Family Matters
Patrick Ryan has written a book that New York Times reviewer Jess Walter calls an old-fashioned American novel. That book is Buckeye, and the publisher has really hyped this novel set in a fictional town in Ohio. From all accounts, Buckeye lives up to its promise–well worth reading and more than. The author introduces us to two families brought together by the war and then follows them throughout decades. The reader meets the couples’ children and encounters all of the highlights of era after era. Ryan says, “The author clearly loves these people, and he makes the safe bet that you will, too, at times even loading the dice to make sure.”
The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill is the October “read with Jenna” book. I was surprised to learn that there are several other books of the same name–different authors, of course. O’Neill’s book starts out with a familiar scenario–three sisters coming to their family home to celebrate Thanksgiving. Sometimes these stories bring the siblings together. Sometimes they do not! You should really read this book to find out what happens. Jenna Bush Hager says of the book, a debut novel, “An extraordinary book about the power of family and sisterhood.”
A family novel about a different kind of family–Leni Zumas’ Wolf Bells tells about an intergenerational group home, called The House, that provides refuge for the elderly, disabled and young people. The person that runs the care home is a former punk rock musician who is determined to create a loving, family-like atmosphere for the people who live there.
This novel has a message, no doubt. It is dubbed a ‘political novel,’ whatever that means. The conflict in the story comes when two little kids show up on The House’s back porch needing a place to live. That’s when things get complicated. The book is short, fast paced and thought provoking AND it points out a pressing societal problem in our country.
Right after I decided to feature Wolf Bells on the blog, I read an encouraging article in CNN’s on-line ‘5 Good Things’ newsletter. One of the ‘good things’ was about an organization called Woodley House that has been caring for people with mental health issues for over 70 years in the Washington, DC area. Many people with mental health issues have found this network of homes thoughout D.C. a safe and supportive environment in which to recover before they set out on their own again. Such good timing, right?
