Book Review- Jhumpa Lahiri's The Lowland

Jhumpa Lahiri just might be my favorite contemporary author. If not the top, then definitely in the top three. She knocks it out of the park again with her second novel, The Lowland, a family drama is set against two contrasting backdrops, Calcutta and Rhode Island. 

Subhash and Udayan are two close, yet very different, brothers growing up in India during the 1950's, witnessing the racial and social inequalities in their neighborhood. When they reach adulthood, Subhash takes the safe road and attends college, ultimately studying abroad in America. Udayan fights for change by joining the Naxalite movement, a guerrilla communist group. When Udayan is brutally murdered due to his involvement in the movement, Subhash agrees to marry Udayan's pregnant wife and raise his niece as his own daughter in America.

Lahiri writes beautifully. When I read her stories, I have to constantly remind myself to slow down and soak in her lyrical and layered quality to her writing. She has a gift. Beyond that, she spins really amazing stories. The Lowland is just overflowing with rich characters who are filled with emotion and who face enormous dilemmas. Lahiri sets the stakes high. If there could be one encompassing theme to the story, it would the idea of figuring out who you are and staying true to yourself. Lahiri's characters often struggle with self-acceptance, especially when it flies in the face of what society expects.

It's this internal struggle that the characters have that makes the story so captivating. Quite honestly, some of the things that the characters do are shocking and it's hard not to feel judgement towards them, even when they are following their heart. This is a story of profound sadness. It's gut wrenching.

I highly recommend The Lowland and all of Lahiri's works as must reads. If you've not read her, stop reading my blog and head to a bookstore now!

Book Review- Gillian Flynn's Dark Places

If you love books, you know that horrible scenario that frequently happens...you're snuggled in bed, reading the most engaging and enthralling book and with less than 10% to go, your eyes start feeling heavy. You catch yourself nodding off, yet you must keep reading. You need to know how it ends! Yawn. Finally, you come to your senses. You put the book down and turn off the lights, for it's better to wait until the morning when you're fully rested, than to ruin the ending of the book because you're too exhausted to appreciate it. 

Frustrating. 

That's how I spent the last handful of chapters with Gillian Flynn's marvelous thriller, Dark Places. I had to put it down and finish it first thing when I woke up the next morning, which was an hour earlier than normal. I had to know the ending!

I've now read all of Flynn's novels and she is definitely one of my favorite authors. I normally don't gravitate towards anything labeled suspense/thriller/mystery, but what sets Flynn's novels apart is her keen ability to create fascinating characters. Sure, her stories have a solid mystery element (I really didn't know how it would all play out until the very end), but what keeps me reading are the great characters.

Set in a rural farming community in Kansas, Dark Places follows an unlikely heroine, Libby Day, whose mother and two sisters are brutally murdered when Libby was seven years old. Libby narrowly escaped being murdered herself and gave questionable testimony that named her older brother, Ben, as the perpetrator. The story is told through flashbacks to the early 1980's, in the weeks leading up to the crime and in the present, where a thirty-something Libby is trying to come to terms with her past and to figure out if her brother has been serving a life sentence for a crime that he didn't commit. 

Just as the title implies, this story is dark, violent and very disturbing. In particular, there is a very gruesome chapter involving teenagers in a satanic cult and cow mutilation. Flynn writes characters who are rough around the edges and who are occasionally completely immoral, with no redemption. There is good in many of the characters, but it's not a given. I find this a big part of the appeal to her stories. Her characters are not like people that I know and they live lives that are vastly different from my own, yet she writes them in a way that's completely believable, even if I've never encountered it. Flynn writes and I happily go along for the ride.

I read that the movie version is to be released this year, with Charlize Theron taking on the lead  role of Libby Day. She is not how I envisioned the character while reading the book, but Theron doesn't shy away from gritty, so I'm sure that she will do it justice. Libby Day is not a pretty character. It should make for a good film, but do yourself a favor and read the novel first. Flynn has such a masterful way with words that it would be a real shame to only know this story through the film adaptation. Also, don't write this story off as genre fiction, it is filled with strong literary merit and Flynn is a worthy writer. 

Book Review- Alexander McCall Smith's The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon

Alexander McCall Smith is a prolific author. Even with all of the various series that Smith writes, I can always count on an annual installment of his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series, one of my all-time favorite book series. 

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon marks the fourteenth book in the series. So far, the series has not grown stale and with every book, the character development has grown richer. As the series continues, there has been a subtle shift away from the mystery solving element and a bigger emphasis on the characters personal lives. 

In this book, Mma Makutsi has given birth to her first child and is on maternity leave from the detective agency. Mma Ramotswe quickly learns the value of Mma Makutsi, not only as an employee, but also as a dear friend. This book is a sweet ode to their friendship.

There is also a great side story involving Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni's efforts to become a more modern husband. It made me laugh-out-loud, which is a rarity in Smith's books, which are always funny, but not enough to elicit such a big reaction from me. They most often leave me with a smile.

If you've never had the pleasure of reading a book from this series, then go get one now! I highly recommend starting with the first, however each book stands on its own and you would easily be able to understand the characters and their relationships. What you would miss if you read them out of sequence is the evolution of the characters, which is an aspect of the series that I've really loved.

These books will make you feel good. I liken them to an episode of Little House on the Prairie, sweet stories with a moral lesson and endearing characters. They are my happy spot!