Spectacle, by Pamela Newkirk: This story of Ota Benga, a Mbuti “pygmy” man who was captured by a white American man and exhibited (yes, exhibited) for some time at the Bronx Zoo in the 1900s, was extremely sad and well-researched. As important as the story is, and as skillful as the author’s writing, it felt lacking through no fault of its own – only because there was so much history missing/never recorded.
The Push, by Ashley Audrain: I read this in a day or two and found it hard to put down, but the territory (new mother, child who shows signs of sociopathy) felt too well-trodden (it’s impossible not to think of The Bad Seed or We Need to Talk About Kevin) and the ending slightly silly. That said, I admired the way the title functioned on numerous levels.
The End of Drum Time, by Hanna Pyväinen: I loved this – the writing is tremendous and the setting (1850s in the very northernmost part of Scandinavia, where Norway, Sweden, and Finland border one another and the Sami people herd reindeer) was incredibly drawn.
I Have Some Questions For You, by Rebecca Makkai: I’ve seen so many critiques of this (and raves as well) – it does too much, the second person address is cloying, the protagonist is unlikeable – and I have to say none of that made any difference in my enjoyment and fascination with this. Yes, it takes on a number of different current issues, which is part of what I liked about it, and it explores the uncomfortable grey areas of justice and memory. Highly recommend.
Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr: What an absolutely genius book with an extremely dumb title! The different pieces and protagonists of this novel fit together so perfectly and the themes built so deftly that I can almost forgive the title, but why?? When I first started the book I thought “oh, “cloud cuckoo land” is a reference to a real myth and so the author’s hands were somewhat tied in that sense,” but I actually think it’s a myth of Doerr’s own invention. It also inevitably brings to mind Cloud Atlas, which (despite its many protagonists) is not at all similar. Anyway – I’ll read this again and again; it’s brilliant.
