DAY

by Michael Cunningham

Cunningham's latest novel is definitely on my Best Books List of 2023. His poetic language, unforgettable characters, and insights into life during a crisis make his story about a family and the pandemic come to life. The first section is set on April 5, 2019 as we meet Dan and Isabel who live in a Brooklyn brownstone with their children Nathan and Violet. Isabel's adored gay brother Robbie lives in the attic apartment. The second section is set on April 5, 2020. The family is in quarantine. Dan and Isabel's marriage has started to crack. And 5-year-old Violet is deathly afraid of getting sick. Robbie is locked down in a cabin in Iceland The third section is set on April 5, 2021, Lives have fallen apart. Deaths have occurred. Grief has found the family as they struggle to live in a changed world. Playwright Tony Kushner says of Cunningham and the novel, "Along with George Eliot, Michael Cunningham belongs in that rare group of novelists who hold the world close, with apparently infinite respect, compassion and tenderness, all while describing its inhabitants sparingly. DAY is a portrait of the life of a family, preceding, during, and immediately after the pandemic, rendered in fragments, almost as if assembling forensic evidence, not of a crime but of quiet tragedies and quiet, heroic endurance. There's deep recognition here, bordering on revelation." Author Colm Toibin says, "In DAY, Michael Cunningham displays his great gift for creating memorable characters, for noticing the world in all its oddness and beauty, for writing about love and loss in tones that are both unsparing and tender."

MOTHER, NATURE

by Jedidiah Jenkins

When Jedidiah Jenkins' mother Barbara turns 74 he realizes that she won't be around forever. Wanting to spend more time with her, they both agree to take a road trip from New Orleans to Florence, Oregon retracing the route that Jed's father Peter and Barbara took and wrote about in their bestselling WALK ACROSS AMERICA series in the 70s and 80s, There's no doubt that Jed and Barbara love each other, even though they disagree about politics, about God, and about the Evangelical Church. The biggest area of disagreement is the fact that Jed is gay and Barbara thinks homosexuality is a sin. That's what the Bible says. As they journey through Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Oregon, they share their love of thrift stores, diner food and true crime podcasts. Barbara reminisces about the days walking the route with her husband. Jed is focused on asking her if he ever married a partner would she come to the wedding. Even though his father has given his blessing to his son's life, Jed is desperate for his mother's approval. The book is a remarkable look at a mother-son bond and a moving meditation on the complexities of love. Author Suleika Jaouad calls the book, "tender, funny, and courageous, exquisitely written and completely compelling... As Jedidiah Jenkins traces a 5,000 mile route with his wildly entertaining mother, Barbara, he begins to untangle the live wires of a parent child bond and to wrestle with a love that hurts. Their relationship is as complicated as it gets, yet as beautiful as I've ever had the privilege to witness in words. I don't know a single person who wouldn't benefit from reading MOTHER, NATURE."

SALT TO THE SEA

by Ruta Sepetys

Sepetys' engrossing historical novel is set in Eastern Europe in 1945 towards the end of World War II. Narrated by four young adults, the story follows a group of refugees fleeing from the approaching Soviet Red Army. They end up in the port city of Gotenhafen on the Baltic Sea, hoping to book passage on a ship that will take them to safety. Most of them end up on the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship overloaded with wounded soldiers, aristocrats, and refugees. As history tells us the ship is hit by three Soviet torpedoes and sinks into the Baltic Sea with nearly nine thousand casualties. Sepetys' research is always impeccable in her novels and SALT TO THE SEA is no exception. Publishers Weekly says, "Sepetys delivers another historical knockout novel. She excels on shining light on lost chapters of history, and this visceral novel proves a memorable testament to strength and resilience in the face of war and cruelty." The Washington Post says, "Ruta Sepetys' riveting novel is a haunting reminder of an almost forgotten disaster and the resilience of the human spirit." The paperback copy of the novel includes some interesting extras including reading group questions and interviews with survivors and divers. The novel won the 2017 Carnegie Medal and was included in quite a few Best Books lists.  

THE EVENING HERO

by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

The evening hero of Lee's rich and evocative novel is Dr. Youngman Kwak who survives the Korean War as a child, attends Seoul University's Medical School and becomes an OB-GYN. He emigrates to the United States, eventually taking a position at Horse's Breath General Hospital located in Minnesota's Iron Range. When the hospital closes, purchased by a huge corporate mega giant, he loses his job, his patients, and his comfortable way of life. His memories of growing up in war-torn Korea are threaded throughout the novel: his childhood poverty living with his grandfather, his mother and his brother in the small town of Water Project Village; his short-lived time as a houseboy for American GIs; his chance meeting with his future wife; his time as a medical student in Seoul. Here is a realistic view of an immigrant trying to adapt to American ways, yet keeping his heart in Korea. Author Angie Kim says, "Lee has created a poignant portrait of an aging immigrant doctor desperate to make sense of his history and find his place--- within his marriage, his family, his community, his country. Filled with sharp insights into immigrant life and biting, satirical commentary on consumerism, this beautifully multi-layered novel will stay with me for a long time." I guarantee that this novel will bring about a great discussion in your reading group.