The Misfortune of Marion Palm

The Misfortune of Marion Palm by Emily Culliton, 282 pages.
This was, for me, that rare enjoyable book with no likable characters. Marion has left her husband Nathan behind as she tries to stay ahead of the audit that is certain to expose her embezzlement. As we hear from both of them as they narrate their stories, it's hard to feel sympathy for either. Nathan is a self-absorbed and entitled writer and Marion seems incapable of true feelings for others. Throughout the book, Culliton does an excellent job of keeping the book engaging and readable, and shows her characters (or allows her characters to show) their somewhat buried humanity.
The people from whom Marion has liberated the funds are almost less likable than Marion and Nathan. It's only Ginny and Jane, the daughters of the Palms, who worry the reader. How will these two survive with an uncaring and now absent mother and a father who struggles to notice them? Culliton gives us an interesting read without easy answers.

Sing, unburied, sing

Sing, unburied, sing / Jesmyn Ward, read by Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Rutina Wesley & Chris Chalk, 289 pgs.

Jojo is 13 and his sister Kayla 3.  They live with their grandparents and mother.  Their father is in prison.  The grandparents are the true parents as their mother Leonie has a drug problem and isn't made of mother material.  The family matriarch is on her deathbed, beaten down by cancer.  Pop is holding down the fort, raising the children and recalling his own time in prison when his almost son-in-law is released from the same place he served time.  Leonie decides to take the kids for the release date to see the father they barely know.  The narration for this book bounces between Jojo, Leonie and Richie, a ghost who haunts Pop mentally but is seen by and communicates with Jojo.  The stories of each are mostly heart breaking and occasionally hopeful. Each is treated with extreme respect by the author who has crafted an unforgettable book. I listened to the audio that is expertly narrated by the small cast listed above.  I think the audio version packs a bigger emotional punch which may not be a good thing for everyone.

Sharp Objects

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, 254 pages

Camille Preaker is a crime reporter in Chicago, but is sent back to her hometown in the Missouri boot heel to cover a possible serial kidnapper and murderer. Staying with her cold mother, nondescript stepfather, and unnerving 13-year-old sister in the sterile home where she grew up makes Camille slip back into the discomfort of her youth as she attempts to separate rumor from fact.

Flynn (Gone Girl, Dark Places) is not known for creating likeable characters, but in this, her debut novel, she succeeds in making Camille sympathetic, while still messed up beyond belief. I'll admit that, pretty early on, I could see where this story might end up; that said, I had no idea exactly how we'd reach that point, and there were enough twists and tension to make the journey fascinating (albeit in a slightly stomach-turning way). IMO, this is Flynn's best book. Well worth a read.