The almost sisters

The almost sisters by Joshilyn Jackson, read by the author, 342 pages.

Leia Birch Briggs is a comic book writer and artist.  Her signature characters are Violet and Violence.  She is working on an origin story but has writers block.  Part of the problem is all the other stuff going on in her life.  Her grandmother is suffering from a form of dementia, her step sister's marriage is falling apart, and she is pregnant after a one night stand at a comic con.  It sounds a little crazy but hold on, there is more.  In an effort to avoid spoilers, I will say this is a modern story of the South, with a little mystery thrown in along with some family dysfunction.  The author does a wonderful job with the audio version which I enjoyed immensely.

Meeting with My Brother: a Novella

Meeting with My Brother: a Novella / Yi Mun-Yol, translated by Heinz Insu Fenkl with Yoosup Chang, 92 pp.

A cool, spare story of a middle-aged South Korean professor meeting his North Korean half-brother for the first time in a Chinese border town packed with tourists.  Little action but lots to think about, this story lets the reader glimpse the deep strangeness of the Korean divide.  Atmospheric in a minimalist kind of way.  I enjoyed this; try it if you like fiction that takes you someplace new.

Commonwealth

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett, 322 pages

Bert Cousins unexpectedly shows up at a christening party for Fix Keating's youngest daughter and a quick romantic interlude later, the lives of the Keating and Cousins families are simultaneously exploded and forever intertwined. That's Commonwealth in a nutshell, though the description doesn't do justice (not nearly so) to the rich tapestry that Patchett has woven with these characters. Hopping about in time and characters, Commonwealth shows the long bond that was formed among six step-siblings through years of spending short weeks together each summer, and harboring the secret of the truth behind their brother's death. This was a wonderful book. Highly recommended.