Monthly Archives: March 2014

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

American Literature

Synopsis: After living on the road with her truck driver father, Hayley is hoping to graduate from high school, but her father’s bouts with post-traumatic stress disorder after his time in Afghanistan are getting worse and threatening both of their lives. Review: I knew The Impossible Knife of Memory would be brilliant, thought-provoking, and poignant, like every other wonderful book by Laurie Halse Anderson, but I wasn’t prepared for how hopeful and romantic it would be. The love story between Hayley and Finn is one…

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You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

American Literature

Synopsis: On the eve of the publication of her relationship advice book, a marriage therapist discovers that her husband has a secret life. Review: I think I only finished You Should Have Known because the last 5 books I started were so bad that I gave up on them, and I’m also halfway through three different 1200-page epic fantasies, none of which I like enough to get over the doldrums enough to finish them. In short, I feel a lot like Gracie. I put myself…

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A Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante

American Literature

Synopsis: A man is dead, but it turns out he has not one grieving wife, but three–and the detective investigating his murder finds herself affected by his apparent passion for love, and how it shows the defects in her own relationship. Review: A Circle of Wives surprised me with its emotional complexity. If only I could say the same about the plotting. I really couldn’t believe the sloppiness of the ending in an otherwise well-written book.

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