Miriam Toews (Get this book)
Sisters should always want what is best for each other, but what if what
one sister really wants is to end her life? This is the dilemma Yoli
faces when her ethereal sister, Elf, attempts suicide. The beautiful Elf
is a world-renowned pianist who's in a loving relationship and about to
start an international tour, but having it all doesn't matter to her
when she is drowning in despair. Yoli, as she rightfully points out, is
the one struggling; she's twice divorced, with children by two different
fathers, and after having achieved some success as a YA series author
(though she has nothing like Elf's gifts), her career has stalled. But
though she and Elf are close--the bond they forged while growing up in a
conservative Mennonite town in Canada is central to the
narrative--depression is hard to understand from the outside. Despite the topic, this is not a dark novel. In fact, its gloom comes in
the form of dark humor, and Toews ("Irma Voth") does a wonderful job
with her characters, none of whom are perfect, which makes them all the
more real. It requires a talented author to take a serious subject and
write such an engaging, enjoyable work.--Library Journal
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
The Strange Library
Haruki Murakami (Get this book)
Another off-kilter yarn from master storyteller Murakami: allegorical, shadowy and not at all nice. Murakami loves two things among many: Franz Kafka and secret places. This latest, brief and terse, combines those two passions in the frightening vision of a hapless young man who, returning two books-How to Build a Submarine and Memoirs of a Shepherd-to the library, is sent to Room 107, deep in a basement he didn't know existed. At once beguiling and disquieting-in short, trademark Murakami-a fast read that sticks in the mind.--Kirkus
Another off-kilter yarn from master storyteller Murakami: allegorical, shadowy and not at all nice. Murakami loves two things among many: Franz Kafka and secret places. This latest, brief and terse, combines those two passions in the frightening vision of a hapless young man who, returning two books-How to Build a Submarine and Memoirs of a Shepherd-to the library, is sent to Room 107, deep in a basement he didn't know existed. At once beguiling and disquieting-in short, trademark Murakami-a fast read that sticks in the mind.--Kirkus
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