Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross

HAZEL SAYS NO by Jessica Berger Gross is certainly a roller coaster of a read. Set in Riverburg Maine, the novel features a family transplanted from Brooklyn: high school senior Hazel Greenberg Blum; her middle school brother, Wolf, who loves to act; professor and frustrated writer Dad named Gus; and Claire, fashion designer Mom. Settling in over the summer, things seem to be going well, but during the first day of school Hazel is propositioned by the high school principal and that event sets off a cascade of reactions. There’s plenty of hate mail and self-questioning; shunning of both kids; parenting crises and career angst for Gus and Claire… and then (that roller coaster) … media interest, trips to New York, local support, and new friends. The audiobook, excellently narrated by Emma Galvin, captures the shock, the sadness, the anger, the self-doubt, the creativity, the joy, the relief… This debut novel deftly explores societal themes (#MeToo; white privilege, antisemitism, small town insularity) while telling a coming-of-age story – mostly for Hazel, but for her parents and younger brother, too, as they all mature and change. In fact, Berger Gross makes the point rather obviously: “it was Wolf’s big monologue [in Charlotte’s Web] and he remembered, he FELT every word: Whatever will happen, will happen. I may not live as long as I'd like, but I've lived very well. A good life is much more important than just having a long life. So starting now, I'm going to stop worrying about myself. There are more important things than just thinking about yourself all the time.” HAZEL SAYS NO could be triggering; it contains some difficult moments and sensitive content; this title received a starred review from Booklist. 

Hazel's reading list:  “Remembering how good reading made her feel - grounded and alive. She’d read as much as she could before college. Virginia Woolf and bell hooks. Jhumpa Lahiri and Lauren Groff. Celeste Ng and Lorrie Moore, Curtis Sittenfeld and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Elena Ferrante and Sheila Heti and Min Jin Lee and Jennifer Egan and more Zadie Smith.” 

Central Park West by James Comey

CENTRAL PARK WEST by James Comey is a debut crime novel from the former director of the FBI. Comey succeeds in building suspense in a thriller which features multiple prosecutions and plenty of courtroom drama as well as behind the scenes investigating. One case, being prosecuted by Nora Carleton (Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York), involves the mob and another seeks to convict the ex-wife of New York’s former Governor for his murder. It all gets upended when allegations are made about a rival mafia family having perpetrated the murder. The action is exciting and intertwined with plenty of twists. All is well-supported by clever details about law enforcement procedures (tracking the murderer through her app purchases) and infighting between organizations like NYPD and DOJ. The audiobook is just over ten hours long and Cassandra Campbell does an excellent job. 

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU by Rebecca Makkai (The Great Believers) is another impressive work of fiction from this very talented author. Makkai writes so well and here, she utilizes multiple flashbacks to tell the story of a 1995 murder at a New Hampshire prep school. The main character, Bodie Kane, was a senior when her roommate from junior year, Thalia Keith, died; when Bodie returns to the campus in 2018 she is still processing her “disquiet” over those events. Now a successful podcaster, Bodie is teaching film appreciation and podcasting for a two week “mini-mester.” One of her current students decides to investigate the death, believing that the wrong person has been imprisoned. This sets Bodie off and she obsesses about the murder. Combined with overindulgence in alcohol and #MeToo charges that Bodie’s separated husband, Jerome, has assaulted a woman in the past, the text turns fairly dark and chilling. At points, it is difficult to get through – perhaps like the fog and anger Bodie experiences: “hard to describe the dizzy headspace I was in, except to say I no longer had any sense of what was true … I couldn’t figure out who knew more about what happened to Thalia: me now, or me at barely eighteen.” I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU was a LibraryReads selection for February 2023 and received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. For a recent NPR interview with Rebecca Makkai, click here.

Love Story of Missy Carmichael & Eliza Starts a Rumor

THE LOVE STORY OF MISSY CARMICHAEL by Beth Morrey is, as the publisher notes, perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove. Morrey’s new novel features seventy-nine-year-old Millicent Carmichael, aka Missy, who spends most of her time alone, at home. The crushing isolation is lifted when she begins to care for a dog named Bob and to become more involved in lives of single mom Angie, her young son Otis, and friend, Sylvie. Like the Authenticity Project, Missy tentatively and almost inadvertently builds a community of sorts. Along the way, she really is inspirational in learning to be more accepting of herself and others. Flashbacks give the reader insight into Missy’s life and her relationships with her now gone husband, estranged daughter, and far away son and grandson. It takes courage for Missy to find meaning and companionship as she gradually becomes more comfortable with once again caring for those outside her family. THE LOVE STORY OF MISSY CARMICHAEL, an uplifting debut novel, received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus. 
 

ELIZA STARTS A RUMOR by Jane L. Rosen (Nine Women, One Dress) is a summer read choice that will make you laugh and cheer for female empowerment and likely cringe at times, too. The story is set in Hudson Valley suburbia and the rumor (on a local social media site) involves infidelity.  When Eliza, an older woman struggling with agoraphobia, alludes to her neighbor having an affair, it’s surprising how many wives suspect their husbands.  Of course, one young wife actually has reason to be suspicious and an unlikely sisterhood forms to help her uncover the truth. Babies and romance are involved in this mostly light read, plus secrets and more online deception. With several male characters learning to face the consequences of their actions, some tougher #MeToo moments surface, although it works out in the end for a cast of genuinely likeable, supportive women.