Husbands

 

Husbands by Holly Gramazio (2024)  338 pages

In a "Groundhog Day" manner (as the movie goes), Lauren‒who is single‒experiences husbands coming out of her attic. If the husband returns to the attic, he is repaced by another one. Everything is reset (except time) by the husband's return to the attic and the appearance of the next one. Their personalities vary widely. Each time there's a new husband, the flat that she lives in is decorated somewhat differently, a testament to the fact that she and this husband have had a history together before she meets him.

This is an extremely weird novel! I will eventually love it or else I will continue to feel somewhat cringy about some of the things that occur. Or both. I think both!

The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein  321 pp.

Enzo, a Labrador/terrier mix (named for Enzo Ferrari) is the narrator and devoted companion of the story of race car driver Denny Swift. With great insight and a point of view that only a dog could have, Enzo tells Denny's story, recounting his successes, failures, triumphs and tragedies with compassion and philosophical reflection. Enzo also expresses frustration at his inability to communicate with words and his lack of thumbs. The story begins with an elderly Enzo contemplating his own end and his hopes to be reincarnated as a man before telling his life story with Denny from his adoption as a puppy, Denny's marriage, the birth of a daughter, and the tragedy that follows. Enzo has that innate canine ability to judge who is and isn't a good person and laments his inability to protect Denny from those who wish him harm. This book will leave you wondering what your pet is really thinking about you. 

The Children Act

The Children Act by Ian McEwan  221 pp.

Fiona Maye is a High Court judge in London's Family Court division. She is intelligent, talented, and dedicated to her profession. When marital difficulties arise she throws herself into her work with even more focus. One high profile case is in the forefront, the case of a Jehovah's Witness parents refusing to allow a teen-aged son, dying from leukemia, to get the treatment he needs because it requires blood transfusions. Despite her efforts to remain detached, her ruling on this case sets a string of unintended events in motion that change the lives of all involved. All of this leads to Fiona making an examination of her life and the choices she has made. This is a "quiet" book with little action and lots of internal soliloquies. 

The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus

The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones  421 pp.

This novel in verse is about the life of a woman at fifty with a daughter going off to college, a seriously ill mother living across the country, a looming book deadline, a husband she alternately adores and wants to strangle ("Being married makes me feel like a miner trapped in a shaft."), a changing body, and hot flashes ("I am the roar from the oven door that melts the glasses right off your face."). As she navigates her life the poems are touching, angry, funny, heartbreaking, sweet, and all have a wonderful ring of truth. This is a book that will be most appreciated by women who are in the late 40s-mid 50s. However, men should read it also since it may serve as an explanation/warning of what is going on with the women in their lives.