. The great joy of a novel for a reader is the opportunity to vicariously witness change, growth and transformation while you are in the author's charge. In this story I couldn't shake the sensation of ending up right where we started 300 plus pages earlier. While it was a pleasant journey, it wasn't an all-together compelling one.

How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt is a surprisingly good read. What first starts out as an account of a pretentious teenager who runs away from her problems to help the earth evolves into a very familiar, yet not overdone, story of summer love. The main character Harper Evans warms her way into the readers’ hearts with her insecurities and idiosyncrasies. Although she has a non-conventional family she is very predictable in her actions. We see repeatedly throughout the novel her struggle to deal with her family’s imperfections. Yet, in contrast to the Wright family, for whom she is building a house, Harper’s clichéd problems seem insignificant. This story allows the reader to feel as if they are part of something bigger than themselves, and that although as individuals we may seem insignificant when we join together we can do a lot change.

A Golden Age depicts the Banglasdesh War of Independence factually and metaphorically through the lens of the protagonist, a young widow named Rehana Haque. The war provides the necessary preconditions for Rehana's emergence as an autonomous actor and truly interesting character, and although, that emergence takes place more toward the end of the novel, it was still an engrossing, rewarding read. It will appeal primarily to fans of historical fiction because the character development is so dependent on the historical context. Even so, the novel is quite an accomplishment for a first time novelist, and I can well imagine that as Tahmima Anam relies less on external context and more on internal, her work will become increasingly interesting and provocative.