May is DONE! SO. MANY. THINGS. IN. MAY. But I still managed to squeeze in six books! Links and reviews as follows:
#1. A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum (☆☆☆☆) Wow. This book is a heartbreaker and an important read. It follows the stories of three generations of Arab-American women and their lives in America. All of the stories contain sorrow, but Isra’s, a girl who grew up in Palestine and moved to Brooklyn upon her arranged marriage, is the most difficult to read. Isra’s character is a pleaser - she wants to please her parents by going to America, she wants to please her new husband and she wants to please her new in-laws. Unfortunately, Isra feels she does not meet the expectations of any. It is a hard look at the patriarchal culture of not just Arab-American women, but all women.
Read if you like: Miracle Creek
#2. The Witch Elm by Tana French (☆☆) This one did not do it for me. This was my first Tana French book and I feel like I should have started elsewhere; it seems this is a stand alone piece of work that is receiving mixed reviews all around. I think my biggest problem with it is that I just didn’t like the main character, Toby, and I think I was supposed to like him. He is written as this carefree, happy go lucky boy and man who sort of drifts through life with good things happening to him along the way. Then several things happen: one: he is victim to a brutal beating in his own apartment and two: a body is found in a tree on his family’s property, a place Toby and his two cousins spent many summers. Investigations begin into both incidents and the story moves slowly from there.
Read if you like: Well, possibly The Silent Patient listed below, another psychological thriller
#3. How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper (☆☆☆☆☆) This was my May Book of the Month pic and one of my favorite reads of the month. It hooked me from the start - the main character, Andrew, has the thankless job of searching the homes of individuals who die alone, trying to find clues to find a family member/next of kin. If he doesn’t find anyone, Andrew arranges and attends the deceased individual’s funeral. He is forced to confront some of his own fears around death, grieving and the choice to participate in the real world with a difficult family situation and a motley crew of coworkers. It is quirky and offbeat and had me both laughing and crying.
Read if you like: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine or Where’d Ya Go Bernadette or Rabbit Cake
#4. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (☆☆☆) This book has made the rounds - #1 New York Times Bestseller and beloved by the Bookstagram community. I found it suspenseful and engaging, but yet another instance, like The Witch Elm, of a horrible and unlikeable male lead and toxic relationships all around. The story follows a woman named Alicia Berenson, charged with the murder of her husband and, after the event, 100% silent and admitted to a psychiatric facility in London. Here she meets her toxic therapist, Theo, who specifically gets a job at her facility because he is convinced (read: obsessed) that he can get Alicia to speak. Theo is a piece of work himself and the plot thickens from there.
Read if you like: Gone Girl
#5. Normal People by Sally Rooney (☆☆☆) This one was a love hate for me. I think I identified too well with both the main characters and their desire for their individual definitions of ‘normalcy.’ The novel follows the romantic relationship of two individuals, Marianne and Connell, from high school to early adulthood. Each character struggles at opposite moments in time. Marianne struggles more in high school - to fit in and understand social dynamics while Connell remains athletic and popular. Then, Connell can’t seem to find his footing in college, a boy from a less advantageous background amongst a university rife with privilege and knowledge. They both long to be ‘Normal’ but, really, is anyone? Trigger warnings for sexual assault, domestic violence, and depression.
Read if you like: The Last Romantics
#6. Circe by Madeline Miller (☆☆☆☆☆) This was my IRL book club pic for the month and I was NOT expecting to love it as much as I did. Greek mythology is generally not an interest of mine but Madeline Miller did an amazing job developing her characters and making them relatable. It’s a gorgeous book about gods, goddesses, evil, kindness, and, ultimately, a mother’s love. Circe is the daughter of the Helios, god of the sun. Unlike her powerful siblings, she is born without any particular powers she can discern. She makes several questionable decisions and is banished to her own island. Here, she continues to incur the wrath of both mortal and others gods. Circle proves herself as unique and powerful in her own right and I think readers will identify with her unwavering desire to be true to herself.
Read if you like: I’m struggling to come up with something similar; just trust me and read this one!
