Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall
Mike and Verity have a very intense, bordering on dangerous
, relationship, playing a game called “Crave” in which Verity makes Mike
jealous by letting another man hit on her, especially at a bar, fingers the
silver eagle necklace her gave her, and then he swoops in, literally, to save
her. But now Mike sits in a prison cell,
awaiting trial for murder; his barrister has Mike write his account of the
relationship with Verity, leading up to the murder. Slowly, a story of obsession emerges, but on
whose part? Mike is certain that
Verity’s announcement she is getting married after his two years spent, at her
request, in America, is just one big Crave: why else would she have invited him
to the wedding? Is Mike the predator or
the prey? This twisty psychological
thriller, unusual in that there is an unreliable male narrator, will have
readers guessing until the very end…and beyond.
The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
A group of Brooklyn mothers all giving birth in May have
formed a group to offer support and give advice in the days leading up to the
births of their babies, and in the weeks following, assuring everyone they are
not alone. In the midst of record
breaking July heat, the women decide they need a night out on the fourth of
July; they especially encourage the single mother among them, Winnie, who they
feel needs the night out more than any of them.
Nell arranges for her babysitter to watch Winnie’s son Midas so the
group can spend the evening letting off a little steam. Winnie, nervous leaving Midas for the first
time, has a webcam app on her phone to keep an eye on her son; Nell erases the
app so Winnie will stop watching Midas and have a little fun. The evening out quickly turns to disaster
when Alma calls hysterical saying that Midas is gone. What follows is a carefully plotted thriller
as the police search to locate Midas; each woman’s life is carefully examined, their
secrets revealed in this honest, frank look at the mommy culture and all the
pressures that come along with being a new mother, as women struggle to be all
things to everyone, including themselves.
Book groups will find many topics to discuss in this original twist on
the suburban, psychological thriller with a lot of depth, and an ending that
surprises but makes all the pieces that were there all along quickly fall into
place. A LibraryReads selection www.libraryreads.org
House Swap by Rebecca Fleet
Caroline and Francis decide to house swap for holiday this
year rather than traveling to France; they leave Leeds to spend a week in the
suburbs of London, and hope that the time away from their son, their jobs, and
everything else will help set their marriage on the road to recovery after
Caroline had an affair with a co-worker.
Once in the house things are not as smooth as they had hoped: Francis is
still Francis, and Caroline still had the affair. Slowly, Caroline notices there are
“reminders” or her affair everywhere: flowers her lover bought for her, “their”
song playing on a CD, and she realizes that the person with whom they swapped
the house has a hidden agenda and wonders what kind of danger she has put them
in, or what kind of danger her family home four hours away, might be in. Slowly, Caroline begins to realize that this
house swap was anything but random, and that someone is menacing her, but to
what end? This domestic thriller shirts
back and forth between the present and the past and tells the story from
various points of view, until the final shocking secret is revealed.
Wicked River by Jenny Milchman
Little Disasters by Randall Klein
In the heat of the summer, an unnamed incident in midtown
Manhattan shuts down the subway system, and essentially, the entire island as
two men try to return home to Brooklyn to their families and women they
love. Michael, married to cookie
entrepreneur Rebecca, has been having an affair with Jenny since just after the
couples met in the maternity ward at the hospital. The two were supposed to meet at the northern
end of Manhattan at the Cloisters, but Jenny texted Michael at the last minute
she couldn’t come, so Michael begins his long trek to Brooklyn, his wife and
son. Paul, Jenny’s partner, is under the
East River when the subways stop and must first surface and make it to the
island before beginning his trek home.
The narrative flows easily between the year earlier when the two couples
were waiting expectantly for the birth of their children, the tragedy that
followed, the events that brought the couples together, eventually leading to
the affair, leading up to Michael and Paul’s trips on the hottest summer day,
back to lives that are much different than they expected. Told from various points of view, the reader
doesn’t necessarily get the full picture until all parties have weighed
in. This keenly observed domestic story
is a strong debut that should be well-received.
My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley
David Hedges was married to Julie Fiske thirty years ago,
but they decided they’d be better as friends than as husband and wife. David moved to San Francisco and though he is
living in an enviable apartment with an even more enviable low rent, he finds
himself at a low point in his life: his boyfriend has left him for an older
man, his job helping the uber-rich children get into college is now grating on
his nerves, he has gained a little bit of weight, and he has just learned that the
aforementioned great apartment is being sold out from under him. Julie is running an illegal Airbnb on the
coast in Massachusetts and is trying to get together enough money to buy her
soon-to-be second ex-husband out while dealing with her surly teenage daughter
Mandy, so who can blame her if she smokes a little too much pot? Her ex and his new girlfriend want Mandy to
come live with them feeling Mandy needs more structure in her senior year
before college; without thinking, Mandy, who has recently learned of her
mother’s first ex-husband, blurts out that David is helping her with her
college applications. Mandy, who is on
the cusp of doing something really stupid, reaches out to David, she indicates
that it might be a good idea if he came east for a visit, and given his current
situation, why not? Julie is surprised to see David on her doorstep, but before
long, the three have settled into an easy routine. David and Julie as comfortable with each
other as they were thirty years ago, as they learn ways to help each other reclaim
their lives. This elegantly written,
keenly observed novel of manners in the 21st century is generous,
funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking as it delves into family and
relationships in all their various forms.
Paper Ghosts by Julia Heaberlin
An woman, unnamed until the end of the book, has befriended,
under the guise of being his daughter, a 61-year-old photographer, Carl
Feldman, who is living in an assisted living home, diagnosed with dementia, and
accused, though acquitted, of being a serial murderer. The young woman is convinced that Feldman is
responsible for her sister Rachel’s disappearance twelve years ago and has been
obsessed with Feldman, confronting him, and making him confess. Using his photographs as proof that he
murdered young women, the narrator springs Feldman from the home and takes him
on a driving tour of Texas, tracing the dead women, and leading up to Rachel’s
disappearance. The two strike an unusual
bond during their trip and Feldman ends up helping the woman more than he
thought he could with a very surprising ending for each.
Sorority by Genevieve Sly Crane
Life behind the doors of a sorority house often gives the
appearance of perfection: but look a little deeper and you’ll find
insecurities, petty squabbles, and even hatred, just like anywhere else. Margot is dead and this debut follows members
of an unnamed New England sorority through the times before and after her
death, focusing on several young women, but also bringing in the “Greek chorus”
in some chapters as the story unfolds. One
young woman tells her affecting story of her dying mother and the lasting
effects that had on her; another young woman, the anorexic, hides the
relationship she had with another, more seemingly together woman with whom she
was best friends for much of her childhood, and a father brings his newly
pregnant mistress to meet his daughter. Each individual episode reads like a
disparate short story, Margot’s death connecting them all, bringing to light
the uncertainty, pressure, and stress of pledging a sorority. This novel never looks away from the pain
that is often under the veneer of these young women as they attempt to belong
to something much bigger and lasting, or so they think, than themselves as
individuals.
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
Harriet “Hal” Westaway is one overdue notice from financial
ruin: she is late on her rent, utilities, and the repayment on the loan she
made with a less than reputable source.
Her tarot business on the Brighton Pier does well, but not well enough
to support her meager lifestyle. A
letter from a solicitor informing her she is a beneficiary to her recently
deceased grandmother’s will is a shock: Hal believes both her Westaway
grandparents have been dead for years and she knows of no others. But, the windfall could help to put her back
on track with her finances and if the solicitor thinks she is an heir, who is
she to argue. She travels to Trepssan
House in Cornwall where she meets her uncles for the first time, and an elderly
housekeeper who is less than pleased to meet the newest relative. The more Hal learns about her “family” and
its history and the history of the house, the less she wants to be connected to
it, but she still feels a strong draw and connection, if she can only figure it
out before she loses her life. This gothic
mystery is deliciously creepy and spine-tingling with a strong protagonist and
a surprising outcome.
Reality television, sibling rivalry, women entrepreneurs,
and social consciousness all play a part in Jessica Knoll’s second novel. Reality television star Brett is dead, and
her sister Kelly, new to the cast of Goal Diggers, tells the story of Brett’s
life and death to Jesse, part of the crew, sparing no details about their
fellow cast members. Brett the youngest
cast member, unashamed of her less than perfect body, and gay, is the driving
force behind SPOKE, spinning classes that donates a bicycle to young women in Morocco
who must often walk more than ten miles for clean water, often getting attacked
on the way. Kelly, a single mother with
a business savvy and precious twelve-year-old daughter has come into the
business, hoping to add yoga studios, and ultimately herself to the Goal Diggers
cast. In between the interview,
different case members tell their stories and of their relationships with
Brett: Stephanie Simmons, a best-selling author, struggles with depression, and
her less than perfect marriage; Jen has made her name with a juice bar and
vegan lifestyle but craves, and indulges in, turkey bacon; dating website
designer Lauren may not have it as together as she appears to. As each woman’s response to the pressures of
constantly being in the spotlight is explored, their facades begin to crack,
and jealousies, some petty, some not so, come to light, making the final
revelation of Brett’s death and the events surrounding it a surprise, in this
look at reality television culture.
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