Interview with Tara Conklin, Author of House Girl

House Girl by Tara Conklin: Margie's Staff Pick 

Sometimes you read a book and it clicks on every single level. That's what happened when I read House Girl by Tara Conklin. It's got that perfect combination of history, social justice and art that I love and that should be a big hit with our book clubs.

House Girl has two intertwined plots: one is the story of a young slave, a "house girl" named Josephine Bell, and the other is the story of Lina Sparrow, a young lawyer assigned to a high-stakes class action lawsuit for reparations payments to the descendants of American slaves.

The two stories merge into one when Lina Sparrow's search for the perfect representative plaintiff leads her to a brewing controversy in the art world. It turns out that the famous paintings of the antebellum artist LuAnn Bell, a Virginia slaveholder, may have instead been painted by her house slave, Josephine Bell. Lina begins an urgent search for Josephine's possible descendants, in hopes that the truth will remedy the wrongs of the past.

Both threads of the story complement each other in a way that makes for an intriguing and thoughtful novel. Although many early readers seemed to enjoy Josephine's story more, I have to say I loved Lina's story just as much. Lina is the link between the past and the present. Her story shows us just how complicated the search for long overdue justice can be. 

I recently had the chance to chat with Tara Conklin to ask her some questions about the book. It turns out we are both retired litigation attorneys with an interest in historical fiction, so a lot of my questions were about Lina's part of the story and how it came to be. We get a little law-geeky, hope you don't mind!

Margie:  How did you get the idea to write about a slavery reparations lawsuit? Did you ever get to work on a pro-bono case while you were practicing? If so, how did your experience affect Lina's story? 

Tara: Before law school, I worked for a human rights NGO called the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (now called Human Rights First) that was very involved with international justice issues - the international tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the International Criminal Court, etc. I was fascinated by these efforts at addressing, through law, these periods of violence and repression - how does a society repair itself?  How do individuals heal? This interest continued while I was a lawyer - I did a fair amount of pro bono work around human rights issues. While I was writing the historical sections of The House Girl, I started looking at the antebellum period through my lawyer's lens. I knew that slavery reparations suits had been tried in US courts before, without much success, so I started to envision a new one for Lina to take on. . . . My main sources of inspiration/experience came at the Lawyers Committee and then also in law school where I took a human rights clinic and an immigration law clinic. . . . [I had] this faith that legal rituals could really address, in a substantive, meaningful way, the individual harms suffered by victims of human rights abuses.

Margie: Which came first, Josephine's story or Lina's story? How did you get the idea to pair them together?

Tara: Josephine came way before Lina. I wrote Josephine, Caleb and Dorothea and put the stories aside for many many months - maybe even a year.  But I couldn't stop thinking about them. I really wanted to bring them into the present day - to make Josephine's story resonate in the modern world - and so that's where Lina came in. 

Margie: I love the art angle in House Girl. How did you ever get the idea to have art be the big connector between past and present, slave and master, father, mother and daughter, Lina and her future? 

Tara: Josephine was always an artist - that was clear to me very early on in the writing. She was inspired in part by an African-American artist named Mary Bell - I wrote an essay about her for SheReads.org - here's the link:  http://www.shereads.org/2013/02/tell-me-something-true-a-visit-with-tara-conklin/. But, it didn't happen in a truly linear way. I didn't think: oh, I want to write a story about someone like Mary Bell, and I think I'll call her Josephine. Josephine appeared in Caleb's story and, as I was getting to know her, I remembered my interest in Mary Bell and thought: oh yes, of course! Josephine is an artist too.  

Margie: What was your favorite part about litigation? (I was a Legal Writing TA in Law School, so I loved writing briefs!) How did your legal writing help or hinder your attempts to write a novel?

Tara:  I LOVED writing briefs! Particularly in international arbitration (my primary practice in London) because I had a lot more freedom to play with form and language than in straight corporate US litigation. I often say that being a litigator isn't all that different from being a fiction writer - you've got your protagonist/client, antagonist/opposing side - your're trying to persuade an audience to believe in the truth of your narrative, your version of events. Very similar to writing a novel! That said, it is still a lot more fun to write fiction. Now I don't have to worry about all those pesky "facts".  

*******************

Margie's Note:  Did you go to the link that Tara refers to at she reads.org? You really should - it's a great story about the inspiration for House Girl.  How fun that it all started with a part-time job at an art gallery over 20 years ago. Don't you just love the way that art enters your brain and stays there until it finds a new creative expression? 

Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea

A Great Pairing
The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin and Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Now that Melanie Benjamin's new novel The Aviator's Wife is on sale, we imagine that many of you are discovering Anne Morrow Lindbergh for the first time, and finding her to be an incredibly complicated and fascinating woman.


If you'd like to know more, we recommend that you pair your read of The Aviator's Wife with Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift From the Sea, which was first published in 1955. The 1950s seem like a lifetime ago, and if fact, they are. Anne Morrow Lindbergh passed away in 2001, not long before the 50th Anniversary edition would be published. 



Anne's daughter Reeve, already 60 years old in 2001, wrote the introduction to the Anniversary edition. As Reeve said: "I never once had the sense that my mother's 1955 book has lost its freshness, or that the wisdom contained within its pages has ceased to apply, whether to my own life or to what I have learned, over time, of hers."

It's amazing how Anne Morrow Lindbergh's wisdom still resonates today. In one of the earliest chapter of Gift from the Sea, Anne observes and draws wisdom from a channelled whelk, a delicate shell that still washes up on the shores of Southwest Florida's beaches. Anne admired the shell's simplicity and perfect architecture, unlike her own life, which was "knobby with barnacles" and a "caravan of complications." Women's lives, Anne said, are plagued by "myriad pulls" that operate against creativity, contemplation and a saintly life. As Anne herself said: "I begin to understand why the saints were rarely married women." Now what 21st century mother can't relate to that?

Anne wrote another chapter inspired by a rare find, the Double Sunrise, a perfectly matched bivalve shell with two sides like the wings of a butterfly. They're so delicate, barely hinged together. Anne wonders how their "fragile perfection survive[s] the breakers on the beach." I do too. Anne compare this shell to the early years of marriage, a pure, self-enclosed world of mutuality. Already middle-aged and married for 26 years when she wrote Gift From the Sea, Anne knows the "Double Sunrise" stage of marriage doesn't last: "the tide of life recedes." But she doesn't mourn the loss. Instead, she believes you should shed the shell that doesn't suit you anymore."What is one to do - die of atrophy in an outstripped form? Or move on to another form, other experiences?" 

Thanks to The Aviator's Wife, we now know that Anne and her charismatic husband had a rocky marriage with crushing tragedies and bruising betrayals. And yet they remained married for 45 years, until Charles' death at age 72. 

If you read Gift from the Sea along with The Aviator's Wife, you'll have even more to contemplate and discuss with your book club. What a complicated couple. What a great pairing. 

Don't forget, Melanie Benjamin will be at The Bookstore on Thursday, January 24th at 7pm to discuss her new book. Hope you can make it! And by the way, your book club could win an "Aviator's Wife Gift Basket" at the event, which just happens to include a complimentary copy of Gifts from the Sea.

Staff Pick Favorites of 2012

Top Staff Picks 2012

There are always a few surprises, a few disagreements, but always, a shared joy of reading. Here's a list of our favorites, which even include a few from prior years. And there are so many more fabulous, worthy books that could have made our lists, but sometimes you just have to draw a line. So we limited ourselves to just 10.

How about you? What were your favorites? Let us know in the comments section of our website, or hop onto Twitter or meet us over on Facebook to chat. We can't wait to hear about your favorite reads.

Jenny
The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott (2011)

Wish You Were Here by Graham Swift 

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt (2011)

Canada by Richard Ford 

A Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon 

The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson 

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce 

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach (2011)

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

Sue

Contents May Have Shifted by Pam Houston
Canada by Richard Ford
May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes
Wish You Were Here by Graham Swift
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
Glaciers by Alexis Smith
My Only Wife by Jac Jemc
Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Swimming Home by Deborah Levy

Margie            

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers  
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel 

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz 

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro               

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy 

Age of Desire by Jennie Fields

History of a Pleasure Seeker by Richard Mason 

Renée

Between Shades of Gray (Not 50 Shades of Gray!)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch
The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jennie Lawson
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray

Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Wall (2009)

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg (2008)

Melanie Benjamin's New Novel The Aviator's Wife

Available January 15th

Melanie Benjamin is back!

One of our favorite local authors, Melanie Benjamin is back with her third novel, another fascinating work of historical fiction. This time she brings her heart and talent to the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of the celebrity aviator Charles Lindbergh. 

The Aviator's Wife will be released on January 15, 2013. Melanie will be appearing at The Bookstore for a reception, author talk and book signing on Thursday, January 24th, 2013 at 7pm. We hope you and your book can club join us!

We think it's her best work yet. She has already written about the real Alice in Wonderland (Alice I Have Been, 2010, one of The Bookstore's all-time bestsellers) and one of the first famous little persons, Lavinia Warren Bump (The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, 2011). This time Melanie brings her fiction into the 20th century, with issues that are perfect for today's book clubs. There's nothing like a complicated celebrity marriage to get a book club talking late into the night. I won't be the first early reader to compare it to Loving Frank or The Paris Wife, both huge bestsellers and discussion-makers with our local book clubs.

Beginning in the 1920s, The Aviator's Wife is a beautifully imagined story about one woman's inner growth from a sheltered ambassador's daughter to a young, submissive celebrity wife to a devoted mother and feminist author. The book explores the highs and lows of Anne's life: the excitement that she experienced as Charles taught her how to fly, the frustration of being in a celebrity marriage, and the horror of their young son's kidnapping. 

When I first heard about the subject of Melanie's new book, I was reminded how much I loved Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift From the Sea. When I first discovered it in the 1980s, I totally underestimated it. I thought it was just another pretty little coffee table book at my mother-in-law's house in Florida. I remember thinking it was a book for older women, women who still remembered the infamous Lindbergh kidnapping. When I finally picked it up, I was stunned. Here was a woman writing with feminist wisdom in 1952, long before the women's movement that I had come of age with in the 1970s. Anne Morrow Lindbergh was clearly ahead of her time. I have often wondered, who was this woman? 

Thanks to Melanie Benjamin's new book The Aviator's Wife, we can finally know her whole story. I think you'll love it as much as I do.

As an extra little bonus for friends of The Bookstore, you won't want to miss the Acknowledgements page of The Aviator's Wife. You just might see some Glen Ellyn names you know well. (Thanks, Melanie, what a thrill!) 

You can pre-order your copy of The Aviator's Wife here. We will call you to remind you on January 15th. In the meantime, you might want to pick up your own copy of Gift from the Sea. They make a great book pairing for the New Year!

Book Review: A Bitter Veil by Libby Fischer Hellmann

A Bitter Veil by Chicagoan Libby Fischer Hellmann is a crowd-pleasing novel. There is something for every reader, no matter what your favorite genre might be. It is a page-turning thriller, a tender and tragic romance, as well as a gripping tale of historical fiction.


Set in Chicago and Tehran from 1977 to 1980, this novel begins with a knock at the door in the middle of the night. A young American woman covers herself with a chador and opens the door to find three bearded soldiers with machine guns. Revolutionary Guards have come with shocking news about her Iranian husband.


Hellmann then steps back to Chicago in 1977, where Anna and Nouri first meet in the aisle of a dusty bookstore near the University of Chicago. Anna is picking out books from the syllabus of her Persian Literature class and Nouri (do I need to say he's tall, dark and handsome?) approaches her, quoting from the Rumi poetry collection in her hand. It's what Hollywood would call a "cute meet." But if you've ever read any of Rumi's poetry, or if you happen to love bookstores, it's even better than that. It's an "only-in-your-dreams" meet. A "you had me at hello" meet. Their romance takes off despite their different backgrounds, and soon the two are inseparable, as young lovers are. 


Anna and Nouri decide to marry and move to Tehran. Through Nouri's family connections with the Shah, Nouri gets a good engineering job and Anna finds a position teaching English and American Culture at the Iran-American Society. There is growing unrest and dissatisfaction with the Shah, but Anna and Nouri are planning a big fat Persian wedding, and are blind to the danger.


For any reader, the building tension in pre-revolutionary Iran is palpable. But for readers ("of a certain age") who can remember the horror and the shame of the Iran Hostage Crisis, the danger is clear and imminent. You want to grab Anna by the shoulders, warn her, and help her escape from Iran before it is too late. Because we know what's going to happen to Americans in Iran in 1978. 


Despite the terrifying tale, Libby Fischer Hellman brings the beauty of Iran to life. Her description  of Anna and Nouri's honeymoon trip to the Caspian Sea is breathtaking. Her research and knowledge of Iranian history, geography and culture is extensive and respectful. 


Hellman has crafted a well-written tale that combines suspense, action and plot with romance, atmosphere and history. It will not only satisfy her existing crime fiction fans - Hellmann has written two different mystery series - but it should bring her droves of new readers. I highly recommend this book.


Libby Fischer Hellmann will be appearing at the third Annual Glen Ellyn BookFest on Saturday, June 23, 2012. She is appearing at a Ladies Luncheon at 11:30am at the Glen Ellyn Public Library with Charlene Baumbich, Sarah M. McCoy and Hannah Pittard. For more information and tickets, please go to www.bookfest.org.


To purchase the book, click on the image above. The book is available at The Bookstore and will be on sale at the library on the day of the event.

Introducing: "Rowena Halfcrest"

Kids Book Reviews by Rowena Halfcrest

The Bookstore is thrilled to introduce something new to our blog. We have a young loyal customer and avid reader who has agreed to supply us with her very own book reviews. Her pen name is Rowena Halfcrest, and she'll be recommending books for you and your children to consider. Just click on the highlighted title if you'd like to order a copy of the book to pick up at the store, or find out whether it is available as a Google e-book.

Fever 1793 

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Fever 1793 is AWESOME! It’s so interesting to learn about it, it feels like it’s all fiction! The coffee shop setting is cool, and Matilda’s spunky character is very inspiring. I love her reaction when she has to take charge. She's super! Just like the book! --Rowena Halfcrest

                              

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

                              

It’s amazing. You will learn so much about a condition few know even exist. Mia is an interesting character who has made her way through life with a big secret. The way she tells the world is cool, and learning about synesthesia is really cool. You’ll love it! --Rowena Halfcrest

The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy

I've got a good read for you and your book club. 

Sarah McCoy has written a wonderful new book called The Baker's Daughter, set in two different time periods: the first in Nazi Germany in 1944 and the other in El Paso, Texas in 2007. The title refers to the book's heroine, Elsie Schmidt, a young baker's daughter from a small town in Germany. 

The Baker's Daughter has received blurbs from Tatiana de Rosnay (author of Sarah's Key) and Jenna Blum (Those Who Save Us) -- both of which have been hugely popular with area book clubs.

The title character from The Baker's Daughter is only 17 years old, and she's caught in the middle of the tensions in wartime Germany. Although Elsie has accepted an engagement ring from a Nazi lieutenant, she's not sure how she feels about him. She witnesses a tragic event with a small Jewish boy on Christmas Eve, and makes a brave choice that threatens the safety of her entire family.

Sixty years later, a young female journalist named Reba Adams is assigned to interview Elise, who by then is the elderly owner of Elsie's German Bakery in El Paso, Texas. Reba is faced with a complicated past of her own, along with difficult choices for her future, and finds she just can't stay away from Elsie's inviting bakery. The baking is just so good.

The Baker's Daughter includes a fascinating side story about the Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany, in which "racially pure" German women were encouraged to sleep with SS officers in order to create what the Nazis thought would be a perfect Aryan race. The children born to the Lebensborn mothers were then raised in a special nursery sponsored by the Nazi regime. Elsie's sister has been invited to participate in this program, and at first the family views it as something of an honor. Only later do they come to understand the true horror of the plan.

Sarah McCoy writes with a gentle hand as she imagines the tragedy of life in a small German town during the Nazi's reign of terror. Sarah McCoy finds a way to honor the lives and choices of the everyday Germans who did their best with what they had, sometimes risking everything to do the right thing. At the same time, the storyline set in modern-day Texas makes us realize that the issues of racism and exclusion are still a factor in current immigration debates. I think this book has all the makings for a very thoughtful book club discussion.

And not to be missed? The mouth-watering recipes at the back of the book from "Elsie's German Bakery" -- a sure-fire hit with the book club.

Highly recommended! Available now in hardcover or as an e-book from The Bookstore's website. Our e-books are compatible with every e-reading device except the Kindle, a proprietary device made by Amazon.

Jane's 2011 Holiday Picks for Children

One of our favorite holiday traditions at The Bookstore is when Jane puts together her annual list of holiday books for children. As many of you know, Jane is a happy grandmother, and loves previewing the newest books of the season. Here she is with two of her adorable granddaughters.

Did you know that you can place a pick-up order for any of these books by clicking the titles below? Just click "add to cart" and "I would like to pick this order up at the store," and we will call you when it's ready. There is even a message box where you can request complimentary gift wrapping!

 
Happy holidays to you and yours! 
 

 

THE SCRAWNY LITTLE TREE  by Ed Mehler: This is a charming little book about a boy rich in the spirit of Christmas and a very special tree.

THE CARPENTER’S GIFT by David Rubel: A touching story about the beginnings of the famous Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. A small boy, a Christmas wish, and an amazing story. This one is a keeper and the pictures are grand.

A CHRISTMAS TREE FOR PYN by Olivier Dunrea: This is a sweet story about a little girl who really wants a Christmas tree and although her papa has very little to say, she will indeed have her Christmas tree.

SONG OF THE STARS  by Sally Lloyd-Jones: If you love those stories that incorporate the creation story into the Christmas story, this is the book for you. The pictures in this one are beautiful too.

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by Jan Brett: In Brett’s usual beautifully detailed style we meet a little troll who is not especially nice and has a lot to learn.  He gets it figured out by Christmas, thank goodness!  Brett’s THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS has also been re-released with a CD read by Jim Dale, of Harry Potter fame and accompanied by the Boston Pops.

THE THIRD GIFT by Linda Sue Park: This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of myrrh, how it is collected, and is a beautiful story of father and son and their relationship.  A great gift for the celebration of Epiphany.

CHANUKAH LIGHTS by Michael Rosen and Robert Sabuda: Robert Sabuda has worked his magic with pop-up art yet again to give us this beautiful Chanukah book.  This is a treat and a must have for all our Jewish friends.

The Staff Recommends: The Queen of America

Dear Friends,


I have been waiting to tell you about Queen of America for a long time. I read it last summer, back when it was just an advance reader's copy, but now it's your turn. I'm just so sorry you've had to wait!

You might have met Luis and his wife Cindy at our Cinco de Mayo Author Event in 2010, or at the Downtown Glen Ellyn Bookfest in 2011, and if so, then you know what kind of magic awaits you. But if you haven't, I can't even begin to tell you about the wonders of this story. You'll just have to read it yourself.

Queen of America is as beautiful as the cover, which is saying a lot. It's the long-awaited sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter, the story of Luis' great aunt Teresita, the faith-healing Saint of Cabora from Mexico. You don't have to read Hummingbird first, but if you have, reading Queen of America is like reuniting with long-lost friends.

I laughed, I cried, I marveled at Luis' pumped-up, bigger-than-life characters. Teresita has been exiled from Mexico and is living in Arizona, where assassins and mobs of believers still manage to hunt her down. Her relationship with her boisterous father (I loved him in Hummingbird's Daughter) sadly deteriorates. She strikes out on her own in turn-of-the-century America, taking her faith-healing gifts from Arizona to San Francisco, St. Louis and New York. She might be a saint but she's a famous and independent young woman "on tour." Whom can she trust? Whom can she love?

 It begs for a Hollywood epic. But first, Queen of America wants to be in your hands as you read by the fire with a nice glass of spirits.

Glen Ellyn area readers will be happy to know that we are hoping to plan another Cinco de Mayo this year with Luis Urrea. That will give you and your book club plenty of time to read both Hummingbird and Queen of America before another night of storytelling magic. Click here to go to our website to reserve a copy of the book or buy the Google e-book.

And for a great gift idea, you could wrap up a copy of this book into a gift basket with a bottle of tequila, a lime and some chips and salsa. Yum.

Happy Reading!

Margie

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

In a post-everything era where old-school classics are being turned into bizarre zombie love stories (Pride And Prejudice And Zombies anyone?) or chick-lit romantic romps (from Bridget Jones’ Diary to all those sexed-up Mr. Darcy books) it is remarkable that an unembellished story of a love triangle among Ivy League college kids can still hook 21st century readers. In The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides proves that the romantic marriage-based plots of long-ago Jane Austen novels are not dead, and certainly not undead. Instead, they’re very much alive, along with their old-fashioned and timeless question: whom shall she marry?

The Marriage Plot is told from the alternating points of view of three college students who meet at Brown University (Eugenides’ alma mater) in the late 70’s: Madeleine, a smart, WASPY English major, Mitchell, a soul-searching Religious Studies major, and Leonard, a tall, mercurial bad-boy. It’s a choice as old as time.

Madeleine is a fan of 19th century novels, and in the first scene of The Marriage Plot, Eugenides gives us an intimate peek at her college bookshelf: 

There were her Edith Wharton novels, arranged not by title but date of publication; there was the complete Modern Library set of Henry James, a gift from her father on her twenty-first birthday; there were the dog-eared paperbacks assigned in her college courses, a lot of Dickens, a smidgen of Trollope. Along with good helpings of Austen, George Eliot and the redoubtable Bronte sisters. 

But Madeleine isn’t just a bookworm. She ventures out to a toga party where she meets Mitchell, a nice, curly-haired boy who is “good with parents.” Mitchell joins Madeleine on a trip home for Thanksgiving and impresses her traditional suburban family with dazzling Scrabble performances and manly games of pool. Mitchell misses his chance to make a big romantic move but continues to pine for her, his secret dream girl.

By senior year, Madeleine begins to feel a bit dowdy and conventional about her taste in literature. She’s drawn to a radical new English seminar that is popular with the cool black t-shirt crowd. It is there that Madeleine meets Leonard, a tall, handsome tobacco-chewing biology and philosophy major, who despite a crazy Jack Nicholson look, gives Madeleine a “strange fairy-tale feeling, as if she were a princess sitting beside a gentle giant.” 

And if The Marriage Plot would pause there, like an episode of The Bachelorette, and poll the readers: “whom should she choose?” --we’d shout out our advice: “pick Leonard!” – “pick Mitchell!” Or maybe, if we’re young at heart and have succumbed to Twilight vampire hype, we’d buy a t-shirt for “Team Mitchell” or “Team Leonard.” Because for some reason (who knows why, maybe our brains are just hardwired for it) we still love these romantic dilemmas. But then, after some boozy book club debate about the merits of each bachelor, we would quickly, addictively return to The Marriage Plot where we left off.

The novel follows the trio’s coming-of-age as they graduate and move forward with their post-graduation plans. Mitchell leaves on a spiritual world tour, including a stint of volunteer work with Mother Teresa. Leonard snags a prestigious biology fellowship but struggles with bipolar disorder. Madeleine follows Leonard and tries to nurse him through his wild mood swings. When Leonard and Madeleine are isolated in a small apartment at his lab in Cape Cod, you just might be reminded of some of the early scenes from The Shining. Leonard is losing it.

You begin to wonder whether Madeleine should choose either Leonard or Mitchell. It is, after all, 1982, and Madeleine is applying to graduate programs in feminist Victorian studies. This was the era when bumper stickers read: “A Woman Needs A Man Like A Fish Needs A Bicycle.” Madeleine has a nice-enough family and an empty room back in New Jersey waiting for her, complete with cozy Madeline wallpaper, in case she needs a place to crash and regroup after graduation. What she needs is a good girlfriend intervention. She needs to blast her Sony Walkman with loud, rowdy, move-on-with-your-life-without-a-guy break-up songs. 

But alas, Madeleine is young and in love, and a bit like some of those characters in the sentimental 19^th century novels, she’s in love with being in love. During an earlier break-up with Leonard, Madeleine tried to soothe herself with some of the new literary analysis she’s been studying:

            

If you used your head, if you became aware of how love was culturally constructed and began to see your symptoms as purely mental, if you recognized that being “in love” was only an idea, then you could liberate yourself from its tyranny. Madeleine knew all that. The problem was, it didn’t work.

Ah yes, romance survives its scholarly deconstruction. The burning torch of the marriage plot is not so easily extinguished after all.

This trio’s tangled road to adulthood makes for an engaging story. The marriage plot is suspenseful - page-turningly so. We care about these characters; we’re invested in their future. And as they move forward with their lives, their bad 80’s fashion choices, their fairy-tale dreams and their youthful love triangle in the past, there is at least some good news. They don’t have to worry about vampires, zombies or The Bachelorette show for about 25 more years.

Come check out this book for yourself on The Bookstore's staff pick shelf. Available as a Google e-book on our website here for only $12.99. And come back to The Bookstore to take part in our informal poll: Team Leonard or Team Mitchell? Or maybe just Team Madeleine (a fish without a bicycle)?