The Candy House is a simply amazing novel about the intrusive nature of evolving technology and the ever increasing importance of real human interaction. The novel is a companion to Egan’s Pulitzer prize winning “A Visit From the Goon Squad,” featuring some of the same characters and using interlocking narratives to tie the characters together.
Fiction
Violeta – by Isabel Allende
“I was born in 1920, during the influenza pandemic, and I’m going to die in 2020, during the outbreak of coronavirus…I’ve lived a century and I have a good memory…I’ve witnessed many events. I’ve amassed a lot of experience, but either because I was too distracted or too busy, I haven’t acquired much wisdom. If…
The Lincoln Highway – by Amor Towles
“The Lincoln Highway” is the story of a cast of characters who find themselves out on the road with intertwined stories. The story begins with 18 year old Emmett Watson. Emmett has just been released early from Salina, a workhouse for young men, where he had been sentenced to 18 months for killing Jimmy Snyder.…
The Sentence – by Louise Erdrich
“In love as in death and mayhem, small things start a chain of events which veer so out of control that sooner or later an absurd detail intrudes, bringing the trail of events back for us to ponder.” The Sentence is an amazing story of big and small events which give us a lot to…
Harlem Shuffle – by Colson Whitehead
“Harlem Shuffle” is an atmospheric story about the thin line between criminality and honesty, the complexities of class and family and survival. The story takes place between 1959 and 1964 and is a family saga, mystery and story of intrigue. The novel takes on big issues, tells a complex story and is impeccably written.
Ray…
Intimacies – by Katie Kitamura
Intimacies is a story about interpersonal connections–deep rooted and shallow–and how they grow and die.
The narrator and main character has relocated from New York City to The Hague, where she works as an interpreter at the international court (the Court). Her father has recently died and her mother has moved to Singapore. The novel…
Klara And The Sun – by Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara and The Sun is about the interactions between artificial intelligence and human beings and the impact of those interactions on human relationships.
Klara is a high functioning AF (Artificial Friend) created to befriend a child who selects her. The novel starts with Klara living in a store with other AFs, waiting to be selected.…
The Berlin Boxing Club – by Robert Sharenow
I am very fortunate that people I know recommend books to me and as a result, I read all sorts of different genres. My law partner and friend, Danny Gottesman, recommended The Berlin Boxing Club, a book I would not have read without the recommendation. This work of historical fiction was published in 2011 and…
Shuggie Bain – by Douglas Stuart
“Shuggie Bain” is the story of a dysfunctional family, living outside Glasgow, rocked by alcoholism, violence and neglect. Shuggie is the youngest member of the family and the story revolves around his life and experiences.
The novel starts in 1992 with 16 year old Shuggie working a difficult job in a supermarket and living by…
The Vixen – by Francine Prose
“The Vixen” is a sort of coming of age story that takes place in the 1950s, during America’s struggle to assess its morality in the McCarthy era. The novel, in many but not all ways, revolves around the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg in 1953.
Simon Putnam narrates the story and has just graduated…