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Reviews by Anthony Conty

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Trust
by Hernan Diaz

Worthy of a Pulitzer (11/2/2023)

“Trust” by Hernan Diaz is a lot. “Books within books” test your abilities, and you must reread a lot. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the work. You will feel more competent when you finish. The main character, Benjamin Rask, is wealthy and mysterious, earning a great deal …more

Black Cake: A Novel
by Charmaine Wilkerson

Great Book, Better Playlist, Even Better Recipe. (10/7/2023)

“Black Cake” by Charmaine Wilkerson tells the story of a deceased woman who leaves behind a cake for her estranged children. You do not understand why, but the book reveals its details methodically. Wilkerson has a story to tell from the past; however, that introduces a …more

Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel
by Bonnie Garmus

Feminism for Doubters (9/11/2023)

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus tells the story of women in the sciences in the ’50s and ’60s confronting the type of sexism we wish was hyperbole, but we probably know better. My favorite reviewer, who happens to be female, rated this one of the best of 2022, but I …more

Peach Blossom Spring: A Novel
by Melissa Fu

Chinese and Taiwan...It's Complicated (8/29/2023)

“Peach Blossom Spring” by Melissa Fu starts in a haphazard, chaotic way that only tales of war can. China is under siege by the Japanese, and the war tears Renshu’s family apart in more ways than one. American history classes did not talk much about this, so there is no …more shame if you are learning about it for the first time.

The novel starts as a tale of a horrific but oddly familiar war-torn nation. As China exits World War II only to enter a rift with itself, things pick up as Renshu and his mother, Meilin, fight to survive.

Meilin fights to shield her growing son from the horrors of their civil war, but they struggle to find money. She lands a job at an emporium, which works until the Nationalists lose their wealth to spend on such extravagances. Even though she is a seamstress, a man assumes he has the right to rape her because she worked in an emporium.
Since the story spans decades, the family has multiple obstacles to overcome as China goes from one conflict to the other.

A brilliant scroll that Meilin possesses drives the beginning of the story. It has many inspiring stories, but one that stands out asks, “How do you know this is not a blessing?” every time something tragic happens. Renshu begins to think positively after each trial and tribulation as a result. After all of this, you start to root for the characters, even when cliché parts about the ultimate dream being a trip to America occur. Meilin was one of my favorite characters this year.

I connect “Peach Blossom Spring” to “Homegoing” because it sweeps through history and covers a significant period. To go through two wars and then experience the Kennedy assassination as an outsider covers a great deal of the Chinese and American experience. The best moments come between Renshu and his mother. I will not dare reveal the events later in the novel, but the strong character development made me want the best for our heroes.

The immigrant experience, which I can only imagine, feels authentic here, and we see both sides of the internal debate. Do you flee from a nation of strife, or do you stick to the culture you know and love? Seeing China through America’s eyes is a challenge. Seeing the political drama that faces mixed-race people is tough since we sometimes assume that only America has that problem. You will learn and understand so much more about Chinese life. (less)

Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent
by Dipo Faloyin

Nonfiction At Its Best (8/17/2023)

"Africa Is Not a Country" by Dipo Faloyin starts by explaining what Africa is not. As with people who have taken a safari or done missionary work, it is easy to forget that cities and organized towns exist where no touristy activities occur. More to the point, assuming that …more places lack their own culture just because someone conquered them 200 years ago damages a country's reputation. When those imperialist countries draw random borders and separate ethnic groups, the problem grows.

The West's impression of Africa drives the novel, as even philanthropic efforts damaged the continent's reputation as a dark place with backward people. The term "White Savior Complex" may be overused, but the author shows how the United States tends to oversimply with its desire to help. In a land with seven different dictatorships that are all different, Africa needs help that would best occur locally as the citizens know which areas need help and which are doing fine.

Faloyin dedicates much time to demonstrating how seven African dictatorships existed for vastly different reasons. He finds democracy to serve as the solution for these countries but argues that citizens should solve those problems instead of thinking that the answers come from white Europeans. With 48 countries on the mainland, it saddens me to realize that Muammar Gaddafi's actions could make Americans avoid and stereotype a whole continent.

A fellow reviewer described this book as a "collection of eight essays" instead of chapters, making the transition from dictatorships to Hollywood's horrible depiction of Africa make sense. They focus on wilderness and do not give African towns a personality or Africans their storylines. He credits "Black Panther" (no surprise) and "Coming to America" (minor shock) as films that allowed Africa to develop a unique personality, despite Wakanda and Zamunda being fictional.

It all adds up to a cultural experience like no other. So many of us have studied abroad and learned that the most exciting thing about different continents is how they go about their business in such similar ways. Africa has fought to maintain its identity while generations of pillagers have stolen from them. Come for a different perspective but stay for the celebration of Jollof Rice and the introduction of travel options you did not know you had. Call some "shithole" countries if you want, but no blanket statement you make covers them all. (less)

The Colony: A Novel
by Audrey Magee

A Slice of Irish History (8/5/2023)

"The Colony" by Audrey Magee tells the story of a small island off the coast of Ireland. It reads like a poem with short, choppy one-line sentences, proving that those in the UK are likelier to honor a book with a unique narrative structure. I enjoyed it, mainly as the bond …more

Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel
by Shelby Van Pelt

Best of the Year (7/12/2023)

“Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt starts with an animal as a main character, and if you have seen “The Shape of Water,” your first fear is a recreation of that quirky top twist. We alternate chapters between Tova, an aquarium custodian, and an octopus. …more Because we accept this as a work of fiction, we go along, despite our doubts, about which aquarium dwellers would have the best mind for crime-solving and why Van Pelt chose the eight-legged one.

Cameron, a third character, has a bad breakup and loses his job. Now, we have three lives that need to intersect, and it does not take long for you to care about them. Tova’s misanthropic characteristics somehow make her more intriguing. The incident when all three of these remarkably different characters come together happens early in the novel but still qualifies as an “a-ha” moment. Each is a bright creature in its way, and they will surprise you.

An octopus as an omniscient narrator sounds like a hokey idea, but Van Pelt makes it work. As the winner of BookBrowse’s Best Debut, it is unique and not surprisingly like nothing you have read. Van Pelt most likely has a few more stories in her. I read a few reviews that stated how horrible of a human being Cameron is, but that shows you how skilled Van Pelt is. Loveable idiots are hard to produce, so I credit the author. She also creates chapter titles that mean nothing until you read, a tactic that works like the “Frasier” TV show.

Predicting endings or twists is not my skill set, but I saw this coming. It did not take away from my enjoyment since the characters meant so much to me then. How would the average person respond in the face of so much loss? Tova leads the novel as a woman who goes about her business in life because what else can she do? Marcellus, the Giant Pacific Octopus, has the advantage of knowing everything as a literary device in which we see the tragedy behind the character’s ignorance.

It is too early to predict that this will be the best of the year, and I cannot see anything passing up this and “In Love.” The story arc travels at the right pace, and I did not want to put it down. All three main characters had nothing in common with me, but I still related to them. When everything starts coming together and you see the finish line, you cannot help but feel relief and pity simultaneously. You took this journey with all three of them and hoped for closure. (less)

Then the War: And Selected Poems, 2007-2020
by Carl Phillips

I am Really Trying to Like Poetry (6/30/2023)

“Then the War” by Carl Phillips will remind you of high school English class, not in a good way. I wanted someone to explain it and get it over with. Some of the images are pleasant and deep, but I did not understand enough to recommend them, and what I did understand took …more

Stay True: A Memoir
by Hua Hsu

90s Nostalgia Wrapped in Tragedy (6/17/2023)

“Stay True” by Hua Hsu won the Pulitzer this year for Memoir/Autobiography, a new category I was excited to see. It is partly about being the son of immigrants, part a recollection of the 90s and part about grief and loss. The children of immigrants will relate to the …more

Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

I Didn't Want It to End (6/4/2023)

“Take My Hand” by Dolen Perkins-Valdez features a nurse who works with sexual and reproductive health that receives the odd task of injecting birth control into eleven and fourteen-year-old sisters. Again, we go back and forth between the past and the present, foreshadowing …more

Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War
by Zhuqing Li

So much history I didn't know (5/24/2023)

“Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden” by Zhuqing Li tells the story of two sisters who end up on opposite sides of the Chinese Civil War of the 1930s but still succeed in life. However, like any war book worth its salt, you do not take sides and recognize the hardship …more

The Story of Russia
by Orlando Figes

So Much I Didn't Know (5/13/2023)

“The Story of Russia” by Orlando Figes has a wealth of information about Russian history and recognizes that it is more complex than most realize; for example, the book contains a lot of maps, and you will need them to describe the provinces at different points throughout …more

The Marriage Portrait: A novel
by Maggie O'Farrell

Way Better Than Expected (4/30/2023)

“The Marriage Portrait” by Maggie O’Farrell requires critical re-reading. Set in 1560 in Italy; a 15-year-old has to marry a duke after her sister passes away while engaged to the guy. Lucrezia then becomes convinced that her new husband is not what he seems, and he fears …more

Honor
by Thrity Umrigar

A Brilliant Cultural Expose (4/4/2023)

“Honor” by Thrity Umrigar exposes a side of India we rarely see. A woman loses her husband to arson after their interfaith marriage, and a reporter who left India voluntarily must return to her homeland to cover the story. Smita, the reporter, returns to India after her …more

We Are Not Like Them: A Novel
by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza

Conversation Stimulator (3/22/2023)

"We Are Not Like Them" by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza has an explosive premise that will make it the water cooler book that "The Hate You Give" was. Two life-long best friends (one black and one white and, yes, their race matters) faced a crossroads when the white one's …more

I Will Die in a Foreign Land
by Kalani Pickhart

A Piece of History Every American Needs (3/10/2023)

"I Will Die in a Foreign Land" by Kalani Pickhart is chaotic, but I suppose the riots and protests they cover were as well. Picture it, Ukraine, 2013: the government has decided to align closer to Russia and Vladimir Putin than the European Union. People, at least the four …more featured characters, try to go about their business while their world irrevocably changes around them. We meet them through audio transcripts, news clippings, and actual narratives.

As much attention as we provide Ukraine now that we are involved, there was much more to say about the events a decade ago. We, as Americans, may not see the value of the European Union over the Eurasian Economic Union, but the citizens had strong opinions on the subject. Unfortunately, the Ukrainians descended into madness like Americans who did not feel adequately represented at specific historical points. We learn about doctor Katya, injured engineer Mischa, activist Slava, and ex-KGB agent Aleksandr. Keeping up is a struggle but worth it.

I reacted to the enormous death tolls in the protests, considering that it should have been a bigger story. However, when the lives of our four protagonists inevitably intertwine, the author incorporates elements of romance, desperation, and fear. As the doctor is battling some personal tragedy, she must tend to the other three in a way that reminds you how senseless the violence is. No one would see 100 deaths and feel their cause was worth it.

That moment when books reveal the meaning of their title cheapens the novel. Still, Pickhart ties together the Chornobyl (sic) disaster with the protests to show why the main characters may no longer recognize their homeland. The ex-KGB agent, Sasha, appears last in the novel but drives this point home. Slava lives as a lesbian in about the least gay-friendly environment in the world and comes back long enough to figure out why she left.

In an extended war zone, we never become too comfortable that the situation will improve and our heroes will survive. So when a dream sequence causes you to feel the worst, you understand why the characters' decisions can seem haphazard. Yet, when we reach the end, we have learned much from each character and have had a profoundly emotional experience. Every book teaches us the senseless of violence and some wars but keeps giving us more evidence. (less)

Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist's Memoir of the Jim Crow South
by Winfred Rembert

Such a Quick Read (2/26/2023)

“Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South” by Winfred Rembert has a difficult job right out of the gate: writing a biography about an artist or writer is challenging because most of the brilliance comes from within their mind. Luckily, Rembert told …more

The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family
by Joshua Cohen

A Rare Dose of Humor (2/15/2023)

"The Netanyahus" by Joshua Cohen tells the story of a Jewish man in a prominent history department who does not study Jewish history. Instead, Ruben Blum is responsible for reviewing an application from a quirky Israeli scholar. The man is Benjamin Netanyahu's father and …more

Dinosaurs: A Novel
by Lydia Millet

Compelling Page-Turner (2/4/2023)

"Dinosaurs" by Lydia Millett should fire its PR team because it makes the story sound aimless, yet it hooked me immediately. A gentleman walks from New York to Phoenix (you read that correctly) and starts anew after a failed relationship. Our protagonist, Gil, has a lot of …more

In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss
by Amy Bloom

An Honest Slice of Life (1/24/2023)

"In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss" by Amy Bloom tells the story of a couple who, when the husband develops Alzheimer's Disease, seek physician-assisted suicide to end his suffering. With this topic, many people feel strongly enough about the issue to say, "No thanks," but …more

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The Jackal's Mistress
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From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.

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