Unterzakhn / Leela Corman 202 p.

A graphic novel of twin Jewish sisters born in New York at the turn of the last century.  I'm always reluctant to evaluate graphic novels; I read too few of them to feel competent, and the art, even of those that are widely hailed as good, doesn't do much for me.  So...

Fanya and Esther live with their dressmaker mother and gentle, vague father in a rough and tumble New York.  Early on they come under the influences of other strong women who pull them in opposite directions, in which each experiences tragedy and loss.  More an exploration of the limited choices available to women of the period than a true Jewish story, despite the liberal sprinkling of Yiddish. 

Far Side of the Sky / Daniel Kalla 426 pp.

An entertaining if somewhat predictable historical novel, set in Vienna and Shanghai during WWII.  A Jewish surgeon and his family flee Vienna to one of the few places that will accept them, the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai.  There the doctor meets a Chinese nurse, and a tepid romance ensues. For me the most interesting aspect was the portrayal of the Japanese Kempeitai, a horrifically brutal occupying force with the distinction of having no particular Anti-Semitic feelings.  Engaging but not thought provoking. 

Monkey Mind: a Memoir of Anxiety / Daniel Smith 212 p.

A pleasantly written book that was neither insightful nor comical enough to be memorable.  Smith, after most of a lifetime of sometimes crippling anxiety, feels mostly OK these days.  Which is nice, definitely, except that I couldn't relate to much of it.  Smith traces the beginning of his problems to a bizarre teenage sexual episode.  It's a memoir, so of course it's self-referential, but it felt like Smith was talking to himself rather than the reader. 

The Headmaster's Wager / Vincent Lam 426 p.

Lam published his story collection Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, about a group of Toronto medical students, in 2007.  Five years later his new novel demonstrates an exceptional versatility of setting and genre. The Headmaster's Wager is a historical novel set in Saigon before and during the American portion of the war.  It takes place in Cholon, the Chinese district of the city, and tells the story of Percival Chen, a successful school headmaster whose life begins to unravel when his son gets into trouble with the Vietnamese authorities and must be sent away. 

I loved being able to read about a slice of the Vietnam War from a fresh perspective.  Lam does a great job of putting the reader into a distinct time and place, while telling a fast-moving and compelling story.

I am Forbidden / Anouk Markovits 302 pp.

Beginning in WWII in the border area between Romania and Hungary among a community of Satmar, a Hasidic sect, and continuing to Paris and Brooklyn, this is the story of a family told through the eyes of two sisters.  One embraces her strict but communally-minded faith, while the other breaks away to pursue life on the 'outside.'

Apart from the fact that Markovits' writing is amazing - perfectly paced, unpredictable, and moving - her book is striking for its balance.  According to the author bio, Markovits herself was raised in a French Satmar community which she later left.  Other accounts I have read by authors who left a strict religious upbringing, be it Christian fundamentalism, Mormonism, or Islam, have a whiff (or full-blown stench) of superiority.  Leaving their communities of origin seems always to be a relief and a necessity.  And so it may have been for Markovits as well, but she doesn't betray it in her book.  Each sister loses and gains by taking her particular path, which leaves the reader much freer to explore both realities.  Entirely free of cliches, humane, and strongly recommended.

Chasing Destiny

Chasing Destiny by Eric Jerome Dickey p. 421

 It all starts at a Starbucks. Keith is telling his girlfriend that he has to go back to his soon-to-be ex-wife. He can't afford to pay for his apartment and pay his child support anymore. Which is exactly what his wife wanted. His wife is a lawyer and knows people, which is how his child support payments are incredibly high. Since he can't find a job, even though he has a degree (shocking!), he can't make it on the little money he brings in from odd jobs. In the meantime, while the parents are fighting, Destiny is off trying to fit in. But she bites off more than she can chew with the crowd she's trying to fit into. The story follows Billie (who announces she's pregnant with Keith's baby) and Destiny as their lives intertwine and crash.
This was my second time reading this book. The first time I read it was around ten years ago. The plot is not very believable but the characters are. There are wayyy too many coincidences. They live in a big city, they are traveling to different places in the city, so how is it that everyone in this book manages to bump into someone who is related to someone else in the book. If you read the book you'll know what I mean. It wasn't a bad book, and it was entertaining.

The Dog Stars

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller  319 pp.

In the post-pandemic U.S. there are few people left. Hig, the main character, lost his pregnant wife to the virus. He lives with his best friend, a blue heeler dog named Jasper. They have found a place to live at an abandoned air field. His only "neighbor" is a weapons fanatic named Bangley. Hig flies an old, single engine Cessna to keep an eye on things and to find supplies in nearby abandoned stores. He hunts, fishes, and gardens to survive. In spite of his circumstances, Hig retains his humanity, helping out a group of nearby Mennonites who have contracted the "blood sickness" that followed the virus. Hig has a need to find others who have survived, if for no other reason than to alleviate the loneliness. Bangley is a different sort, who would just as soon kill any stranger rather than help and is content to stay where he is, protecting it with his fire power. Hig eventually flies off in search of a radio single he heard, not knowing what he will find and finding what he doesn't expect. Considering the bleak topic, this is a gentle book, about an essentially gentle man who is just trying to survive in extraordinary circumstances. Sometimes that survival requires him to do things he would never have done in his previous life. 

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth p. 496

In this dystopian Chicago, there are five factions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). You are born into a faction but you can choose to switch factions on Choosing Day (when you're sixteen). When you choose your faction, you have to go through initiation before you're allowed to be a member of the faction (even if you're from that faction). 
I don't want to give anything away in case someone wants to read it. It was a good book that got better the more you read. I would definitely recommend it to teens and adults. 

Locke & Key. Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

Locke & Key. Volume 1. Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill, art by Gabriel Rodriguez, 158 pages

After the murder of their father, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode (along with their alcoholic mother) move from the west coast to Keyhouse, their uncle's sprawling mansion in Massachusetts. But Keyhouse isn't a normal mansion. It has an odd black door, through which a person can pass between life and death just by crossing the threshold. There's also a creepy locked wellhouse, with an equally creepy echo. As Tyler, Kinsey and Bode attempt to get used to life at Keyhouse, their father's killer, a deranged teenager has escaped from the detention center, with additional murders--and a mysterious "anywhere" key--on his mind.

This is the first Joe Hill I've read, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Something about the supernatural elements reminds me of The Unwritten, though Hill's is much easier to follow. And a bit bloodier. The gory storyline is juxtaposed by Rodriguez's clean, precise art. It was a bit jarring at first (it reminded me more of Disney movies than most of the graphic novels I've read), but as I read, I got used to it. Can't wait to pick up Volume 2!

Memoirs of a Porcupine

Memoirs of a Porcupine by Alain Mabanckou, 150 pages

According to African legend, all people have animal doubles, some good, some bad. This short novel is the confession of an evil animal double, a porcupine who is an accomplice to his human master as he kills an alarming number of people, with less of a reason each time. Finally, the porcupine puts his foot down, unable to take another life.

It's an odd premise, and an odd book. Though separated into sections, the novel has no paragraph breaks or punctuation other than commas. That's right, the whole book is one big run-on sentence. Makes it a bit difficult to get the hang of, which can be problematic in a 150-page book. That said, this stylistic choice by the author certainly conveys the sometimes-rambling, sometimes-frantic confession. Definitely worth the read though.