A NOVEL BOOKSTORE by Laurence Cosse

A few months ago, someone told me he’d just finished one of the most amazing books he’d ever read. He was visibly shaken by the idea that he’d found the book by accident and could so easily have missed the book altogether. “What if I went through life without reading this novel,” he mused, and this was followed by another thought, “how many other novels as good as this am I missing?” From this point, the conversation moved on to the observation that readers are saturated by publicity for some books while others are quietly published and subsequently sink and disappear without a trace. This conversation came back to me when I read A NOVEL BOOKSTORE, a book written by Laurence CossĂ© and translated by Alison Anderson. On the surface level, this is a mystery, but on a meta-level, A Novel Bookstore is an indictment of the cannibalizing publishing industry, the mass marketing of “taste,” and a subtle examination of fascism. All this in just around 400 pages. A NOVEL BOOKSTORE plays out just like an excellent French film–great entertainment on a surface level, but yet some deep philosophical statements resonate in the background.

August 31, 2010 · Judi Clark · One Comment
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: 2010 Favorites, France, Mystery/Suspense, Reading Guide, World Lit, y Award Winning Author

THE HOMECOMING PARTY by Carmine Abate

The poverty of Southern Italy and the negative results of globalization are at the roots of the novella The Homecoming Party from Italian author Carmine Abate. Told through the eyes of Marco Tullio, the story covers certain pivotal moments in the lives of Marco’s family.

The book begins in Southern Italy at a Christmas bonfire while Marco sits with his father on the steps of a church. These are good times for 12-year-old Marco as he basks in the all-too rare company of his father, but as the evening wears on, Marco’s father tells stories about working in France, and Marco’s mind wanders off to thoughts of his sister Elisa who attends the University of Cosenza and returns home for the weekends.

July 27, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: ,  Â· Posted in: Family Matters, italy, Translated, World Lit

A KIND OF INTIMACY by Jenn Ashworth

Imagine, for a moment, that you live in a nice quiet little middle-class street policed by the local volunteer neighbourhood watch. All the gardens are tidy and well-kept. The neighbours know one other, and nothing much ever happens here. And then imagine that a madwoman moves in next door.

Ok, now switch scenarios and imagine yourself as that madwoman, and that you’ve moved into that nice little neighbourhood. You’ve not only moved there, but you want to belong, you want to mingle, you want to make friends….

June 18, 2010 · Judi Clark · One Comment
Tags: , , , ,  Â· Posted in: 2010 Favorites, Betty Trask Prize, Humorous, Literary, Reading Guide, Unique Narrative, United Kingdom

ZULU by Caryl Ferey

Europa Editions, a New York based publisher founded in 2005, first came to my attention a few years ago through one of their noir titles. I really enjoy Europa’s Italian crime novels written by Massimo Carlotto, Jean Claude Izzo, and Carlo Lucarelli. There’s a predictable level of quality here that makes me return to Europa and peruse their titles regularly. My attitude towards publishers is similar to my attitude towards film directors–experience has taught me that some directors and some publishers consistently produce work that I’m interested in.

And this brings me to ZULU, from French crime writer, Caryl Ferey, a novel in Europa’s World Noir series.

May 10, 2010 · Judi Clark · One Comment
Tags: , , ,  Â· Posted in: Africa, Class - Race - Gender, Mystery/Suspense, Noir, World Lit, y Award Winning Author

CECILIA by Linda Ferri

Saint Cecilia is listed in the Catholic Mass’ Commemoration of the Dead. Her feast day is easy to remember because it is the same day President Kennedy was assassinated: November 22. She is the patron saint of musicians and Church music because she is said to have sung as she was dying. According to hagiography, she was a Roman noble woman who converted to Christianity toward the end of the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 A.D.). An only child, she married a man, Valerian, who along with his brother preceded her in martyrdom for their mutually-held religion. Cecilia survived several attempted executions, but finally after lingering a few days, she, still young, passed into Church history. The verifiable information about Saint Cecilia’s life is quite sparse, and so a novelist has plenty of elbow room for embellishment. Linda Ferri’s CECILIA takes apt advantage of this opportunity for invention in the name of rounding out characters, time, and place.

May 9, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags: , , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Facing History, italy, Translated

BROKEN GLASS PARK by Alina Bronsky

There are many reasons why teenaged Sascha Naimann is as tough as nails. She is a survivor of abuse, lives in the projects in Germany (in an urban ghetto called the Emerald) and is orphaned after her stepfather kills her mother (and her mother’s boyfriend) in a fit of jealous rage.

April 13, 2010 · Judi Clark · No Comments
Tags:  Â· Posted in: Class - Race - Gender, Coming-of-Age, Contemporary, Debut Novel, Family Matters, Translated, World Lit