Review : Love and Other Delusions by Larry Baker

Some art just points us at the direction it wants to take us and presumes that we’ll get there. Other art takes us gently by the hand to lead us towards its goal. Larry Baker’s art in “Love and Other Delusions” does a bit of both, but most of the time it engages us more fully, in an deeply intellectual wrestling match with matters of the heart, if not the soul. And at its best, and for I what I suspect will be the case for many readers, the heart involved is our own.

The asymmetries in “Love and Other Delusions” are profound, and help establish the fundamental drama of the piece. Alice is a privileged thirty-year old teacher who seduces one of her students, an intelligent, handsome, engaging, eighteen-year old. Danny is from a hardscrabble background. He steals from the theatre he works in to support his ill father, as well as a younger brother and sister. Their mother abandoned them long ago. And in walks Alice, beautiful, well off, confident, but older. Not quite their mother’s age, but close enough, with the lovers age gap proportionately decreasing over the next few decades and the affair less startling as the story unfolds.

Alice ultimately loses her job because of the relationship, despite the fact that her long suffering husband Peter is the Dean of the department of the school where she works. Or maybe because of it. Who knows? Fortunately for Alice, she doesn’t really need the work, since Peter loves her and will support her, and while he must be heartbroken about her affair not only with Danny, but with apparently many other men, he never finds it in himself to leave her. In fact, for over twenty years, he lovingly hand rolls her cigarettes, a singular gift. Not exactly like handing the keys to your car to your drunk wife and sending her on a beer run, but with its own implications for the story. We never really get to know him–is he so in love that he will forgive her anything, or is he the most significant of her enablers? Or maybe he has his own indiscretions?

We also learn that Alice and Peter may have a reason as to why both of them behave the way they do, a nearly unspeakable tragedy, which incidentally, deserves not much more than a mention in the story, but still pervades it. Enablers abound in their lives. Friends, past and future lovers, and those of us who sit idly by and watch our friends self-destruct, thinking it none of our business, whether it is or not.

Both Alice and Danny are powerful personalities, both flawed, yet more powerful than those around them. Danny’s younger sister has one moment, but perhaps the only one of note before she fades to oblivion. His younger brother wanders in and out of the story, and while we hope he doesn’t get hurt, we don’t really know if he does or in what way. For one of her class and time, Alice of course has a therapist with her own flaws, which maybe are not so much her own, but perhaps of her profession. She too has an indiscretion on her hands, and interestingly enough, these women share a bit of regret, if not so much guilt. Kathy struggles, for all the right reasons, but fails, as she was likely doomed to. Yet another asymmetry.

But who, actually, is Kathy? She too, has an ineffectual husband, which may reflect, actually a broader societal condition. Does anyone actually have an effectual husband anymore, given that the state of what constitutes “manhood” is in such transition? While contemporary American society wouldn’t say it actually likes ineffectual men, it recognizes feet of clay when it sees them, and if it doesn’t see them, it will likely do its best to create them for you.

Danny too has his own flaws, his own indiscretions, his own affairs, and most vulgarly, thievery of a variety of sorts. But what is theft? Does theft relate only to the material of our world? Theft involves breaking an agreement with respect to private property; adultery is breaking an agreement with respect to sexual exclusivity. Maybe in the end Danny rises above both kinds of theft, maybe not. But really, it’s tough to like a thief who steals material things. Ironically, it’s easier to look the other way when the thief steals not money, but promises. But really, would you rather have your wife steal a car, or sleep with your neighbor? The former gets her jail time, and while the latter may be devastating, everyone involved will most likely construct some sort of rationalization that is eventually publicly acceptable. Adulterers rewrite their lives every day, yet a car thief is always a car thief.

But rising above it all is the story. Cast this story in another time and place, in the middle of a war perhaps, or at a pivotal historical moment, Baker’s storytelling would have been easier, if not more profound. Set instead in modern St. Augustine and Atlanta, places where theaters, park benches, cell phones and credit cards work as significant props to the plot, his chore is more difficult, and likely more meaningful. Why? Because the drama is created by the characters, not by external forces. As such, it becomes internal to us as well, because of likely shared experiences with the protagonists. Most of us are not identifiable cogs in the engine of history, but all of us hope that we would rise to the challenges if we were, as do the great characters of literature. Contrastingly, we, and those around us, live lives full of indiscretion, lies and lust, if not adultery. Or thievery. Cause then is the matter of our own hand, not the product of great historical forces beyond us. Which is, of course, more real. And common to us all. Baker’s gift then is that he creates not only a story of Alice, Danny, Kathy and Peter, but a story of ourselves. Like our players in the play, our lives are sticky–no–doughy. Doughy with thorns. And we recognize the places where the characters find themselves, geographically, emotionally, and if we’re lucky, physically. We also recognize their decisions, and even if we don’t necessarily agree with them, we can empathize. Baker writes well enough that their pain is our pain, their joy ours, and their seductions familiar and even titillating, even if uncomfortable.

Literary name dropping is an easy way out of a description of an author’s work in familiar literary terms, but a convenient crutch when I need one here. Drieser comes to mind at times–especially in “An American Tragedy;” Flaubert when I see resemblances between Alice and Emma Bovary, and not to go overboard, the interactions and settings here remind me of the suburban worlds of Updike and Irving.

There is another element to Baker’s work that I recognize in at least one of his other books–”A Good Man,” and that element is how he weaves in and out of clarity and opacity. The clarity is in the richness of description, of characterization, and of language. And just when you start to think you know what is going on, boundaries become fuzzy, nearly opaque. Time becomes a character, and characters blend in and out of each other, and it’s difficult to tell who is who, and when and where we are. And when Love and other Delusions is at its very best, we ARE Alice, or maybe another character, because those of us who are old enough to have been around the block a time or two and have taken and or given our share of lumps, share her story. Or his story. Or at least a part of it. Maybe we are her story. And we may not like it. But we know we aren’t alone. And with respect to love, is it indeed the delusion Baker asserts in his title? The cynic says of course it is. No question. The romantic replies, maybe. But what better does the world have to offer? Most of us will take love when we can get it–and its delusions. As did Alice.

Reviewed by Robert Leonard, Author of “Yellow Cab”

 

Review : Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead

It’s the 7th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and all the havoc she wrought, and yes, it’s been all over the news, including one memorable interview with New Orleans mystery author, Julie Smith.  Smith says she quit writing for a long while after the storm, as she struggled to come to grips with what her city has become.  Now, mind you, I’ve never had the good fortune to go to New Orleans, although it’s definitely high on my list of want-tos, but I’ve got a thing for books about New Orleans, and here is one of my faves.

A couple of years ago, I devoured Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, by Sara Gran. Claire DeWitt is an edgy private investigator who follows clues in her dreams, is a devotee of a mysterious dead French detective, and has a down and dirty approach to finding out what happened to a prominent New Orleans prosecutor, who disappeared during the Storm. She haunts the streets around the missing man’s home, she makes friends with teenaged delinquents and drug dealers. She listens in the missing man’s empty house, testing the wind for whispers of clues.  Her methods are fascinating.

Aside from great characters, Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead gave me a glimpse of what really happened as the storm raged and the levies broke, and the people scrambled for safety.  It was the most genuine rendering of the disaster that I’ve seen, and gave me a new layer of understanding over my substrate of impressions and preconceptions.

I read a whole lot of books in my line of work, but this mystery juxtaposed a fresh style with a really dirty story, and has proven to be one has stayed with me in some surprising ways. Read it!

 

Review : The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann

The Stockholm Octavo is a rich historical thriller detailing a little-known episode of class warfare in Sweden during the height of the French Revolution.

Set almost entirely in The City, as Stockholm is known, this is the story of a callow young bureaucrat named Emil with a penchant for playing cards, who is told to marry —  or lose his cozy position as a customs inspector.  One night at the gambling tables, Emil encounters a mysterious older woman named Mrs. Sparrow, who pulls him into a web of intrigue and danger swirling around a mystical spread of cards called the Octavo, that will, she tells him, help find the wife he needs.  “Any event,” Mrs. Sparrow says, “that may befall the Seeker – any event—can be connected to a set of eight people. And the eight must be in place for the event to transpire.”

As Emil returns each night to learn what the next card in his Octavo might be, the reader is given illustrations of the cards and their layout, one card at a time.  And as Emil races to identify each of the eight players in his Octavo – identities with labels like ‘The Seeker, , The Magpie, and The Prize, he engages, perhaps for the first time, in something larger than his own interests, and must decide how far he is willing to go to get what he wants. Glittering scenes of fabulous wealth are juxtaposed with hints of the desperate lives of most Swedes at the time, and we are pulled with Emil into a sometimes bewildering maelstrom of politics, hatred, and desperation mixed with heady romance, fine art, and honor.   Will the Octavo turn out to be a real construct, or is the mysterious Sparrow using Emil for her own purposes?  Will he find the connection he seeks, or will he be tricked into committing treason?

With lush settings, finely drawn characters, and a darkening plot that involves refugees from the violence in France, fabulously expensive custom wrought fans, poisons, Kings, maids, and runaways, this was a most entertaining foray into a piece of history I knew nothing about. And it also had me wondering who my own Octavo might be.

 

Review : Back in the Game by Charles Holdefer

Longing.  I presume that sometime in the deep darkness of our linguistic past that the word measured the degree of difference between where one is, and where one wants to be.  Implied also is desire; yearning, and the emotions that accompany them, good or bad. Longing to be a musician, an astronaut, or for one who loves you may be joyful.  Alternatively, longing for a lost opportunity, or an old lover no longer interested in you, woeful.

Charles Holdefer’s book Back in the Game, is a book about longing.  It’s also a book about the intricacy of human relationships, and their fragility. It’s also a book about globalization, and small town Iowa life. And pork. Stanley Mercer longed for a career in the big leagues of baseball, but didn’t quite make it. From A ball through Triple A, he took detours through Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and eventually a defunct European League where he lost his job in France when the team owner lost interest in the game. Stanley also lost his girlfriend Delphine somewhere along the way.  Probably long before he knew it.

Thanks to a little “white lie” and to his brother Riley, a well-off fellow in a marshmallow existence, Stanley finds himself in a teaching position in a high school in a dying town called Legion.  Big Ag is getting bigger and bigger, and bottom line is that as farms get bigger, many rural towns die.

One professional life in tatters, and another soon to be, Stanley finds unrequited love and oddly kindred souls on the margins of existence.  That, or at the center of it.

Lovingly crafted, and written from the unique perspective of an Iowan, an insider who knows our culture yet has a cosmopolitan eye for the big picture, this is a delightful and challenging perspective of a uniquely modern midwestern life, remarkably close to our own.

Reviewed by Robert Leonard

Charles Holdefer is a native of Knoxville, Iowa, and currently lives in Brussels with his family, although he returns to Iowa regularly to teach at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.  He will be here at The Next Chapter on Thursday evening, July 19th, 2012, at 5:30, to discuss Back in the Game, writing, and life, and to sign copies of his book.

 

Next Chapter Top 20 Spring 2012 Reads

This is a list of great new books selected especially to appeal to OUR customers by Tresa, Diane and Annie, with lots of input from our extensive network of expert readers. We don’t pretend that these are necessarily the most important books of the season, or that these will all become classics, but they are all great reads we hope will keep you entertained and enriched for the next few months at least!  Enjoy!

A Good American by Alex George

Amy Einhorn Books, $25.95, Fiction

A moving, sweeping novel about the immigrant experience of the last century, about family, and what it really means to be an American. A young German couple makes the perilous journey to America in 1904.  If you get around to one book this season, this should be the one!  Read More.

Titanic First Accounts by Tim Maltin

Penguin Classics, $16.00, History

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster, the publishing companies are rolling out lots of Titanic-themed books.  We think Titanic First Accounts is one of the best, with fascinating first-hand accounts taken from survivors sometimes just after their rescue, sometimes years later, and from newspaper articles and more.  [Also of note are Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage by Hugh Brewster, a history of the first class passengers and their world and The LIfeboat by Charlotte Rogan, a novel based on the idea of a group of people doing what they must to survive in a lifeboat during this type of disaster. Another notable entry into the field is a young adult novel called The Time-Traveling Fashionista on Board the Titanic by Bianca Turetsky, which is getting thumbs up from our teen readers.  Read more about Titanic First Accounts.

Hinterland by Caroline Brothers

Bloomsbury, $15.00, Fiction

One of Annie’s must reads of the year, this is the compelling story of two orphaned Afghani brothers who struggle to make their way alone across Europe, surviving human trafikkers and predators of other kinds, encountering the occasional decent citizen, but often encountering governmental persecution instead of the help they so desperately need. Disturbing, suspenseful, and beautifully written.  Read the review here on our blog.  Read more.

Day of Honey : A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezlado

Free Press, $15.00, Memoir

Part war reporting, part travelogue, part food writing, this is one of the most intimate memoirs I’ve read in years. Ciezlado gives us a look at how people in the middle east survive perpetual war and turmoil by something so simple and basic as sharing food with each other.  A beautifully-written story about love and resilience, and the ties that bind us all together more than the wars can tear us apart. Read more.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Little Brown & Company, $24.99, Fiction

A beautiful, magical tale of a childless couple who homestead in Alaska in the 1920s, and quietly nurse their grief over the loss of a child, as they work themselves into oblivion to establish their new home.  One day, in a moment of fun, they build a snow child.  The next day, although their snow child is gone, they begin to see glimpses of a young girl running in the trees.  They wonder if she is alone out there, and if so, how is she surviving?  Populated by a wonderful cast of characters, a group of genuinely good people who understand that helping one another is the only way to survive, and written in luminous prose, this is a treasure of a book, and not to be missed!  Read more

Far from Here, Nicole Baart

Howard Books, $16.00, Fiction

This is a lovely page-turner about a young Iowa woman who falls for a pilot, despite the fact that she has a profound fear of flying.  They make their happy new home in Black Hawk county, Iowa, until the day her husband gets an offer to take his dream job — flying in the back country of Alaska.  He accepts the offer, which is only for a few weeks, but on his last flight before returning home, her husband disappears.  Is she now a widow? An abandoned wife? Her path to discovering what happened to her husband will push her to her own limits, and teach her things she never imagined about love and loss and about starting over. As an added bonus, this great writer is one of Iowa’s own!  Read more.

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

Harper Collins, $26.99, Fiction

A vibrant retelling of Jane Eyre set in 1960s Scotland, this is the story of Gemma Hardy, orphaned and raised first by a cruel aunt, and then in a cold orphanage, before she finds a position as a tutor for a wealthy family on the lonely Orkney Islands.  Of course, not everything is as it seems there, and the indomitable Gemma will learn about love and passion and secrets, just as her predecessor, Jane did in her own time and place. Beautifully written, this book is as much homage as redux, and is a lovely choice for a leisurely lounge-chair read. Read more.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland

Random House, $15.00, Fiction

This is the story of Clara Driscoll, the woman who worked for the Tiffany company and designed the famous stained-glass lamps manufactured in the early 20th century.  Because she was a woman, Clara was never publicly recognized for her work, and faced difficult restrictions on her personal life — Mr. Tiffany would not employ married women, for example.  Set in the first decades of the 20th century, Vreeland lovingly chronicles Clara’s struggle to reconcile the work of her hands with the leanings of her heart in an environment that barely tolerates a woman’s presence, much less her life as a wife and mother.  Another spot on examination of a little known corner of the art world, from Vreeland, who also wrote Girl in Hyacinth Blue.  Read more.

Glow by Jessica Maria Tuccelli

Viking, $25.95, Fiction

In this mystical and loving family epic, Tuccelli takes us from pre-World War II Washington DC to rural Georgia over a span of a century as she follows the fates of a community of free African Americans, Cherokees, and Scots Irish, as they grapple with survival, racism, and the vagaries of history. Glow is told from the viewpoints of two young girls — a mother and her daughter — one from the 1940s and one from the 1920s, both of whom are victims of racial crimes, and who meet the world head-on with courage and joy.  I was reminded of Charles Frazier’s Thirteen Moons by the theme of Cherokee people dealing with the invasion of their homeland in various creative ways, while still maintaining some last shreds of their culture, and also by the atmospheric evocation of time and place.  I’ve never been to the mountain region of Georgia, but after reading Glow, I feel like I might know my way around a bit.  Highly recommended!  Read more.

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio

Plume, $15.00, Fiction

From the author of Violets in March comes a love story spanning decades, about a young American woman named Anne, who volunteers during WWII and is sent to the Pacific island of Bora-Bora to serve as an Army nurse. Once there, she meets an enigmatic soldier named Westry, and they form a deep bond, whiling away their private hours in a hidden bungalow on the beach.  But a horrifying murder, a jealous friend, and the vagaries of war separate them, and they each move on to their respective duties, and in time, their civilian lives.  But Anne never forgets Westry, and she never stops wondering about the events she witnessed in the bungalow, and she cannot rest until she learns the truth about what happened and comes to terms with the losses she suffered.  With lush locations and enough romance for the most demanding romantics, this will be the best beach read of the summer!  Read more.

The Golden Hour by Margaret Wurtele

NAL, $15.00, Fiction

Another great WWII tale, this time set in a small village in Tuscany.  This is the story of Giovanna Bellinni, an aristocratic 17 year old girl, who comes of age in the midst of the war.  When the Nazis occupy her village, and take over her ancestral home, Giovanna’s brother joins the Resistance.  As the war and its terrible choices comes ever closer, the Giovanna begins to grow up, and learns more about the Nazis and what they have done to the Jews, and what role her own family has had in the Italian Fascist party, and she will have to make her own choices.  Along the way, she will find wisdom, hardship, and perhaps even love.   Read more.

A Covert Affair by Jennett Conant

Simon & Schuster, $16.00, History

This page-turner history is the riveting account of Julia and Paul Child’s experiences as members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during WWII, and the tumultuous later years when they were caught up in the McCarthy communist spy hunt in the 1950s.  Filled with intimate details of this fascinating couple’s life, this book gave me a sense of what it must have been like to find yourself the target of those investigations, and of the times and fears that made the McCarthy investigations possible.  A fresh new look at this beloved couple, and at a frightening time in a not-so-distant past.  Read more.

Mrs Kennedy and Me : An Intimate Memoir by Clint Hill

Gallery Books, $26.00, Memoir

The memoir of Clint Hill, the secret service man assigned to protect Jacqueline Kennedy during her husband’s term as president, from 1960 to 1964.  Hill went from being a reluctant guard dog, to being a fierce protector of the First Lady, and perhaps her closest friend.  This is a moving story of loyalty written by a remarkable gentleman who waited 50 years to tell his story about a woman he very much came to admire.  This gets top ratings from Kennedy fans everywhere!  Read More.

Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow

St. Martin’s Press, $25.99, Mystery

The newest entry in Stabenow’s long running mystery series brings together her two popular protagonists, Aleut private investigator Kate Shugak and Alaska state trooper Liam Campbell, in one story for the first time!  If you haven’t read Stabenow, this is a great entry point into the series, as the two detectives work together to solve a murder, as they navigate the web of conspiracy they find behind the death of a very unpopular aviation entrepreneur.  Stabenow’s characters are always meticulously developed, and her arctic settings are always compelling — if you love a solid, smart mystery, discover this writer today!  Read more

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Delacorte Press, $26.00, Mystery

This is an unusual and taught legal thriller that doubles as a family drama, in which Andy Barber, an assistant district attorney must deal with helping his teenaged son face the accusation that he murdered another child.  As the accusations and denials fly, the trial intensifies, his marriage begins to crumble, and Andy must find a way to stand by his son, no matter what.  Think Jody Picoult meets John Grisham — with a bit of a sharper edge!  And we have to admit that we really enjoyed visiting with Mr. Landay at the MIBA meetings last fall — his discussion of the process of thinking about and writing this story was fascinating.  We think you’ll all love it.  Read more.

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry

Broadway Books, $15.00, Suspense

“If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. But I didn’t, and I saw something fall from the rear deck of the opposite ferry: a small, wide-eyed human face, in one tiny frozen moment, as it plummeted toward the water.”

With an opening gambit like this one, how could we resist?  And the book delivered, with enough suspense, mystery, and twists and turns to keep you up late at night!  Learning to Swim is the story of Troy Chance who makes a split second decision one evening as she rides the ferry across Lake Champlain, and jumpes into the frigid waters to save a small boy.  When she gets to him, she finds that he is understandably terrified and that he speaks only French. She saves him from drowning, and when they reach shore, she realizes that no one is looking for him!  From there, she makes a fateful decision and takes the boy home to care for him until she can find his family.  But no one is coming forward looking for him, no pleas on the media, no police investigations, nothing.  As she works to discover what happened to the young boy, she uncovers a tangled web of privilege, money, power, and ruthlessness.  Read more.

The Book of Lost Fragrances by MJ Rose (The Reincarnationist #4)

Simon & Schuster, $24.00, Suspense

The fourth in her Reincarnationist series about a group of artifacts that can help the user access past life memories, and the man obsessed with finding them, wherever they may be.  In this entry, we meet Jac L’Etoile, the daughter of a French perfume house in crisis, who begins to experience ‘flashbacks’ to Cleopatra’s Egypt associated with a particular ancient scent that no one has been able to identify, she is dragged into a maelstrom of international intrigue involving Tibetan dissidents, Chinese nationalists, and the relentless Dr. Malachi who will stop at nothing to possess the scent itself.  The books in this series stay with you, and the twist of the past life memories and how they help solve each mystery is an added intriguing bonus!  Read more.

Expats by Chris Pavone

Crown Books, $26.00, Thriller

When American wife and mother Kate Moore’s husband gets a great new job, the family moves to Luxembourg where Kate hopes she can start anew, and leave her old life behind.  But things in Luxembourg are not always what they seem, and Kate soon discovers that her past cannot be outrun, and that her husband has a secret life of his own that will put everything she loves in jeopardy.  This is a stylish, smart thriller and great fun to read!  Read more.

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

Knopf, $25.95, Fantasy

Oh, yeah, Rice is back!  After a period during which she wrote about different types of subjects, the author of Interview with the Vampire has returned to her former paranormal themes with this thick, satisfying tale of a young journalist who visits a fantastic old mansion in northern California where he is brutally attacked and transformed into, you guessed it, a werewolf.  Lush detail, settings you feel you could step into, a magnificent personal transformation, and a driving plot make this the perfect book to get lost in this summer. Read more

By the Iowa Sea by Joe Blair

Scribner, $24.00, Memoir

The searingly honest memoir of an Iowa man grappling with fleeting youth, his marriage, his four children — including one autistic son — and a flood that tears everything down to its essence.  A compelling voice from a promising young writer.  Read Bob Leonard’s review on this blog and more information here.

Pioneer Woman Cooks : Food from My Frontier by Ree Drummond

William Morrow and Co., $29.99, Cooking

This great cookbook from the engaging ‘Pioneer Woman’ is so popular with our customers that it has been hard to keep in stock!  We understand, because this is not only a great learning resource for beginning cooks like graduating seniors and newlyweds, with step-by-step photos and clear instructions, but it is also a tremendously fun read, and a peek at an appealing rural lifestyle, as this former city girl does her part in running her ‘Marlboro Man’s’ cattle ranch in Oklahoma.  Read more.

 

Book Review : Hinterland

Hinterland by Caroline Brothers

This book kept me riveted from the first page, and I had a hard time putting it down in spite of a blazingly busy few days. I found that I couldn’t stop thinking about Aryan and Kabir, and what they endured as they made their way across the world to their promised land — England. And now, a few days later, I still can’t stop thinking about it!

Hinterland is the odyssey of two Afghani brothers, orphaned by war, one about 14 and one 8, who are traveling alone across Europe in a desperate attempt to reach England, where they believe they will be able to live in peace and go to school.  Aryan, the elder is one of the most steadfast characters I’ve encountered in literature; he battles through his own internal demons and what is probably PTSD, to care for and encourage his little brother Kabir as they make their long and difficult way across the continent.

Some of the scenes are horrific, certainly, but mostly it was the tenuousness of their survival and the boy’s courage and optimism that makes this an unforgettable book. But in spite of the boys’ love for each other and their resilience, it is the perpetual the failure of the international community to help these children and the thousands like them that was most stunning.  Of course, there were people along the way who were kind — mostly in small ways; but there was also a smorgasbord of predators of various ilk who preyed upon these children at every turn.  By the end, they felt like they could have been my own brothers. I suppose they are.

Hinterland belongs in a group with Little Bee and the Blue Notebook in how it points out the plight of children in unfamiliar parts of the world, but it also stands as a great, suspenseful read, one of those universal stories of tremendous courage against insurmountable odds that speaks to something fundamental in all of us; and I, for one, will never be the same after spending the weekend in the Hinterland.  As the review line on the cover of the book says, this is a story that all of us should read!

reviewed by Annie Leonard

 

Review : By the Iowa Sea

By the Iowa Sea : A Memoir of Disaster and Love, by Joe Blair

Does an honest memoir exist? Is one even possible? As memoirs are necessarily selective, isn’t there a tendency to extol one’s virtues, hide one’s flaws? For those who admit to having, let’s say, a complex life, even a flawed life, an honest memoir becomes an act of courage. Joe Blair’s new book, “By the Iowa Sea: a Memoir of Disaster and Love,” is such an act of courage. It is also a compelling, beautifully written story set during the Iowa floods of 2008, when nature’s weight bore down on a great many Iowans, Blair included.

Blair bears other burdens as well. A free spirit who as a young man dreamed of riding into the distance in pursuit of adventure on a Harley finds himself bent if not broken by the approach of middle age, dreams unrealized now that he is a heating and cooling man in a crumbling marriage with four children–one of whom is severely autistic.

With the floods as backdrop, Blair recounts his story, inner thoughts revealed, slowly unfolding like a flower, a black rose perhaps, that crumbles in our hands, bloodied by thorns.

While it took great courage to write this memoir, it took even greater courage for Blair to sustain his life. While he couldn’t hold back the flood, he could wait until it subsided. He also waited till the waters of his life that were on the verge of drowning him, subsided.

His marriage is intact, his children have their father. May we all have at least of bit of Blair’s courage when we need it.

Reviewed by Bob Leonard
author of Yellow Cab