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 Weekly Words about New Books in
Independent Bookstores

April 30, 2017

New Fiction of Note - A Step Up For Man Called Ove Author, and a Return Home for Lucy Barton 

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I'm sure it's obvious to all of you that I can't possibly read all the books I write about in this column. I choose titles that are popular with independent booksellers and selling well in their respective stores. Sometimes, I've read them, but often not. What I try to do is describe the book so that you can make a decision about whether it sounds interesting or not. But with Beartown, I'm going to make the review a bit more personal because it's one of the books I have read, and I loved it. Fortunately, I'm not alone - you'll be hearing about this one from many people.

You probably know Fredrik Backman as the author of the wildly popular novel A Man Called Ove (which was made into a pretty good movie), as well as
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry and Britt-Marie Was Here. They're sweet books, and Ove and Britt-Marie in particular are quirky characters made endearing as the story unfolds. With his latest, however, Backman delivers his most substantive and riveting novel to date. It's set in a small town where ice hockey is everything to a community without much to hope for, and Backman has created a wealth of strong, nuanced characters. When a violent act involving two teens rips the town in two, the novel's emotional level ratchets up quickly as loyalties are tested and divisiveness builds. And for those of you who - like me -  are not hockey aficionados, have no fear. While the game and its culture are an important element, they don't overwhelm the book but rather serve to develop Backman's compelling characters and to move the story forward. I found Beartown to be a totally satisfying read and a book I was sorry to have end.

     
Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout. Readers were introduced to the fictional town of Amgash, Illinois, in Strout's previous novel, My Name Is Lucy Barton. Now, in a series of interlocking short stories (a technique Strou t used in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kittridge), we learn more about Amgash and Barton's miserable childhood there. Lucy herself is not a major character this time around, but her visit back to her hometown certainly stirs up many residents, whose stories form the crux of the novel.

One independent bookseller praised Strout's writing skill with this perceptive review: "No one captures both the decency and cruelty of small towns the way Strout does - the kindness of a school janitor, the merciless taunts an impoverished child must endure. Mothers and daughters are a frequent theme, too, and the story of Mississippi Mary, about a woman visiting her mother in Italy, just might break your heart. Every story in this amazing collection is about the events that can make or break us - war, abuse, poverty, illness - and how we respond. I loved this marvelous book, and you should absolutely read it."  
                                          - Jill Zimmerman, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
New Thriller From Author of Last
Year's Runaway Hit

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins. Is there anyone left not familiar with The Girl on the Train? Between the internationally bestselling book, which has sold literally millions of copies worldwide, and the movie adaptation last year, Hawkins went from a starving writer to superstar author almost overnight. She has also left herself a formidable task with her new book. It's not fair to ask Hawkins to duplicate The Girl on the Train's popularity, but expectations are running high and comparisons will be inevitable.    
 
Here's what I've heard so far. Hawkins has written another complex thriller, doling out information sparingly to keep the suspense building and the reader in the dark. The plot revolves around a single mother and a teenage girl who turn up dead at the bottom of a river running through a small English town during the same summer. The mother's death appears to be a suicide and causes her estranged sister Jules to return home and take charge of a perplexing teenage niece. Jules can't believe that her sibling, who loved swimming in the river, would throw herself off a cliff and drown herself. And it soon becomes clear that there are disturbing currents beneath the surface of this small town, which launches the mystery on its way.

One potential challenge for some readers will be with the book's structure. As she did in her previous book, Hawkins unravels the story through multiple characters, and in this case, there are no fewer than 11 narrative voices.  
That's a lot to keep track of, and it may take some sticking with it to get readers hooked. But as she proved with The Girl on the Train, Hawkins has the ability to build suspense and keep readers guessing. Whether that will be enough to match earlier success remains to be seen, but you can be sure that many of her fans will give her a chance to satisfy again. 
WHERE TO FIND 
AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE

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WHY THE COLUMN?
Hi, I'm Hut Landon, and I work as a bookseller in an independent bookstore in BerkeIey, California.

My goal with this newsletter is to keep readers up to date about new books hitting the shelves, share what indie booksellers are recommending in their stores, and pass on occasional news about the book world.

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