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Fiction A to Z January 2018
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The End We Start From
by Megan Hunter
This post-apocalyptic debut is set in London, England -- though parts of the city itself are deep under water. After giving birth to a baby boy, our unnamed narrator flees north with her husband and son, seeking refuge first with family, then with the government, and finally on their own. With spare prose and a meditative style, this novel almost reads like poetry; with an equal emphasis on both motherhood and the perils of catastrophe, it can also be read as a warning for a world threatened by climate change.
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| A Hundred Small Lessons: A Novel by Ashley HayWhat it's about: In Brisbane, Australia, a young family moves into a new house after Elsie, the elderly owner, enters a nursing home. Photos in the attic -- and footsteps in the damp grass -- suggests a connection between old owner and new that only sensitive Lucy, struggling with her new life as a stay-at-home mother, can feel.
Why you might like it: No ghost story, A Hundred Small Lessons is a compassionate, character-driven look at marriage, motherhood, memory, and connection. |
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Radio Free Vermont: A Fable of Resistance
by Bill McKibben
What if Vermont were to secede from the U.S., relying on a barter economy and the fruits of local labor? That's exactly what radio personality Vern Barclay aims to find out, as his attempts to sidestep big box stores and Coors beer in favor of shopping local and Vermont's microbreweries gets more and more out of hand. Branded a terrorist after a piece of mischief goes south, Vern goes underground, attracting a motley crew of revolutionaries. Offbeat and yet playfully provocative, this debut novel wrestles with questions of ethics and morality.
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| The Ice House: A Novel by Laura Lee SmithWhat it's about: Facing the ruin of his business as well as surgery for a potentially malignant brain tumor, Johnny MacKinnon decides that now is the best time to track down his estranged son, a recovering heroin addict with no marketable skills who is now raising a young daughter alone.
Why you might like it: Set in Florida and Scotland, this engaging novel features flawed but likable characters, a sense of urgency, and humor.
For fans of: introspective family dramas told from multiple perspectives, such as Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere. |
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The Animators: A Novel
by Kayla Rae Whitaker
In this much-anticipated debut, two women who met in a college art class (and instantly became best friends), try to make a go of it as animated cartoonists. Sharon, who narrates, has always been the calming presence, while Mel, charismatic, confident, and openly gay, is a creative whirlwind. Ten years after they graduate, the consequences of their success nearly destroy their partnership (frequently drunk or high, Mel flames out spectacularly, while Sharon suffers a debilitating stroke). With realistic characters you'll empathize with even as they make calamitous decisions, The Animators is alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming, passionate and funny as it documents how artists create art out of pain.
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Rabbit cake
by Annie Hartnett
A debut novel by an award-winning writer follows the darkly comic experiences of a precocious 12-year-old girl named Elvis who worries about her troubled family and tries to figure out her place in the world in the aftermath of her mother's accidental death.
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| Ginny Moon by Benjamin LudwigStarring: Ginny Moon, a 13-year-old with autism who has finally been adopted. But her happily ever after is threatened by her desperate desire to be reunited with her Baby Doll, which puts her in communication with her dangerous, abusive mother, a drug addict who threatens the stability of Ginny's new home.
Why you might like it: With an authentic voice (author Benjamin Ludwig is the adoptive parent of an autistic teenager), this moving debut is peopled with realistic characters who share strong family bonds. |
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Marlena: A Novel
by Julie Buntin
Fifteen-year-old Cat is lonely in her new hometown in rural Michigan, until she meets her beautiful, reckless neighbor, Marlena. The friendship that the two build is unlike anything either girl has ever experienced, but it is doomed. Within a year, Marlena is dead. Now in her thirties, Cat is still damaged by the loss. The book alternates between the two eras, creating a haunting portrait of an intense friendship -- and the adult perspective that sees things a little more clearly. Leisurely paced, this debut is "devastating; as unforgettable as it is gorgeous" (Kirkus Reviews).
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| The Impossible Fortress: A Novel by Jason RekulakWhat it's about: Set in the late 1980s, this debut stars 14-year-old Billy and three of his friends; all they want is a copy of Playboy. At least, that's all Billy wants until he meets a girl who shares his interest in computer programming and gaming.
Is it for you? As with Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, if you came of age in the '80s, you'll love the references in this pop culture-infused tale. If you didn't, the irreverent humor and increasingly silly antics that Billy and his friends get involved in offer an entertaining, light-hearted read. |
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My absolute darling : a novel
by Gabriel Tallent
Enduring an isolated existence after the death of her mother, 14-year-old Turtle roams the rocky shores and tide pools of the California coast and refutes every outside attempt to engage her before an unexpected friendship with a newcomer helps her realize the vulnerabilities of her life with her charismatic father.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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