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Elisabeth Atwood

FictionDebut Fiction

A harshly beautiful coming-of-age story

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

Author Heather Brittain Bergstrom has won awards for her short fiction from the Chicago Tribune and Atlantic Monthly, among others. Her outstanding debut novel, Steal the North, is almost guaranteed to add to Bergstrom’s award collection. Narrated from multiple perspectives, the novel is a heartbreaking tale of family secrets, unrequited love and the unbreakable bond of family. 

Sixteen-year-old Emmy Nolan is a sheltered only child living with her mother in Sacramento, California. Emmy knows very little about her mother Kate’s childhood, with good reason: Kate wishes to leave her past in the past. Until the day Kate receives a phone call from her estranged sister, Beth, summoning Emmy to her home in rural Washington—the town Kate had fled 15 years earlier, with baby Emmy, after her boyfriend abandoned her and her own father and the fundamentalist church they attended shunned her. 

The passion, spiritual connection and once-in-a-lifetime love that Reuben and Emmy share makes the reader’s heart ache—and could secure Steal the North a spot on the bookshelves of discerning teens. 

But now Beth, the only person who stood up for Kate during that time, is begging for her help. She is pregnant for what she believes is the final time; Beth and her husband Matt have experienced too many miscarriages to count during their marriage. She wants Kate to send Emmy to participate in a faith healing ceremony to help ensure a safe delivery. 

Though angry with her mother for keeping secrets and dubious about moving in with an aunt she doesn’t remember, Emmy reluctantly goes. While living with Matt and Beth, she makes discoveries about her mother’s past that are painful, but her life is broadened and awakened in ways that she had never imagined. Bergstrom’s knowledge of eastern Washington, the Colville and Yakama Reservations and the lives of the Native Americans who live there are central to this novel—especially her careful construction of Emmy’s relationship with Reuben Tonasket, the Native American who lives in the trailer next door. The passion, spiritual connection and once-in-a-lifetime love that Reuben and Emmy share makes the reader’s heart ache—and could secure Steal the North a spot on the bookshelves of discerning teens. 

Bergstrom has delivered a debut novel with deep emotional ties, linking the reader to Emmy as she navigated her relationship with Reuben, struggled to understand her mother’s past and discovered her own identity. I ached for Emmy as I used up the last of my tissues, and I trust that anyone who embarks on this journey will do the same. 

Author Heather Brittain Bergstrom has won awards for her short fiction from the Chicago Tribune and Atlantic Monthly, among others. Her outstanding debut novel, Steal the North, is almost guaranteed to add to Bergstrom’s award collection. Narrated from multiple perspectives, the novel is a heartbreaking tale of family secrets, unrequited love and the unbreakable bond of family. 

FictionHistorical Fiction

A wild child in the Gilded Age

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

Jean Zimmerman’s new novel, Savage Girl, is the ideal historical fiction narrative: The history is accurate, and the story fits neatly into the facts.

The novel opens as Hugo Delegate, son of an outrageously wealthy captain of industry, is found next to the mutilated body of one of his friends. Because he cannot, or perhaps will not, explain why he was found at such a gruesome scene, he is taken into custody and asked to tell his side of the story.

 Savage Girl is alluring mystery set in one of the most fascinating times and places in American history.

Hugo tells a complex tale to his attorney about a mysterious girl that the Delegate family adopted while visiting their silver mines in Nevada. The Delegates attend a “freak show” where a girl who was purportedly raised by wolves puts on a somewhat provocative show for the drifters and miners every night. Anna-Maria Delegate, Hugo’s mother, wants to adopt the savage girl, named Brownyn, and save her from this hardly human existence.

After some complex negotiations with Bronwyn's owner, the family brings her back to New York City in their opulent private rail cars (all 13 of them), and get to work assimilating her into high society. However, tragedy seems to follow Bronwyn: Every time a man takes a romantic interest in her, he ends up dead. Is Bronwyn to blame with her survivalist upbringing and aggressive, animal-like instincts? Or is Hugo a jealous “brother” whose psychological well-being is teetering on the brink?

Zimmerman’s detailed descriptions of over-the-top Park avenue townhouses and sinfully gorgeous French ballgowns are captivating, but in addition to these more superficial signs of the time, she touches on industrial-age philosophical and economic issues, resulting in a book that is not just entertaining and suspenseful, but a thorough observation of America’s Gilded Age. Savage Girl is alluring mystery set in one of the most fascinating times and places in American history.

Jean Zimmerman’s new novel, Savage Girl, is the ideal historical fiction narrative: The history is accurate, and the story nicely fits into the facts.

The novel opens with Hugo Delegate, son of an outrageously wealthy captain of industry, found next to the mutilated body of one of his friends.  Because he can’t, or perhaps, will not, explain why he was found at such a gruesome scene, he is taken into custody and asked to tell his side of the story.

Fiction

Seeking the truth of the legendary Amazon women

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

Diana Morgan has focused her career as a philologist (one who engages in the study of literary text and written records), on the Amazons, the legendary warrior women of ancient Greece—and with good reason. They’re rooted in her own family history. Before disappearing without a trace, Diana’s grandmother used to regale her with stories about the lost tribe of warrior women. Her grandmother even went as far as to suggest that she was an Amazon herself, leading the rest of the family to doubt her mental capacity.

Diana’s scholarly work at Oxford University centers on the discovery and dissection of the Amazon race; however, other professors warn her that she is committing career suicide if she continues to focus on a part of history that most regard as completely fantastical.

Enter a well-financed, shadowy foundation that makes Diana an offer to travel to North Africa to study her beloved Amazons. It’s perfect timing for our suffering academic, who has just ended a relationship. While working with a mysterious guide, Nick Barran, Diana begins to slowly uncover the real history of the Amazons. She discovers the name of the first Amazon queen, Myrina, and learns of her epic journey to save her kidnapped sisters long ago.

The rest of the novel intertwines Diana’s story with that of Myrina, seamlessly floating between past and present. Anne Fortier, whose previous novel, Juliet, was also a historical tale based on a familiar story, weaves the quests of Myrina and Diana together to ultimately show the reader that both women are pursuing the same goal: to keep the Amazons from disappearing forever.

The Lost Sisterhood is a gorgeous journey from England to North Africa to Greece, thrilling readers with beautiful settings, courageous women and breathtaking adventure.

Diana Morgan has focused her career as a philologist (one who engages in the study of literary text and written records), on the Amazons, the legendary warrior women of ancient Greece—and with good reason. They’re rooted in her own family history. Before disappearing without a trace, Diana’s grandmother used to regale her with stories about the lost tribe of warrior women.

FictionSuspenseHorror

Let sleeping daughters lie

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

BookPage Fiction Top Pick, February 2014

“The first time I saw a sleeper, I was nine years old.” Best-selling author Jennifer McMahon (Promise Not to Tell) opens her new novel, The Winter People, with a sentence that offers a tantalizing glimpse of the horrors to come in this marvelously creepy page-turner. 

Set in on a rural farm in West Hall, Vermont, this multigenerational paranormal tale alternates between the early 19th century and the present. In 1908, Sara Harrison Shea and her husband, Martin, are blessed with a little girl, Gertie, after many years of failed pregnancies and loss. Sadly, Gertie perishes in a terrible accident, and Sara seems to be out of her mind with grief. She believes that Gertie is still with her, appearing in strange places, whispering to her, even holding her hand—that is, up until her own untimely death.

More than 100 years later, Ruthie and her sister, Fawn, are living in Sara’s farmhouse with their mother, Alice. One morning, Alice is gone without a trace, and Ruthie and Fawn stumble upon Sara’s diary while searching for clues about their mother’s disappearance. It gradually becomes clear that Alice’s disappearance is related to Sara’s sad life and tragic death—and to her belief that Gertie had returned from the grave. Using Sara’s diaries, they embark on a journey to find their mother and, in turn, discover shocking truths. 

In The Winter People, McMahon gives readers just what they want from a good thriller: can’t-put-it-down, stay-up-until-dawn reading. In addition to being downright creepy, this novel is also a poignant reminder of what grief can drive humans to do. Lock your doors, check under your bed and soak up The Winter People, a legitimately chilling supernatural thriller. 

BookPage Fiction Top Pick, February 2014

“The first time I saw a sleeper, I was nine years old.” Best-selling author Jennifer McMahon (Promise Not to Tell) opens her new novel, The Winter People, with a sentence that offers a tantalizing glimpse of the horrors to come in this marvelously creepy page-turner. 

Fiction

Shattered lives after the crash

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

Tiffany Baker, whose debut, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, was a bestseller, proves with her third book that she is a novelist with staying power. Mercy Snow is the story of two disparate families in a small New Hampshire town, irrevocably linked because of a murky history and a present-day tragedy.

In the town of Titan Falls, the citizens and its one lingering industry, the paper mill, are on the brink of financial ruin. The McAllister family has owned the mill for several generations. June McAllister, wife of the mill owner and undisputed first lady in her community, lives her life as one would expect: head of the sewing circle, best dressed, front row in church every Sunday.

Young Mercy Snow has returned to the family homestead with her rebellious brother, Zeke, and younger sister, Hannah. The siblings are gypsies with just a rusty RV and a few dollar bills to their name when they arrive to lay claim to their family’s land, and Baker’s most powerful prose comes in her depictions of the Snows’ poverty. They are literally starving, and it seems as if the townspeople are as unforgiving as the winter they are suffering through.

One night, a bus returning from a high school field trip is run off the road by a reckless driver, killing a local girl. The authorities immediately blame Zeke, but Mercy knows that her brother is innocent and is determined to clear him of the accusation. June, on the other hand, is resolute in her mission to blame the girl’s death on Zeke.

In June, Baker has created a complex character: doting mother, dutiful wife who possesses a cold heart and an animalistic need to protect her family at any cost. However, June has never met a force as implacable as Mercy. The two are equally determined to protect their loved ones, but their separate quests for truth also open wounds and long-buried secrets from the past.

Baker is an expert in placing the reader into the souls of her characters. Readers will be eager to see what’s next from this talented writer.

Tiffany Baker, whose debut, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, was a bestseller, proves with her third book that she is a novelist with staying power. Mercy Snow is the story of two disparate families in a small New Hampshire town, irrevocably linked because of a murky history and a present-day tragedy. In the town […]
FictionHistorical Fiction

A famous character’s spoiled expectations

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

Many an English student has speculated about the mystery of Satis House and the “witch of the place,” Miss Havisham, as introduced in Dickens’ Great Expectations. Left at the altar on her wedding day, she spends her remaining days as a bitter, living ghost inside her family’s home. Enter Scottish novelist Ronald Frame and his novel, Havisham, which imagines the early life of this fascinating literary character.

The only offspring of a wealthy brewer, Catherine is a precocious child. When her father eventually passes away and leaves her his fortune, she is sent to live with an aristocratic family to learn refinement. However, the only man she seems to be attracted to is Charles Compeyson, a charming, dishonest rogue—who, as we know from Dickens, will cause her heartbreak.

Frame wants the reader to feel emotion for Catherine; he makes her human. An excellent example of a present-day writer taking on a classic, Havisham gives the reader food for thought while reviving one of the great characters of Victorian literature.

Many an English student has speculated about the mystery of Satis House and the “witch of the place,” Miss Havisham, as introduced in Dickens’ Great Expectations. Left at the altar on her wedding day, she spends her remaining days as a bitter, living ghost inside her family’s home. Enter Scottish novelist Ronald Frame and his […]
FictionDebut Fiction

Actor, hardly anonymous, turns to fiction

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

James Franco, an actor, director, producer, teacher and author, can add another occupation to his life’s work: novelist. Actor’s Anonymous, Franco’s debut novel (following a successful short story collection), proves that his ambtion reaches beyond the big screen to the literary circuit.

Using an assortment of writing styles, ranging from dark poetry to disjointed confessionals and screen plays, Franco gives the reader a voyeuristic look into the “soul-crushing” experience of the Los Angeles actor.  These raucous tales include that of a child actor who engages in anonymous orgies at the beach; a recovering addict who works the night shift at McDonald’s, using the time to practice foreign accents on his customers; and a poetic chapter involving the ghost of River Phoenix.

Actors Anonymous is divided into chapters that seem to be a parody of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. For example, step one is “we admitted that life is a performance—and that our ‘performance’ has left our control.”  The first chapter appears to be a memoir of sorts, causing the reader to wonder if the whole book is autobiographical. Although Actors Anonymous is said to be a fictionalized account of his acting career, perhaps Franco is really giving us a window into his soul?

Regardless of how much fact is involved, Franco’s debut novel is just as much of a roller coaster ride as his personal and professional life. His use of a variety of literary techniques isn't an unqualified success; a few chapters feature heavily stylized prose that is at times difficult to follow. However, fans of Franco will want to follow his journey every step of the way.  

 

James Franco, an actor, director, producer, teacher and author, can add another occupation to his life’s work: novelist. Actor’s Anonymous, Franco’s debut novel (following a successful short story collection), proves that his ambtion reaches beyond the big screen to the literary circuit. Using an assortment of writing styles, ranging from dark poetry to disjointed confessionals […]
FictionDebut Fiction

Adrift after the end of things

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

As Katherine Hill’s polished debut novel opens, Abe and Cassandra Green have been married for more than 20 years. Their accomplished daughter, Elizabeth, is leaving for college. The family is taking an afternoon sail on Abe’s new boat, when, suddenly, Abe and Cassandra descend into a life-changing argument. Abe ends the fight by literally jumping ship, leaving his wounded daughter and wife to navigate home.

The Green marriage dissolves, Elizabeth moves east, and the author spends the remainder of the book deconstructing the history of Abe and Cassandra, beginning with their childhoods. Cassandra was the daughter of a mortician; Abe, the lone survivor after not one but both of his parents died sudden deaths. Cassandra and Abe met in San Francisco, where he was a young medical resident and she an aspiring sculptor. During their time together, Cassandra is never content. She flirts with infidelity; Abe is absorbed with residency, work, sailing—anything, Cassandra thinks, but her.

After the fateful sailing trip changes everything, Abe and Cassandra do not speak to or see one another for nearly a decade. Then, the unexpected death of Cassandra’s father brings the Green family together, giving Abe the chance to extend a peace offering to his wounded daughter and drifting wife.

Don’t look for heroes or a typical love story in The Violet Hour. Hill uses sophisticated prose to convey the tone and emotions of a 20-year marriage. The rise and fall of Abe and Cassandra is complicated and cruel, yet with her evocative writing, Hill—who has an MFA from Bennington College—leaves room for redemption. Fans of authors like Sue Miller and Elizabeth Strout should take notice.

As Katherine Hill’s polished debut novel opens, Abe and Cassandra Green have been married for more than 20 years. Their accomplished daughter, Elizabeth, is leaving for college. The family is taking an afternoon sail on Abe’s new boat, when, suddenly, Abe and Cassandra descend into a life-changing argument. Abe ends the fight by literally jumping […]
FictionWomen's Fiction

Unlikely companions on a Southern journey

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

Put Susan Crandall’s latest novel in your beach bag and be prepared to devour it in a day or two—even though this isn’t just a breezy, sweet tea and peach pie kind of read. Crandall’s novel visits themes that are not new to the Southern lit reader, but her point of view and relationship development are fresh and captivating. Whistling Past the Graveyardaddresses the Civil Rights movement in 1960s Mississippi through the eyes of the main character and heroine, 9-year-old Starla Claudelle.

It’s July 4, 1963, and Starla has run away from an overbearing and strict grandmother, taking to the country roads in hopes of finding her way to Nashville and her estranged mother. She accepts a ride from Eula, a black woman who is hiding a white baby in her pickup truck. Starla and Eula take a journey through Mississippi where Starla witnesses racism, segregation and, at times, violence against Eula. Racial tensions are elevated, and the small towns in Mississippi are no place for this particular trio.

Starla’s relationships with Eula and the characters they meet along the way are delivered to the reader with the spunk and light-heartedness expected from a young girl. The comic relief from Starla is appreciated, and made me wish we could all see difficult times like Starla does: as obstacles to be confronted with a bit of sass.

Whistling Past the Graveyardis the perfect pick for your summer reading list or book club gathering—a surprisingly multilayered story about two unlikely companions on a journey of healing, growth and forgiveness.

Put Susan Crandall’s latest novel in your beach bag and be prepared to devour it in a day or two—even though this isn’t just a breezy, sweet tea and peach pie kind of read. Crandall’s novel visits themes that are not new to the Southern lit reader, but her point of view and relationship development […]
FictionHistorical Fiction

Into the heart of Africa

Review by Elisabeth Atwood

The Fever Tree, Jennifer McVeigh’s riveting debut novel, follows a pampered British woman, Frances Irvine, who leaves her insular life and journeys to the Southern Cape of Africa during the 19th-century diamond rush.

When Frances suddenly loses her father—and subsequently her station in life—she must choose whether to become a maid in her aunt’s home or travel to South Africa to marry a man she does not love, Dr. Edwin Matthews. Reluctantly engaged and en route to Africa, Frances falls for handsome diamond trader William Westbrooke, but soon learns he is a man of weak promises and loose morals.

Disillusioned and heartbroken, Frances is forced to ?nish her journey to meet Dr. Matthews in the Karoo, a distant hinterland outside of Kimberley. Once there, she realizes her husband’s duty as a doctor has set him on a crusade to end the corruption inherent in the European colonial rule. Frances must make a brutal decision: Will she choose passion over morality, material wealth over integrity?

McVeigh’s exhaustive research shines through the vivid recounting of the harsh lives of the settlers of South Africa. Drought, deplorable mistreatment of the native Africans, and abject living conditions are illustriously brought to life and, at times, difficult to digest. The Fever Tree is an engaging read; its capricious heroine grabs you from the start, urging you to ride out her journey before the morning alarm rings.

The Fever Tree, Jennifer McVeigh’s riveting debut novel, follows a pampered British woman, Frances Irvine, who leaves her insular life and journeys to the Southern Cape of Africa during the 19th-century diamond rush. When Frances suddenly loses her father—and subsequently her station in life—she must choose whether to become a maid in her aunt’s home […]

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