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Best new paperbacks:
The BookPage monthly feature for reading groups
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August paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups
REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE
The Sea
By John Banville Vintage, $12.95 208 pages ISBN 1400097029
Lost in the Forest
By Sue Miller Ballantine, $13.95 272 pages ISBN 0345469593
The Grace That Keeps This World
By Tom Bailey Three Rivers, $13 320 pages ISBN 0307238024
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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Banville's haunting new novel, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2005, examines the experiences of a successful art historian struggling to recover from the death of his wife. Unable to proceed with his book-in-progress, Max Morden travels to a small resort town on the coast of Ireland where he spent a summer holiday as a child. Fifty years have passed since Max's last visit, when he met Chloe and Myles, twins from the well-to-do Grace family, who were also vacationing in the village. The unusual friendship that developed between the three children left a permanent impression on Max, and his return to the town results in an attempt to come to grips with the dark experiences of that long-ago holiday. The disturbing events of the summer are hinted at as the novel unfolds, and in the characters of Chloe and Myles, Banville presents an unforgettable pair. Myles is a mute, while Chloe is his opposite, outspoken and fearless. As twins, the two are united by a special bond, yet they're receptive to the presence of Max, and his participation in the family's downfall is recounted with shocking precision by the author. The melancholy power of this narrative stems, in part, from the subtle interplay between the past and the present. This is a resonant account of one man's attempt to come to terms with his personal history. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.readingroupcenter.com.
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Miller's latest, another finely crafted novel about the nature of romantic love, is set in the California wine country. Happily settled in her second marriage, Eva runs a bookstore and takes care of her three children. When John, her second husband, is hit by a car and killed, Eva is forced to re-evaluate her life. Her oldest daughter, the pretty, self-assured Emily, assumes a position of leadership in the family as the children struggle with the loss of their stepfather. Theo, the youngest, is too small to grasp what's happening, while 15-year-old Daisy suffers most of all. Overwhelmed by grief, she becomes involved with an older man in a sexually charged, ultimately damaging affair. The encounter changes Daisy's life forever, and she reflects on it in passages of the book that are set in the future, after she's reached adulthood. These moving sections are skillfully woven into the novel and create a striking juxtaposition to the main storyline. Meanwhile, Mark, Eva's first husband and the children's father, re-enters the picture, lending support to the family and discovering that he still has feelings for Eva. This poignant narrative is a rich exploration of love, grief and the endurance of the human spirit, and Miller's many fans will savor it for the fresh insights it provides into family relationships and the process of mourning. A reading group guide is included in the book.
Bailey follows Crow Man, his well-received short story collection, with an impressive first novel. Set in Lost Lake, New York, a gritty Adirondack town, the book tells the story of Gary and Susan Hazen and the tragedy that befalls their family one fateful winter. A self-sustaining clan, the Hazens grow their own food and hunt regularly, and Gary—an experienced outdoorsman—takes it for granted that his sons will follow in his footsteps and maintain this traditional way of life. Strong-willed, stubborn and unrelentingly independent, he is hard on his sons, 19-year-old Kevin, who is a college student, and 26-year-old Gary David, who is still living at home. When the two young men fall prey to outside influences, serious friction results between them and their father. Kevin has a pregnant girlfriend, who, as a vegetarian, is opposed to hunting. Kevin's loyalty to her brings events to a dramatic head, when hunting season opens and he refuses to participate. This tense story is recounted by members of the Hazen family and by the residents of Lost Lake—a narrative technique that provides the reader with a wealth of perspectives on the tragic events that ensue. A reading group guide is included in the book.