book clubs by julie hale
The wide world of fiction When Benito Mussolini invades Ethiopia at the beginning of Maaza Mengiste’s powerful novel, The Shadow King (Norton, $17.95, 9780393358513), a young maid named Hirut wants to fight alongside the men, but she’s not allowed. Joining with other women, including the wife of her employer, Hirut eventually comes into her own as a resistance fighter, and her coming of age and developing political consciousness provide a captivating arc for readers to follow. Mengiste’s fierce novel is a study of loyalty and identity in the years leading Four dazzling works of up to World War II. Set in the 19th century, historical fiction, all Esi Edugyan’s Washington set outside of Europe Black ( Vintage, $16.95, 9780525563242) tells the and America, are story of Wash, an 11-year-old boy who is enslaved in Barperfect for book clubs. bados and selected to be the manservant of Christopher Wilde, the brother of his enslaver. Christopher takes Wash under his wing, using him as an assistant in his experimental launch of a hot air balloon. When the two are forced to leave Barbados, new possibilities open up for Wash. Complicated examinations of colonization, slavery and power dynamics add richness to Edugyan’s tense, gripping tale of adventure. Expect a rousing good read with somber undertones as Wash struggles to find his place in the world. In Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko (Grand Central, $16.99, 9781455563920), a young Korean woman named Sunja has an affair with a rich man who turns out to be married. When Sunja discovers she’s pregnant, she marries a good- natured minister and they move to Japan. Lee spins a hypnotic saga that opens in the early 1900s and unfolds over several decades, first following Sunja’s and her husband’s experiences as immigrants, then the stories of subsequent generations of their family. Book clubs will find plenty to discuss in Lee’s sweeping novel, including gender roles and the pressures of family. The Old Drift (Hogarth, $18, 9781101907153) by Namwali Serpell begins in 1904 Northern Rhodesia (what is now the nation of Zambia) and spans a century. When British photographer Percy Clark makes his home in a colonial settlement known as the Old Drift, his adventures lead to unforeseen involvement with three Zambian families. Serpell draws upon elements of magical realism and Zambian history and mythology to create a singularly innovative and slyly funny narrative that unfurls the history of an evolving nation.
A BookPage reviewer since 2003, Julie Hale recommends the best paperback books to spark discussion in your reading group.
BOOK CLUB READS FOR FORSPRING FALL THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline “Master storyteller Christina Baker Kline is at her best in this epic yet intimate tale of nineteenth-century Australia. I loved this book.” —PAULA MCLAIN, author of The Paris Wife
THE BRILLIANT LIFE OF EUDORA HONEYSETT by Annie Lyons “An exquisitely poignant tale of life, friendship and facing death. Everyone should read this book.” —RUTH HOGAN, author of Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel
THE LOST JEWELS by Kristy Manning
From the author of The Song of the Jade Lily comes a thrilling story of a family secret that leads to a legendary treasure.
JACKIE AND MARIA by Gill Paul A story of love, passion, and tragedy as the lives of Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas are intertwined—and they become the ultimate rivals, in love with the same man.
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