Tag: Realistic Fiction

Categories
Uncategorized

Orbital

by Samantha Harvey, Review 18 of 2023

Orbital is a short meditation on the magnificent and mundane aspects of humans in space. Even with the lovely narration, I found myself losing the thread of the story. Each chapter describes an orbit around earth from the vantage of the space station and includes several astronauts’ points of view. The structure was interesting to listen to but hard to follow at times. Would recommend Orbital to those looking for a unique perspective on space, humanity, and climate change.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction, Literary

Content Warning: Death of a Parent

Categories
Uncategorized

The Lonely Hearts Book Club

by Lucy Gilmore, Review 6 of 2023

One word review: Heartwarming! Oh, you want more information? Okay, the story is told through the perspectives of multiple narrators but centers on Sloane, a librarian who becomes the unexpected heroine of her own life as she is empowered by the love of her found family. This book is about loneliness, love, and being open to connection and community. I loved the literary references, the intergenerational friendships, and the diversity of characters. The book navigates some heavy topics in a respectful way without drowning the reader. 

Would like to give it a 3.5 out of 5 but since I have to pick I’m giving it a 4. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Grief, Death, Cancer

Categories: Fiction, Contemporary Fiction

Categories
Blog Fiction

Big Girl

by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, book 51 of 2022

Cover of the book Big Girl, bright teal background with large gold block lettering with purple accents. Images of Harlem's street scape in the letters.

The heart of this book is Malaya, a funny and resilient young girl growing up in Harlem in the 1990’s. While the book covers hip hop, race, gentrification, and Malaya’s sexual awakening, the vast majority is about Malaya’s relationships with her parents, grandmother, friends and most of all food. This book was moving and wonderfully descriptive, but extremely stress inducing for me.

Warning, if you have any kind of eating, dietary, or body image issues, this book could be very triggering. I found myself disturbed by the way Malaya’s mother and grandmother talked about food, their bodies, and women’s bodies in general, though nothing surprised me considering the way society scrutinizes women’s appearance and choices. I will say the writing was great and the end was very moving and hopeful but it was a real challenge to enjoy the ride.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ALC!

Content Warnings: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Addiction, Death of a family member, Statutory Rape

Categories
Blog Fiction

Bibliolepsy

by Gina Apostol, Book 79 of 2021

As other reviewers have expressed, I’m sure I am not well read enough to understand this book fully. That didn’t keep me from enjoying its particular quirks. I was endlessly impressed that Apostol fit so much into such a short novel. Despite having been written in 1997, the troubles of Primi trying to be herself on her own terms while the world is already out of balance felt timely in 2021. I loved that her darker aspects felt like a natural inheritance from her parents (so richly described in so few words) and the narration was perfectly suited. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC. 

Recommended for: well read book lovers looking for something different than the usual bookstore or library based story.

Content Warnings: Abandonment, Sexual Assault, Death of Parents, Abuse

Categories
Blog Fiction

Olga Dies Dreaming

written by Xóchitl González, book 74 of 2021

This cover though!!!

This story has it all- humor, romance, political and social commentary. The two main characters are a set of adult siblings from NYC struggling with their relationships as a result of the radicalization and subsequent estrangement from their mother. I read a lot of novels with heavy topics and this one is no different (see content warnings).  It was impossible to stop listening to this one. I’m hoping to travel to Puerto Rico in early 2022 and I was looking for something to enrich my knowledge of the territory and its history. This was it. The narration was excellent, the storytelling was rich and left me with a lot to think about. This was an unexpected favorite of the year.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC. 

Recommended for: anyone who loves character driven novels, social and political commentary, strong female leads, or is interested in learning more about the U.S. and Puerto Rico’s complicated and important relationship.

Content Warnings: Emotional Abuse, Abandonment, Sexual Assault, Grief 

Categories
Fiction

Crossroads

Written by Jonathon Franzen, book 60 of 2021

This was my first Jonathon Franzen novel and it did not disappoint. I realize I’m late to the Franzen fan club but I was blown away by the intensity of the character development in this novel, especially considering there were five narrators and many years covered. This book introduces the Hildebrandt family and describes their lives in the early 1970’s. Being the first of a three part series, we can expect to see the Hildebrandts again in other tumultuous American decades in the subsequent novels. 

While the scenarios the family members find themselves in at times are larger than life, their responses are incredibly relatable. You can expect to find yourself both irritated and reluctantly endeared toward the family, not unlike real family life. Early on, I kept finding my expectations subverted in the way only the most adept writers can execute. The structure of the novel creates a truly unique and layered expression of American life in the early 1970’s. I became very invested in the family and I’ll be looking forward to the second and third novels, though after listening to 26 hours of audio, I don’t mind waiting for the next installment. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC. 

Recommended for: those who enjoy epic family dramas. 

Content Warnings: Violence, Sexual Abuse, Alcohol/Drug Use/Abuse, Mental health, Self Harm 

Categories
Fiction

Milk Blood Heat

written by Dantiel W. Moniz, Book 10 of 2021

“She was of that special age where she knew both nothing and everything, and no matter where or at whom she looked, she saw her own reflection glimmering back like a skim of oil. She could be anyone, still.”

Dantiel W. Moniz, Milk Blood Heat

Don’t let the sunny cover fool you, this short story collection is not for the faint of heart. The only consistent factor in each of these stories was violence, and it’s enacted in all sorts of different ways. Most of the stories center on women and girls and their own particular horrors. There’s a lot to dissect here and I’m sure this collection will provide an extensive opportunity for examination for those who choose to dive deeper. Moniz is an undeniably talented writer and surely one to watch.

If anything, I think my only complaint about this is that I began to feel a little desensitized and apathetic after reading these stories in succession. Nonetheless, the stories were all compelling and engaging (in their own sad and anxiety inducing way). 

I’m rating this book 3 stars instead of 4 only because I listened to it as an audiobook and the narration fell a bit flat for me (potentially contributing to the apathy described above). 

Recommended for: Lovers of dark and twisty things 

Actions I will take in response to this book:

  • Try to be more empathetic to strangers. This book highlighted all the ways people are scarred and damaged. 

Content Warnings: There’s a little of everything in here so if you’re triggered by violence, death, drugs, cancer, or really anything.. this might not be the right pick for you. 

Categories
Fiction

The Office of Historical Corrections

by Danielle Evans, Book 3 of 2021

“Midwest nice was a steady, polite gaslighting I found sinister, a forced humility that prevented anyone from speaking up when they’d been diminished or disrespected, lest they be labeled an outsider.

Danielle Evans, The Office of Historical Corrections

It hurt to read these stories. And NOT because they were bad, but because they were so good. Danielle Evans is a deeply talented writer crafting thoughtful expressions of American life and race relations with just a few short stories. As a white woman, I found myself responding somewhere between cringing and crying throughout these stories. My favorites were “Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain”, “Why Won’t Women Just Say What They Want?”, and “Anything Could Disappear”. I’d recommend this collection to nearly anyone and I’m looking forward to reading what Evans writes in the future. 

Recommended for: Anyone. Just read these. Note: Audiobook lovers, each story has a different narrator and they are all excellent. 

Actions I will take in response to this book: 

  • Reconsider the way “midwest nice” impacts people who don’t fit in with the cultural norms and instead work for meaningful dialogue about differences.
  • Read more short story collections. 

Content Warnings: Violence, Death, Abduction, Racism, Hate Crime

Categories
Blog Fiction

The Divines

written by Ellie Eaton, Book 8 of 2021

“What am I supposed to tell him? That since becoming a mother I exist in a state of perpetual unease? That the world seems to me overwhelmingly dangerous and chaotic. How of all the multitudinous threats posed to him and the baby: earthquakes, rising sea levels, drunk drivers, melanomas, pandemics, zealots with semi automatics. It’s something else I’m most afraid of; the past slowly coiling around us, the snake in the crib.”

Ellie Eaton, The Divines

This book is unsettling, eerie, and deeply compelling. The story in The Divines is told by a woman named Josephine in alternating narratives. Some chapters are told from Jo’s perspective as a teenager at a failing all girls boarding school in the 90’s, and others as Sephine in her adult years as she struggles with marriage and motherhood. Listening to this story brought me back painfully to the sensitive years of teenagehood when everything feels so much more visceral than it does as an adult. It raises questions about how one sees oneself versus how one is seen and how we are all unreliable narrators in our own memory. Ellie Eaton is able to distill some of the common experiences of teenage girls and highlight how the disastrous effects of the self focused narrative can unravel themselves into adulthood.

I’d highly recommend reading this as an audiobook! Imogen Church is a wonderful narrator for this dark and dramatic story. As an American, the distinction between accents and tone was striking to listen to and added so much depth to the story that I otherwise would have totally missed. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for providing early access to The Divines! 

Recommended for: Drama and Suspense Lovers, people who enjoy great narration. 

Actions I will take in response to this book:

  • Consider the impact my childhood friendships and relationships have on my present self
  • Reminisce on the feelings of being a teenager and empathize with teens in my life

Content Warnings (may contain spoilers): Bullying, Adolescent Trauma, Drugs, Sexuality, Body Image Issues, Substance Abuse 

Categories
Uncategorized

Fishing for Birds

by Linda Quennec, Book 7 of 2021

“The only literature worth reading is the kind that comes close to killing you a bit at a time. The kind that tells the truth. Life is a marriage of pain and happiness together they make joy, if you can see it.”

Linda Quennec, Fishing for Birds

I wholeheartedly agree with the quote above and found that in most ways this novel fits the description. Each of the three narrators provide insight into both universal pains felt by all people and the specific pains each woman feels at different phases of life in a way that made me question how I see my own life and the roles others play in it. I would highly recommend this book and don’t want to spoil it for anyone. 

P.S. I want to be Ivy when I grow up

Other thoughts about this book:

Things I love: Everything listed above and… that the book took place only on islands and the unique challenges and supports of being enclosed in a community. I loved the Canadian accent of the narrator and northern culture that was highlighted, it felt familiar and authentic to me (living in Northeast Wisconsin). I loved the historical and natural details and research that went into the writing. 

A few things I didn’t love: Some of the chapters felt a bit unnecessary to me. Though the prose was enjoyable and I enjoyed the description of island life.

Recommended for: Pretty much and person who identifies as a woman. It was an engaging and accessible read that I feel like would speak to different women in different ways at different points in life. Would make a great book club read! 

Content Warnings (may contain spoilers): Adoption, Death of a Spouse, Death, Familial Conflict