Book Reviews

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RUNFOR THE HILLS, KEVIN WILSON

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Kevin Wilson’s novel, “Run for the Hills” is a fresh story about family—who constitutes family, what we long for in our familial relationships, and how who we are is shaped by who came before us, as well as how they do (or don’t) come alongside us. As someone with a unique family story myself, I related to so many of the deep, beautiful themes in this book. Even more importantly, I fell in love with the characters, and their quest to find themselves, each other, and their shared, as well as their distinct (her) stories. This book made me laugh again and again, because the dialogue and circumstances that Mad, Rube, and the other characters share are genuinely funny. Yet, soon after laughing, I’d often find myself feeling their situations at an emotional level, and was sometimes moved to tears as I journeyed with them. I highly recommend that you take this road trip of a novel—even if it is in a PT Cruiser!!

—reviewed by Laurie Summer

What a wonderful novel! This is the first book by Kevin Wilson that I’ve read, and I will definitely check out the others. Wilson is an excellent writer, and it was fun to join this cast of disparate half siblings on a road trip quest to meet their long-lost, enigmatic father. I was afraid the ending might be disappointing (because after the build-up of a whole novel, how could it not be?), but Wilson stuck the landing. 5 stars.

—reviewed by Donald Capone

Leaving Candyland, ROBIN SLICK

Rating: 5 out of 5.

What a wonderful novel about aging, retirement, and an empty nest (Candyland) that may need some sprucing up. When Joey and Linda finally retire, they can do whatever they want! But what exactly do they want? Their daughter has moved to the other side of the country, and their two best friends frankly aren’t that interesting. Linda wants to move out west to join their daughter (who is a rising star chef on Food Television), while Joey wants to stay in Candyland, where their history and memories reside.

One thing I want a novel to do for me as a reader is bring me into someone else’s life for a while. I want to get to know the characters, learn their history and their inside jokes, live where they live. Slick does a good job with this; I felt like I truly knew the characters, and when the book ended, I missed seeing what they were up to next.

But this is more than a slice of life; it shows a realistic version of aging, of the new challenges a person faces, whether it’s health issues, boredom, (still) worrying about your adult children, and what the next (final?) chapter of your life will be. But Slick handles these subjects with a sense of humor and, told in the first person POV of Linda, even a guarded optimism that she and Joey will figure it all out in the end.

—reviewed by Donald Capone

SEVERANCE, LING MA

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Man, this book. Even though I’m already on to my next read, I’m still stuck in this novel. Beautiful writing with not a wasted word. I went in expecting another dystopian pandemic story, which I got, but it was so much more.

It’s an immigrant story, a workplace story, a relationship story, and yes, a pandemic story. Ling Ma did a beautiful job of weaving all the parts of the main character’s story together with short chapters and back story that really came together to tell a complete tale. Because everything in our life is connected, including the past, and combined create the story of our life.

—reviewed by Donald Capone

Homeseeking, Karissa Chen

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Karissa Chen’s “Homeseeking” is a beautifully written novel, that encompasses both the intimacy of love and the global impact of war and politics on real lives. The writing is exquisite, and drew me into Suchi’s and Haiwen’s stories. With alternating points of views and timelines, the author presented the complexities of the narrative as if she was helping the reader to fit a jigsaw puzzle together. I’m so deeply moved by this book, and it guided me to learn about Chinese and global history and events that I had previously scarcely known about. I highly recommend!!

—reviewed by Dr. Laurie Summer

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Note: We will only post reviews of books we like, 4 and 5 stars; we’re not here to trash another author’s work.

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