Whether you have a long flight ahead, or some time relaxing by the pool we have the just the books that will take you on a vacation within your vacation.
THE IMMORTALISTS BY CHLOE BENJAMIN
G.P. Putnam’s Sons • January 9, 2018
When four siblings visit a fortune-teller in the 1970s East Village, she tells each of them the day that they’re going to die. The novel follows the four, detailing how they live their lives after that fateful revelation, whether each of the prophecies comes true, and how the knowledge that they have impacts how they decide to live.
This is a wonderful book about relationships, family and how the siblings relate to each other as a result of the information they receive. They don’t interact a lot in life, and some of that has nothing to do with the prophecies, but some of it has everything to do with the fact that in addition to knowing their own death date, they know the dates of their siblings as well. It impacts their relationships.
Benjamin has compelling insights about mortality, how we make choices, and what we make of those choices. The Immortalists is quite a beautiful book, and though readers might respond to each section/sibling differently, it all comes together beautifully in the end.
THE BEST DAY EVER BY KAIRA ROUDA
Grayson House • September 19, 2017
All the elements are in place for this one: an unreliable narrator, an asshole husband, and unexpected developments left and right. Rouda keeps the suspense turned up high in this suspenseful tale told over the course of a single day, when an husband and wife set out to have the best day ever.
LONER BY TEDDY WAYNE
Simon & Schuster • September 13, 2016
Loner tells the story of David Federman a freshman at Harvard who starts off as a dorky, antisocial outcast. He attempts to reinvent himself and thinks he will be popular, accepted, and have a girlfriend- but of course he’s the same person he always was. Though he does manages to find a group of friends, he also becomes obsessed with another freshmen in his dorm- a beautiful, rich, Upper Eastside New Yorker. As the book goes on his obsession becomes less innocent and more disturbing. We won’t say how it ends, but it definitely has a dark side. It’s also quite entertaining. The writing is very funny. It’s a send up of all the Harvard stereotypes and archetypes- the rich kids in their eating clubs, the parties, and the super dorky kids. It’s not a light book, but it is a pretty quick and enjoyable read written by a Harvard grad who knows the scene.
