A car crash — and a cat-sitting job — provided life-altering moments in two novels I read in May. One of my three book clubs postponed our meeting until June.
‘Virgil Wander’
By Leif Enger
What I thought • I love a book with a good curmudgeon. Three favorites that immediately come to mind: Ove Lindahl, Olive Kitteridge and Eleanor Oliphant, and though Virgil Wander doesn’t quite meet the level of these three characters, he did manage to capture my affection.
Virgil is the owner of the Empress, a small movie theater in Greenstone, Minnesota — a declining town where bad luck abounds. On a snowy fall evening, Virgil’s car flies off a bridge into icy Lake Superior. Lucky for him, the local junk dealer sees it happen and jumps in to save his life. Virgil comes out of the accident mostly unscathed but does suffer a brain injury. He struggles with finding the correct words, particularly adjectives, and has some memory lapses.
People are also reading…
He also emerges with a different personality — more charming, kindhearted and sentimental. What we learn of Virgil’s past is relayed through other characters in the story.
There is a large cast of characters, which made it a bit hard to follow on audio at times, though narrator MacLeod Andrews’ Minnesota accent was spot on (at least to my ears), and he did a wonderful job of capturing the atmosphere.
At book club • Most readers were not as charmed as I was by “Virgil Wander,” though they were entranced by the fantastical kites created by Rune, a Norwegian man who blows into town shortly after Virgil’s accident in search of a son he only recently became aware of. “Rune got a hound dog, a chimney to fly, and I can’t even get a normal kite to fly,” one member said.
Rune’s kites and his ability to get them in the air were just one part of the mystical nature of “Virgil Wander.” There was also a monstrous sturgeon, a pilot who disappeared without a trace years ago, and one resident who seems to bring — or perhaps wish — bad luck to others.
‘Velvet Was the Night’
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
What I thought • A lush setting. Complex characters. A compelling storyline. These are the few of the things I like about Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing. This is the third novel I have read by the Mexican-born author who now calls Canada home.
It’s the early 1970s in Mexico City and political unrest is widespread, but Maite, a quiet secretary, is oblivious to it. A bit self-absorbed, she escapes daily reading her romance comic books and listening to her large collection of albums. But trouble and danger find her after she agrees to watch her neighbor Leonora’s cat. When Leonora disappears, Maite goes on a search to find her, mainly because she wants to be paid, but she isn’t the only one tracking Leonora, who leads a secret life as a student radical and activist.
The novel alternates between Maite’s point of view and that of Elvis, who is a goon for the Hawks, a paramilitary group that was used by the Mexican government to attack, torture and kill protesters during what was known as the Dirty War. Elvis also loves music (his name indicates who he thinks is king) and is dreaming of a different life.
You can guess where this book is headed, and it was a little slow at times, but the unique time period and Moreno-Garcia’s solid storytelling left me satisfied.
At book club • On a breezy but warmish Tuesday afternoon, our group enjoyed Korean food and a discussion about Moreno-Garcia. Though not everyone loved the novel — one reader was particularly annoyed by what she thought was an implausible plot point — we all agreed Moreno-Garcia is a descriptive and solid writer. “But not overly and annoyingly descriptive,” one member said.
What struck me and others who had read the author’s “Mexican Gothic” is her versatility and ability to cross many genres. All of her novels have a darkness to them, but while “Mexican Gothic” was a supernatural horror story, “Velvet Was the Night” was closer to historical fiction with a dash of romance between two lonely hearts. It was also a historical period that not many of us knew much about.
“Untamed Shore,” the other novel I have read by the author, is a coming-of-age story. Once I find an author I like, I tend to devour all of their books. Next up: “Gods of Jade and Shadow,” described on Goodreads as a “one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.”
Bonus books
After listening to “Virgil Wander,” I was curious to read Leif Enger’s more well-known novel “Peace Like a River” — it was one of Time magazine’s top-five novels of 2001. The audiobook was free to download on Hoopla, so I also listened to this one.
Set in the Dakota Badlands in the 1960s, the novel is narrated by Reuben Land, an 11-year-old with asthma. Reuben’s brother Davy has been charged with the murder of two local hoodlums, and when justice does not appear to be weighing in his favor, he escapes and flees.
Hot on his tail are not only federal agents, but also his family — Reuben, his precocious 8-year-old sister, Swede, and their dad, Jeremiah, a man who failed to reach his potential but is known for his faith and ability to create miracles. “The fact is, the miracles that sometimes flowed from my father’s fingertips had few witnesses but me,” Reuben says.
The novel had too much of an old-timey Western theme for me, and you may have to put reality aside to believe in those miracles, but Enger’s strong, poetic writing kept me invested in this compelling adventure.
A novel that has “Small” in the title but is 480 pages, Jonathan Evison’s historic epic spans 170 years, from the Gold Rush of California to modern day.
“Small World” is divided into multiple stories that at first do not seem to be related, but as the novel progresses, the stories begin to cross over, and the puzzle pieces and family connections start to fall into place. There are too many characters to cover here, but I enjoyed the sprawling story of immigrants chasing their American dreams and where it led them and their descendants.
Norma Klingsick is a former designer and editor at the Post-Dispatch. She can be reached at mythreebookclubs@gmail.com.
30 new books to pack in your beach bag this summer
📖 FICTION 📖
"This Time Tomorrow" by Emma Straub
"This Time Tomorrow" by Emma Straub • A woman turning 40 wakes up to the day of her 16th birthday. Will it give her a different perspective on how her life turned out? This Back to the Future episode may even offer her the chance to change her father's life. An expected bestseller (along with Jennifer Weiner's just-published "The Summer Place"). (Riverhead; May 17)
"Two Nights in Lisbon" by Chris Pavone
"Two Nights in Lisbon" by Chris Pavone • Fast-moving thriller about a woman who wakes in a hotel to find that her younger husband has disappeared. The author will be at the Jewish Community Center on June 7 in collaboration with the county library. (MacMillan; May 24)
"The Latecomer" by Jean Hanff Korelitz
"The Latecomer" by Jean Hanff Korelitz • The author of "The Plot" turns to a family drama involving triplets ready to go their own ways. Their mother, fearing a lonely empty nest, decides to have another child, "the latecomer," who further disrupts the family dynamics. (Celadon; May 31)
"Deep Water" by Emma Bamford
"Deep Water" by Emma Bamford • Psychological thriller begins with a married couple buying a yacht to explore exotic lands. Unfortunately paradise turns fearsome in this lauded debut. (Scout; May 31)
"Sparring Partners" by John Grisham
If your dad is a John Grisham fan, he might particularly enjoy the author's latest book. One of the three novellas is set in St. Louis. $19.02 at amazon.com and at local bookstores
"Sparring Partners" by John Grisham • Grisham offers 3-for-1 in his first collection of novellas, legal stories that include the mystery of a Mississippi lawyer who disappeared, a man on death row, and two contentious brothers in St. Louis and their disbarred father, who is still trying to run their law firm from jail. (Doubleday; May 31)
"Tracy Flick Can’t Win" by Tom Perrotta
"Tracy Flick Can’t Win" by Tom Perrotta • The young heroine of Perrotta's "Election" (Reese Witherspoon in the movie) returns for a humorous high school sequel, although now she's an assistant principal who hopes for a promotion — despite her complicated life. (Scribner; June 7)
"After the Lights Go Out" by John Vercher
"After the Lights Go Out" by John Vercher • A mixed-martial arts fighter realizes he's suffering from CTE, pugilistic dementia, even as he awaits an important comeback fight. He also contends with an ailing white father, beginning to realize why his Black mother left. (Soho; June 7)
"Horse" by Geraldine Brooks
"Horse"
By Geraldine Brooks
Published by Viking, 416 pages, $28
"Horse" by Geraldine Brooks • A novel of a great 1850s racehorse, his Black groom and a painting spans more than a century, inspired by the true story of stallion Lexington. By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "March." (Viking; June 14)
"Last Summer on State Street" by Toya Wolfe
"Last Summer on State Street" by Toya Wolfe • Set in 1999 Chicago, four girls live in a housing project slated for demolition in a coming-of-age novel about friendship and family. (Morrow; June 14)
"The House Across the Lake" by Riley Sager
"The House Across the Lake" by Riley Sager • The plot sounds like "Rear Window" set on a Vermont lake, with a woman who watches her neighbors through binoculars and becomes suspicious when one disappears. (Sager is at the Ethical Society June 22.) (Dutton; June 21)
"Lapvona" by Ottessa Moshfegh
"Lapvona" by Ottessa Moshfegh • Medieval historical fiction involves a blind midwife with spiritual insights and a vindictive governor during a year of famine. By the author of "My Year of Rest and Relaxation." (Penguin Press; June 21)
"Fellowship Point" by Alice Elliott Dark
"Fellowship Point" by Alice Elliott Dark • Longtime, aging friends may be at cross-purposes regarding a beloved piece of Maine one wants to donate to a trust. Family stories, secrets and friendships in sophisticated story compared by publisher to "a classic 19th-century novel." (Scribner; July 5)
"The It Girl" by Ruth Ware
"The It Girl" by Ruth Ware • The popular British author's new mystery concerns a group of Oxford friends, including a vivacious "It Girl" who is murdered. Ten years later, one of the group realizes that the man convicted of the murder likely wasn't guilty after all. (Gallery/Scout; July 12)
"The Last White Man" by Mohsin Hamid
"The Last White Man" by Mohsin Hamid • The author of "Reluctant Fundamentalist" imagines Kafka-like tale about a white man who wakes up, not to find he has metamorphosed into an insect, but into a brown man. (Gallery/Scout; July 12)
"Bronze Drum" by Phong Nguyen
"Bronze Drum" by Phong Nguyen • An epic about ancient Vietnam, based on oral history, tells the story of two sisters who raised an army of women to overthrow the Han Chinese. By a creative writing professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. (Grand Central; Aug. 9)
📖 NONFICTION 📖
"Our Unfinished March" by Eric Holder with Sam Koppelman
"Our Unfinished March" by Eric Holder with Sam Koppelman • The former attorney general under President Barack Obama will discuss his history of voting and current threats on May 26 at the St. Louis County Library. (Tickets are required; see slcl.org). (One World; May 10)
"River of the Gods" by Candice Millard
"River of the Gods" by Candice Millard • The Kansas City historian and author of "Hero of the Empire" has a new adventurous history of the Nile River. Famous British explorers claimed to locate its headwaters, but they failed to include the essential help of an African guide, whom Millard now brings to light. (Doubleday; May 17)
"What the Ermine Saw" by Eden Collinsworth
"What the Ermine Saw" by Eden Collinsworth • A masterpiece by painter Leonardo da Vinci survives World Wars, the Nazis and a duke's wife, jealous of his teenage mistress in the portrait. (Doubleday; May 24).
"His Name Is George Floyd" by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
"His Name Is George Floyd" by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa • A biography of the man whose murder by police two years ago sparked civil protests around the globe. Floyd, a native of Houston, experienced racism his entire life, the authors find. (Viking; May 17)
"Little Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search for the Truth" by Ben Westhoff
"Little Brother: Love, Tragedy and My Search for the Truth"
By Ben Westhoff
Published by Hatchette, 276 pages, $29
"Little Brother: Love, Tragedy, and My Search for the Truth" by Ben Westhoff • Westhoff, the white son of physicians, became a mentor to a underprivileged Black boy in St. Louis. He later investigates his mentee's fatal shooting, determined to find the killer and learning more about the forces of violence and poverty. (Westhoff talks about his book at the Ethical Society May 25.) (Hachette; May 24)
"Brace for Impact" by Gabe Montesanti
"Brace for Impact" by Gabe Montesanti • A queer woman writes about her difficult upbringing and how she found confidence playing roller derby for Arch Rival. (The author will be at .ZACK May 26.) (Dial; May 24)
"African Founders" by David Hackett Fischer
"African Founders: How Enslaved People Expanded American Freedom" by David Hackett Fischer • The Pulitzer Prize-winning author argues that "historians should not focus solely on the tragic moral paradox of racism and slavery without also considering the positive, enduring impacts that enslaved and free Africans have had on the United States’ founding ideals," says Library Journal in a starred review. (Simon & Schuster; May 31)
"Travelers, Tracks and Tycoons" by Nicholas Fry and John Hoover
"Travelers, Tracks and Tycoons: The Railroad in American Legend and Life" by Nicholas Fry and John Hoover • In connection with an exhibit in New York at the Grolier Club, a catalog details many of the St. Louis Mercantile Library's historic holdings about railroads. (The Grolier Club; June 5)
"The Watermen" by Michael Loynd
"The Watermen" by Michael Loynd
"The Watermen" by Michael Loynd • New York native Charles Daniels became America's first star swimmer, winning Olympic Gold in St. Louis in 1904 and developing the "American crawl." (The author will be in conversation with Jackie Joyner-Kersee at the Jewish Community Center on June 15.) (Ballantine; June 7)
"The Twilight World" by Werner Herzog, translated by Michael Hofmann
"The Twilight World" by Werner Herzog, translated by Michael Hofmann • The film director's first book in years recounts his acquaintance with a former soldier who protected a Philippine island from the Allies for decades after World War II, not realizing the war was over. (Penguin; June 14)
"Under the Skin" by Linda Villarosa
"Under the Skin: "The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation" by Linda Villarosa • Individual accounts of racial health disparities come together in a book that explains how Black Americans “live sicker and die quicker.” (Doubleday; June 14)
"The Colony" by Sally Denton
"The Colony" by Sally Denton • An investigation into the 2019 murder in Mexico of three Mormon fundamentalist wives and their children, this true crime story delves deeply into a polygamist outpost and how it intersected not only with a sex cult, but also drug cartels and farmers fighting over water rights. (Liveright; June 26)
"Invisible Storm" by Jason Kander
"Invisible Storm" by Jason Kander • The former Missouri state representative and secretary of state writes in detail about suffering from and getting help for PTSD, a result of his Army service in Afghanistan. (Mariner; July 5)
"Proving Ground" by Kathy Kleiman
"Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer" by Kathy Kleiman • More "hidden figures" are illuminated in this story of forgotten women who figured out how to program the ENIAC, the first all-electric, all digital computer. (Grand Central; July 26)
"The Big Lie" by Jonathan Lemire
"The Big Lie: Election Chaos, Political Opportunism, and the State of American Politics After 2020" by Jonathan Lemire • Politico correspondent writes about the Donald Trump presidency and the escalation of lies in politics. (Flatiron; July 26)
