Small Blessings
Martha Woodroof, 2014
St. Martin's Press
352 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250040527
Summary
From debut novelist Martha Woodroof comes an inspiring tale of a small-town college professor, a remarkable new woman at the bookshop, and the ten-year old son he never knew he had.
Tom Putnam has resigned himself to a quiet and half-fulfilled life.
An English professor in a sleepy college town, he spends his days browsing the Shakespeare shelves at the campus bookstore, managing the oddball faculty in his department and caring, alongside his formidable mother-in-law, for his wife Marjory, a fragile shut-in with unrelenting neuroses, a condition exacerbated by her discovery of Tom’s brief and misguided affair with a visiting poetess a decade earlier.
Then, one evening at the bookstore, Tom and Marjory meet Rose Callahan, the shop's charming new hire, and Marjory invites Rose to their home for dinner, out of the blue, her first social interaction since her breakdown.
Tom wonders if it’s a sign that change is on the horizon, a feeling confirmed upon his return home, where he opens a letter from his former paramour, informing him he'd fathered a son who is heading Tom's way on a train. His mind races at the possibility of having a family after so many years of loneliness.
And it becomes clear change is coming whether Tom’s ready or not.
A heartwarming story with a charmingly imperfect cast of characters to cheer for, Small Blessings's wonderfully optimistic heart that reminds us that sometimes, when it feels like life has veered irrevocably off track, the track shifts in ways we never can have imagined. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Martha Woodroof was born in the South, went to boarding school and college in New England, ran away to Texas for a while, then fetched up in Virginia. She has written for NPR, npr.org, Marketplace, and Weekend America, and for the Virginia Foundation for Humanities Radio Feature Bureau.
Her print essays have appeared in such newspapers as the New York Times, Washington Post, and San Francisco Chronicle. Small Blessings is her debut novel. She lives with her husband in the Shenandoah Valley. Their closest neighbors are cows. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Woodroof nails the debut novel: This warm, wise tale leaves a smile long after the final page is turned.
People Magazine
This book is a charmer: quirky, clear-hearted and effervescent.
Oprah.com
A delightful tale about what happens when good intentions go well.
Good Housekeeping
Woodroof’s charming debut deals with a bizarre paternity case set against the backdrop of a quirky college town.... Along with dark humor and a confident command of story, strong characters and absurdist twists add to the fun.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) A warm, caring and thoroughly entertaining debut that reads remarkably well.
Library Journal
Woodroof’s light hand and compassion for her characters make the story flow naturally. The question of what makes a family is gently asked and answered throughout. A pleasant read about ordinary people dealing with extraordinary circumstances and the optimism that guides them.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. At the beginning of the book, Tom Putman is resigned to a not very-fulfilling home life. Does this mean he’s kind or passive? Brave or timid? Did he make a mistake marrying Marjory?
2. Why has Rose Callahan worked in bookstores her entire professional life? How does the experience of working at The Bookstore for Mr. Pitts seem different to her from her earlier work experiences?
3. Why are Russell Jacobs and Iris Benson so antagonistic toward each other at the start of the story?
4. How does Agnes Tattle view her son-in-law? How does Tom view his mother-in-law?
5. What is the importance of Marjory Putnam inviting Rose to dinner?
6. How do you feel about Tom having a brief affair that seems to have produced a son?
7. How does Rose Callahan view her childhood? Her mother, Miss Mavis Callahan?
8. Does the community at small women’s college where Small Blessings takes place seem cozy and supportive, or isolated and self-absorbed?
9. What effect does Henry have on Tom? On Rose? On Agnes? On Russell?
10. Why does Agnes wear her long-dead husband's pajamas?
11. Does it take courage to admit you are happy? Does Small Blessings have a happy ending? If so, why?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)
Bittersweet
Colleen McCullough, 2013
Simon & Schuster
384pp.
ISBN-13: 9781476755410
Summary
In her first epic romantic novel since The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough weaves a sweeping story of two sets of twins—all trained as nurses, but each with her own ambitions—stepping into womanhood in 1920s and 30s Australia.
Because they are two sets of twins, the four Latimer sisters are as close as can be. Yet these vivacious young women each have their own dreams for themselves: Edda wants to be a doctor, Tufts wants to organize everything, Grace won’t be told what to do, and Kitty wishes to be known for something other than her beauty.
They are famous throughout New South Wales for their beauty, wit, and ambition, but as they step into womanhood, they are not enthusiastic about the limited prospects life holds for them.
Together they decide to enroll in a training program for nurses—a new option for women of their time, who have previously been largely limited to the role of wives, and preferably mothers. As the Latimer sisters become immersed in hospital life and the demands of their training, they meet people and encounter challenges that spark new maturity and independence.
They meet men from all walks of life—local farmers, their professional colleagues, and even men with national roles and reputations—and each sister must make weighty decisions about what she values most. The results are sometimes happy, sometimes heartbreaking, but always...bittersweet.
Rendered with McCullough’s trademark historical accuracy, this dramatic coming of age tale is wise in the ways of the human heart, one that will transport readers to a time in history that feels at once exotic and yet not so very distant from our own. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—June 1, 1937
• Where—Wellington, New South Wales, Australia
• Education—Holy Cross College (Australia); M.D., University of Sydney
• Currently—lives on Norfolk Island in the Pacific
Colleen McCullough-Robinson is an Australian author and medical researcher, best-known for her 1977 novel (and subsequent mini-series) The Thorn Birds.
McCullough was born in Wellington in 1937, in the outback of central west New South Wales. Her father was James McCullough and her mother Laurie was a New Zealander of part-Maori descent. During her childhood, McCullough's family moved around a great deal, eventually settling in Sydney, where she attended Holy Cross college.
After stint as a teacher, librarian, and journalist, she enrolled at the University of Sydney to study medicine. Iin her first year, however, she suffered dermatitis from surgical soap and was advised to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor—she could never scrub for surgery. Instead, she switched to neuroscience and worked in Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, where she established the department of neurophysiology.
In 1963 McCullough moved to the United Kingdom for four years. While at the Great Ormond Street hospital in London, she met Yale University's chairman of neurology, who offered her a research associate job. She accepted and spent the next ten years (till 1976) at Yale Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut, researching and teaching. At Yale she penned her first two books.
The success of these books enabled her to give up her medical-scientific career and to try and "live on her own terms" In the late 1970s, she finally settled on the isolation of Norfolk Island in the Pacific. There she met her husband, Ric Robinson, whom she married on in 1983 at the age of 46 (Robinson was 33).
Recognition
In 1984 a portrait of Colleen McCullough, painted by Wesley Walters, was a finalist for the Archibald Prize, awarded for the "best portrait painting preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics."
In 1993 she was awarded a Doctor of Letters degree by Macquarie University for the depth of historical research in her novels of ancient Rome.
McCullough is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Controversy
Her 2008 novel The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet engendered controversy with her reworking of characters in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Susannah Fullerton, the president of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, said she "shuddered" that Elizabeth Bennet was rewritten as weak, and Mr. Darcy as savage.
She is one of the strongest, liveliest heroines in literature … [and] Darcy's generosity of spirit and nobility of character make her fall in love with him—why should those essential traits in both of them change in 20 years?
Bibliograhy
Novels (stand-alones):
Tim (1974) ♦ The Thorn Birds (1977) ♦ An Indecent Obsession (1981) ♦ A Creed for the Third Millennium (1985) ♦ The Ladies of Missalonghi (1987) ♦ The Song of Troy (1998) ♦ Morgan's Run (2000) ♦ The Touch (2003) ♦ Angel Puss (2004) ♦ The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet (2008) ♦ Bittersweet (2013).
Masters of Rome series
The First Man in Rome (1990) ♦ The Grass Crown (1991) ♦ Fortune's Favorites (1993) ♦ Caesar's Women (1996) ♦ Caesar (1997) ♦ The October Horse (2002) ♦ Antony and Cleopatra (2007).
Carmine Delmonico series
On, Off (2006) ♦ Too Many Murders (December 2009) ♦ Naked Cruelty (2010) ♦ The Prodigal Son (2012) ♦ Sins of the Flesh (2013). (Author bio adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 2/8/2015.)
Book Reviews
Filled with humor, insight and captivating historical detail, McCullough's latest is a wise and warm tribute to family, female empowerment and her native land.
People
Just as epic as her ultra-romantic classic, The Thorn Birds.
Marie Claire
Vintage McCullough...underlines several of McCullough's enormous strengths as a writer—superbly deft characterization; multiple plots that move apace; a warmth and generosity in the telling; and dialogue sharp and, in moments, uproariously funny...a meditation on love and the decisions we make that riffle into our future.
Courier-Mail
Lovers of McCullough’s bestseller The Thorn Birds will be happy to hear that Bittersweet takes us back to historic country Australia...as clever, compelling, and as down-to-earth as its four heroines.
Australian Women's Weekly
It’s the heartwarming family bonds that will have you passing this gem on to friends.
Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
A master class in succinct, precise prose, captivating yet flawed characters and an engrossing historical setting…meticulously researched and cleverly composed.
Good Reading (Australia)
Fabulous...engrossing.
Manly Daily (Sydney)
[A] sweeping historical saga..... McCullough’s richly drawn characters grab hold of the heartstrings from the beginning of their journey...and prove that, even when choices are not in wide supply, happiness is attainable—even if, at times, it is bittersweet.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) Readers of historical family dramas will be excited to find a new, satisfying book to enjoy while longtime fans of The Thorn Birds will be over the moon, welcoming back a dear old friend. Take it to the beach, on the plane, or the couch, this book will be the best traveling companion of the summer.
Library Journal
Four sisters are McCullough's avatars of women's progress in Depression-era Australia.... The chief attractions here [is]the...detailed exposure of sex discrimination and feminist struggles.... [But McCullough] doesn't manage to endow her story with much conflict or narrative drive. An uneven but enlightening novel.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher.)
The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad 5)
Tana French, 2014
Viking Adult
464 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780143127512
Summary
The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption saysI KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.
Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to get a foot in the door of Dublin’s Murder Squad—and one morning, sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings him this photo.
“The Secret Place,” a board where the girls at St. Kilda’s School can pin up their secrets anonymously, is normally a mishmash of gossip and covert cruelty, but today someone has used it to reignite the stalled investigation into the murder of handsome, popular Chris Harper. Stephen joins forces with the abrasive Detective Antoinette Conway to find out who and why.
But everything they discover leads them back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends and their fierce enemies, a rival clique—and to the tangled web of relationships that bound all the girls to Chris Harper. Every step in their direction turns up the pressure. Antoinette Conway is already suspicious of Stephen’s links to the Mackey family.
St. Kilda’s will go a long way to keep murder outside their walls. Holly’s father, Detective Frank Mackey, is circling, ready to pounce if any of the new evidence points toward his daughter. And the private underworld of teenage girls can be more mysterious and more dangerous than either of the detectives imagined.
The Secret Place is a powerful, haunting exploration of friendship and loyalty, and a gripping addition to the Dublin Murder Squad series. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—1973
• Where—Vermont, USA
• Education—B.A., Trinity College (Dublin)
• Awards—Edgar Award, Macavity Award, Barry Award
• Currently—lives in Dublin, Ireland
Tana French is an Irish novelist and theatrical actress. Her debut novel In the Woods (2007), a psychological mystery, won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards for best first novel. She is a liaison of the Purple Heart Theatre Company and also works in film and voiceover.
French was born in the U.S. to Elena Hvostoff-Lombardi and David French. Her father was an economist working in resource management for the developing world, and the family lived in numerous countries around the globe, including Ireland, Italy, the US, and Malawi.
French attended Trinity College, Dublin, where she was trained in acting. She ultimately settled in Ireland. Since 1990 she has lived in Dublin, which she considers home, although she also retains citizenship in the U.S. and Italy. French is married and has a daughter with her husband.
Dublin Murder Squad series
In the Woods - 2007
The Likeness - 2008
Faithful Place - 2010
Broken Harbor - 2012
The Secret Places - 2014
The Trespasser - 2016
Stand-alone mystery
The Witch Elm - 2018
(Bio adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 9/2/2014.)
Book Reviews
(Starred review.) [M]esmerizing.... Det. Stephen Moran...is biding his time until he can make the Murder Squad. When 16-year-old Holly Mackey, a colleague’s daughter, shows up with a clue to an old crime, Moran sees his chance.... French stealthily spins a web of teenage secrets with a very adult crime at the center.
Publishers Weekly
A year after the body of swoon-worthy Chris Harper was dumped at St. Kilda's, a girls' school in a Dublin suburb, student Holly Mackey gives Det. Stephen Moran a photo of Chris she's found with the words "I know who killed him" inscribed on the back. From the multi-award-winning and New York Times best-selling French.
Library Journal
(Starred review.) The Dublin novelist has few peers in her combination of literary stylishness and intricate, clockwork plotting.... Beyond the murder mystery, which leaves the reader in suspense throughout, the novel explores the mysteries of friendship, loyalty and betrayal, not only among adolescents, but within the police force as well. [A] meticulously crafted novel.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. What part of the author’s portrayal of adolescence rang the truest with your own experience? Of all the teenagers in the novel, which reminded you most of yourself at the age?
2. Who did you first suspect killed Chris Harper? Who did you think wrote the note? Why?
3. Detective Mackey’s sharp eye for human behavior is matched only by his determination to protect Holly. He warns Conway that Moran is ambitious, even to the point of disloyalty. Is this true?
4. Similarly, Mackey explains to Moran why Conway is so disliked by the Murder Squad. Do you believe his reasoning or is he trying to play on Moran’s fears? If you were Conway, how would you have reacted to the other detectives’ behavior?
5. There are episodes of the supernatural throughout the novel. Do you believe that Holly and her friends had magical powers? Did the students actually see Chris’s ghost? What was the dark shape that Moran noticed through the doorway?
6. The title refers to the St. Kilda’s board where the girls post their secrets, but in what other ways could it be interpreted?
7. The book’s chapters alternate between Moran and Conway’s experience solving the crime and the events leading up to the crime itself. How did this double narrative heighten your experience as a reader?
8. Moran admits, “I love beautiful; always have. I never saw why I should hate what I wish I had” (p. 31). What does he mean? Does this affect his work on the case?
9. French presents the relationship between Selena and Chris so that any of her friends’ differing perspectives on his feelings are plausible. What do Selena, Julia, Holly, and Becca each believe? Who do you agree with?
10. Would Chris Harper’s murder case have been handled differently if it had occurred in a poor Dublin neighborhood?
11. French writes that “when Holly thinks about it a long time afterwards, when things are starting to stay fixed and come into focus at last, she will think that probably there are ways you could say Marcus Wiley killed Chris Harper” (p. 95). What does she mean?
(Questions issued by the publishers.)
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The Good Girl
Mary Kubica, 2014
Harlequin MIRA
3352 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780778316558
Summary
I've been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works. I don't know the color of her eyes or what they look like when she's scared. But I will.
Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend.
But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life.
Colin's job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia's mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter.
An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, The Good Girl is a propulsive debut that reveals how even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems
. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
Mary Kubica holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children and enjoys photography, gardening and caring for the animals at a local shelter. The Good Girl is her first novel. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
(Starred review.) Almost nothing turns out as expected, which, along with the novel's structure and deep Midwestern roots, will encourage comparisons to Gone Girl. [T]his Girl has heart—which makes it all the more devastating when the author breaks it.
Publishers Weekly
[C]compulsively readable and highly recommended for anyone who loves a mystery, a suspense tale, or a psychological puzzle. This could also be recommended for those who enjoy suspense, but don't care for graphic depictions of violence or sexual intimacy: these elements are mentioned, but not detailed. —Elizabeth Masterson, Mecklenburg Cty. Jail Lib., Charlotte, NC
Library Journal
A high-intensity thriller, a psychological puzzle that will keep readers on their toes.
BookPage
[A] kidnapping gone wrong.... The narrative unfolds in four different perspectives....The organization can prove puzzling, but Kubica’s debut thriller builds suspense steadily and will have readers guessing what’s really going on until the final pages. —Rebecca Vnuk
Booklist
Kubica’s psychological thriller centers on the abduction of a young teacher.... If the novel lacks credibility in any one area, it’s that the Chicago PD...would have the luxury of assigning one detective to a single case for months on end....The proliferation of older characters like Eve will be a pleasant and unexpected find for the many readers who understand that life over 55 can still be interesting.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. Initially Detective Hoffman wishes that he had not been assigned the case of the missing Mia Dennett, and yet later, finds himself completely preoccupied by it. Are his motives fueled more by professional or personal desire? Do you feel that his character evolved during the course of the novel, or did he remain true to himself throughout?
2. In the early pages of the novel, Colin Thatcher comes across as a hardened criminal carrying out a kidnapping plot for his own financial benefit. What would make a man like Colin decide to save Mia from her assumed fate?
3. Do you think it was admirable for Colin to forsake his own and his mother’s wellbeing for a stranger, or should he have carried out the kidnapping plot as planned? Were his actions entirely selfless, or did his decision to save Mia also serve a selfish purpose?
4. Imagine for a moment that Mia went through with the abortion at her father’s request. How would this have affected her once she learned of Colin’s death? Do you think it would have been easier or harder for her to accept his death if she was not carrying his child?
5. Mia Dennett is portrayed in many different lights: the devoted teacher, the neglected daughter, a kidnapping victim, an underhanded conspirator and more. Which of these do you feel accurately portray the character, or is Mia truly a conglomeration of all personas? Are any of these portrayals merely an act on Mia’s part to fill some self-seeking need and, if so, how does this behavior differ from that of her father?
6. Eve Dennett exhibits a strong emotional attachment towards Detective Gabe Hoffman throughout The Good Girl, and yet, at the end of the novel, she chooses to forsake that relationship for the benefit of her daughter. Do you feel that Eve’s feelings for the detective were genuine, or rather an instance of being caught up in the moment? In your opinion, was Eve appropriate in ending the relationship, or should she have continued on with Detective Hoffman regardless of Mia’s mental state and emotional needs?
7. Dr. Avery Rhodes suggests that Mia’s feelings for Colin Thatcher were an example of Stockholm syndrome: a psychological situation in which a kidnapping victim forms a bond with his or her captor. Do you feel that Mia was suffering from Stockholm syndrome, or that the relationship she developed with Colin was authentic?
8. Mia suffers from amnesia throughout the pages of The Good Girl. It’s only in the last few chapters that her memory comes back and she is able to recall her days inside the Minnesota cabin. Knowing, however, that Mia staged her own kidnapping, is it also possible to imagine that she faked the amnesia throughout the novel? Was Mia truly suffering from Acute Stress Disorder, or was this another act from a capable and conniving performer?
9. At the end of the novel we learn that Mia arranged her own kidnapping to seek vengeance against her father for a neglectful upbringing. Do you feel that Mia was justified in this behavior? What other actions could she have taken to get even with her father? Was his conduct as awful as Mia perceived in her mind for it to be?
10. After reading The Good Girl, who do you feel was the true victim, or victims, and the true conspirator? Have your opinions changed since beginning the novel, and if so, how?
(Questions from the author's website.)
Five and Twenty-Fives
Michael Pitre, 2014
Bloomsbury USA
400 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781620407547
Summary
It’s the rule—always watch your fives and twenty-fives. When a convoy halts to investigate a possible roadside bomb, stay in the vehicle and scan five meters in every direction.
A bomb inside five meters cuts through the armor, killing everyone in the truck. Once clear, get out and sweep twenty-five meters. A bomb inside twenty-five meters kills the dismounted scouts investigating the road ahead.
Fives and twenty-fives mark the measure of a marine’s life in the road repair platoon. Dispatched to fill potholes on the highways of Iraq, the platoon works to assure safe passage for citizens and military personnel. Their mission lacks the glory of the infantry, but in a war where every pothole contains a hidden bomb, road repair brings its own danger.
Lieutenant Donavan leads the platoon, painfully aware of his shortcomings and isolated by his rank. Doc Pleasant, the medic, joined for opportunity, but finds his pride undone as he watches friends die. And there’s Kateb, known to the Americans as Dodge, an Iraqi interpreter whose love of American culture—from hip-hop to the dog-eared copy of Huck Finn he carries—is matched only by his disdain for what Americans are doing to his country.
Returning home, they exchange one set of decisions and repercussions for another, struggling to find a place in a world that no longer knows them. A debut both transcendent and rooted in the flesh, Fives and Twenty-Fives is a deeply necessary novel. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1978-79
• Where—Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, USA
• Raised—states of New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana
• Education—B.A., Louisian State University; M.B.A., Loyola University
• Currently—lives in New Orleans
Michael Pitre is a graduate of Louisiana State University, where he was a double major in history and creative writing. In 2002, he joined the Marines, deploying twice to Iraq and attaining the rank of Captain before leaving the service in 2010 to get his MBA at Loyola. He lives in New Orleans. (From the publisher.)
Book Reviews
Mr. Pitre…provides an unblinking, razor-edged portrait of the war through the lives of members of his fictional platoon. Like Phil Klay in his short-story collection Redeployment, he focuses on the war's emotional fallout—not just in real time in Iraq, but afterward, too, as it continues to haunt veterans following their return home…Mr. Pitre makes us care about all these soldiers and their efforts to navigate the war.
Michiko Kakutani - New York Times Book Review
Gripping and penetrating.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(Starred review.) [u]nflinching portrait of the Iraq war, both through flashbacks to the conflict and stories about its principal characters once they have returned home.... Pitre’s restrained depictions...[are] praiseworthy. But it’s the nuanced take on Dodge’s divided loyalties...that imbues the novel with depth and integrity.
Publishers Weekly
Pitre’s suspenseful debut, influenced by his combat experience in the Iraq War, follows a Marine Corps road crew searching for hidden bombs on the treacherous highways encircling Baghdad.... A thrilling, defining novel of the Iraq War. —Adam Morgan
Booklist
The quiet pathos of war, its aftermath and the individuals affected by it, and the inability of a tone-deaf society to relate to them, is rendered with poignancy and stark honesty in Fives and Twenty-Fives. Readers will be floored by Pitre's spare literary style, the authenticity of each of his characters' three different voices, and those mesmerizing characters themselves...; we are lucky to have such a fine voice as Pitre's....
Shelf Awareness
(Starred review.) The corrosive psychological effects—and the dark humor—of modern conflict are hauntingly captured in Iraq War veteran Pitre's powerfully understated debut.... Though the narrative voices...sometimes blend together, and the scenes on the homefront...are a bit undercooked, those are minor flaws in a book in which everything rings so unshakably true.... [O]ne of the definitive renderings of the Iraq experience.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
(We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher.)