Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano
Hello Beautiful tells the story of William, and his relationship with the four Padavano sisters. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one member of the family and begins when they are children. Readers learn that William grew up in a cold household with parents who had no interest him, and that the sisters grew up almost the opposite—although their parents did get along most of the time, they have a close and loving relationship that (they think) cannot be broken. The events in book strive to prove them wrong, however, and that’s where the story gets interesting. I loved the descriptions of the sisters’ lives growing up and their love for each other and their neighborhood, but Napolitano’s storytelling seemed detached from the characters in a way that was odd, at least for me. Almost every (if not every, I would have to check) chapter is told in indirect speech, which forces a certain amount of distance between the reader and narrative. One speculates (at least I do) if this was on purpose, or maybe an unintended effect of something going on in Napolitano’s life at the time. Either way, it gives the book a distinctive style that sets it apart from other novels.
Death of a Bookseller, Alice Slater
Death of a Bookseller is told from the perspective of two women who work at the same bookstore, Roach and Laura. Roach is obsessed with serial killers and soon discovers that Laura’s mother was murdered by one, and from there comes to believe that she and Laura share a special connection, if only Laura would acknowledge it. This perceived connections leads Roach to begin lightly stalking Laura, and then breaking into her apartment, where she spends full days before creeping out before Laura arrives home from work. Meanwhile, Laura’s mental state is declining rapidly as she begins to notice the disarray left by Roach’s presence but attributes it to herself and her consistently worsened state of mind. By the end of the novel Laura has sought help, but Roach remains ever persistent, calling into question the so-called innocent interactions we have with strangers and where they might lead when one party or another is not fully aware of it. Slater’s debut novel is an entertaining read that is simultaneously slightly creepy and blithely fun.