The titles and links below will direct you to print copies when available. Click on the title to see all available formats, including recorded versions and eBooks.
You can learn more about using eBooks and eAudiobooks on our blog, and contact us if you need assistance. *Restrictions to using Hoopla apply based on your home address.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Sonia is an independent woman who wants to be a writer. Her parents, concerned about her single state, try to arrange a marriage to Sunny, a journalist who hasn’t quite found his feet. However, their letter of intention doesn’t exactly paint Sonia in glowing terms, so it comes to naught. But Sonia's and Sunny’s lives keep intersecting, which is no mean feat because they’re usually on different continents. Action ricochets from Vermont to India to NYC to Goa. Crises and betrayals erupt between the two families, so their respective offspring are frequently summonsed to help them out. In 669 pages, we plunge into the complexities of immigrant life, Indian social and political conflicts, and two intelligent, troubled people who finally make their way—whew. Utterly engrossing.
“Everything burns” is the watchword of the Carruthers family crematorium in small-town Virginia. When Roman’s younger brother Dante gets into very serious trouble with drugs and debt, Roman must leave his legal practice in Atlanta to get Dante out of danger. . Law be damned when it comes to family, so their enterprise gets a workout when corpses need to disappear. A crooked, married cop is involved with Neveah, their put-upon sister who’s been trying to keep things running after their father died. Roman calls in canny, tough Khalil, his cold-blooded associate, as a secret weapon to deal with very scary characters. Elements of myth and Greek tragedy creep into this action thriller. Dark, powerful, and sad.
Josephine and Joseph leave settled but stultifying Hinterlands to make a life in a big city. After a long spell of unemployment, Josephine gets hired at The Database. The offices are exceptionally grim and windowless, and her work is beyond tedious. Also, their housing situation keeps shifting from one nightmarish sublet to another. They’re in love but under such circumstances it’s hard to keep that feeling going. Josephine finally discovers the implications of her work and in desperation tries to fix what she can, but it’s hopeless. This is a fable that manages to convey wit along with horror. For instance, Josephine only knows her superior as The Boss With Bad Breath. And when she finally locates a vending machine, instead of the Mars Bar she wanted, she gets lavender lozenges that cut her tongue, but she consumes them anyway. That’s desperation for you. Surprising and peculiarly charming for all it’s bad news.
Guests get to experience coddled luxury in this Dominican Republic establishment, clueless about the poverty and tensions right outside the gates. When a guest’s child is hurt, a local healer surreptitiously does what she can to fix her at considerable personal cost. Another guest preys on two young local girls who then go missing. Finally, a tropical storm shreds the whole scene violently. We’re privy to employees’ aspirations, complex family dynamics, and the grotesquery of privilege as contrasted with privation.
Add a comment to: Neshama’s Choices for February 9