BOOK REVIEW: The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout is one of my favorite writers. I just read The Things We Never Say, and I’m impressed all over again. A quiet book, it touches on so much that it both warms and breaks your heart at the same time.

The main character is Artie Dam, a high school history teacher living in a Massachusetts coastal town. He loves his job. He cares about his students, and they are all, in some way or another, inspired by him. He is married, with an adult son. He has friends and colleagues. But Artie is lonely.

The book deals with loneliness. With inability to connect. With depression. And with damaging secrets. As the novel progresses, one secret unfolds after another, not just in Artie’s life, but in the lives of everyone around him. Can no one truly connect because everyone has something to hide? There are moments of exquisite joy, but the joy fades. Resentment takes over. And finally, resignation is all that is left.

And yet, the novel comes back to the impact of Artie’s life, and the way he touched the lives of those around him.

I highly recommend this book. And all of Strout’s books.

BOOK REVIEW: Margery & Me by Maryka Biaggio

Where do you stand on the supernatural, the occult? Did you ever play with a Ouija board as a kid? Ever get a shiver of fear about a ghost nearby, even though you don’t believe in ghosts? What about communication with the dead?

Margery & Me by Maryka Biaggio takes us right to the heart of turn-of-the-20th-century Spiritualism, when séances conducted by mediums were all the rage, and their veracity was hotly debated. This novel tells the story of Margery (Mina) Crandon, a Boston native, who was considered one of the most convincing mediums of her day. Along with her husband, Dr. Roy Crandon, she performed séances for years, subjecting herself to intense scrutiny by scientists, journalists, believers, and unbelievers, who consistently failed to find proof-positive evidence of fraud. Her greatest nemesis was Harry Houdini, who was determined to expose her. (Whether he succeeded or not is the question.)

Biaggio cleverly sidesteps the natural skepticism of readers by having the narrator be Margery’s deceased older brother, Walter. It is Walter’s desire to contact Margery that sets in motion her foray into Spiritualism. He is the one who takes charge during the séances and who supports her against the bullying of her husband and those who would discredit her powers.

It’s a fast-paced read with a sympathetic but imperfect protagonist. And while I remain a skeptic, as long as I was in Margery and Walter’s world, I wanted to believe.

BOOK REVIEW: Loot by Tania James

For my next read, I dove into my TBR pile and pulled out Loot by Tania James, purchased in 2023 at a local indie bookstore’s signing event.

Set largely in 18th-century India, during the reign of Tipu Sultan of Mysore, it tells the story of an automaton (which did actually exist) representing a tiger mauling an Englishman. In the novel, the automaton, commissioned by Tipu, is built by a local young woodcarver/toy maker (Abbas) and a French expat clock maker (Lucien Du Leze.) When the British attack Mysore and overthrow Tipu, the automaton is seized as spoils of war and taken to an English estate where it joins a collector’s host of artifacts from the empire.

Abbas leaves Mysore to follow Du Leze, hoping to learn more about clock- and automaton-making. The journey is more difficult than he anticipated, and the unexpected awaits him, forcing him down a different path. (I’m going for no spoilers here.)

This is an interesting novel that took me to places I’d never been before. It is told from different character viewpoints, and some of the characters appear and disappear to move the plot along, without leaving much of an emotional trace. The central characters, Abbas and Du Leze, are more deeply explored. The novel picks up at the end with a love story, the seeds of which had been planted early on.

This novel is recommended for those interested in the complex and untoward ripple effects of British colonialism.

BOOK REVIEW: A Bitter Cut by Anna Lee Huber

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The latest book (book 14, including a novella) in Anna Lee Huber’s Lady Darby Mysteries series is A Bitter Cut. Huber continues to serve up tightly plotted murder mysteries to be solved by the clever Lady Darby and her handsome husband, Sebastian Gage. And there are intricate family dynamics to navigate along the way.

In this book, Kiera (Lady Darby) and Gage are hosting a house party alongside Sebastian’s father, Lord Gage. There is to be a gathering of family and politically minded friends and acquaintances. For Kiera, the most critical partygoers are her brother Trevor, the young heiresss–Matilda Birnam--he hopes to wed, and Matilda’s parents. The parents, unfortunately, are nightmares. Not only are they commoners, but Mr. Birnam is pressing an unpopular political stance: allowing his factories to continue to exploit child labor. He dominates every table conversation despite the obvious distaste of his fellow diners. His wife, Mrs. Birnam, is a haughty, complaining shrew. If that isn’t bad enough, Mr. Birnam has brought along his secretary, a pretty young woman, whose presence he insists upon during social functions, despite the fact that this just isn’t done. (Is she his mistress, being foisted upon them all? Kiera is horrified.)

Before Kiera can get too worked up about the impropriety, the woman asks her to meet someplace private, at midnight, because she is frightened and has something to confess. When Kiera goes to meet her, she finds that the woman has been murdered. By way of an acid attack.

Once again, Kiera and Gage are called upon to solve what at first seems an unsolvable murder. What makes it even more difficult is the fact that the Birnams (who might possibly be future in-laws) and even her beloved brother Trevor are all hiding something.

Alongside the mystery, the novel delves into issues of inequality and child labor in mid-1800s England. As always, the Lady Darby Mysteries spin a fine tale.

BOOK REVIEW: The Daffodil Days by Helen Bain

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I was interested in this novel when I read that it was about Sylvia Plath. It wasn’t because I am a particular Plath fan, but more that I like stories about writers in general. My knowledge of Plath (what I thought I knew) was that she was a poet and novelist, with a husband, Ted Hughes, who was also a poet, who was possibly a philanderer, but who was definitely jealous of her talent and was not supportive of her work. And I knew she took her own life while still quite young.

The Daffodil Days by Helen Bain takes the reader to the English countryside, to the small rural village of North Tawton, where Sylvia and Ted bought a farmhouse and a couple of acres to escape the hustle and bustle of London. (This is true.) They renovated the house and, with help, raised bees and played at being countryfolk.

What makes this story interesting is that it is not told from either Sylvia’s or Ted’s viewpoint. Instead, it is a stitched-together quilt introducing the reader to the residents of North Tawton, as well as to a few of Sylvia’s and Ted’s London friends who come to visit. These characters all share their impressions of Sylvia with the reader and with each other. It’s a gossipy book. But the portrayal of Sylvia, her charm, her brittleness, her scattered interests, her determination to have people see her as a writer equal in talent to her husband (who at that time was the more famous) is all the more intense and realistic because of the way very different people see her. There is wonder and a sympathy for her, but the reader does get the sense that there is something a little bit off about her. (And knowing her future makes this all the more poignant.) It also shows Ted as supportive, caring, but maybe a bit out of his depth in trying to help Sylvia as she pulls people in, then pushes them away.

I was a few chapters in before I realized something else. The story is told in reverse. It starts in December, 1962, after Sylvia and Ted have left the farmhouse. Then the chapters unfold in reverse chronological order to their purchase of the house in July, 1961. And so, we see the gossip about events before seeing the actual events.

This structure works exquisitely. This is a beautiful novel, highly recommended whether you are a Sylvia Plath fan or not.