Book Review - A Sister's Story; Donatella Di Pietrantonio

A Sister's Story; Donatella DiPietrantonio

Europa Editions - 2022

After loving A Girl Returned (2019) and rating it a 5 star read for me, I was looking forward to this sequel.  This book was also translated by Ann Goldstein from the Italian.  Unfortunately, it felt almost like it was written by a different author.  

This is a story about sisters, one sister, our unnamed narrator, is a literature professor in Grenoble and she is "The Girl Returned" (as a teen) from the first book.  The other sister is Adriana, is a rather flighty, selfish and shallow young woman who seems to live for the moment.  She has a son named Vincenzo.  As the story opens our unnamed sister gets a call urging her to come to Pescara, Italy but, not the reason she has been summoned until quite a bit later.  The sisters have not seen each other in a good number of years and, we do eventually learn that Adriana is hospitalized after a bad fall and is in critical condition.  

While I was trying to figure out why one sister was summoned, we learn what has been going on in the lives of both sisters - neither came across as people I'd want to root for.  Although the story is only 176 pages, the structure was all over the place - not only does the story move back and forth in time, it also includes past and present relationships of the sisters and a few minor characters as well which was a tad confusing.  It's difficult for me not to compare this series to: My Brilliant Friend series, Elena Ferrante, another series about unlikeable Italian sisters. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this novel without at least reading " A Girl Returned" first.

Rating - 3/5 stars 

Note:  An eGalley was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.

 

Brief Book Reviews - Playing Catch Up - Little Souls; Sandra Dallas -- Marrying the Ketchups; Jennifer Close and Xstabeth; David Keenan

 

Little Souls; Sandra Dallas

Macmillan Audio - 2022

(audio narrator - Carly Robins - very good)

As I've mentioned previously, I don't read a lot of historical fiction but this premise appealed to me when I first read about it.  Set in Colorado, 1918, WWI is happening and the flu pandemic is raging on.  Little Souls is story about (2) sisters: Helen, a nurse and her husband to be, Gil, is a medical student.  Luttie, Helen's 24 year old younger sister, lives with her. Luttie is a bit of a dreamer who has an interest in fashion design and works for a high end department store. Luttie's boyfriend joined the Army to do his part with the war effort.  The sisters are very close. Dorothy is a 10 year old girl who lived with her parents in a small apartment located in the same house the sisters had shared.  When both parents die, under very different circumstances, the sisters take the girl in wanting to make sure that Dorothy is loved and cared for after learning how she had been abused.

Once I started this story I found it hard to put down and it was very easy book to listen to on audio. Not only is this a story about sisters but, it is also a story about helping those in need and righting past injustices that occurred. I found the story kind of comforting even though there were some sad moments, tragic events, but,  there was also a happier ending and a satisfying epilogue as well. Highly recommended to historical fiction fans.

Rating - 4.5/5stars

(NOTE: I received an audio download from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review)

Marrying the Ketchups; Jennifer Close

Knopf - 2022

Marrying the Ketchups was a book I became curious about by the unusual title and Jennifer Close being an author I enjoyed years ago but one that I hadn't read in a while.

It's a story of (3) generations of a large Irish Catholic family who run an Oak Park (Chicago) restaurant called JP Sullivans.  The founders, Bud and Rose, opened the restaurant in the 1970s and in 2016 a few strange things had happened:  the Chicago Cubs win a World Series, their first in 108 years, poor Bud dies unexpectedly and Trump wins the presidential election  This complicated family must pick up the pieces and get their acts together and, they also must decide what is now best for mother Rose after Bud's death.

There are sisters: Gretchen - mid 30s, a bit on the wild side, lead singer in a band called the Donna Martin Graduates:) and Jane, a mother of two, successful, married to a wealthy man who just might be cheating on her.  Then Teddy, a cousin who manages the restaurant. He's a people-pleaser with issues of his own and then we have Reilly, Teddy's teenaged half-sister.

This is a story about complicated families and the author does a great job helping the reader to get to know and understand these unhappy people and their issues.  Well written, character driven, lots of funny moments even though most everyone is pretty miserable.  I liked this book but, think I might have appreciated it even more if I were younger.  The 2016 political aspects of the story were not overdone - thank goodness.  Worth considering for readers who enjoy a character driven story about complicated families.

Rating - 4/5 stars

(Note:  I received an eGalley download from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.)

Xstabeth; David Keenan

Europa Editions - 2022

I loved Europa Editions and Xstabeth intrigued me when I read about it. I thought it seemed a bit unusual but worth trying especially because it was also a novella with fewer than 140 pages.

I'm really not sure how to classify this or even what to write about it as it was a bit too far out there for me. It's a story about a daughter, a father and the father's his best friend.  The father is singer/songwriter, but not a very good one. His daughter, Aneliya, loves her father but, begins seeing her father's best friend Jaco, who is a better musician than the girl's father.

When I have to skim a novella, it's because the book is not a good fit for me and that was the case here.  There were some explicit sex and, I just didn't get the whole point of the story unfortunately.

Rating - 1.5/5 stars

(Note: I received an eGalley of this novella from the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.)

What Else I'm Reading

The Lost Apothecary; Sarah Penner

Park Row - 2021

Book Group Read -  finished - no review yet

3.5/5 stars

Healing:  When a Nurse Becomes a Patient; Theresa Brown

Algonquin Books - 2022 (library book - hardcover)

(just started - page 57)

The Shore; Katie Runde

Simon & Schuster - 2022

(reading now - 27% mark)

Klara and the Sun; Kazuo Ishiguro

Random House Audio - 2021

(starting soon)

What are you reading?

Share your week by posting a link on Deb's Blog HERE

Book Review - The Dolphin House; Audrey Schulman

 

The Dolphin House; Audrey Schulman

Europa Editions - 2022

Set in the mid-1960s twenty-something Cora is a hearing-impaired cocktail waitress in Florida. One day tired of being man-handled while forced to wear a tight bunny suit, she buys a one-way ticket to Saint Thomas and her life is changed in a way she hadn't expected.

Dr. Blum is a Harvard research scientist and professor trying to learn more about dolphins but, his methods are rather cruel.  Cora, discovers she has a gift of being able to hear these mammals and as she swims she slowly gains their trust.  Dr. Blum sees something in Cora's way with the dolphins and offers her a job to study the dolphins with a goal of teaching them English.  She is excited about the opportunity but insists that the cruel experimentation stop while she focuses on one particular dolphin named Junior. She even has a homearium built for her and Junior to share as they work together. Her progress and results are fascinating but, not everyone is thrilled.  The other all male researchers see her as unqualified. As the only female and a slim, attractive one at that who has to spend 6-days a week in her swimsuit she is forced to put up with a lot in the days when sexual harassment wasn't taken seriously.

Based in part on a true story about dolphin research conducted by John Lilly, I really loved this story. This is a story that held me captive and had my emotions all over the place. It was so moving to see the progress Cora was able to make as she gained Junior's trust.  There is a touching scene when Cora becomes frustrated but, she soon after discovers that her hard work pays off.  At times I was angry about some of had happened but, the author's talent and involved research made this a very rewarding read.

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

NOTE: Thanks go to Europa Editions and Edelweiss for allowing me access to the satisfying book.

Book Reviews - Who is Maud Dixon? Alexandra Andrews - These Precious Days: Essays; Ann Patchett and Trust; Domenico Starnone

 

Join Deb and others @ Read Buzz

Well we made it through a wonderful Thanksgiving gathering with family and everyone was healthy (we hope).  A few COVID scares in the granddaughter's classrooms but, they have each received their first booster and remain healthy - thank goodness.  For those of you who were able to be with family and friends - wasn't it special? It felt so good to be together, even the turkey seemed like one of my best (LOL).  We celebrated my son's birthday which always falls around Thanksgiving.

This weeks - Reading

I finished (3) books over the past week - all worth reading IMO.

Who is Maud Dixon?; Alexandra Andrews

Little Brown & Co - 2021

(library download - 9 hours 11 min)

Maud Dixon is a pen name for an author whose first book was a success but, just who is this very private author? 

Florence Darrow wants to be a novelist but, that dream seems unlikely especially after being let go from her job at a New York publishing house.  Suddenly, Florence seems to get the opportunity of a lifetime. She is hired as a writing assistant to "the Maud Dixon"...A.K.A.  Helen Wilcox.  Florence sees this as a chance to learn from real talent and Maud/Helen is only a few years older than Florence as well.

When Florence learns that the two of them will be traveling to Morocco she goes along with the idea, after all she is single and this seems like a dream opportunity.  From this point on the story that started out slow picks up speed and takes on a darker and sometimes even a comical turn. This was a wild read, both women were unlikeable characters but, I liked the unexpected twists and enjoyed the ride, even if I had to suspend belief from time to time. The audio read by Therese Plummer was excellent.

Rating - 4/5 stars

These Precious Days; Ann Patchett

Harper and Harper Audio - 11/2021

Ann Patchett is an author I automatically read. This recent release is a series of personal essays made me feel like the author was a close friend by the time I fished the final offering. 

My favorite essays in the collection were: Three Fathers: this was a touching story ~ her father who wanted her to be a dental hygienist and a step father who supported her writing aspirations.  I also enjoyed: How Knitting Saved My Life, Twice - A story about how this knitting helped her to kick a smoking habit as it's pretty hard to knit and smoke at the same time. (Knitting - was also key to my own daughter quitting smoking about 10 years ago). My Year of No Shopping was another essay that resonated with me because I tried this and failed miserably after a month. Don't we all have much too much stuff and don't we buy things that we already know we have but sometimes can't find? There is also an essay about moving from Montana to MA for a writing fellowship at Ratcliffe.  In There Are No Children Here - we learn about her decision to remain childless.  For me the most powerful essay is the title essay: These Precious Days. In this story she and her husband Karl invite Tom Hank's publicist, Sooki, into their home just pre-COVID as she was undergoing pancreatic cancer treatments in TN.  This story tells so much about the type of person the author is.

I really enjoyed this collection.  One or two of the essays felt slightly familiar to me like I may have read them before - perhaps in magazine. The author comes across as a caring partner and friend, the kind of individual that finds the good in all people and, don't we all know we need more people like this around? The take away for me after finishing this collection was: make sure you make good use of the time we have left as we never know what time we have left.

I had both the audio and eGalley. The audio is read by the author and although it was fine, I switched to the eGalley which, for me, was preferable.  

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

The eGalley was provided to me free of charge by Harper Publishing and Edelweiss and the audio was downloaded from by public library system.

Trust; Domenico Starnone

Europa Editions - 3.5/5

I enjoyed (2) previous books by this author: Ties (2017) and Trick (2018) so I was so looking forward to the latest release.  Pietro Vella and Teresa Quadraro are a couple who met when he was a teacher and she a former student.  They were in one of those love/hate relationships; one day they are hot for one another, then they fight, they break up and they get together again.  One day to help solidify their commitment to one another they agree to share a deep, dark secret about themselves that neither has shared with anyone else.  This turns out to be a huge mistake since as soon as they do this they break up for a final time.  

Each moves on in life - Pietro marries Nadia and fathers a daughter, Emma. He feels dissatisfied in his marriage and in his career as a literature teacher while Teresa becomes a success as a scientist and professor at prestigious MIT.  Despite the time that has passed Pietro remains haunted by the secret he confessed years earlier but, is it really the secret that leaves him distressed?  Surprisingly, Teresa holds a kind of power over Pietro despite the fact that their paths have only crossed a few times in decades.

The story is divided into three parts - Pietro's story is the most telling, we also hear from his adult daughter Emma and finally Teresa's voice.  The story was expertly translated from Italian by Jhumpa Lahiri and although I enjoyed this one, I was left wanting just a bit more.

The eGalley was provided to me by Edelweiss and Europa Books at no cost in exchange for my unbiased review.

Rating - 3.5/5 stars

3 brief Book Reviews - The Invisible Husband of Frick Island; Colleen Oakley - The Last Guests; J.P. Pomare and The Writer's Cats; Muriel Barbery

 (2) quick catch up reviews

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island; Colleen Oakley

Berkley - 2021

(eGalley-Edelweiss)

I was hoping to read this one in the first half of the year but, I decided to save it for when I was in the the mood for lighter feel good read - this was it.

In this story we meet twenty-something Piper Parrish who lives on a tiny island with fewer than 100 people on Chesapeake Bay.  Her life had been nearly perfect and the her husband Tom went out one morning on his crab boat and never returned home.  His boat had capsized and his body never found.  How does one move on from such a tragic event? Well, maybe you just don't.  Piper unable to accept the idea that Tom is dead continues to go on with life as if he is right by her side. Before long much of the townspeople are right there with Piper pretending that nothing has happened when she is around.

When Anders Caldwell a columnist and podcaster arrives on the island to cover a story, what was to be a short stay turns into something else entirely.  (There is a funny scene where Piper is at a table for two at a restaurant and Anders notices Piper her. He thinks she is beautiful and gets the courage to ask if he can join her.  She says, "can't you see I am having dinner with my husband?" 

This story wasn't perfect but I liked that it had some fun scenes and had a bit of mystery to it. If you are in the mood for a feel good story with quirky characters add this to your list.

(eGalley received from Edelweiss)

The Last Guests; J.P. Pomare

Mulholland Books - 2021

(eGalley - NetGalley)

Auckland, New Zealand is the setting for this creepy thriller where we meet Lina and Caine, they are a newlywed couple with secrets.  Lina is an overworked paramedic and Cain, a former SAS officer who was stationed in Afghanistan has dark past.  Lina has inherited a vacation home that had been in her family and since they don't get a chance to use it very often, Cain gets Lina to agree to rent it out on weekends for extra income.  The rental process used is similar to AirbNb and, it turns out their rental becomes quite popular.  So what seemed like a good idea turns into a nightmare when it's clear hidden spy cameras are in place and someone is interested in watching someone.

An extremely creepy page turner with a terrific setting as well.  This turned out to be one of those books that was hard to put down despite some implausible moments and a bit too much going on at times, I found creepy thriller totally engrossing.

The Writer's Cats; Muriel Barbery

Europa - November - 2021

I'm a reader not a writer but have always been curious by what inspires an author and what makes their creative juices flow. For French writer, Muriel Barbery, it appears to be all things Japanese, flowers, and her (4) Chartreux cats (gray fur with amber eyes). There is Kirin, graceful and charming, brothers Petrus and Ocha and sister Mizu.  The story narrated by Kirin with humor and a cat's insight gives us a look at the author's day to day life and her writing process.  How does the author know when something needs to be revised?  A clue is when a particular page gets swished to floor by a cats tail or, maybe it's when a cat sits on a page way too long that tips her off.

Cat lovers will recognize the things cats do to get our attention both to annoy us and endear us - often.  at the very same time. Quirky, fun and peppered with charming illustrations, this 80 page book is easy to read in one sitting and would be a fun gift for the cat lover in your life.

New Book Releases - The Way We Weren't; Phoebe Fox - First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros and The Writer's Cats; Muriel Barbery

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon. This week I selected (2) books I will be reading - both release today.

The Way We Weren't; Phoebe Fox

Berkley - November 9, 2021

First Chapter First Paragraph(s) Intro

Before

It's his hands that let her know everything is going to be okay after all.

Sitting close beside her on the stands, bare but for the two of them with practice having ended almost two hours ago, his empty glove forgotten at his feet, he cradles her hand in his, one hand wrapped firmly around her fingers as if anchoring her to the metal surface currently freezing her butt, the other cupped over it like a baby bird he shelters from the cold bite of the March air.

Today is release day for this book: An unlikely friendship between a septuagenarian and a younger woman becomes a story of broken trust, lost love, and the unexpected blooming of hope against the longest odds.

What do you think? Isn't the cover art lovely?  I hope to begin reading it later this week.  I loved the author's previous book: A Little Bit of Grace. 

The Writer's Cats; Muriel Barbery (Ill. Maria Guitart)

Europa Editions - 11/9/2021

First of all, let me make one thing clear: we like our writer.  She's kind. She never forgets when it's time for our meal. She doesn't scream when she sees a dead mouse.  She tosses bottle corks to us (our favorite game at aperitif time) while she's drinking wine (which is not infrequent).  She take us to the vet the minute we fart out of tune.  We really do like her. But enough is enough.

I'll tell you straight: without us, our writer would not be the writer she is.  I don't know if she'd be worse or better, but she'd be different, that's all.  Why? Because even if we can't speak, we are peerless literary advisors.

"How can a cat claim to be a literary advisor?" you might wonder (and rightfully so). I shall explain.

(This book is just 80 pages with lots of cat wisdom to ponder and some cute illustrations to boot.)

Book Review - Red Crosses; Sasha Filipenko

 

Red Crosses; Sasha Filipenko

Europa Editions - August - 2021

It's a rare book that has an overall sad storyline can also make the reader smile at times.

Sasha Alexander is a 30 year old widower and father of a young daughter whose life is in upheaval since the loss of his wife.  He moves back to Minsk in an effort to move beyond his loss.  Oddly, on the door of his new apartment he finds a large red cross.  It isn't long before he learns the culprit is his neighbor, the 91 year old Tatyana Alexeyvena who is slowly losing her short term memory. She painted the crosses as a way to find her way back to her own apartment.  

With her long term memory pretty much intact, Tatyana is anxious to tell her new neighbor her earliest memories. Born in London, she moved to Russia at the age of nine (her father was Russian).  She marries, has a daughter and her husband eventually became a POW in WWII.  If that isn't terrible enough she was seen by the Russian government as a traitor and sent to the gulag for a decade where she was tortured.

So it's probably difficult, based on this, to see how a story like this could occasionally make me smile yet, it did. I loved the Tatyana character and the way she tells us about her past. Although she seemed lucid most of the time,  memory is a funny thing even for those of us who still seem to have it all together.  Do we always remember the painful parts of our past exactly as it happened?  For a story that is only about 200 pages, this wasn't a quick read for me. The translation was very good but the way the story is told takes took time for me. There are telegrams, poems, letters peppered within the story.  I do wish Sahsa's story was a bit more developed but, overall, this book was well-done. It's been a long while since I've read a book translated from the Russian so I was happy I tried this one.

Rating - 4/5 stars

The eGalley was provided to me as a free download courtesy of Europa Editions and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.

Book Review - A Single Rose; Muriel Barbery

 

                                                             A Single Rose; Muriel Barbery

Europa - 9/28/2021

In A Single Rose, we meet Rose, a 40 year old French woman and botanist. She's a woman who never knew her Japanese father.  Rose is not a happy woman, her mother has long suffered from depression and Rose has never seemed to know what love is all about.  Now after a phone call from a lawyer, Rose finds herself headed to Kyoto for a reading of the last will of her now late father, Haru, a former art dealer. Needless to say Rose is a little more than apprehensive about the whole ordeal. She has been advised that her father's assistant, Paul, a widower, will meet her and guide her around.  

Once in Japan she learns that her father has left a specific itinerary of things to do and places to visit before the reading of the will. There are long walks, lush gardens to be seen, temples to visit, Zen gardens, bars, restaurants, and so much more. There are also many people to meet, people who were important in her father's life. Through this well drawn road map which her father left behind Rose will begin to understand more about the man she never knew but, there is something more we begin to see a connection between Rose and Paul as well.

This book was roughly 160 pages and so different from any of the other books I've read by this author.  I was happy I tried it but, it's not a book that every reader will like.  The story is dripping with imagery throughout, most of the details are lush and painted a lovely picture as I read but, I found the writing style a bit too flowery, too overdone and too poetic for my taste. It's the kind of story that can overwhelm the senses at times - at least that happened with me.

Rating - 3.5/5 stars

An eGalley of this book was provided at no cost to me by Europa Editions and Edelweiss in exchange for my unbiased review.

Book Review - No Touching; Ketty Rouf

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  No Touching; Ketty Rouf

PUBLISHER:  Europa Books

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Translated

FORMAT:  eGalley

SOURCE:   Edelweiss

SETTING(s):  France (outskirts of Paris)

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A story about a woman who needs something more in life and finds excitement in a new line of work.

BRIEF REVIEW:     Josephine is a 30 year old woman who teaches philosophy in a high school in Drancy. She's in a rut, suffers from anxiety and has mostly unmotivated students, except for perhaps Hadrien.  She dreads going to work and does not feel supported by the powers that be in her school system.  Isn't there more to life she wonders?

One evening while on leave from her school job she walks into a strip club along the Champs-Elysee and feels something awaken in her. On a whim she takes an exotic dancing class and before long Josephine (A.K.A. Rosa Lee) becomes a stripper by night. What happens when her lives intersect?

The story may sound somewhat odd and at least certainly different but, Josephine is a complex character. She goes from being a plain Jane teacher to her secret life with sexy lingerie, makeup and high heels and a provocative allure that gives her a new sense of empowerment. She also loves the unexpected joy and of bonding with the new women she works with at the club.  She also loves the power she feels she has over the customers.  I found Josephine's story rather fascinating but, I just never connected with her. I know it's fiction but just how does a woman suffering from anxiety so easily take on such a drastic transformation. It does appear as if the author has done quite a bit of research about the darker side of strip clubs and what goes on there.

This novella doesn't have a complicated plot and it is just 113 pages. It is definitely not a story all readers will appreciate but, if you like to change your reading up a bit - I say give this one a try.

Thanks go to Europa Books and Edelweiss for allowing me access to this book in exchange for my unbiased review. The book was translated from French by Tina Kover who did an excellent job.

RATING:  3.5/5

Europa Editions Books - 4 new ones and I can't decide which to read first!

Europa Edition Books have long been my favorite imprint for translated fiction.  The stories are always well-written, diverse and the stories are ones that make you think and or reflect. I've probably read at least 30 of their books and own at least another 30 (which look beautiful on my shelves).  These (4) are new ones that either came out this month or will release in September or October.  I plan to read all 4.  

Which of these would you try?

A Single Rose; Muriel Barbery

Europa Editions - release date - 9/28/21

(160 pages)

(about the book)

From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story about a woman's journey to discover the father she never knew and a love she never thought possible.  

Rose has just turned forty when she gets a call from a lawyer asking her to come to Kyoto for the reading of her estranged father’s will. And so for the first time in her life she finds herself in Japan, where Paul, her father’s assistant, is waiting to greet her.  

As Paul guides Rose along a mysterious itinerary designed by her deceased father, her bitterness and anger are soothed by the stones and the trees in the Zen gardens they move through. During their walks, Rose encounters acquaintances of her father—including a potter and poet, an old lady friend, his housekeeper and chauffeur—whose interactions help her to slowly begin to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged.  

As the reading of the will gets closer, Rose’s father finally, posthumously, opens his heart to his daughter, offering her a poignant understanding of his love and a way to accept all she has lost.

NOTE - I've read and enjoyed previous books by this author.

Trust; Domenico Starnone

Europa Editions - Release Date - 10/19/21

(144 pages)

(about the book)

Following the international success of Ties and the National Book Award-shortlisted Trick, Domenico Starnone gives readers another searing portrait of human relationships and human folly.

Pietro and Teresa’s love affair is tempestuous and passionate. After yet another terrible argument, she gets an idea: they should tell each other something they’ve never told another person, something they’re too ashamed to tell anyone. They will hear the other’s confessions without judgment and with love in their hearts. In this way, Teresa thinks, they will remain united forever, more intimately connected than ever.

A few days after sharing their shameful secrets, they break up. Not long after, Pietro meets Nadia, falls in love, and proposes. But the shadow of the secret he confessed to Teresa haunts him, and Teresa herself periodically reappears, standing at the crossroads, it seems, of every major moment in his life. Or is it he who seeks her out?

A master storyteller and a novelist of the highest order, Starnone’s gaze is trained unwaveringly on the fault lines in our public personas and the complexities of our private selves. Trust asks how much we are willing to bend to show the world our best side, knowing full well that when we are at our most vulnerable we are also at our most dangerous.

NOTE: I've read both of the previous books by this author and enjoyed them so much.  This one was translated from the Italian by author Jhumpa Lahiri.

The Double Mother; Michel Bussi

Europa Editions - release date - 8/17/21

480 pages

(about the book)

From the author of the “wonderfully ingenious” (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review) novel After The Crash comes a brilliant work of deception that dives deep into the psyche of a child and cruel game of manipulating a person’s memory.

Four-year-old Malone Moulin is haunted by nightmares of being handed over to a complete stranger and begins claiming his mother is not his real mother. His teachers at school say that it is all in his imagination as his mother has a birth certificate, photos of him as a child and even the pediatrician confirms Malone is her son. The school psychologist, Vasily, believes otherwise as the child vividly describes an exchange between two women. Vasily begins recording their conversations and reinterprets the creatures Malone uses in the childish tales he recounts to his stuffed toy to piece the story together as much as he can.

Convinced that Malone is telling the truth, Vasile approaches police commander Marianne Augresse with the case, who has been searching for a gang of thieves that robbed a luxury store and left a couple dead in the neighboring town of Deauville to no avail. Not knowing why a child would lie and with perhaps her own own maternal and protective instinct kicking in, Marianne takes Vasile’s plead for help seriously.

Marianne and her team soon discern that Malone’s memory is in the hands of those around him; the cold members of the Moulin family and the people that they associate themselves with. With Malone’s recollection of the past quickly fading to give way to pirates, animals and other more innocent thoughts children have at his age, Marianne is desperate to find a through line.

Well-crafted and showcasing the fragility of a child’s cognition, The Double Mother is a riveting investigation to follow.

No Touching; Ketty Rouf

Europa Editions - release date - 8/1/21

113 pages

(about the book)

A story of liberation and a heartrending portrayal of a woman’s sense of self, Ketty Rouf’s extraordinary debut shatters tired prejudices about sex, women, and society.   

Josephine teaches philosophy in a high school in Drancy, a suburb of Paris. Her life is a balancing act between Xanax, Propranolol and Tupperware lunches in the staff room. The directives of the National Education Board are increasingly absurd and intolerable and she follows them with playfulness at times and derision at others. 

When, one evening, Josephine walks into a strip club on the Champs-Elysée, her life is completely overturned. There she learns a secret nocturnal code of conduct; she discovers camaraderie and the joys of female company; and she thrills at the sensation of men’s desire directed toward her. Josephine, a teacher by day, begins to lead a secret existence by night that ultimately allows her to regain control of her life. This delicate balance is shattered one evening by an unexpected visitor to the club where she dances.

Book Review - Heaven; Mieko Kawakami

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:    Heaven; Mieko Kawakami

PUBLISHER:  Europa

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Coming of Age/Bullying /Translated

FORMAT:  eGalley LENGTH:  192 pp

SOURCE:  Edelweiss download

SETTING(s):  Japan 

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  An unsettling coming of age story about two outcasts who are victims of bullying.

BRIEF REVIEW:   Our unnamed, fourteen year old male protagonist hasn't had it easy. He has been tormented by a group of bullies at school who refer to him as "Eye" because of his lazy eye. Subjected to punches, kicks, forced to eat chalk and even a goldfish and one attack even resulted in an emergency room visit.  One day he finds a note in his desk which states, "we should be friends."  Thinking it is a trick by the bullies, when the notes continue, he soon learns that they are from Kojima, a quiet girl who has also been shunned and bullied.   She has been taunted and called "HazMat" because of the way she looks and dresses.  The two outcasts begin to meet secretly outside of school and develop and unlikely friendship in which they commensurate over what each has endured.

Kojimi's story is almost secondary to the unnamed narrator's but,  hers seems deeper and very philosophical. She has her reasons for keeping her slovenly appearance and seems to believes her suffering is in many ways holy. Her story is a sad one as well. I enjoyed the conversations between these two individuals and thought it provided a welcomed charge from the more upsetting aspects of the story.

Heaven is thought provoking novella. The heavy subject matter was an eye-opening account of trauma and the sometimes painful aspects of adolescence. The story also provided some insight from the perspective of one of the bullies as to why certain kids are targeted and why some bullies think it's okay to bully and that it's not personal.  The characters, especially Kojimi,  felt deep and complicated. I thought the ending felt jarring and its one that I am still thinking about. Definitely not a book for every reader but, I was happy I had this on my summer reading list. Translated from Japanese by David Boyd and Sam Bett and very well done.

RATING:  4/5  

Thanks go to Edelweiss and Europa Editions publishing for allowing me access to this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Book Review - Nives; Sacha Naspini

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  Nives, Sacha Nasoini

PUBLISHER: Europa Editions

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Literary / Loss and Forgiveness

FORMAT:  eGalley LENGTH: 144 pp.

SOURCE:  Edelweiss/publisher

SETTING(s):  Tuscany

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  Unable to mourn after the death of a spouse, perhaps a favorite chicken can make it all better so that you can move on?

BRIEF REVIEW:   When Nives Cilleraii  66, loses her husband of 50 years unexpectedly to a stroke she is unable to shed a tear. The couple lived on an isolated farm on the outskirts of Tuscany.  Lonely and unable to sleep but determined to carry on Nives finds unexpected companionship in Giacomina "Gia",  her favorite chicken of the brood, deformed claw and all.  Gia soon begins to live indoors with Nives and seems to be the answer to her prayers. But, when the chicken appears ill, gaze fixed after watching a Tide laundry commercial, Nives panics and contacts her former friend and Veterinarian, Loriano, a man who likes to drink.  On this particular evening Loriano has had more than his share yet, he takes the call from Nives and eventually makes several suggestions to wake the chicken out of what seems to be some sort of a trance. 

As the extended phone call progresses the two reminisce about younger days, earlier relationships and ghosts of the past which have haunted but remained tucked away until now.  Not only does Nives begin to heal and forgive but,  the chicken recovers as well.

I love Europa Edition's translated works and I have to say that this one was one of the most unusual I've tried thus far but, it did leave me smiling and thinking.  Sometimes you need to do whatever it takes to move on as life, my friends,  is for the living.

Translated from the Italian by  Clarissa Botsford. 

RATING:  3.5/5 stars

Book Review - A Girl Returned, Donatella DiPietrantonio

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  The Girl Returned, Donatella DiPietrantonio

PUBLISHER: Europa Editions

YEAR PUBLISHED:  2019

GENRE: Fiction 

FORMAT:  print PP/LENGTH: 170 pp.

SOURCE: Library

SETTING(s):  Italy

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A coming of age story about a girl caught between two families.

BRIEF REVIEW:  On what started out as an ordinary day in August of 1975, our unnamed narrator, just thirteen years old, is driven by the man she called "uncle," the man who lived with her mother, to now live with her "other mother" who she did not know.  All she is told was that her mother was sick and that this new family was her real family.

Now in the mountain town of Abruzzo, instead of being the only child, living in a nice home by the sea, she has been thrust into a chaotic household with 4 other children and too little of everything.  In this home the siblings must even fight for food.  Despite the trauma of being removed from the only family she had known,  our narrator develops a special relationship with the younger sister Adriana, 3 years her junior. The sisters become each others protector.  Over the course of a year although she receives money and gifts from her other mother, it isn't until almost the end of the novel that the mystery surrounding why she was taken from one family and given to another is revealed.

This is a brief novella, just 170 pages, and such a compelling coming-of-age story. My heart went out to the unnamed narrator, referred to only as the "Arminuta " (the returned), she was such a bright girl, a good student and a good daughter who struggled to understand why she was taken from her home so suddenly and forced to live with another family. The story was translated from the Italian by Ann Goldstein who has translated all the Elena Ferrante works.  A wonderful story, I loved how it ended as well.  Highly Recommended.

RATING: 5/5 stars

MEMORABLE QUOTES:  "One had given me up with her milk still on my tongue, the other had given me back at the age of thirteen. I was a child of separations, false or unspoken kinships, distances. I no longer knew who I came from. In my heart I don't even know now."