Reported by Jeanne
Nevermore opened with a review of Half a Life by V.S.
Naipaul. Willie Chandran is the son of a
Brahmin who deliberately chose to marry outside of his caste—in fact, to a very
lower caste woman—as a sign of political protest. Willie finds life difficult as half-castes,
and Willie leaves to try to create a new life in England. In 1950s London, he struggles as a writer,
finally marrying a woman of mixed African heritage and moving with her to her
homeland. Our reader thinks Naipaul is a
writer of rare depth and has enjoyed reading several of his books.
Next up was Walking the Americas: 1800 Miles, Eight
Countries, and One Incredible Journey from Mexico to Columbia by British
explorer/travel writer Levison Wood, who decided to try a trek through a large
part of Central America. He experienced
everything from large cities to dense jungle to migrant encampments. Our reviewer was enthralled with the journey,
saying the book was not only enlightening and informative, but “funny, tragic,
sad, and amazing!”
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
usually brings to mind a fantasy story but the “magic” in this book refers to
modern medicine. Written by registered
nurse Sallie Tisdale, the book takes a hard look at medicine and illness,
pointing out that some of the “miracles” of modern medicine come with a high
price to the patient. The book examines
several “specialty“ areas (burn units, neonatal units, etc.) and asks some
thought–provoking questions. Our reader
enjoys books that explore medical issues, and she felt this was definitely of
the best ones she read, even though it was published back in the 1980s. She found the book to be touching and
sensitive.
Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Unsheltered has not met
with universal enjoyment in Nevermore.
This week’s reviewer was disappointed by what she felt was a lack of
evolution from the characters. They all
seemed immature and never improved.
On the other hand, My Sister the Serial Killer by
Oyinkin Braithwaite met with a better reception. Set in modern day Nigeria, the book features
two sisters. Korede is the elder, a
practical responsible woman who works as a nurse and who is called upon to take
care of younger sister Ayoola’s little indiscretions, such as her habit of
killing her boyfriends. The Nevermore
member enjoyed it both for the look at Nigerian culture and the darkly comedic
tone.
Yesterday’s News by
Richard Belsky was described as a real page turner. The narrator is Clare Carlson, a news
executive who won a Pulitzer for her series of articles about missing
schoolgirl Lucy Devlin. The child was
never found, and now fifteen years later Lucy’s mother wants Clare to follow up
on a new clue. There are secrets
aplenty, and Belsky keeps the reader guessing.
Finally, several members have been dipping into YA
literature. The Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard was found to be an
entertaining diversion, while S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders remains a powerful book.
