Where'd You Go Bernadette Is a Wonderfully Quirky and Fun Book

Some of my reviews have praised authors for their prose, their character development, their ability to make me think, but this isn't one of those. Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple is just plain fun. To write some lengthy review analyzing this book would ruin that a bit (or maybe I'm just being lazy).

That being said, I loved the quirky characters, the offbeat story, and the way it is told through snips of emails, letters, official correspondence, and other bits and pieces. You can tell from the beginning that Semple is wildly creative and funny, someone with whom you might want to grab a cocktail and have a good laugh. She is a screenwriter with television credits (Arrested Development, Ellen, Mad About You, and Saturday Night Live) that you make you say, "yes, of course!" after reading this book. If you're looking for something light and fun, pick this up.  

The Submission: How Would You Feel?

A jury gathers at Gracie Mansion in Manhattan to consider blind submissions for a memorial to those who died on 9/11. Two finalists are considered in these opening pages, and the jury makes their selection. Relieved to be finished with the discussions and deliberations, the jury anxiously awaits the big reveal to learn the identity of the architect behind the winning submission. However, the jurors soon learn the ordeal is far from over when the envelope is opened to reveal an American Muslim as the winning architect. 

The Submission considers what happens next. Racism and fear are, of course, pervasive. The winning submission, a garden, is labelled by many (including members of the intellectual elite) as a Muslim garden, and it is viewed by many as a further slap in the face to all Americans. Everyone has a personal stake in the decision of whether this memorial will ever be built. 

As someone who lived in Manhattan on 9/11, I have spent a good deal of energy avoiding literature, movies, retrospectives, and conversations regarding that tragic event. This was a leap out of my comfort zone when I opened the first page. Surprisingly I didn't find the book difficult from a historic perspective, but I think the book did make me feel slightly uncomfortable in other respects (as I'm sure was the author's intent). How would I have felt at the time? My snap answer is, I wouldn't care. I'm no racist. I'm open minded and a thinker, someone who scoffed at those on TV who cried out "bomb them" in the days after 9/11 without having any idea of who "them" was. But would it have mattered at all? If the New York Times and not USA Today speculated that the memorial was some sort of celebration of Muslim culture, would that have mattered? I think, ultimately, the answer is no, but the author, Amy Waldman, gets bonus points in my book for engaging me in such an internal dialogue and forcing me to acknowledge that I'm not always as open-minded as I like to believe.  

I like a novel that forces its reader to reflect or perhaps face uncomfortable truths. For these reasons I appreciated the novel. However, there were times when I found myself frustrated with the characters or thinking that the story wasn't progressing quite fluidly or quickly enough. The novel follows many different characters, some much more compelling and likable than others. My favorite was a young, illegal immigrant who loses her husband when the towers collapse. However, I think Waldman tried to do too much, and many of the characters fail to truly flourish. Ultimately, the idea of the novel is much more compelling than the novel itself.   

Beautiful Ruins, a Perfect Holiday Read

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter begins in a postage stamp sized coastal village in Italy where a young hotel proprietor dreams of attracting glamorous American tourists with an ill conceived tennis court and a crumbling hotel. One day a beautiful American actress happens on the hotel, and the proprietor's life is forever changed. 

This early portion of the book, set in Italy in 1962, reminded me of an old, remastered movie of the sort I used to watch with my mom over Christmas holidays. Perhaps a young Grace Kelly would play the young starlet; although Princess Grace was probably always too sophisticated (but not too beautiful) for such a part. 

The actress and the proprietor are together for only a few short days, and they share a strong attraction that is never discussed or consummated (which, of course, it wouldn't have been in an old movie). They continue on their separate paths living wildly different lives, but they never forget each other. The story picks back up 50 years later when they finally meet again in the United States. 

There are many other characters who Walter weaves into this story, all of whom are unique and compelling. This was a fun, enjoyable read, something you might throw in your carry on or rip into on the beach, a cool drink and a shady umbrella both close at hand. My book club agreed, this was a winner, and we all liked how Walter did a short "where are they now" profile of all of the characters at the end of the book, so we weren't left to wonder what becomes of each of them after the last page is turned. 

Read Child 44 for the Political Intrigue, Not the Mystery

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith is part historical fiction, part political intrigue, and part murder mystery. I would rate the novel highly in the first of those two genres (and highly overall), but if you're a reader on the hunt for a great murder mystery, you may be a bit disappointed.  

Leo Demidov is a cog in Stalin's Soviet Union, a rising member of the MGB, the State Security Force. As an investigator, Leo lacks imagination and blindly follows orders, never questioning whether the State might be wrong. In this world murder does not exist, and those who are suspected of crimes against the State are always guilty and must be rooted out and removed from society. 

However, in this "crime-free" society, a serial killer is on the loose. His targets are defenseless children, their bodies abandoned near train tracks. This serial killer is given refuge and ultimately unfettered freedom to kill by the State because the State would rather sacrifice a few than allow the spread of fear by acknowledging that any murders have even occurred. This, of course, is an interesting philosophy in a society that we all now know was ruled by fear. 

When Leo questions what is happening, he too is quickly recast as an enemy of the State and turned out. Rather than bending to the will of the State, Leo sets out on a lonely and dangerous path to find the truth and stop the serial killer from striking again. This quest for truth costs him dearly, but he is ultimately successful in tracking down and rooting out the killer. The mystery is relatively easily solved, but I don't think Smith intended to write a complex murder mystery, as his story is about so much more.