A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny explores a murder at an
artist's village home where Chief Inspector Gamache and his team encounter
deceptive nuances in the art world that distort every clue. Similar to others in this series with atmospheric
writing, subtle insights into the characters and the art world. For me, there was a little too much retelling
of the previous novel and similarities to others in this series… Ok, I’ve
probably read too many of these in the past year.
*The Sympathizer by
Viet Thank Nguyen is narrated by a communist double agent, is a “man of two
minds,” a half-French, half-Vietnamese army captain who arranges to come to
America after the Fall of Saigon. He builds a new life with other Vietnamese
refugees in LA while secretly reporting back to his communist superiors in
Vietnam, but always feels like an outsider because of all the dualities in his
life. This Pulitzer prize winner has much excellent writing, psychological
insight combined with humor and wisdom, but tends to get caught up in its own
eloquence
**Green by Sam Graham-Felsen is a coming-of-age novel about race,
privilege, and the struggle to get ahead in America, written by a former Obama
campaign staffer and energized by an exuberant, unforgettable narrator. As one of a few whites at MLKing Middle
School, David Greenfield is part hip-hop, part nerd, and a totally
unique creation. “Green earns . . . a spot on the
continuum of vernacular in the American literary tradition, from The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to The Catcher in the Rye.” (Boston Globe)
The Rooster Bar by John Grisham was inspired by an Atlantic
article and highlights the disturbing world of for-profit legal (and other
types of) education. Three students who borrowed
heavily to attend a third-tier, for-profit law school so mediocre that its
graduates rarely pass the bar learn that their school is owned by a shady New
York hedge-fund operator who also happens to own a bank specializing in student
loans team up to seek justice. The plot
is creative, but the writing is mixed and not up to Grisham’s usual standard.
