Serious Holiday Reading

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger—It is 1958 in the small town of Jewel, Minnesota and everyone has a secret, whether it comes from the war, barely 13 years old, a family secret or a forbidden love. And when Jimmy Quinn, a wealthy landowner and a very unpopular man, is found dead and half eaten in the Alabaster River, everything could be exposed.

Sheriff Brody Dern oversees the investigation, and as much as he doesn’t want it to be, the verdict is murder and Noah Bluestone, a Native American and veteran of World War II who brought a Japanese bride home, is assumed to be the killer. He is arrested but he and his wife refuse to speak at all.

The full story eventually comes out along with the history of the town, the Quinn family, the Native Americans who had lived in the area for so long and all those hidden secrets.

After reading Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land, I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite of his novels, but his writing always brings to mind his love of small-town Minnesota as well as the people in it and they are drawn carefully and lovingly.

Somebody’s Fool (North Bath Trilogy book 3) by Richard Russo—I cannot start this review without revealing that most of Russo’s books are about the real city of Gloversville, NY, as well as other small towns, and that I lived in Gloversville for several years. So, I have a vested interest in this town and in this author. In an interview on NPR Russo explained that he keeps returning to fictional Gloversville because he can’t get it out of his head, just like he can’t get his father out of his head.

The main character in the first two books, Nobody’s Fool and Everybody’s Fool is Sully, based on Russo’s father, an endearing and frustrating man who never kept a job and was estranged from his son for many years. We also meet his equally hard drinking friends. When Peter, his son, a professor, returns to North Bath and slowly gets to know his father, much to his mother’s dismay, Peter becomes part of the fabric of North Bath that could have been as wealthy as nearby Schuyler Springs but never did.

In Somebody’s Fool, Sully has been dead for ten years but somehow is still a part of the story. He had charged Peter with the care of his friends, a downtrodden cast of characters that are working through their problems and are also part of the first two books. Although Peter plans to fix up Sully’s house, sell it and move back to New York City, stuff and people keep getting in his way.

These characters sometimes get confusing, so much so that one of my friends had to make a chart to keep them straight. But each character becomes a friend, and we understand why Peter gets involved with them. And when Thomas, Peter’s estranged son appears on his porch, he sets into motion complex feelings from Peter’s past and various plot twists ensue.

This is a story about healing, as the characters work through their past so they can face their future.  It’s a lovely novel and makes me want to not only reread the first two “Fool” books, but rewatch the movie Nobody’s Fool starring Paul Newman, who for me (and Russo) will always be the face of Sully.

Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok—Chinese born Jasmine escapes to New York from a bad marriage where her husband literally sold her daughter, Fiona, to an American couple. Jasmine is determined to find her, but she must pay back the Chinese mafia who financed her and working at Opium, a Chinese strip club will do it.

Rebecca, Fiona’s adoptive mother, is trying to balance her career with her family and deal with the strange Chinese nanny her husband found.

At first the writing seemed halting and the plot slow, but as the “plot thickened”. I couldn’t wait to find out: will Jasmine find her daughter, will her husband find her, will she finally discover true love with an old friend, will Rebecca at last find balance in her career, and what about that strange nanny?

On a long car trip, I found the answers to all these questions and so will the seven readers waiting to listen to this audible book.

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo—Flor is a woman of many talents, the most important being that she can predict the death of those around her. At 70 she decides to plan a Living Wake…for herself. And the novel revolves around the three days prior. Has she predicted her own death?

Her sisters, though, have talents of their own and we are drawn into all their lives. It is graphic, it is magical, it takes us from the Dominican Republic to New York City, it takes us back in time and flashes forward. Sometimes it is confusing about where and when and even who is speaking but it is always fascinating, and the writing is captivating. I suggest you read it rather than listen to it, as it is easy to get lost…especially when you’re driving on a dark rainy night. This feminist novel is shortlisted for The Center for Fiction 2023 First Novel Prize.

There, There by Tommy Orange— If you are interested in learning about Native Americans living on a reservation in a traditional setting, this is probably not the book for you. Tommy Orange, a debut writer from Oakland, California tells his own story, one of the modern Urban Indian, which is actually not that rare. 70% of Native Americans live in cities. His story is about many characters who are trying to discover their own identity and why Oakland is now a part of it.  

Each character is its own chapter, whether it’s a young man googling traditional dancing, a woman trying to rediscover her family, brothers trying to score it big and a grandmother attempting to keep her grandchildren safe. But they are all headed toward the same destination: the Big Oakland Powwow and that is where they all come together in an ending that nobody expects or wants.

The story is graphic and violent and very sad. The first chapter, an historical essay about the horrific massacres on the Indian community will make the reader think about Thanksgiving in a different way.

It was not an enjoyable read but it certainly will create an interesting discussion, which is why it was chosen for the One Maryland One Book for 2023 by the Maryland Humanities Council, to “bring together diverse people in communities across the state through the shared experience of reading the same book.” I expect that we will have a lively discussion in our book group. The good news is that there are plenty of copies available on and offline.

Thank you all for reading. I hope to hear from you with book suggestions and comments. Have a lovely holiday and a happy new year. Whether you spend it with family or friends please include a good book.