Recent Reviews
Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
Dani Shapiro’s newest book ‘Signal Fires’ has burrowed deep inside of me. The novel is thoughtful, spiritual, ethereal, psychological and even transcendent. Its power is not in the specific story line, but the existential questions Shapiro explores. She tackles the circular nature of time, the many selves inside each of us, the psychological impact of not processing trauma, the magic of serendipity and the enduring presence of all people (dead or alive) in our universe. Like time itself, this novel moves from the present to the past with hints of the future, providing richness and depth to the story.
The book begins in 1985. Teenage siblings Sarah and Theo Wilf are driving their friend Misty Zimmerman home. They have been drinking. When the car crashes near the Wilf house, their father, Ben Wilf, who is a doctor, runs outside. His children are uninjured, but Misty is dead. That night, an unspoken agreement is made between Ben, his wife Mimi and their two teens. They will never speak about what happened or how they feel, a pact that persists for decades. “Sarah sometimes wonders whether talking would have been better. Silence didn’t make it go away but instead drove the events of that night more deeply into each of them.”
Shapiro allows us to enter the emotional lives of these characters in the aftermath of their trauma. And though the characters reflect privately on the horror of that night, they mostly move forward weighted down by their guilt. Consciously and unconsciously they make decisions that alter the trajectories of their lives. “There is no straight line. Memory, history - things that happened fifteen years ago or fifty are as alive now as if they had just happened or are about to happen.”
After Sarah and Theo are grown and moved away, a young couple moves across the street. One evening, Ben hears the husband calling out. His wife is in labor and the ambulance has not arrived. Ben races to the house and delivers the infant who the couple names Waldo. Over time, Ben and Waldo become close. The novel shows how random connections can affect our lives in profound ways. Waldo becomes an astrophysicist and shares commentary about the stars and space, adding another dimension to the story. But the novel’s primary focus is on the repercussions of trauma. Every person responds differently to tragedy . But holding onto painful secrets can have dire consequences. “Unexpressed, they will wind their way through and around each of them like vines choking a strand of untended trees.”
The story is a meditation of love and loss, grief and trauma and eventually about healing and hope. I applaud Shapiro’s ambitious exploration of these themes. Though the story is heavy, its intensity is offset by moments of illumination and insight. ‘Signal Fires’ is a novel is infused with humanity and spirituality. I highly recommend. 5/5
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
I loved the first book I read in 2023: ‘Lucy by the Sea’ by Elizabeth Strout.
The story is about grief and adaptation, both personal and collective, during COVID. Strout is a gifted writer who wrestles with the complex contradictions of being a person. In simple but profound prose, readers can almost embody the emotions felt by Lucy Barton, the novel’s protagonist. The ability of Strout to reveal Lucy’s understanding of her inner life is exceptional.
The story starts in March 2020, when the pandemic began spreading across the United States. Lucy, a successful novelist, lives in a comfortable Manhattan apartment. She is grieving the death of her second husband, David. Her relationship with her ex-husband William is warm, and they share a deep love for their adult daughters.
William arrives unexpectedly at Lucy’s apartment and tells her to pack her bag. His third wife has left him, and he wants Lucy to flee New York. He has rented a small house on the coast of Maine where they can escape the coming plague… as friends. Because William is a scientist, Lucy listens and begins packing. The move from the bustling familiarity of New York to the isolated Maine coast rattles Lucy. “What is strange as I look back is how I simply did not know what was happening.”
Strout captures Lucy’s anxiety, fear, and grief as she absorbs the death of David away from their New York apartment. She also misses her daughters, worries about her siblings, and is haunted by her cruel parents. Lucy and William settle into a routine. Lucy is so disoriented that she sometimes feels like she might fall. “There was a feeling of mutedness. I would be privately staggered by grief. My ears were plugged up as though I was underwater.” Lucy has a massive panic attack.
Though some neighbors resent the arrival of New Yorkers, others (whom we have met in Strout’s prior books) are kind. Watching TV nightly, Lucy and William are distraught by the high COVID death rates that now include friends, George Floyd’s murder, and the election denial of the former president. The world seems fragile as democracy teeters. Most characters wear masks and gloves, sit apart outside and refrain from hugging. But COVID denial rears its ugly head as Lucy’s two siblings resist reality in rural Illinois. Lucy’s sister works as an aide in a nursing home. She tells Lucy, “We don’t wear masks at church Lucy. It’s the government trying to force us to do that.” Lucy tries to understand. “What if I felt looked down upon all the time by the wealthier people in this country, who made fun of my religion and my guns.”
Being isolated in a house by the sea, Lucy and William ponder their lives. Though they can irritate each another, they are older now and can better empathize. William says, “I am in mourning for my life.” And Lucy realizes that the pandemic replicates her youth. “My whole childhood was a lockdown. I never saw anyone or went anywhere.”
Elizabeth Strout offers another insightful novel about one woman’s feelings yet speaks to the larger human struggle around grief, loss, dislocation, and uncertainty. Everyone has an initial COVID memory that includes fear, distress, and disorientation. Because of Strout’s writing gifts, this astute novel helps us make sense of those feelings. The novel ends with hope and even happiness. 4.5/5
Happy New Year and Welcome to My Newly Formatted Book Blog
Happy New Year!
I have moved my blog from blogspot.com to www.readsreading.com. Hope you all like the new format. Please send suggestions and book recommendations using the form below. Thanks so much. Kathy.
