This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike.

Authenticity. Chances are most readers will find something to love and something to hate on the pages of Augusten Burroughs’ book titled, This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike. I opened the book expecting a funny spoof on self-help books. Instead, I found a witty and clever way of Burroughs providing practical and logical advice. The core of his message is to be yourself and get over it. Burroughs uses his life experience as a backdrop to presenting his advice to readers. I was entertained by his sharp writing, but I was not looking to him to help me with anything. Readers with an interest in his writing should read an excerpt before plunging in. Rating: Three-star (Recommended) Click here to purchase This Is How from amazon.com.

The Headmaster's Wager

Tragedy. A debut novel by a Toronto emergency room physician, Vincent Lam, presents a view of the many tragedies of the Vietnam War from the perspective of Percival Chen, the Chinese headmaster of a Saigon school that specialized in teaching English. The Headmaster’s Wager meanders through Chen’s life and the tragic choices he makes as he gambles on the future of himself and his family. Lam tells the story at a moderate pace, alternating significant events with everyday activity. I found myself distracted by two shortcomings: many characters were inadequately developed, and I found some sections tedious and superfluous. Readers who like fiction that encourages immersion into a historical setting are those most likely to enjoy this novel, as well as those readers willing to give a debut novelist a glance. Rating: Three-star (Recommended) Click here to purchase The Headmaster’s Wager from amazon.com.

The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln

Imaginative. I can picture the glee that Stephen L. Carter must have felt when he embarked on his latest novel, The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln. What if Vice President Andrew Johnson had been assassinated instead of Lincoln? Carter answers that question with creativity and heightened imagination in this novel, informed by his knowledge of what actually happened during that time. Instead of making Lincoln the protagonist of the novel, Carter creates an intriguing character, a recent Oberlin graduate, Abigail Canner, who wants to read for the law in Washington, D.C. The plot and many subplots and large cast of characters require an intelligent reader to remain alert throughout the novel, which I found to be a special treat. Readers who like speculative historical fiction, especially set in this period, are those most likely to enjoy this novel. Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended) Click here to purchase The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln from amazon.com.

Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy

Equality. Readers who enjoy public policy, sociology and politics are those most likely to enjoy Christopher Hayes’ book, Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy. While he is a product of the meritocracy which he proposes has run its course, Hayes makes a case for equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity. As American society has become more stratified, and institutions have failed stakeholders, the average American has lost confidence in the way things are. They no longer trust government, Wall Street, the Catholic Church or Major League Baseball, all examples that Hayes explores. Whether a reader agrees or disagrees with Hayes, he speaks with eloquence and persuasively using lots of examples to support his views. Rating: Three-star (Recommended) Click here to purchase Twilight of the Elites from amazon.com.

The Absolutist

Principles. John Boyne uses the setting of the trenches of World War I to explore forbidden liaisons, moral principles, and the nature of cowardice in his finely written novel, The Absolutist. Protagonist Tristan Sadler is a gay teenager thrown out of his home when the scandal of his kissing a male schoolmate becomes known. Tristan lies about his age to join the army, and develops a troubled relationship with Will Bancroft, a vicar’s son. While repressed sexuality provides the context for the story, it is the impact of repression, the effect of keeping secrets, and the ways in which cowardice finds expression that Boyne explores so well in this novel. Readers who like fiction that delves into the essence of human nature and the power of principles to frame behavior, are those most likely to enjoy this novel. Rating: Three-star (Recommended) Click here to purchase The Absolutist from amazon.com.

A Fatal Debt

Personal. Having read journalist John Gapper’s writing in the Financial Times, I was curious to read his debut novel, A Fatal Debt. While much of the novel’s plot involves the actions of a recently fired bank CEO, Henry Shapiro, financial services represent a backdrop for the novel, not the essence. At its core, this novel explores personal and professional relationships. Protagonist Benjamin Cowper is a psychiatrist who is his own worst enemy. Cowper becomes influenced both by Shapiro’s wife and by the head of the hospital where Cowper is treating Henry, a major donor. I found myself suspending disbelief regularly while Gapper has Cowper behave in ways that kept me asking: “what was he thinking?” The plot moves quickly in the novel, and readers who like story over character depth and who are willing to give a debut novelist a try, should consider this one. Rating: Three-star (Recommended) Click here to purchase A Fatal Debt from amazon.com.

Quarantine

Family. Fans of finely written historical fiction are those most likely to enjoy John Smolens’ novel, Quarantine. Set in 1796 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, the action revolves around the arrival in port of a ship carrying disease. The wide cast of characters allows readers to see the consequences of this sickness in many forms. Smolens uses the closeness of family connection to explore the range of behavior from profligacy to diligence and love. When I read historical fiction I want to feel like I can see and smell and hear the vibrancy of the place and time. Smolens brings this place, this time and these characters to life in an engaging and entertaining way. Rating: Three-star (Recommended) Click here to purchase Quarantine from amazon.com.