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Leo Fife is a documentary filmmaker with a celebrated history and a host of accolades. Now, as he is in the final stages of cancer, he grants one last filmed interview. Surrounded by his protege and his crew who idolize him, the story that Leo shares are very different from what they expected. It is especially difficult for his long time wife to hear. What emerges is not the past of their idol's artistic journey but that of a troubled young man who used people and abandoned two families before fleeing to Canada along with all the draft dodgers of the Vietnam era. Leonard Fife might be someone who is brilliant at his craft but he isn't necessarily a nice person. I would characterize him as "a runner". The prose flows freely and Banks does an excellent job of setting the stage and playing with the sense of light and darkness both in the room and Fife's life story. This deathbed confession is not easy to listen to and we tend to think of him as a tyrant at the end but it does ring true. This is a perfect choice for readers who want strong characters instead of an action-packed plot such as those found in books by Elizabeth Stroud, Willy Vlautin, and Pat Conroy. 4 stars 
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In a sleepy little town in Massachusetts lives a family in turmoil. Ethan is a nice guy whose friend and business partner just got the company into a huge mess which will disrupt their family income. His wife, Zoe is a wannabe white witch, hellraiser activist, filmmaker model who has jumped on the #metoo movement in their town. Their daughter, Alex is a high-energy child with ADD and is in danger of getting booted out of her private school. Their part-time nanny living with them as a favor to a friend is a blue-haired free spirit who loves hanging out with the locals and sampling whatever drugs they have to offer but she is great with Alex and has surprising insight into Ethan and Zoe's marriage. Ethan is questioning everything he can't control which is basically his life, his marriage, his daughter, and his business. Sometimes it takes a huge event, a smash-up to put things back together. A hard look at how hard life can be sometimes. Perfect for anyone who has felt overwhelmed this year by politics, parenthood, marriage, and COVID. 4 stars  A newborn, a husband who travels frequently, and an unfinished dissertation on children's literature does not mix as Megan soon finds out. She is struggling with the 24/7 needs of the baby so when she has a strange encounter with the hidden upstairs neighbor who happens to be children's author Margaret Wise Brown and no one else sees her - we think she is headed for the Psych ward. The ghost of Margaret is kind and grandmotherly enough but her lover, Michael Strange is all poltergeist. Soon Megan and her baby find themselves in danger as tubs overflow, fires set themselves and lightbulbs shatter under Michael's influence. This is a deep dark journey down the rabbit hole of post-partum depression and sleep deprivation as well as a look at two unfulfilled women separated by years yet joined in their feelings of inadequacy. A little bit of horror and a little bit psychological thriller, it flips you around so you are not sure if you are joining Megan in a dream or a nightmare. 4 stars  A delightful story of a little girl and her traveling salesman father. M and her father D have an unusual alliance ever since the age of seven when she announced that she would become his assistant. Some days school gets missed for longer trips and there are times she becomes assistants to other salesmen when they realize the benefit of having a cute little girl next to them to close the deal. M is charming, whipsmart, and in the same vein as Fredrik Backman's characters, a true delight. As she gets older she realizes more about her dad, being a traveling salesman, and how it shaped her adult behavior. A slim novel that teaches that life isn't too tough when your shoes are shiny, you smoke a lucky cigarette and you are helping your dad. 4 stars  An East Coast girl's boarding school with a stellar reputation gets knocked off its pedestal when an alum goes public with claims that she was raped and the rapist is still there. Every male staffer is suspect and the school administration does not do itself any favors by trying to sweep it under the rug. A group of activist students who run the school paper and others will not be dismissed and force the school to take a stand. This debut is a dichotomy of old school rituals and hazing amidst the current atmosphere of awakening students. If some of them were naive the first year they will feel very differently by the end of their years there. The author taught at several boarding schools so she knows what she writes about and is completely qualified to speak about this touchy subject. Anyone who was touched by MY DARK VANESSA or THE ELITES will appreciate this story. 4 stars  What a wild and crazy book that goes from soft lovable moments to insane gangster-like situations in Asia. Tiller is a likable 20-year-old who happens to be befriended by a wealthy businessman who is developing a wonder drink and he invites Tiller to Asia to promote it. This leads to a race around Asia involving late nights, lots of alcohol, and other crazy situations and it isn't too long before Tiller realizes he is in over his head as is his mentor Pong. The tandem story is when Tiller comes home and meets Val and her young son who are on the run and part of the witness protection program. Val and Tiller have a mutually secretive relationship but it is easy to see how he dotes on Val's young son. Each will have to trust the other with more of their story and even though we can't always see the thread that holds these stories together, the author does a great job of tying up the loose ends. It is a story of love and connection. The writing style is nice and easy with just enough humor that you can't help liking Tiller while you are shaking your head at his lack of good judgment. 4 stars  Finlay is out of money, out of patience, and about to be out of a job. Her soon-to-be ex-husband controls her finances and the key to their kid's hearts plus her editor will drop her if she doesn't come up with the new romance novel she was already paid the advance for. A chance meeting lands her $50K if she will get rid of a bad guy husband. As luck would have it (or bad luck) she gets rid of the guy and now Finlay is a gun for hire. This screwball comedy will have you in stitches and firmly rooting for the big glasses, wig scarf-wearing Finlay, and her babysitter accomplice. If you enjoyed reading about the madcap adventures of Stephanie Plum or Bernadette then this is the book you have been waiting for. 4 fun stars  A family flees a war-torn Afghanistan to the magical land of opportunity - Australia only to find their dreams and promised land might not be all they thought. Their horrific boat journey takes its toll on them and the others they travel with and when they finally reach Australia they are put in a refugee camp. Conditions are awful and while they try to find work the odds of being allowed to stay are stacked against them. Firuzeh and her brother Nour do their best to help teach their parents English and help them however they can but it is a daily battle. The kids keep their sanity by inventing elaborate fairy tales like the ones their parents told them but it is not enough. Sadly, most Australians do not want them to stay and even the little help they do receive is often misguided. The choppy sentence structure takes a bit of time to get used to but it does serve to make Firuzeh's voice feel more authentic. Any reader of international immigration issues will find this both heartbreaking and a call to action. 4 stars  Muneer sees a much younger Saeedah and falls for her. She is his cousin and the family feels this will be a good match and Saeedah is more than happy to leave Saudi Arabia for the wilds of Cleveland. As university students they do not have much but it is not a bad marriage in the beginning. As Saeedah is expecting their first child the couple drifts apart, especially Saeedah. They divorce and Saeedah does the unthinkable - she takes their little girl and runs. Muneer and his family search for years but come up empty. Once grown their daughter is spotted and reunited with her father and family in Saudi Arabia. A child of both cultures belonging to neither one, this is a poignant story of broken families, broken cultures and the expectations of straddling the old traditions with the modern world. It is also a story of what it is like after 9/11 to be a muslim living in a country that doesn't trust you and fears you. 3 1/2 stars  Maddy, her small tribe and Root, the dog don't consider themselves homeless. They live in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco following a set schedule, keeping under the radar and living life on their terms. Life is ok until the day that Root takes off leading Maddy to the body of a young guy in the bushes. Most of the people in the park take little notice of Shane's murder but Maddy ends up a witness and gets unwanted attention from Shane's distraught parents. As much as she wants to do things her own way she ends up getting pulled deeper and deeper into Shane's demise and helping the grieving parents understand. This powerful, non-judgmental look at the young homeless population shows a group that is sometimes trapped by their non conformance to society as well as running from an even worse situation at home. They are family, they are community and they try to take care of each other any way they can. After reading this you might feel compelled to smile at the next person you see on the corner instead of looking the other way. Readers of LONG BRIGHT RIVER will enjoy this book. 4 stars  |
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