Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? On repetitive drives where I don’t have to check for directions, an audiobook is just the thing. I read this over a few days in both ebook and audiobook form thanks to DC Library.

Why not 3 or more stars? As a fan of Trethewey's poetry, I was excited to read this book. Poets who branch out to other genres are endlessly interesting to me (Hanif Abdurraqib and Ocean Vuong, for example). However, when I came across the word "wound" on the first page, I rightly feared that Memorial Drive was not my taste. I recognize that a page one "wound" is a strange pet peeve. But hear me out. Through my reading, I've discovered that writers with this word ready to drop at the jump typically rely on an arsenal of sensuous, relevant language that speaks to the culture of identity around which much of contemporary poetry revolves. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I find that if I pick apart the loveliness of the word choices in many of these types of books, there's not much else to recommend. That is the case here.

The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? Dave Eggers and Mokhtar Alkhanshali did a talk in DC to promote this book, complete with a coffee tasting.

Why not 3 or more stars? Look, I love Dave Eggers. I love many, if not most, of his books. I love his commitment to storytelling and to a more just world. The writing in The Monk of Mokha is good — simple, not challenging, clean as always. But it was simply a miss for me. I craved more story to plump up the pages and would have enjoyed this more as a long essay in Harper's.

The In-Between by Hadley Vlahos

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? An aspiring hospice nurse, I picked this up at DC Library to learn more about the specialty.

Why not 3 or more stars? The premise of this book captivates: a seasoned hospice nurse shares what she’s learned about death and whatever comes after. There’s not much meat here beyond Vlahos’s observations and anecdotes that read as if they’ve been told many times, which might be meal enough for some. I would have appreciated a deeper dive into the subject matter, supplementing the personal with an academic or historical perspective about the experience of death. What is the medical experience of death? How does practicing medicine affect the beliefs of health care practitioners? How can family members prepare for the end of life? All questions neither asked nor answered.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? In moving house, I tried to group books by the same author in boxes (an enterprise that ultimately proved too time-consuming) and came across this copy, which belongs to my spouse.

Why not 3 or more stars? This book is fine. The writing, the plot, the literariness of it — all fine. I wanted the story to move beyond its repetitive elements (winter in Starkfield is rough — got it) and further develop present-day Ethan or Mattie, who is presented as little more than sentient hair despite snippets of fascinating backstory. Mercifully short yet unrelenting in its bleakness.

I Hold a Wolf by the Ears by Laura van den Berg

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? After seeing this book on Electric Literature’s list of favorite short story collections of 2020, I bought a copy at Politics & Prose.

Why not 3 or more stars? It takes me a long time to pinpoint why I don't like a particular work, especially because I feel a critique should transcend the reviewer's peculiar tastes and preferences. For that reason, I read everything I start until the end. To make an informed judgment. I knew during the first story that I Hold a Wolf by the Ears wasn't my taste and found no other flaw, so that's all the "why" I have to offer here: good story nuggets, but lacking conviction and innovation in form.

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

2/5 stars

How’d I find it? On publication day, I marched myself over to Solid State Books and got myself a signed copy.

Why not 3 or more stars? It pains me to give this book anything less than four stars, especially because I love (LOVE) The Passage trilogy fiercely. These reluctant two stars have nothing to do with the story driving The Ferryman. The tensions between Prospera and the Annex build deliciously, and our time in the Nursery marks the beginning of an unexpected new twist in the plot. Ambitious and exciting to read. Seriously, no notes. This has the trappings of good sci-fi.

But the writing. It doesn't rise to the challenge set by the story. Expect precious, a surface-level treatment, archetype as character. "I am Proctor Bennett." Expect lots (and lots) of telling. The figurative remains cookie cutter, uncomplicated. Was The Passage the same? I can't remember. Either way, unlike The Passage, this one might fare better when it's adapted for the screen. It could use a little more magic.