Another month, and another batch of fascinating books!
→ NONESUCH by Francis Spufford: Iris is a modern young women living in London in 1939, as the threat of war looms. She works in a stockbroker's office, but the only role she's allowed there is secretary, though she aspires to more. She's happily single, and happily not a good girl, dating men who treat her to illicit nights in fancy hotel rooms. When Iris goes home with a terribly innocent young man, she knows there will be trouble, but she's expecting lovesick moping. Instead, the trouble that comes her way is an inexplicable menace. As the war begins and London prepares for rationing and attacks, Iris finds herself facing a dark magic, wielded by a mysterious order with fascist tendencies. Though she's fed up by having to deal with any of it, she's determined to do her part.
This is a compelling mix of historical and magical fiction, animated by a delightfully multifaceted protagonist. Iris is opinionated, clever, competent, and flawed. I loved following her through all the story's adventures, and through her, getting to know the other well-developed characters. The book starts out more historical than magical, portraying Iris's reality in rich and fascinating detail. The magical layer grows more complicated and dangerous along with the mounting horrors of life during the Blitz, and both layers are engrossing. I'm as excited about recommending this novel as Spufford's previous, and very different, CAHOKIA JAZZ.
NONESUCH will be followed by a sequel, ARCADY, expected in 2027. This first book reaches a conclusion for one part of Iris's story, but leaves her at a point of more uncertainty.
→ CHERRY BABY by Rainbow Rowell: Cherry has been separated from her husband for long enough that she's ready to move past grieving her marriage and have fun again. Fun appears in a chance meeting with Russ, a college friend who Cherry always had a crush on. To Cherry's surprise, Russ reveals that he always lusted for her as well, and things get more fun from there. An additional wonderful surprise is that Russ doesn't know anything about the uncomfortably popular, uncomfortably autobiographical comic drawn by Cherry's ex, Tom. But with a movie adaptation of the comic coming soon, Tom and his characters are showing up everywhere Cherry turns, complicating even her promising new relationship.
This novel is all about how complicated relationships of every kind are, and Rowell does an excellent job developing characters and situations that are realistically messy. It takes a little time to reveal much of the messiness, and early on, I was less interested, but once the story pulled me in, I tore through the rest of the book. This is also a book about how complicated it is to be fat in the era of GLP-1 drugs, and that had me interested and appreciative from the start. I recommend this satisfying, thoughtful, and often funny relationship story.
→ KIN by Tayari Jones: Vernice and Annie have been friends since they were infants together in a small Louisiana town, both motherless. Niecy's mother is dead, so there's a tragic finality to the grief that Niecy grows up with. Annie's mother ran off, and her status is unknown, leaving Annie always wondering and longing. As the girls come of age, they know that being Black women in the Jim Crow South presents many constraints, but both have ambitions. Niecy enrolls at Spelman College in Atlanta, where she encounters wealthy Black families living in a comfort she never knew to dream of. Annie heads for Memphis, where she believes her mother may be living, and her adventures take her into far less elevated circumstances.
This novel has received high praise from most of its readers, but my feelings were more mixed. Jones brings the historical setting to life, with strong portrayals of different areas of the South, different class experiences, and the racism and activism of the time. I didn't always find the characters as vividly lifelike as I hoped. At times, their actions (or lack of action) felt more motivated by plot needs than by realistic behavior. I was also disappointed by how the book ends, though other readers found it more emotionally resonant.
→ THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS by Ursula K. Le Guin: As an envoy to the planet of Gethen, Genly Ai is tasked with convincing the world's governments to join the alliance of the Ekumen. But even after two years on Gethen, he hasn't figured out the politics and people well enough to make progress, or adapted to the frigid climate. Genly especially has trouble reconciling his Terran understanding of men and women with the Gethenians, who have no biological or cultural gender distinction except during the monthly fertile period. His limitations and misunderstandings leave him vulnerable when his only advocate in one of the dominant nations falls out of favor. Genly leaves the capital city to seek knowledge and allies elsewhere. In time, his task becomes more perilous as he faces grave danger, from cruel governments and from the deadly cold.
I first read this 20 years ago, but remembered very little, and it was fascinating to revisit now that I'm familiar with more of Le Guin's work, which gave me greater context for and appreciation of the story. The worldbuilding and politics are dense, and I didn't mind that too much, but I found the story more absorbing in the second half. The events that form the emotional core of the novel don't emerge until late, and I was shocked by how late as I reread, since that's the part that lasted in my memory, so I thought it was the main scope of the book.
I read this with my book club, and it led to a great discussion. Some supplemental material also enhanced my reading experience:
→ "Is Gender Necessary? Redux", a 1976 essay by Le Guin with 1988 updates that can be read side-by-side or inline
→ Afterword to the 2019 edition by Charlie Jane Anders
→ Clarification about a confusing typo on the novel's final page (spoiler alert!)
→ "Coming of Age in Karhide", a 1995 story by Le Guin that focuses on domestic life on Gethen
