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Best new paperbacks:
The BookPage monthly feature for reading groups
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February paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups
REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE
Jensen, the British author of four previous novels, offers a sophisticated mystery in her latest book. Extremely odd, preternaturally bright and only nine years old, Louis Drax is an accident-prone French boy. Each year, some violent calamity befalls him, and the latest has landed him in a hospital in Provence, deep in a coma. How, precisely, did he get there? Natalie, Louis' mother, claims that her son was pushed off a cliff by his vicious father, Pierre, who has conveniently vanished. The police pursue Pierre, while Louis' doctor, Pascal Dannachet, begins his own investigation of the Drax case. Although her story doesn't quite hang together, the doctor becomes entranced by Natalie and soon falls in love with her. He recounts portions of the story, giving the reader insights into Louis' condition. But the novel really hits its stride during the comic, ironic narration provided by Louis, who calls himself the Disturbed Child and shares—from the depths of his unconscious state, where he has befriended a mysterious figure named Gustave—incidents from his brief, accident-filled life. A rare and remarkable character, Louis shines as the centerpiece of this one-of-a-kind thriller. Intricately constructed, unpredictable and original, Jensen's book has been optioned by Miramax, with Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) slated to serve as director. A reading group guide is available online at www.bloomsburyusa.com.
By Liz Jensen Bloomsbury, $14.95 240 pages ISBN 1582344574
Vowell, a National Public Radio personality and acclaimed author of The Partly Cloudy Patriot, adds an unforgettable chapter to the annals of American history with Assassination Vacation. Embarking on a very peculiar journey, she travels around the country on a tour of sites connected with the assassinations of presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley. It's a road trip of disparate destinations, including Key West, Washington, D.C., and Alaska. In many cases, the murder scenes have become tourist attractions, and on her stops at these morbid locales, Vowell reflects on the nature of the crimes and the killers who committed them—individuals who rose from obscurity to achieve notoriety and leave a permanent imprint on the national culture. Whether visiting the Oneida Colony, a commune in upstate New York, in order to better understand the man who killed Garfield, or retracing the footsteps of Lincoln's plotters, Vowell links the past with the present in a way that's provocative and insightful, providing cogent observations on American politics and the forces that might have motivated the assassins (McKinley's man was an anarchist, Garfield's a mentally ill attorney deeply involved with the Republican party). Filled with little-known facts and twisted bits of trivia, Vowell's latest book is an offbeat, oddly fascinating narrative.
By Sarah Vowell Simon & Schuster, $14 272 pages ISBN 074326004X
Zailckas' much-admired autobiography is an electrifying account of her experiences as an alcoholic. If the topic matter sounds all too familiar, readers can rest assured that Zailckas' treatment of her addiction makes for a distinctive and compelling memoir. Having foresworn alcohol after a decade of abuse, she is 24 at the time of the book, and she writes unflinchingly about an adolescence blurred by booze and marred by its attendant catastrophes—date rape, depression, suicide attempts. Zailckas suffers from alcohol poisoning while in high school and attends keg parties as an undergraduate at Syracuse University. There, drinking is a part of the daily routine, and alcoholism is sanctioned by the school's system of fraternities and sororities. The difficulties that lie at the heart of the author's dependence—peer pressure, loneliness, issues of self-esteem—become clear over the course of this frank, courageous narrative. Zailckas also writes openly about the long-term effects of her addiction. Minus the support of alcohol, she has difficulty with adult relationships; sobriety makes any sort of intimacy almost impossible. A fierce yet lyrical writer, Zailckas is wise beyond her years. Her perspectives on why alcohol is accepted socially and how it can subtly infiltrate everyday life are smart and hard-won. This is a wonderfully human story about self-reliance and survival. A reading group guide is available online at www.penguin.com.
By Koren Zailckas Penguin, $14 368 pages ISBN 0143036475
Has your club recently read an excellent book that sparked good group discussion? If so, BookPage would like to hear about it. Contact us at reading@bookpage.com with a description of the book and the reasons for your recommendation. We'll pass the top choices along to our readers.
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The Ninth Life of Louis Drax
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Assassination Vacation
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