Fascinating Glimpse at Family Dysfunction

Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur

Publication Date – October 15, 2019

4 stars

When the author was fourteen years old, her mother made her complicit in the burgeoning affair she was conducting with her ailing husband’s best friend.  Throughout the years, the author became the willing confidant and initiator of the trysts between the two lovers even as the experience left a physical and emotional toll.  I am not sure a lesser writer would have pulled off this memoir, but fortunately the lovely writing,  honest self-assessment and unwavering compassion made for a captivating read.  I received an advanced copy of this book through the BookishFirst program in exchange for an honest review. 

Relevant New Memoir

Things We Didn’t Talk About When I Was A Girl by Jeannie Vanasco

Publication Date – October 1, 2019

4 stars

When we think about rape, it is sometimes the norm to picture sinister strangers in dark alleys but in reality most rapists are acquaintances.  Jeannie Vanasco’s hard-hitting book delves into her own experience as a young adult when she was raped by one of her closest friends.  She decided to contact her rapist while in the process of writing this memoir and she includes the transcript from her conversations with him, interspersed with her own thoughts and feelings.  This book is intense, thought-provoking and awkward.  I had to take frequent breaks in order to synthesize my own thoughts on what I was reading.  I did have minor issues with some of the content, but I think overall that this is an important book for young women and men who are struggling with what constitutes consent, especially in dealing with friends of the opposite sex.  I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Tin House Galley Club in exchange for an honest review. 

Queen of the Essay

Make It Scream, Make It Burn by Leslie Jamison

Publication Date – September 24, 2019

3.5 stars

I will always read anything that Leslie Jamison writes, mainly because I loved everything that she has written in the past.  That said, this collection was maybe not my favorite.  As always, the essays were extremely well written but some of these felt dated and one I am sure that I read before in a magazine (which is weird, because I don’t read a lot of magazines).  Some were very good, some didn’t really hold my interest for the entire piece.  So, while this was a perfectly enjoyable collection, I guess my expectations were a little higher.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Wonder of a New Ann Patchett Novel

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Publication Date - September 24, 2019
5 stars

I have debated how to start this review with enough passion to convey house much I love this new novel by Ann Patchett, but I guess I will just say that I really loved this book and let it be.  It is a beautiful family saga about a house, familial bonds and accepting the life you want to live.  I think that Patchett is better than almost anyone else about describing the bonds that develop between humans, whether it be during a hostage situation, at a home for unwed mothers, deep in a jungle or between family members trying to distance themselves from the past.  I received a digital ARC from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Gilmore Girls Explored

Gilmore Girls: A Cultural History by Lara C. Stache and Rachel Davidson
Publication Date - September 15, 2019
3 stars

I am a huge fan of Gilmore Girls and started watching with the first episode so I was excited to explore some of the cultural themes of the show.  This started out strong and I was interested to delve back into these character's lives.  Eventually, though, it felt like the authors ran out of ideas and it started to feel repetitive.  Overall, it was nice to revisit Stars Hollow but I was hoping for something more.  I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Friday Review

Amity and Prosperity: a Story of Energy in Two American Towns by Eliza Griswold

5 stars

This is a book that I will be thinking about for a long time to come.  The author investigates fracking in one rural community as two families deal with the environmental contamination that affects their water and air from the process of natural gas extraction.  This isn’t an easy answer kind of story.  The fracking boom in these rural communities is on the one hand adding jobs and money where it is much needed, on the other hand it is not being done completely responsibly and the people who can least afford to are suffering.  I will say that it would be much easier to see two sides to this story if the gas companies and many government officials didn’t behave so entirely inhumanely.  This is an important book and I hope that these stories keep getting told because it is the only way to add accountability to corporations that believe they need none.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.