Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

An odd book, one of that sub-genre of fiction that borrows characters from another work of fiction, in this case Melville's Moby Dick. The best recent example I have read of this sub-genre is "March" by Geraldine Brooks - an excellent book that borrows characters from "Little Women". "Ahab's Wife" centers around the women who was barely mentioned in "Moby Dick", the wife of Ahab.

The writing is excellent, the author a real craft person, but the big is big and loose and self-indulgent. Melville's book is also big and somewhat self-indulgent, but it had the focus of a harponeer on it's destination. At times I had to wonder where "Ahab's Wife" was headed - it wandered all over the literary landscape. But still, it is a good read and worth the time.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

An interesting book, the Pulitzer prize winner for fiction in 2009. Interesting and fun to read. A series of related short stories that at least mention the character of Olive Kitteridge, a crusty New Englander that taught school for years. The stories involve people that knew her or were influenced by her, her husband, son, and so on. They are all finely crafted and suspenseful. Well worth a read.

Work Song by Ivan Doig

This is a pleasant enough book, basically a reminiscence of 1919 Butte, Montana. Morrie Morgan, a character from Doig's earlier novel, "The Whistling Season", blows into Butte, penniless and without prospects, and becomes a peripheral character in a conflict between the miner's union, a communist worker's group, and the mine owners. The conflict can be summarized as: union good, communists bad, capitalists evil. Only the union viewpoint is examined - none of the characters belong to any of the other groups.

There is not much depth here. The plot is thin, the characters are not surprising or even very interesting, and the ending is blah. Doig's earlier novel, "The Whistling Season", was much better.

Beautiful Maria of My Soul by Oscar Hijuelos

Hot Latin Lovers! This is the story of the life of Maria Garcia, the beautiful Cuban dancer from the author's previous novel, "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love", which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. "Mambo Kings" had more hot sex scenes than all the previous Pulitzer Prize winners combined, and this novel continues in that same tradition.

Maria grows from a poor illiterate child in rural Cuba, to a dancer in the pre-Castro nightclubs of Havana. She meets Nestor Castillo, one of the brothers at the heart of the Mambo Kings, and inspires him to write the classic love song that is the title of the novel.

The story follows Maria through her life, as she loves many men, has a daughter, escapes from Cuba to the US, marries, and so on. Always, her love for Nestor is something she cannot forget.

In an odd twist, the author shows up in his own novel as a character!. I cannot remember this happening in any of the other thousands of novels I have read. It's an intriguing twist to the story, and adds some verisimilitude, leaving the reader wondering what is real and what is fiction.

The novel is well done and satisfying, the love scenes are hot and graphic, and the portrayal of Cuba and Cubans realistic. Highly recommended.

The Whole World by Emily Winslow

A unique and interesting novel, a true literary mystery. Set in Cambridge, the story follows a group of loosely linked students, professors, a policeman, and their families, as they encounter a series of odd occurrences, disappearances and even murder. The plot is Gothic in nature, full of family secrets, hidden pasts, and violent passions.

But the unique part of the novel is the manner of telling the story. It's a first person serial, with each character telling their share of the story from their own viewpoint. That's nothing new, but usually the first person serial characters return over and over, as in Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying". In "The Whole World" each character has their say only once. It's an effective technique, and generates a real page turner of a novel as the complicated plot unfolds layer by layer.

An excellent read, on many levels.

An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke

Great title, excellent idea, depressing execution. The mix of humor and tragedy is off. Too much tragedy, not enough humor, especially the ending.

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall

An outstanding novel - if this doesn't win a major award this year I will be very surprised. It examines in detail a family of one husband, four wives, and twenty-eight or so children. The father is stretched too thin, economically and emotionally, and is lying to his wives and on the verge of having an affair - as odd as that may seem. Wife #4 and son #5 are followed closely as well, giving the reader a fascinating glimpse into the psychology of a poly-family.

But it is the humor that really makes the novel stand out. It's the humor of awkward situations and unintended consequences, the type where you just can't believe that happened, but are totally convinced it could have. The humor is mixed with pathos and tragedy, which makes it all the more real.

It's a fascinating novel, perfect for a book club or discussion group. A real page turner too, with unexpected twists and turns and an ending that is real and not manipulative or saccharine. Highly recommended.