A Book A Week

Author Percival Everett has built a career on writing sharp, satirical novels that delve into the complexities of race and identity without taking himself too seriously. His 2021 novel Trees, for instance, combines a gripping murder mystery with America’s tragic history of lynchings, all while finding humor in the absurdity of racism. More recently, he reimagined Mark Twain's classic Huck Finn story, giving agency to the enslaved side character James and retelling the narrative from his perspective. This approach isn't new for Everett; his 2001 novel Erasure showcases his longstanding commitment to these themes. Erasure has gained renewed attention with its adaptation into the Best Picture-nominated film American Fiction. The movie brings that story to life in a way that perfectly captures the tone of Evertt's brilliant writing. 

Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, played by Jeffery Wright, has carved out a respectable career as an author and writing professor in LA. Unfortunately, his novels, acclaimed by literary critics for their philosophical depth and references to Greek mythology, don't translate to commercial success. Monk's latest manuscript is repeatedly rejected, with the troubling feedback that his writing isn’t "Black enough."

Monk grapples with this criticism. How can an African American man write something that isn’t "Black enough?" It’s only when he attends a writing conference that he understands what the publishers mean. In stark contrast to his poorly attended panel, author Sintara Golden's interview about her bestseller We Lives in Da Ghetto is packed, with readers eagerly absorbing every word of her stereotypical narrative. Faced with his elderly mother's declining health and his own lack of sales, Monk pens My Pafology, a satirical novel mocking the clichés expected from Black writers—melodramatic plots, deadbeat dads, gang violence, and drugs. To his astonishment, the book sparks a bidding war. Now, Monk is torn between staying true to his professional principles or selling out to achieve the success he has always dreamed of.

Making his feature directorial debut, Cord Jefferson masterfully adapts Everett's novel, bringing the story to life with a blend of timeliness and emotional depth. The ensemble cast delivers authentic performances that draw viewers into the larger themes of the narrative, such as racism, classism, and the personal consequences of not staying true to oneself. The film balances humor and conflict with a few tear-jerking moments along the way. Its clever and unique conclusion is one of the most memorable endings I've seen in a long time. Overall, American Fiction entertains while subtly engaging your deeper thoughts, compelling you to confront the significant themes the characters navigate.

With each passing day, Americans seem to grow more politically divided than ever. Gone are the days of reaching across the aisle. Coming together for a common good is all but finished. No, these days the division is the point of it all. American politics has devolved into a tic for tac system that thrives on outrage at the actions of the other side. Yes, that outrage is often warranted, but it leaves the political system broken nonetheless. It is inevitable that this disconnect would make its way into our personal lives. I know many family members whom I don't see eye to eye with. It is this political/personal conflict that drives the action in author Grant Ginder's latest novel Let's Not Do That Again. 

Nancy Harriman is running for the US Senate. She's a career politician who has spent years in the public spotlight. She began her illustrious political life as the wife of a US congressman. After his sudden and untimely death, an incident that she continues to claim she had absolutely nothing to do with, Nancy inherited his seat. Now she's risking the comfort of that House of Representative position by going for broke and running for a coveted Senate seat. Winning would bring a much-needed majority to her liberal party and mark a pinnacle in her already groundbreaking career. Late in the campaign cycle, what looked like a sure-fire win is starting to look less certain. Her opponent is gaining traction and is leaving Nancy and her advisers scrambling to make up ground. With so much on the line, Nancy can't afford any missteps. 

Nick and Greta Harriman have strict instructions not to screw things up. They're used to it at this point. As the grown children of a US Congresswoman, they know they have to toe the line. Nick has always had a great relationship with his mother. He's a literature professor who is currently working on a musical based upon the life of Joan Didion. Being the gay son of a liberal politician has only helped prove his mother's passion for the social issues that her constituents care about. Greta has been less politically useful. She's smart and beautiful, but completely unmotivated to achieve anything. She spends her days working as a salesperson at the local Apple Store, perfectly content with doing nothing more. It comes as a shock to both Nick and Nancy when they see video footage out of Paris of an extremist protestor throwing a bottle of champaign into a bistro window. It isn't just the violent passion of the protest that goes against everything Nancy politically stands for, but the fact that the woman in question is none other than Greta! Nancy sends Nick to Paris to sort things out by saving his mother's campaign and his sister before it is too late. 

Let's Not Do That Again sees Grant Ginder write a novel that wears many hats. It is at times a searing political satire in the same vein as Veep or Parks and Recreation. Ginder relishes in showing political ineptitude, cynicism, and all-around disfunction. He dares to show the farcical side of politics,  a piece of the puzzle that is easy to forget about amongst the more serious and often damning revelations that have come out of our government in recent years. At other times, Ginder draws from the rich tradition of tightly wound political thrillers. Beneath the humor of his novel is the story of an intricate political campaign and the people working for and against it. To me, the book is at its best when it wears the hat of intimate family drama. Ginder's characters each stand on their own as fully thought out people. The relationships between mother and children, siblings, and young adults dating each other help to drive the action of the novel while grounding it in reality. In the deft hands of Grand Ginder, these elements come together to form a novel that is humorous, timely, and deeply affecting. Let's Not Do That Again is a novel for this time, of this time, and a book that will ultimately stand the test of time. 

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel to review!

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2022, 18)

Over the long holiday weekend, I decided to get as much of my last-minute summer reading in as I possibly could. By the time I sat down to write this review, the promise of an early fall cool front quickly diminished. It seems like the brutal Texas heat is going to be sticking around for a while. I browsed my bookshelf for that perfect book to satisfy my need for one more summer read, and quickly landed on Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen. I really got a kick out of his book Bad Monkey, so I felt his Florida-based mix of humor and mystery would more than meet my expectations.

Honey Santana is on a mission. While sitting down for dinner with her son, the house phone rang. Her son urged her to ignore it, but Honey is completely over these calls interrupting their family meals. She is not going to take this annoyance lying down. Honey picks up the phone and gives the caller a piece of her mind. What she didn't expect was the man on the other end to verbally fight back. He calls her words no professional telemarketer should use, let alone any other respectful person. Honey quickly reaches out to the man's manager and relays her disgust at the hateful language that he used. For most people, that would be the end of the situation, but Honey is not most people. Honey wants revenge.

Boyd Shreave is pretty much a failure at everything. The miserable man couldn't even hold down his job as a telemarketer. He let his pride get the better of him and committed the fatal sin of mouthing off to a potential customer. At least he still has Eugenia, his former co-worker, and current mistress. Boyd is ready to leave his wife and start a new life, but Eugenia does not feel the same. With the convenience of the couple working together gone, she sees little reason to continue their relationship. When Boyd comes to her with a once in a lifetime opportunity to vacation in Florida and canoe through the wetlands, Eugenia decides to extend their romance, at least for the weekend. What could possibly go wrong?

Nature Girl has all the makings of a perfect summer read. Hiaasen mixes satire, crime, and compelling characters into a story that you won't want to stop reading. Shifting perspectives between each character allows for variety and adds a tinge of suspense that balances the more humorous premise. It also clues in the reader to every motivation of the characters, so we know what is happening before some of the other cast does. All of the threads in this book converge in a satisfying conclusion that teeters precariously close to the edge of absurdity. It is all in good fun though, and that's really all I want from my summer reading. Nature Girl was a perfect way to spend the last bits of the summer holiday.

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2020, 40)

My quarantine reading continues today with Andrew Sean Greer's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Less. This is one of those books that I felt almost obligated to read. It pretty much checks off most of the boxes for the kinds of books I wish there were more of. LQBTQ character? Check. Critical acclaim? Check. Heck, at a terse 260 or so pages, even the length seemed great. Still, as is all too common with too many of the books I buy, Less has sat on my bookshelf unread for a couple of years now. It even made it into the box of carefully curated books that made the move with me to my new house last month! And so, with a shelter in place order in effect for my county and only a finite number of Netflix shows to catch up on, it was finally time to dust off my copy and give this novel the read it very much deserved.

Arthur Less is a man on the brink of crisis. His longtime publisher has rejected his latest attempt at a novel, his former lover has announced his marriage to another man, and, perhaps most distressing of all, Less is about to have his 50th birthday. Things really couldn't be worse for this fabulously cosmopolitan man. At least his tailor-made blue suit still fits like a dream. Oh, there's one more thing. This former lover, the one who broke Less's heart and is marrying another man, has had the nerve to ask Less to attend the upcoming nuptials as a friend. The nerve of some people!

Not to worry though. Less has a plan. He conveniently has a stack of requests for his appearance at multiple literary events that span the globe. Normally Less would carefully peruse the invitations, accepting the ones that were either the most prestigious or the most lucrative, but this emergency is no time for caution. Less enthusiastically accepts each offer, a move that will conveniently see him on the other side of the world for his 50th birthday and the dreaded wedding of his ex-lover. What could possibly go wrong?

I think that readers' enjoyment of Andrew Sean Greer's Less will hinge upon their ability to empathize with the titular character. He's not likable in the traditional sense, and I think that may make it a bit hard for readers to connect with him. As a member of the LGBTQ community myself, I initially struggled to see beyond the stereotypical aspects of this character as a gay man. They were good for some brief chuckles, but there had to be more for me to invest in this story. Fortunately, I stuck with Mr. Less and was able to find a completely fulfilling and beautiful narrative as I went on his journey. Beyond the surface level satire lies a very raw and intimate portrait of a man dealing with aging, love, and loss. The depiction of one of Less's former relationships is probably one of the most realistic that I've ever read. My biggest takeaway from the novel is that ultimately life hinges upon love and human connection. Nothing more and nothing less.

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2020, 8)

“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.” 

Who is Bernadette Fox? The mothers at the charter school where Bernadette's daughter Bee attends don't have an exact answer. They've seen the elusive Bernadette briskly drop Bee off at the school, but she is noticeably absent from any kind of extra curricular activities. One of the mothers whose home is located directly on the edge of Bernadette's dilapidated estate is particularly curious.

Audrey Griffin likes to think that she embodies all of the characteristics of a woman in modern suburbia. She has a loving husband who provides for her and her son Kyle. This affords her the time necessary to devote to taking an active role in her community, a job she takes very seriously. As she prepares her home to host a prospective parents brunch for her son's school, she notices that her neighbor's blackberry vines threaten to invade her yard. If Audrey doesn't find a way to get Bernadette to eliminate the blackberries in her own yard, they will certainly make their way back to Audrey's garden and ruin her event. 

We learn about Bernadette through a collection of correspondence compiled by her daughter bee. We discover that she's an acclaimed architect and recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant. She resides in a dilapidated building in Seattle with her daughter, Microsoft employed husband Elgie, and their goofy dog Ice Cream. Her family loves her, but in recent years Bernadette has become a recluse. Now she relies on her Indian assistant Manjula to manage her daily affairs. As we make our way through the various messages, we learn more about the woman, the events that stirred her disappearance, and piece together the clues to find out where she has gone. 

Where'd You Go, Bernadette is one of the rare novels that seeks to provide satire and actually achieves it. Author Maria Semple, who is notable for her writing on Arrested Development and Ellen, turns the mundane observations of suburban life into a whimsical and sharp social commentary. By revealing most of the story through letters and emails, Semple maintains a brisk pace that provides just enough details to hold the reader's interest. I found the abandonment of this style in favor of a more traditional narrative towards the end of the novel to be a bit jarring. I was so accustomed to the quick succession of messages that the more straight ahead approach seemed a tad out of place. Refreshing in both content and style, Where'd You Go, Bernadette is ultimately about the importance of family and embracing each others differences. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and can't wait to see what Semple has to offer next. 

For More information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads. 

(2016, 12)

Florida based author Carl Hiaasen is known for his clever and intricate novels. Prior to reading his latest novel, Bad Monkey, my only encounter with Hiaasen's writing was with his young adult novel Hoot. True to form, Bad Monkey sees Hiaasen set his story is his home state and cast it full of quirky characters.

Andrew Yancey has fallen on hard times. An unfortunate incident involving a vacuum cleaner and his girlfriend's husband saw him demoted from his plush detective job in the Florida Keys. Relegated to "roach patrol", Yancey spends his day's enforcing health and sanitation standards at local restaurants. But remnants of his past career threaten to come back to haunt him. Namely, the human arm that currently resides in his freezer!

Beyond Yancey's narrative, Hiaasen casts his novel with several other questionable characters. There's a Bahama native who is looking to curse another man. He turns to the island's local voodoo expert to cast a curse on the man. He also happens to be the owner of titular mammal who is said to have been cast in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Then there's Yancey's neighbor who is building an oversized mansion in a "get rich quick" scheme. The only problem is that no one wants to buy the out of place home. Yancey, who hates that the structure blocks his view of the Florida landscape, is doing everything in his power to sabotage potential buyers.

In Bad Monkey, Carl Hiaasen delivers on all fronts. He expertly balances on the edge of absurdity, never allowing his wild story or characters to wander too far astray. Hiaasen's various narrative threads manage to entertain and maintain suspense. When they finally come together, you'll be as surprised as you are satisfied. While Bad Monkey never takes itself too seriously, it is a seriously fantastic read!

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

(2016, 11)