Category: 2016

#1 – Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip

It should come as not too much of a surprise that if there’s a new McKillip novel published in any given year, it’s likely to be near, or at the top of this list. Now, it’s not a given. Patricia’s books are coming more slowly in recent years, and there were a couple of story collections to fill in some gaps, but somehow, the quality of her stand-alone novels just doesn’t diminish. Believe me, I’m waiting for it. Nobody’s streak can last this long. Each time I pick up one of her books I think, this will be the one that disappoints me. And while I certainly do have favorites, I have yet to really be disappointed. Her latest novel, Kingfisher is no exception, and features all the McKillip hallmarks that I love so much.

It may be cliche, but I must start this review with, “How does she do it?” Without being at all formulaic, Patricia A. McKillip has managed to write a stunning series of stand-alone novels (shocking in the fantasy genre) that consistently weave wonder, magic, romance, adventure, and stunningly complex characters, male and female with such startling consistency and nary a misstep in over thirty years!

In her latest novel, Kingfisher she creates an astounding number of well-define, diverse characters in a fantastic world that blends modern day, with the time of knights, and the remains of magic. Each character is distinct and memorable, even when they don’t appear for chapter on end. She also deftly creates several factions all seeking the same goal for different purposes, but in such a way that the reader is never quite sure who to root for? Is there one group that is in the right? Another working for nefarious purposes? It’s hard to tell, right up to the fantastically mystical denouement.

As usual, her prose drips with exquisite language that in and of itself is a joy to experience. And again, coupled with a complex and delicious stories mainly centered around food, in fact, and the magic inherent in the creation of a superb meal. Patricia A. McKillip, admittedly, is my favorite author, so take this review with a grain of salt, but I stand by it.

And now a recap of my top books read in 2016:

1. Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip
2. The Weaver by Emmi Itäranta
3. At the Mouth of the River of Bees by Kij Johnson
4. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
5. Heat and Light by Jennifer Haigh
6. Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
7. Mercury by Margot Livesey
8. Christodora by Tim Murphy
9. Imagine Me Gone by Adam Hanslett
10. An Unrestored Woman by Shobha Rao
11. Opportunity Knocks by Alison Sweeney
12. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
13. The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal  by KJ Charles

And a few other titles I enjoyed last year:

• A Wild Swan and other stories  by Michael Cunningham
• A Case of Possession and The Magpie Lord: A Charm of Magpies by KJ Charles
• Mrs. Houdini by Victoria Kelly

In an upcoming post I will talk about some of the other books I read including graphic novels, children’s books and plays. In addition, there were a few books I read that I did not like, or I did not finish, but I won’t be mentioning those here. And I’m off to a good start in 2017 too!

The Top 5 — and there are some really great authors and titles here along with a couple of new finds/surprises! Anchoring the Top 5 are a couple of reliable favorite writers who turn in some pretty impressive stuff.

#5 – Heat & Light by Jennifer Haigh

Jennifer Haigh tackles a challenging, often polarizing subject, and somehow manages to interweave dozens of characters and a compelling story in to a thoroughly absorbing novel that doesn’t take any easy shortcuts.

With Heat & Light, Haigh’s ambitious novel about a town experiencing its controversial second shot at life, the Bakerton trilogy comes to a close. After years of prosperity as a mining town, Bakerton, PA falls into the quintessentially American depression that comes with progress. Then unexpectedly, fracking comes to Pennsylvania, a process by which oil and natural gas is obtained.

There’s nothing simple or black & white about the issues Jennifer raises in Heat & Light, as people struggle to get by suddenly find themselves with an opportunity to make some money by leasing their land to the fracking companies. In addition, drill workers are brought into town to do the work, thereby stimulating the economy to some extent. Yet environmentalists and other concerned townspeople feel very different, worry about the long term effects that fracking could cause. It is here that Haigh draws parallels to the Three-Mile Island incident and the ill-defined that catastrophe had on nearby residents.

Jennifer juggles multiple points-of-view deftly, infusing her skilled prose with the thoughts and beliefs of her character, whether it be the salesperson trying to lease a resident’s land, a corporate exec, a concerned environmentalist, or a lonely bar waitress. This is a dense, complicated novel that takes on issues that are hard to dismiss. Whether Bakerton has yet another renaissance in its future is unknown, but Jennifer Haigh is certainly an author on the rise.

#4 – Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Wow. Ann Patchett has written a family drama that perfectly captures both the absurdity and the heartbreak of domestic life. This is what Adam Haslett’s Imagine Me Gone should have been. The Cousins and the Keatings, two Califorina families forever intertwined by infidelity, and permanently shattered by it. Bert Cousins leaves his wife Teresa to raise four children on her own, to be with Beverly Keating, with two children of her own. She leaves her husband Fix and travels with Bert to live in Virginia. The six children are forced together every summer where they forge a childhood bond not based on love or admiration, but the combined disappointment in their parents. As adults, they find their combined families’ stories suddenly revealed in a way they couldn’t possibly expect and are forced to reexamine some of their drama-forged relations.

Patchett chronicles each character’s life over the span of 50 years or so in the most remarkable way; joining them at a particular moment in time and bringing the reader up to speed on their lives and loves in a way that is both natural and effective. Even one character who I thought was getting the short shrift in the book got her moment near the conclusion. Her writing is compelling and elegant, and her story, while skimming the surface of a brilliant AM Homes satire, emerges as heartfelt and real.

And here is where I know that I read some really good books in 2016. Both of these books should be much closer to the #1 slot in a normal year. From here on up, these books all thrilled me in some way or another. It’s great to finish a book that really satisfies you, and these certainly fit the bill.

#7 – Mercury by Margot Livesey

A new Margot Livesey novel is always something to look forward to. Her thoughtful and incisive writing tantalizes and  my literary mind every time With Mercury, Margot Livesey tackles obsession and how it can have catastrophic effects on a family. Donald is an optometrist living in suburban Boston after a childhood spent in Scotland. After a particularly difficult illness, Donald’s father dies, and Donald finds himself a little adrift. His wife, Viv, has found renewed passion in the form of a horse named Mercury, who is stabled at the ranch where she works. Gradually, Viv begins devoting more and more of her time on Mercury, to the point that Donald believes she is keeping things from him, and putting her family second to the need of the horse.

When Viv and Donald’s actions, or sometimes lack of actions, lead to an unimaginable accident, both must confront the realities of their behavior and how many other must suffer the consequences. Livesey doesn’t make it easy for any of her characters, and the outcomes do not fall in the happy-ever-after category, but she creates compelling, believable characters and weaves stories that are compelling and urgent. Mercury is a novel that has lasting impact.

#6 – Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

When it comes to imaginative, creative, funny, emotional debut novels, Steven Rowley’s Lily and the Octopus definitely tops the list. While coming in at #6 overall, it’s my top debut novel of the year, and I so thoroughly enjoyed it. Reading Lily you can so clearly see the love and care that so infuses the writing that we can’t help but fall in love with Lily as well.

Anyone who has lost a pet knows how that pain of that loss defies explanation. Of course there is sadness and grief, but there’s also that niggling, irrational sense that other people don’t take it seriously, after all, it’s only a pet. After his own dog died, Hollywood screenwriter Steven Rowley decided to write a short story about the experience to help cope with his own grief. That short story turned into Lily and the Octopus a novel of great emotional impact that truly had me laughing out loud on one page, and weeping on the next.

Ted is a writer living in L.A., who noticed one morning that there is an octopus perched on the head of his beloved dachshund, Lily. He’s not sure where it came from, but he’s certain it’s not a good thing. What follows is a man’s journey through denial to realization and how his reactions to his Lily’s impending fate may have more to do with his own life than hers.

Rowley is a good writer: his humor unexpected and quirky, his moving passages authentic and without overblown pathos. There is a slight edge of that entertainment-business cynic present, but it’s offset by Ted’s inherent geekiness. The narrative uses magical realism beautifully, giving both Lily and the octopus unique, satisfying voices, and sending Ted and Lily on a daring sea adventure the likes of which ballads were written.

I also appreciated how Ted’s emotional roller coaster was so much different than my own, when my beloved, 22-year-old cat passed away nearly a year ago. Rowley explores not just the sadness of loss we feel, but how our emotional state and view of life shape that grief. It’s a beautiful and highly entertaining book, and my heart is warming up just writing about it.

 

#9 – Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett

Adam Haslett’s Imagine Me Gone received a lot of pre-pub acclaim, and I was quite excited about reading it. Perhaps it was the anticipation, but I was left slightly disappointed after reading it. For such an emotionally charged subject, there was a distance from the characters that undercut the effectiveness of this family drama. Still, this is a smallish quibble in what is mostly a masterful read.

Adam Haslett has produce a beautiful novel that tells the story of a family struggling with depression. When Margaret learns that her fiancee has been hospitalized due to his severe depression, she has to think hard as to whether she want to enter a life with him. It is 1960’s London, and depression was treated very differently than it is today. Several years later, Margaret and John are living in New England with three children, Michael, Celia and Alec. Touching in with this evolving family while the kids are young, then again as teens, and as adults, we see the arc of the life of a family struggling with an illness that effects them all.

Haslett brings this family so thoroughly to life, with moments of great sadness, and sudden hilarity. The caustic and embellished diatribes from oldest son Michael are so outlandish I found myself laughing out loud. The story is told from all point-of-view, so the hearts of each character are explored and laid bare. As the powerful novel nears its conclusion you will no doubt recognize some part of your own family despite the unique and sometimes tragic humanity of this fictional one.

#8 – Christodora by Tim Murphy

I picked up Tim Murphy’s Christodora based on a recommendation by Scott Heim and was very pleasantly surprised. Focusing on an iconic building in the East Village, and spanning decades Murphy explores elements of the historic AIDS movement through the lens of a diverse group of artists whose paths cross in unexpected ways. Milly and Jared are a young couple coming of age in the 90’s, exploring their art, and struggling with their pasts and their future together. They adopt a 5-year old boy named Mateo, whose single Mom has died of complications from the AIDS virus. This is the central core of this sprawling story that includes Milly’s Mom, Ava, who worked for the Department of Health; their neighbor Hector, once a pivotal force in AIDS activism, now a drug addict who can’t let go of the past; Drew, Milly’s best friend, who overcame her addiction, fled New York City and found success as a writer, and Yssa, a young Latina woman who left a small but powerful impact on the world after contracting the AIDS virus and fighting to show that women get AIDS too.

The narrative jumps around through time, with interesting revelations emerging at surprising moments. It’s a compelling read, with flawed characters… some almost to the point of alienation, but Murphy manages to skirt that pitfall. His descriptions of heroin use are visceral and disturbing, and the complex relationships between characters are kaleidoscopic.

One of two epic books about New York City that I attempted to read, and unfortunately, the only successful one. I enjoyed what I read of Garth Risk Hallberg’s City on Fire but something is just preventing me from completing it.