On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong offers to the reader three generations' worth of powerful stories and memories of a grandmother who emigrated to America from Viet Nam after surviving the war, a mother who works past exhaustion to support her family, and son who is the first of his family to speak fluent English.

Vuong's debut novel is told as a letter to his mother, in fragmented, non-linear vignettes that start out with a solid memory or story and transform into prose, showcasing Vuong's background in poetry and his skill with the written word. Interwoven throughout is the coming-of-age story of two teenage boys, an immigrant farmhand and a farmer's grandson, who are attracted to each other and form an emotional and physical attachment. Their relationship is told with a detailed realism that is simultaneously engaging and uncomfortable in its forthrightness. This writing exposes with skill and honesty the agonies of abuse, addiction, grief, poverty, trauma, and otherness in raw, powerful, and beautiful words. The novel is haunting, heartbreaking, and pushes the boundaries of the form.

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Matrix by Lauren Groff

Medieval story of strong-willed nuns in a 12th-century English abbey In 12 Century England, Queen Eleanor sends her half sister (in-law), Marie, to a failing abbey where the nuns and other inhabitants are starving and for the most part miserable. Marie at first wants nothing more than to escape the harsh environment but she eventually refocuses on how she, with her skill, iron will, and visions, can turn things around for herself and those in her care. I love Lauren Groff's writing style and her many and varied stories. The first several pages of Matrix had a bit of the atmosphere of Hamnet, one of my favorite stories the year I read it, but it turned into something a bit more distant or remote for me once Marie reached the abbey, and stayed that way for one-third to one-half of the book. I read with renewed interest once Marie came into her power and started making vision-spurred changes at the abbey. Seems like a strong allegory for feminism, a thoughtful take on the challenges ...

Eventide by Christine Allen-Riley

Published October 20, 2014 5/5 Stars Devon Greer’s world is shattered when a tragic car accident takes her best friend, Rachael. Miserable with grief, Devon attempts to adjust to this new, hostile reality, in which the kids at school (and most of Rachael’s family) blame Devon for Rachael’s death, since Devon was driving the car that fateful night. Not long after the accident, Devon has reason to question her own sanity when she sees Rachael running through the woods next to the road near the accident site. Upon investigating, Devon finds there are more creatures living in the woods than just wildlife, and she begins to believe there’s a chance to rescue Rachael from them and bring her back. Will Devon and Jonah – Rachael’s cousin who has discovered the secret in the woods as well, and who is developing tender feelings for Devon – be able to rescue Rachael before it’s too late? Allen-Riley has taken the wild and beautiful forests and waters of Michig...

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

A fantastic winter folktale, bleak and beautiful The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey Reagan Arthur / Back Bay Books The Snow Child is a beautifully written story inspired by a Russian fairy tale. In a rare moment of playfulness, a childless couple named Jack and Mabel lovingly create a little girl made of snow. The next day, the snow person is gone but Jack and Mabel begin seeing glimpses and finding evidence of a young girl in the woods near their homesteading cabin. Jack and Mabel have come to Alaska in the 1920s with hopes of a new start. They’re barely surviving on the return from their crops, farmed exclusively by Jack, while Mabel makes baked goods for a little extra money. They’re considering admitting defeat and leaving Alaska behind when new connections with others in the area, including the mysterious snow child, give them new hope. The atmospheric differences in the writing between the spare, exhausting, isolated despair of Jack and Mabel at the beginning ...

Midnight (W)rite ~ Book reviews and other curiosities

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