In Donna Tartt's latest book,
The Goldfinch, a big sprawling novel, (784 pages!) the themes of love and loss are deeply explored. It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. His criminal father takes him to Las Vegas in a disturbing section where he experiences the dark heart of abandonment.
As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. Big, messy and fascinating! ML
In Carol Anshaw's Carry the One, a group of friends and siblings are linked by a tragedy on one summer's night in their youth. As this group is leaving a wedding in the country, sleepy,drunk and stoned, they hit and kill a young girl who appears out of nowhere. The book follows the group for twenty-five years and how their lives are profoundly affected by this shared experience. The strength of this novel is the quality of the writing,funny,profane and most of all thoughtful. Her power of language is evident in the title; as one of the characters thinks,“When you add us up, you always have to carry the one.” ML
When Charlotte Rainsford is mugged on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. While we get to know this collection of folks and how a random act affects them, we also become more aware, what part does coincidence play in our lives? Penelope Lively's book How It All Began explores this question in ways humble yet profound. Have you ever had an accident? What if the car you ran into was five minutes later or the dog you tripped over was tied up that day? A fascinating question wrapped up in the form of a novel. Lovely! ML
