Literary Fiction

Esteban: Love's Irony

Esteban's journey of resilience and transformation unfolds with unexpected twists and turns in "Love's Irony." From an affair with Aja to his adventures in Las Cruces and Kochi, his path is marked by profound change and unforeseen challenges. After his expulsion from Mexico, Esteban seeks solace in bustling Kochi, India, immersing himself in his duties and encountering intriguing individuals. Despite grappling with illness and loneliness, he finds moments of joy and fulfillment, especially within the hospital corridors where he bonds with Aja, the head nurse.

The Narrow Window

The story opens with the early morning rape of a young American woman, who, along with her husband, has come as a volunteer teacher to a small country in southern Africa. The rapist is captured by the husband and is subsequently arrested and held for trial. Because the Ministry of Justice sees the incident as sensitive, oversight of the case is assigned to an American expatriate lawyer employed there.

Everything Here Belongs to You

"Everything Here Belongs to You succeeds beautifully at telling an intimate and deeply felt story of a troubled connection between two young women, set against a larger narrative of ideological conflict." -IndieReader (4.8 Starred Review) As Parul grows older, she becomes increasingly unhappy and resentful with her lot in life. Mohini struggles with their relationship as well, never sure whether to treat Parul as a sister or a servant. When Parul has a passionate, secret affair with Rahim, a radical Muslim, the careful order the Sens have maintained is thrown into chaos.

As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back

Nominated for The National Book Award, Alle C. Hall’s literary fiction debut, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back is a-girl-and-her-backpack story with a #MeToo influence: Carlie is not merely traveling. A child sexual abuse survivor, as a teen she steals ten thousand dollars and runs away to Asia. There, the Lonely Planet path of hookups, heat, alcohol, and drugs takes on a terrifying reality. Landing in Tokyo in the late 1980s, Carlie falls in with an international crew of tai chi-practicing backpackers.

Beneath the Polish Moon

Two boys meet and a friendship is forged that will echo for a lifetime. Luke Karpinski and his friend Eugene, along with a cast of unforgettable characters navigate life in a Polish neighborhood in mid-century Milwaukee. Their stories are both hilarious and heartwarming. For the boys, every day is an adventure. It never occurs to them that one day they will grow up and have to go their separate ways. Many years later, Luke is a cop working in the lush city of Miami, his childhood friends almost forgotten. He chose his career to make the world a better place, but life is never that simple.

Hidden Ones

When you pick up a book by Author Marcia Fine, you know going in two things – 1) the author is a master at telling a story, and 2) you will always learn something new. Such is the case with Marcia’s latest, Hidden Ones, A Veil of Memories. Set in the 1600’s in the new world area of what is now Mexico and the Southwestern United States, it brings to light something of which I had no idea.

Allegro for Life

I met the author and his wife, Suzanne, several years ago over lunch in Phoenix, discussing fundraising strategies for an NGO they set up in Guatemala, “Seeds for a Future,” which provides training to impoverished rural women in and around Chocolá on the South coast, to improve family access to food and nutrition. I soon learned that we not only shared a love and appreciation of Guatemala and the Desert Southwest but that Earl was also a writer and, in his case, a poet as well.

Pedro Páramo

I first learned of what is considered “one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century world literature” while reading Paul Theroux’s, “On the Plain of Snakes.” In his critique of Mexican literature, he mentions “Pedro Páramo” because, unlike many Mexico’s best-known authors, Rulfo wrote about rural Mexico. He mentions that the book was published in 1955 and was one of procurers of “magical realism”, which influenced many of Latin America’s best authors.

The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop?

The Long Night of White Chickens” was my introduction to the author and I’ve been a fan ever since. His mother is a Catholic Guatemalan, his father Jewish American, and he was born in Boston, so he started off with a very interesting combination of influences. The book is a tense, almost surrealistic detective story which opens windows on the Latin American reality of State Sponsored assassinations, mara youth gangs and organized crime.

 

Down to the River

Remi and Nash Potts are identical twin heirs of the Boston Brahmin elite who were promised the good life: Harvard, wealth, and guaranteed privilege. But as their family fortune dwindles, they are failing as husbands, fathers, and men in a changing world. Now middle aged, the former golden boys are partners in a sporting goods store and are taking their dissatisfaction out on those closest to them. Heavy drinking, affairs, and abusive behavior are shattering their marriages and shaking loose the family ties that connect them to their children.

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