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Life Span by Molly Giles
In this unusually constructed memoir, the author uses a single vignette to focus on each year, starting when she was 3 in 1945. That’s the first glimpse we get of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge that serves as a link throughout, sometimes as an escape route, sometimes as a lifeline. We get to know her parents, her jobs, her partners, and her 3 children in intimate, candid detail. The pieces string together to form a vivid, coherent self-portrait of a woman who pulls no punches. The length of pieces expands from 2017 on and becomes more discursive as we reach the present day. Giles, like me, is an octogenarian and it cheers me (to paraphrase Don Marquis) that there’s so much life in the old dame yet!
Dark Ride by Lou Berney
“Hardly“ bears this nickname which reflects his laid-back, disaffected approach to life. He’s young and stuck in a dead-end job working for a sleazy haunted western theme park. He finds himself drawn into a case of suspected abuse, with no concrete proof other than the three chilling cigarette burns he glimpses on the two children’s necks and their blank stares. Officials don’t take him seriously, so he finds himself embroiled in an investigation that becomes increasingly sinister and dangerous. He’s not very skilled but rallies surprising helpers with his persistent passion to save the kids. By the end, my heart was racing—a mark of an excellent thriller.
One Hundred Days by Alice Pung
Karen’s rebellious and naive. When her surreptitious summer romance with Ray is over and he goes off to college, she’s determined to keep the baby—something of her own at last. But that leaves her at the mercy of her fierce, loving Chinese mother who heaps all sorts of dietary and lifestyle strictures on her., Her mother goes so far as to lock Karuna in the apartment in Melbourne when she’s at work to keep her “safe.” She also wants to claim the baby's mother; Karuna can be her “sister.” This all made me crazy but as those 100 days play out, Karuna finally asserts herself (whew) and they arrive at a detente that shows the love between them with a newborn baby as a catalyst. Yes!
You Are Here by David Nichols
A great novelistic setup: Michael and Marnie who don’t know each other embark on a long hike, arranged by their mutual friend Cleo. It’s a group trip but after a day and a half, she leaves with her teenage son. Another friend, flirtatious Conrad, also bugs out. That leaves serious Michael, a high school geology teacher who walks incessantly to fill his internal emptiness, and reclusive Marnie, bruised by a failed marriage, who’d signed on reluctantly and has no experience on the trail. Challenging weather and dubious accommodations make for misery (and comedy on the page). To her surprise, Marnie keeps on going and starts to enjoy the rigors and Michael. I was glad the ending wasn’t rom-com tidy. These are real-life grownups, so it takes them some time after the trip to reconnect. Set in rural England (with maps), it is atmospheric and delightful.
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