Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

 

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
10/5/10; 304 pages
William Morrow 

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin is an exceptional, very highly recommended character driven literary mystery. This is a must read extraordinary novel.

When Tina Rutherford, 19, goes missing, Larry Ott, 41, is the immediate and only suspect. "Scary Larry" lives an isolated, lonely existence in rural Mississippi where he is a mechanic. He enjoys reading, cares for his chickens, is ostracized by the community, goes to the garage daily waiting for some work, and visits his mother who is in a nursing home. Years ago when he was 16 he took Cindy Walker on a date. She disappeared afterward and he has always been blamed for her presumed murder. He keeps a file of the subpoenas Gerald County Chief Inspector Roy French serves him with anytime anything happens.

Years ago Larry and Silas "32" Jones were friends of a sort for several months in the 1970's. Larry was the only bookish child of a lower middle class white parents. His father was a mechanic, but Larry much preferred reading. Silas was the son of a poor, single black mother who lived in a cabin on their land. After Cindy Walker disappeared, their friendship ended and Silas went on to become a baseball star, number 32. Now Silas is back as the Constable of Chabot, MS and the sole law enforcement officer in the area. Larry has tried to contact him several times, but Silas studiously ignores all his attempts. The investigation into the disappearance of Tina Rutherford will force both men to confront the past they've buried and ignored for decades.

The writing is excellent, the plot compelling, the character development is outstanding, the final denouement is a breath-taking revelation. I can't say enough good things about Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. The plot unfolds through alternate narratives from the past and the present, which all come together to solve the mysteries and reveal something even more surprising and unpredictable. All of the descriptions are so rich that the setting, time period, and characters come to life. Your heart will break for Larry, both in the past and present.

There are clues to follow in the current mystery, but the magic is in the writing and the character development. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a perfect selection for everyone who enjoys wonderful writing and excellent character development. (This novel represents another reason I'm continuing my short break between advanced readers copies and working my way through my TBR stacks from years past.)

The Whore's Child: Stories

 

The Whore's Child: Stories by Richard Russo
12/18/2007; 240 pages
Knopf Doubleday 

The Whore's Child: Stories by Richard Russo is an excellent, very highly recommended collection of seven short stories. 

Even within the constraints of an abbreviated short story, all of the selections feature Russo's masterful ability to portray characters as complicated, realistic individuals with both strengths and weaknesses, along with his keen insight into human nature. This collection serves to highlight Russo's incredible talent and ability to write. All of these stories could easily have been the beginning of a great novel.

Stories:
The Whore’s Child: Sister Ursala attends a fiction writing class and writes her memoir.
Monhegan Light: Martin travels to the island where his deceased wife vacationed every year.
The Farther You Go: A man and his wife deal with a family problem together.
Joy Ride: A mother and son leave their home and travel cross country.
Buoyancy: Retired Professor Paul Snow and his wife June stay on an island they last visited 30 years ago.
Poison: Old friends recall the poisoning of the land where they grew up.
The Mysteries of Linwood Hart: This story is broken into smaller subtitles and features the thoughts, activities, and musings of Lin as he plays baseball while experiencing family issues.

The Whore's Child is a perfect choice for everyone who enjoys well-written short stories. (Continuing my short break between advanced readers copies and working my way through my TBR stacks from years past.)

Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools

 

Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools by Victoria Twead
1/1/09; 196 pages
New Generation Publishing 

Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools by Victoria Twead is a light hearted, easy-to-read memoir of a British couple moving to a small town in Spain. Along with mildly humorous stories about their lives, it also includes recipes and some pictures. 

Joe and Vicky, in their early 50's (so not really old), decide to relocating to a tiny mountain village of El Hoyo in Andalucía. They are calling it the 5 year plan. If, after five years they have had enough, they leave. Along the way they meet ex-pat Judith, who lives in the area with her mother, Kurt, the German unofficial estate agent, and neighbors Paco and Carmen/Bethina, along with an assortment of others. While fixing up and modernizing a deteriorating old house, they meet many area cats and dogs, some mules, and decide to raise chickens. The chickens result in a new enterprise, selling eggs to their neighbors. They also have friends visiting and keeping things entertaining.

The start of each chapter includes the name of a traditional Spanish recipe. All of the recipes were donated by the village ladies and are found at the end of the book. Those who enjoy trying new recipes should appreciate that aspect of this memoir. For me. this is a good natured, light hearted amusing book, not a hilarious one. It is an enjoyable book to read but ultimately forgettable unless you love to try new recipes and chicken stories. Everyone who has chickens has chicken stories and Vicky is no exception to that rule. 

There are apparently several "Two Old Fools" books, so those who enjoy this one could follow it up with more adventures, including book #6, published in 2022, covering a move to Australia. I believe I'll stop with this one, but I'm an outlier because this series seems beloved by many. (Still on a short break between advanced readers copies and working my way through my TBR stacks from years past.)

A Land More Kind Than Home

 

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
4/17/12; 309 pages
William Morrow 

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash is an excellent, very highly recommended Southern literary drama following two brothers who in 1986, face evil disguised as good.

In the small North Carolina town of Marshall, in Madison County, Adelaide Lyle, 81, a long-time midwife recognizes that Pastor Carson Chambliss and his new River Road Church of Christ in Signs and Wonders is not a safe place for children after she witnesses the death of a parishioner, so she takes and cares for the children in her own personal Sunday School during the service. Chambliss, who is relatively new to the area believes in snake handling among other things. 

The sons of Ben and Julie Hall, Jess, 9, and his brother Stump (Christopher), 13, who is mute and likely autistic, witness something they shouldn't have. Now Pastor Chambliss is making sure Stump pays a price for it, sending someone to get him for church because "it is his special day." Stump's fate ends up attracting the attention of Clem Barefield, Sheriff of Madison County since 1961, who can no longer ignore what is happening in the church. He has an old tragedy tied to the Hall family but now must face a new one.

The exceptionally well-written narrative is told through the personal stories of Adelaide, Jess, and Clem, covering events both in the present and the past. Their individual points-of-view propel the plot forward and provide all the information and background needed. They are all facing an evil trying to portray itself as good, but our narrators, including young Jess, understand and recognize the darkness. The very different perception and experience of the narrators helps set this novel above the ordinary. The plot is compelling and once you start reading it is impossible to put this novel down. 

The characters are all portrayed as unique, complex individuals with both strengths and weaknesses. Both Adelaide and Clem have a life time of experience and history to work through while dealing with the current tragedy. Young Jess is the most sympathetic character because of his immaturity. His exposure to the evil events portrayed will effect his entire life, but one can hope that it will also give him the insight to see evil when it presents itself. 

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash is an excellent literary Southern drama and deserves all the accolades from readers it has received over the years. This is another winner as I continue to take a break between advanced readers copies and read some novels I own and have been planning to read for years. 

Ordinary Grace

 

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
307 pages; 3/26/13
Atria Books

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger is an exceptional, very highly recommended domestic drama/historical fiction set in 1961 when several deaths leave characters questioning the terrible price of wisdom and the nature of God's grace. 

“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.”   

Frank Drum is looking back on the summer of 1961 in New Bremen, Minnesota, when he was 13. Bobby Cole, a young contemporary of theirs was killed on the train tracks. This started a summer where four more deaths would occur. Frank's father Nathan Drum was going to be a lawyer, but WWII changed him and now he is a minister for three local Methodist churches. His mother Ruth has a beautiful voice and handles the church music, sister Ariel, 18, is a gifted pianist and musician who is headed to Julliard in the fall, and his younger brother and almost constant companion, Jake is 11 and has a stutter. 

This is a beautifully written novel that covers a myriad of topics as an adult looks back at the boy he was when he encountered some very adult lessons, and everyone's faith is tested as tragedy strikes. This is not a murder mystery as it is much more concerned with the in-depth character development of everyone, but especially that of Frank and Jake as they are being suddenly thrust into maturity while noticing adult failings, lies, and secrets all around them, some of which are still beyond their complete understanding. And all of the characters have to deal with the question of the awful grace of God and what that means.

The setting is also part of the novel and a small town in rural Minnesota during the early 1960s is perfectly captured. The kids in the neighborhood are walking to the train tracks, down to the river, and walking all over town. They can freely overhear discussions between adults that they are perhaps not ready for and watch adults do some questionable actions. Some of what Frank believes is true based on his limited knowledge and experience is later proven false. He also has to watch the adults around him struggle with their own faith during the challenges they face. 

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger is an excellent, must-read novel and it is clear why it is so very highly recommended.  This is another winner as I continue to take a break between advanced readers copies and read some novels I own and have been planning to read for years. 

Eleanor & Park

 

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
2/26/13; 336 pages
St. Martin's Press 

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is a very highly recommended story of a first love between two misfits set over the course of a school year in Omaha during 1986. 

Eleanor and Park, both 16, meet when, as the new kid, Eleanor, is looking for a seat on the bus where every seat is claimed by someone else. Park, sitting toward the back of the bus, just happens to not have a seat mate. The driver is yelling at her to sit and she ends up next to Park. Park is a half-Korean fan of comic books and alternative music. Eleanor is tall, big girl with a mane of curly red hair and a unique style of dressing. They don't talk for a long time, until Park notices that Eleanor is surreptitiously also reading his comic books. He begins to turn the pages slower, to make sure she's able to follow. Soon he's sharing his comic books with her, then music, and eventually they begin to talk.

The two have a very different background and home life. Park has a relatively normal home life, a few friends, and wears mostly black t-shirts featuring bands. Eleanor's home life is a struggle and she doesn't share this information. Her mother remarried an abusive, drunkard jerk of a stepfather, Richie, who kicked her out of the house last year. Now she and her five siblings all share one bedroom, eat right after school, and avoid him at all costs. Now, being the new, very different girl also makes her a target at her new high school. 

The narrative is told through the alternating points-of-view of Park and Eleanor in this is a well-written, emotionally wrenching story of a very awkward first love set during one socially anxious year of high school. Even while they know they are falling in love, they are both cautious of what they say to each other, afraid it is the wrong thing or said in the wrong way. Park does not know the truth of Eleanor's home life. The time period is perfectly captured and the dialogue between the two is pitch perfect. Yeah, I cried.

Generally classified as a YA novel, it easily crosses over into an adult novel, especially toward the end. I bought this years ago on a strong recommendation and, as I've hit a place where I'm trying to do a little catch-up reading on novels I never got to, it was on my short list to finally read. I am so glad I did and now I understand why it was so highly recommended. It covers a myriad of emotional topics with characters already experiencing one of the most emotional periods of their lives. 

Mammoth

 

Mammoth by John Varley
6/7/05; 353 pages
Ace 

Mammoth by John Varley is a very highly recommended thriller with science fiction and time travel plot elements. Seriously, why did I wait so long to read this fun, engaging science fiction story? I bought a copy years ago and finally read it now...

Multimillionaire Howard Christian's head of mammoth recovery has just found a frozen, perfectly persevered specimen of a mammoth in Nunavut. The only problem is the two bodies by it. One body is of a man wearing a wristwatch with a metal suitcase who is over, protecting another the body of a woman. While trying to keep everything secret, Christian's troubleshooter Warburton is sent to bring in professor Matthew (Matt) Wright, the top man concerning the physics of time, to see if he can get the time machine working again. He also brings in Susan Morgan DVM and elephant specialist because he plans to start a mammoth cloning project. What he plans and ends up getting results in a seriously entertaining adventure.

Included in between the chapters of the novel is a children's story about a family of mammoths, including Big Mama and Little Fuzzy. The children's story will be important to the upcoming plot. Also, readers need to note that the novel starts with chapter five. Don't look for the missing chapters. They will be there at the end of the novel where they intentionally belong. 

This is a well-written, entertaining, engrossing story. The plot was attention grabbing right away and kept me immersed in the action from start to finish. It was quite easy to suspend all disbelief and simply be entertained while enjoying the narrative. I liked the wide variety of characters, who were all portrayed realistically as individuals with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Mammoth is a great choice for those who enjoy science fiction thrillers that include some time travel (and some discussion of what UFOs are.)