The Short List F I V E B O O K S T H AT W O N ’ T D I S A P P O I N T By Nora Horvath
Romantic gift Timeless tale
Great for book club Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are living a perfect life in Atlanta when Roy is wrongly convicted of a crime and sentenced to 12 years in prison. An American Marriage explores how their union unravels as Roy’s life is put on hold while Celestial’s moves forward. In this unforgettable novel, Tayari Jones tackles hard questions about pride, betrayal, and our capacity to forgive.
When a gunman opens fire at 7-year-old Zach Taylor’s school, killing his older brother and many classmates, he is torn from the naïveté of his childhood. In Only Child, Rhiannon Navin shows, through Zach’s eyes, how his family and town fall apart after the tragedy. Perfect for fans of Room, this heartbreaking but important novel offers a new perspective on trauma and reminds readers that hope can be found in even the darkest moments.
Alaskan opus In The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah’s latest since The Nightingale, we meet Leni Allbright; her mother, Cora; and her struggling Vietnam veteran father, Ernt. It’s 1974 and the world feels uncertain. The family moves to Alaska in hopes of living off the grid and finally finding Ernt some relief from his inner demons. But the frontier offers far from a simple, backto-the-land lifestyle, and the unprepared Allbrights struggle to survive. This epic, atmospheric novel examines humans’ will to endure the unthinkable. For more book recommendations, visit realsimple.com/books.
P R O P S T Y L I N G B Y H E L E N Q U I N N F O R PAT B AT E S & A S S O C I AT E S
Tom Hazard ages very slowly: While he looks 40, he’s actually more than 400 years old. To stay safe, he belongs to a secret society that forces members to move often—and to never fall in love. But Tom has. Despite his extraordinary life (he worked for Shakespeare), Tom wishes only to be ordinary and find his missing daughter. In the captivating How to Stop Time, Matt Haig asks: How would you live your life if you had more time?
We kiss to show our affection for all kinds of people in our lives, from children to husbands and wives. In the anthology The Kiss, Brian Turner collects stories and quotes from dozens of writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pico Iyer, and Toni Morrison, that capture the physical and emotional sparks that occur when we touch lips.
Timely perspective
14 R E A L S I M P L E F E B RUARY 2018
Photograph by Addie Juell
