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Most Intriguing Novels of 2008..........so far
  By Chris Weigard

Long Ago or Far Away:

The Ginseng Hunter by Jeff Talarigo

            In a mountain forest in western China, a man walks silently, searching for the Ginseng plant. He lives a simple and lonely existence. But gradually, the outside world enters his mountains. A girl is stealing the corn from his field. He meets a woman on a trip to town who tells him of hunger, and the terrible punishment for stealing a grain of rice. People are crossing the river from North Korea, and some of their bodies are left behind, floating with the currents.

            Talarigo explores the ugliness of political oppression in the border lands of China and North Korea, as well as the mysteries of love and cruelty in the human heart.

                                                             Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin

     LeGuin, a veteran writer of science fiction and young adult fantasy,  branches out here with a historical novel on the mythical beginnings of the city of Rome. She chooses to bring to life a figure from Virgil’s Aeneid named Lavinia- a bit character who ended up being the new wife of the hero Aeneas. The story is intensely imagined, carefully crafted, and tragically bittersweet. In place of the original male epic of war and daring, we get a different kind of epic that sings of the choices and the destinies of a woman, merging reality and literary storytelling in an intriguing way. Remarkable!

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

This is a demanding and complex novel that honors those throughout history who have struggled to create and to protect a very special book. From the Spanish Inquisition to the Holocaust, we see all the evils of cruelty and intolerance of which humans are capable. Parallel to this sad history is the story of a young woman who is charged with researching the special five hundred year old book and who falls in love with the man charged with preserving it.

                                                                              Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith        

Leo Demidov is a decorated hero of World War II in 1953 and a trusted servant of Stalin’s police, who pursues and interrogates the enemies of the State without losing much sleep.            Then two things happen:  First, he realizes that he has turned an innocent man in for torture and death. Second, he finds proof that a serial killer of children is seeking new victims on the railroad system.  His bosses tell him to shut up about it if he wants to live.

            Based on the true story of the Chikitilo murders and in the tradition of Gorky Park, Smith’s debut novel is a suspenseful look at a nightmarish society where right is wrong and wrong is right, and conscience keeps getting in the way of survival.

Explorations of American History through Fiction:

     Johnny One-Eye by Jerome Charyn.                            

              A strange tale focuses on New York City during the Revolutionary War. John Stocking, who lost an eye serving with Benedict Arnold, tries to thrive and survive in a dangerous time and place. The British and the Patriots both try to use him against the other side, and Johnny seeks safety at his mother’s bordello. A cast of historical figures including George Washington and the British Generals round out a bawdy and colorful tale. Of course New York City is not distant from our experience- but in the 1700s it was a very different place!

                                                                          Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

            Set in the Mississippi Delta in the immediate aftermath of World War II, this tragic novel is surprisingly complex and evocative for a first effort from Jordan. Racism and an unwillingness to change with a changing world exact a terrible price in one farm family and in a family of black sharecroppers on their farm. Despite the sense of loss, there is also somehow a strong feeling of hope in this tale. The reader will eagerly look forward to Jordan’s next work.

Historical Fiction, Civil War Era:

                               Hallam’s War by Elizabeth Rosen

            Hugh and Serena Hallam leave behind the city life of Charleston for the near wilderness of west Tennessee. At first life is a simple matter of buying and working slaves, but then the War arrives and things get complicated.

            This is a realistic and insightful novel that is set in the Civil War era. The characters are well drawn and realistic.

                                                                             The Disagreement by Nick Taylor

            In 1861, John Muro sees his dream of attending medical school in Philadelphia die. That’s when Virginia secedes from the Union. Believing that the “Disagreement” will soon pass, Muro’s father sends him to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville instead.

            Soon it becomes clear that the “Disagreement” is going to kill or injure a generation of young men, and John is pressed into service assisting in trying to save some of their lives. This is a well written novel of a young man reaching adulthood under terrible conditions, and facing tough choices.

The Horrors of Alien Infestation:           

Infected by Scott Sigler.

             Imagine that you begin to feel a bit ill. Gradually, you are feeling worse. There is something on your arm- it’s sort of triangle-shaped. You have a funny feeling that the triangle is alive, and wants you to do something….

            In the tradition of Stephen King and Michael Crichton, Sigler here offers a tale of a group of people who struggle to deal with an alien organism, before it is too late for the human race.

                                                                                  The Host by Stephenie Meyer.

            You may be familiar with Meyer as the author of the immensely popular “Twilight” trilogy of novels about a teen girl who falls in love with a vampire. This novel contains darker stuff, if possible, and it is more adult. A group of alien parasites

has reached planet Earth, and one of them named “The Wanderer” has entered the brain of a girl. This novel explores the life experiences of both the girl and the alien within her as each struggle to control the other, while together they go on a journey to find a young man in the human Resistance.  Meyer tells an exciting tale for over 600 pages that explores more than just the emotion of fear. Perhaps the future of the human race will depend on how an alien and a human girl deal with each other.

The Mysteries of Love:

Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy

            This is an unusual novel in that it focuses on the love between a couple in their seventies. The perspective on love here explores its importance at the end of life, rather than in youth. The message is ultimately hopeful: we see that love endures, and the joy and purpose of living can survive the loss of the closest other person in our life.

Beautiful descriptions of nature and fine supporting characters of friends and relatives add appeal to the story.

                                                                    Belong to Me by Marisa De Los Santos

            A sequel to Love Walked In, this novel continues the life adventure of Cornelia. De Los Santos continues to apply her instincts as a poet to the conundrums of modern life. As an author, she tells us that there are many kinds of love, and that we can overcome the frustrations and obstacles to form real connections with others.

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May Events:

Book Talks - Please Join Us
These discussion are free and open to the public.  Please contact Librarian Chris Wiegard for more information

Hopewell - Thursday, May 15 at 1:00 P.M.
Away by Amy Bloom

Carson - Tuesday, May 13 at 7:00 P.M.
Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig

Dinwiddie - Thursday, May 15 at 7:00 P.M.
Songs without Words by Ann Pecker

Disputanta - Monday, May 28 at 6:30 P.M.
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen