The Garden of Last Days: A Novel

by Andre Dubus III

I first learned of this title, a new book from the author of House of Sand and Fog, in a ringing endorsement written by Stephen King for Entertainment Weekly. In his essay called "Buzz Verses Hype", King writes "...this book is so good, so damn compulsively readable, that I can hardly believe it. The brooding cover — palm trees beneath a greenish sky that suggests bad luck, trouble, storms, perhaps total disaster — promises suspense; unlike most such covers, The Garden of Last Days actually delivers." Who could resist such a glowing review?
Not that I neccessarily trust Stephen King's recommendations. He wrote a similar review for a book called The Ruins by Scott Smith; it turned out to be one of the absolute worst books I have ever read. But I enjoyed House and Sand and Fog, so I reluctantly decided to give Mr. King a chance to redeem himself.
The Garden of Last Days is set in Florida during early September 2001. A single mother named April is forced to bring her three year old daughter to work after her babysitter/landlady Jean is sent to the hospital with chest pains. The problem is that April works as a dancer at a strip club, which is obviously no place for a child. While April is dancing in a private room for a foreigner with money to burn, little Franny quietly slips out of the club in search of her mother, only to be snatched by an unstable client.
There are over 500 pages in this book and many of them are about stripping. Dubus creates an interesting character in April, a smart girl determined to create a happy home for her daughter and survive the hard, lonely life she's living right now. Too bad most of the other characters aren't as interesting. I wish the story had focused more on April and was about a hundred pages shorter. This is an interesting story at times, but House of Sand and Fog is better.

And Sometimes Why: A Novel

By Rebecca Johnson

To the McMartin family, it seems like an ordinary morning at the breakfast table. Parents Darius and Sophie are quietly observing their daughters’ argument over whose turn it is to take the car that they share. Sixteen year old Helen- popular, pretty, outgoing – wants to go break up with her boyfriend, while eighteen year old Miranda – serious, smart, quiet- must decide whether to attend her college freshmen orientation or shop for new clothes. Finally, Helen agrees to catch a ride with a friend; a seemingly minor decision that will ultimately change their family forever.

While Miranda makes friends with a few fellow classmates, Helen breaks things off with Bobby, her guitar playing, motorcycle riding boyfriend. He takes the break up surprising well, asking only for one more night together for old time’s sake. Helen agrees and they ride off together on his bike. What Helen doesn’t know is that Bobby is actually a 37 year old drug dealer with an alias and an alcohol problem; this ride will be her last.

Rebecca Johnson has created an interesting premise here and the characters of the McMartin family are well drawn. For me, problems arise when other characters, like a good looking game show host and a lonely filmmaker, take center stage. Although the characters are connected, their relationships sometimes feel tenuous and only distracted me from Helen’s story. If the author had focused more on the McMartins, I think it would be a more satisfying book. Still, And Sometimes Why is an engrossing look at one family’s tragedy and how it affects the lives of other people as well.

What Now?

by Ann Patchett

I've been a big fan of Ann Patchett's work since I read The Patron Saint of Liars a few years back and it remains one of my all time favorite books. I always find her writing eloquent, affecting and entertaining. What Now? is based on a commencement speech she recently gave at Sarah Lawrence College, her alma mater. She writes, "If all fairy tales begin 'Once upon a time,' then all graduation speeches begin 'When I was sitting where you are now.'" In reading What Now?, its hard not to get nostalgic for your own commencements and that wonderful feeling that anything is possible.
For the author, answering the question "What now?" was often a struggle, as she tried to figure out her next steps following high school, college, grad school, and various jobs on the way to becoming a successful writer (including a position waiting tables at TGI Fridays where yours truly also worked for about a month after my own college graduation. It was one of the three worst jobs I ever had.) What Patchett tries to impart to her audience (or readers) is that the question What now doesn't have to be stress inducing, but instead a way to open yourself up to the world of possiblities and make all your dreams come true. She writes, "What now is not just a panic stricken question tossed out into a dark unknown. What now can also be our joy. It is a declaration of possibility, of promise, of chance. There is a time in our lives when we all crave the answers. It seems terrifying not to know what's coming next. But there is another time, a better time, when we see our lives as a series of choices, and what now represents our excitement and our future, the very vitality of life...If you're trying to find out what's coming next, turn off everything you own that has an OFF switch and listen...Identify your heart's truest desire and don't change that for anything." What Now? is an inspirational read for anyone at a crossroads in life and a great gift for recent graduates.

Standing Still: A Novel

by Kelly Simmons

This is a story about a former journalist, Claire Cooper, now a wife and mother living in a beautiful new home in the suburbs with her husband and three young daughters. It's immediately apparent that Claire has some anxiety issues and maritial problems with her workoholic, often absent husband, Sam.

One dark and stormy night while Claire is home alone, a man breaks into their home thru a skylight, and attempts to kidnap her oldest daughter. Somehow, Claire convinces him to take her instead. It is eventually revealed that this kidnapping is not a random act, but payback for her husband's involvement in illegal and immoral activities at work. Luckily for Claire, she happens to have a kidnapper with a heart of gold, who promises that she won't be harmed as long as Sam pays the steep ransom. As the story progresses, many secrets about Claire's past and her marriage are revealed as we wait for Sam's response to the ransom demand.

Before I review this book, I have to first admit that I'm not a huge fan of mystery/suspense novels. (I just can't seem to resist skipping to the back of the book to sneak a peak at how the book will end.) I picked Standing Still because the starred review in Publisher's Weekly called it an "electrifying debut" and the inside flap mentioned that it would appeal to fans of Sue Miller, one of my favorite writers. While I found this book suspenseful and somewhat entertaining, I don't really see any similarities to Ms. Miller's work at all. I found it kind of unbelieveable that Claire's kidnapper would be such a nice, reasonable person and I felt the character of Sam was a bit underdeveloped. While this book wasn't really my cup of tea, I would recommend it to fans of the suspense genre in search of a quick, easy read.

Falling Into Manholes: The Memoir of a Bad/Good Girl

by Wendy Merrill

In the introduction to this book, author Wendy Merrill states, "...this menmoir seeks to provide what we all need more of: a good laugh, an easy read, and hope." Unfortunately, what I mostly got out of this book was a very bad headache. While I can sympathize with a person who suffers from anorexia, bulimia, drug addiction, sex addiction, love addiction, alcoholism AND low self esteem, Wendy's story is just exhausting. Reading her book is like hanging out with a really annoying, completely self absorbed friend who never shuts up.

The worst part is the way she seems to think that all her complaining is witty and funny and fascinating. This cleverness is the book's biggest turn off for me; after one or two chapters, it's just too much. The worst offenses:

• the frequent use of made up words like "men-o-pause", "manorexia", "memento", "co-demendency" - you get the idea!
  


• the conversations between "big Wendy" vs. "little Wendy"
  


• repeatedly referring to her status as firstborn child as the "experimental model", including the bizarre "Case Study" baby announcement written by her intellectual parents.
  

And the men the author falls head over heels for?!! I've gone for the wrong guy myself a few times, but it's almost unbelievable that one woman could have so many disastrous relationships. And yet, just when you think you've hit rock bottom and you're ready to toss Falling Into Manholes into your trash bin, there's a genuinely moving chapter about Wendy's mother's death and some thoughtful observations about the film Breakfast at Tiffany's.

If you are brave enough to pick up this book, I'd recommend skipping over all the "poor me" b.s., going right to the back of the book and the author's long, long, LONG awaited realization that before she can expect someone else to love her, she has to love herself.

Love the One You're With: A Novel

By Emily Giffin

Emily Giffin has been one of my favorite chick lit writers ever since the debut of Something Borrowed in 2004. Her books always have a good heroine, a juicy plot and a touch of romance. I’m not saying she’s our next literary great, but if you’re looking for something fun to read for summer, her novels rarely disappoint. (Plus, something about the pretty pastel cover art is just irresistible!)

Giffin’s latest book is centered on Ellen Dempsey, a happily married photographer from Pittsburgh living in Manhattan. Newlywed Ellen has the perfect marriage, until she suddenly reconnects with a man from her past. Leo is the one who got away, but now he realizes his mistake and he wants her back. Luckily for Ellen, Andy is the ideal husband and she is able to resist Leo’s charms at first. But eventually a romantic plane ride and a lonely new life in Atlanta begin to change her mind.

Readers will root for Ellen and Andy to work things out despite the undeniable appeal of passionate, handsome Leo, who seems to appreciate Ellen in ways that Andy no longer does. As the book nears its final pages, the suspense builds as Ellen’s future becomes more and more uncertain, but the ending is ultimately satisfying and, most importantly, happy.

House Rules: A Memoir

By Rachel Sontag

This is the true story of the author’s experiences growing up in an extremely dysfunctional family. Although Rachel, her sister and her parents appeared picture perfect to friends and family members, this illusion could not have been further from the truth. Rachel’s father, a respected physician, was a very sick person, obsessed with controlling and tormenting his family to the point of emotional abuse. Twelve year old Rachel is his usual target, forced to obey a list of written rules posted in the kitchen, and endure painful, insulting nightly interrogation sessions. Although Rachel’s mother makes a couple of halfhearted attempts to divorce her husband, she is ultimately unable to end her marriage despite its emotional toll on her children.
I’d recommend this book to readers of Jeanette Wall’s The Glass Castle, another story of abuse.