Recent Reviews
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout has written another gem. She has a remarkable ability to deeply probe the psyches of her characters while delivering a perceptive and absorbing read. In this novel, her 11th, she dives even deeper into that well.
Artie Dam, a beloved high school history teacher, is depressed. He feels alone and isolated—not because he lacks people to talk to or spend time with; he doesn’t. He is surrounded by people who love him: his wife of 30 years, his grown son, his fellow teachers, his students, and his friends. Rather, it is an internal angst that plagues him, leaving him with the sense that most thoughts are meant to remain solitary, not shared. The divisive divisions in this country don’t help.
When Artie learns a profound secret about his life, he must decide how to proceed with this knowledge. The revelation forces him to recognize that we don’t truly know ourselves—and sometimes not even the people closest to us. Toward the book’s ending, he thinks he might know why people never say the thoughts closest to their hearts. “Because to say anything real was to say things nobody wanted to know, or if they wanted to know, they would not care in the right way. Or even understand. It’s a private thing to be alive.”
Strout continues to explore the human condition with persistence and curiosity. Though the book is psychologically astute, its ethos is heavy and existential. Author Elizabeth Day’s blurb on the back sums up this novel beautifully: “Strout is a brilliant chronicler of the ambiguity and delicacy of the human condition.” Highly recommend. 5/5
Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn
Family of Spies, by Christine Kuehn, is a gripping account of a family secret that lay hidden for generations and reveals a shocking history. It tells the true story of Kuehn’s family, who worked as spies for the Nazis and reported to the Japanese before the attack on Pearl Harbor. None of this was known to the author until she received a letter from a screenwriter asking about the German spies in her family. Kuehn thought it was a joke or some kind of mistake. As a child, Christine Kuehn asked her father about his parents and siblings, but he was always elusive. The idea that her grandparents and Aunt were German spies seemed impossible.
Still, the letter gnawed at her. Christine and her husband went to their local bookstore and reviewed the indexes of every book about Pearl Harbor. To her astonishment, they discovered that her grandparents, Otto and Friedel Kuehn, were indeed spies for America’s enemies, as was her now elderly Aunt Ruth. Eventually, Kuehn’s father admitted the truth about his family. Not wanting to burden his daughter or face his own shame, he had kept his family’s treasonous past secret. He couldn’t, or wouldn’t, recall the gritty details of their involvement. Even though his parents tried to protect him from their activities, he carried the weight of their crimes for his entire life.
Determined to learn more, Kuehn began researching her relatives’ journey from Germany to their internment after Pearl Harbor and eventual return to Germany. Her investigation spanned decades, and each new revelation brought new shock. Her grandparents eagerly joined the Nazi party after WWI and never turned away from its cruelty. Christine’s uncle, Leopold, worked for Joseph Goebbels, a barbaric leader in Hitler’s regime. Her Aunt Ruth even dated him. It was Goebbels who sent the Kuehn family to Hawaii in 1936 and paid them well for the secrets they passed to Germany and Japan. The information her grandparents and Aunt shared helped the Japanese in their attack on Pearl Harbor. Another stunning piece of knowledge Kuehn was forced to absorb.
I wish she had spent more time probing deeper into the Kuehn family’s motivations. Was their betrayal driven solely by ideology? Where did they develop these thoughts? Was it greed alone? Or had they become so deeply tangled in their tasks that they could no longer change course?
Although the story ended tragically for her family, Christine Kuehn courageously confronted the past and was brave enough to share it. She skillfully blends meticulous research with a compelling, fast-paced narrative. The book reads like a spy thriller, weaving together past and present, Her work reminds us of the power of uncovering hidden truths and that personal stories are integral to understanding our history. 4/5
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Reading a Chalotte McConaghy novel assures you that you are in the hands of a talented writer. Her latest book, Wild Dark Shore is a beautiful and atmospheric story woven together with a gripping mystery. This novel is both a family drama and a haunting homage to humanity’s indifference toward the ongoing climate crisis threatening our planet.
Dominic Salt and his three children serve as caretakers on Shearwater island, located near Antarctica. They live in the island’s lighthouse. The children have a deep affection, though complicated relationship with their widowed father who continues to grieve for their mother who died during the birth of the youngest child. The Salt family has been part of a scientific community dedicated to studying climate change and protecting the world’s largest seed bank. However, as the permafrost melts and ocean levels rise, the island becomes unsustainable. All the scientists and researchers have already been evacuated. Dominic and his family await the final boat to ferry them home to Australia. The growing isolation and anticipation intensify the novel’s tension.
As they wait for their departure, a mysterious woman named Rowan washes ashore. The Salt family cares for her as she recovers, all the while questioning how and why she arrived on their remote island. Like the Salt family members, Rowan harbors secrets that slowly come to light. McConaghy skillfully propels the story forward by narrating from five distinct points of view. Some plot twists are frustrating and require suspending belief, but nonetheless, the story remains compelling.
McConaghy’s vivid descriptions of the natural world, especially aquatic life including dolphins, otters, sea lions, whales, seals, penguins are remarkable. She describes the changing tides and the howling winds and the interdependence of all species with reverence and beauty.
The story takes place in the future, yet the alarming realities of climate change make the events seem imminent. In fact, McConaghy based Shearwater Island on her visit to Macquarie Island a subantarctic island halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica. In 2016, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault’s tunnel flooded due to melting permafrost.
Despite the novel’s eerie and ominous tone, it ultimately explores human resilience and the breathtaking beauty and complexity of nature. While some may dismiss the issue, McConaghy’s compelling novel reminds us that climate change is real. 4/5
