A Quick Look at Good Stories

The Known World; E.P. Jones. I think this book is masterfully written, and the language used conjures strong visual images. It's one of those books I describe as "dense" because it is not lightly or easily read, and that takes time (which I've been extremely short on these past two months).

The story (loosely) centers on a former slave, Henry Townsend, who becomes a farmer and eventually a slave-owner. And while we do get a fairly close look at Henry and his wife, and their plantation, the story is so much bigger than that. It's really an examination of slavery and its complex moral consequences, for the slaves as well as the slave-owners. The author takes you deep inside the lives of particular slaves and their relationships with one another as well as with their "masters."

It recalled "Beloved" to my mind; I think they are both extraordinary historical fiction accounts of an extremely painful time in our history.

I would definitely recommend it as a somber, beautifully written novel that will stay with you for a long time.


Reading Lolita in Tehran; A. Nafisi
is a memoir based on Nafisi's experiences as female college professor of literature at the University of Tehran. After being barred from teaching, Nafisi started a female-only reading group that met secretly in her home. Both she and girls who participated did so at considerable risk. The chapters of the book are the titles of the novels read by the girls. Nafisi does a terrific job of drawing parallels between the novels discussed the lives of these women. This book was fascinating to me and I learned a lot about Iran in the process.

Interpreter of Maladies; J. Lahiri
is a collection of short stories. Most of them are set in India, but some take place in the US with Indian characters. The stories are original and frequently have unexpected endings, which is always a nice surprise (when done well). It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2000.


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
is written from an unusual and interesting perspective: that of an autistic boy. He stumbles upon a neighbor's dog that has been murdered and decides to solve the mystery. It's so much more than that, though. His mother has also disappeared and he has been told she's died, but isn't sure whether or not to believe his father, who has been acting very strangely. And of course, told through his eyes, we get an idea of the difficulties and pain associated with autism.

Gilead; M. Robinson

is the second novel, after a 20 year gap, by this Pulitzer Prize winning novelist. It's beautifully written and a wonderful story. An older man reflects on his life as death approaches. 

In the Time of the Butterflies; J. Alvarez

is a work of fiction based on the lives of Minerva, Patria, María Teresa, and Dedé Mirabal. These four women, sisters, were part of an underground attempt to overthrow the dictatorship of the Dominican Republic in the 50's. Alvarez is a great writer and makes their story really come alive.