The General Fiction Shelf

The Lede To Our Undoing
Donald Mengay
Saddle Road Press
https://saddleroadpress.com
9781736525890, $24.00, PB, 268pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lede-Our-Undoing-Donald-Mengay/dp/1736525891

Synopsis: Its 1970s in rust-belt America. An America that is experiencing t=
he era of civil rights, the women's rights movement, and the gay rights mov= ement -- as well as the birth of the environmental movement.

Twins Jake and Wren are raised in the white-flight suburb of Laurentine, no=
t far from an industrial metropolis that was named in a much greener time t=
he Forest City. The twin's parents, Harry and Florrie, are doing their best=
to keep their offspring on the straight and narrow, in keeping with what t= oday we would call MAGA America, before it got the name.

But the two boys are not very good at coloring inside the lines. Wren falls=
in love with an African-American youth named Donald, and Jake falls in lov=
e first with Romeo and then Peacoat, with traumatic results. Their story is=
told by the family mutt, Molly, whose outsider status offers the reader a = very special and insightful view of human foibles, and prejudices.

Critique: Deftly written, original, eloquent, compelling, and all the more = impressive when considering that "The Lede To Our Undoing" by author Donald=
Mengay (and the first volume of a planned trilogy) was his debut as a nove= list and will have a very special and particular appeal to readers with an = interest in LGBTQ and social issue fiction. Mengay's narrative driven story= telling style raises to a level of literary excellence that is unreservedly=
recommended for both personal reading lists and community/academic library=
General Fiction collections. "The Lede To Our Undoing" is one of those nov= els that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book has been fi= nished and set back upon the shelf.

Editorial Note: Donald Mengay (https://saddleroadpress.com/donald-mengay.ht= ml) grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked in a factory fo=
r a time and managed a bookstore. He began writing fiction in his early twe= nties. He taught Queer and Post-Humanist Lit at the City University of New = York for over thirty years, as well as English at the University of Paris, = Nanterre. During his years teaching he published several articles of queer = criticism in academic journals that include among others Genders, Genre, an=
d Minnesota University Press. He also co-published a book entitled Dis/Inhe= ritance: New Croatian Photography, from Ikon Press.

Willa's Pursuit
Jim Bastian
Bower House
https://www.bowerhousebooks.com
http://www.wisconsinloggingcamp.com
9781942280682, $17.95, PB, 248pp

https://www.amazon.com/Willas-Pursuit-James-Bastian/dp/1942280688

Synopsis: In the winter of 1971, graduate student Willa immerses herself in=
a sensory deprivation tank for a routine psychological experiment. The hal= lucinations and delusions she experiences in the tank are considered normal=
side effects, but the sudden ability to speak fluent French is not!

Each time she enters the tank, she becomes more convinced the hallucination=
s are actually someone else's memories. Her boyfriend dismisses her delusio=
ns and resulting anxiety and depression as proof that she is having a psych= otic break. But what if her new abilities mean something more?

Set in Wisconsin during the social turmoil and budding psychological scienc=
e of the early 1970s, and inspired by actual events, Willa's pursuit of the=
source of her visions and fluency in French (a condition called xenoglossi=
a) unearths an unlikely archaeological discovery and a shocking truth that = changes her life forever.

Critique: A compelling and inherently fascinating read from cover to cover,=
"Willa's Pursuit" by Jim Bastian is a unique and deftly crafted novel that=
showcases the author's impressive and narrative driven storytelling skills=
.. Especially and unreservedly recommended for community library fiction col= lections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Willa's Pursu= it" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: James Bastian (http://www.wisconsinloggingcamp.com) earned =
an MBA and then proceeded to have a 35-year career in business, most recent=
ly providing corporate organizational and human resource assessments. He is=
also the author of "Wisconsin Logging Camp, 1921" (http://www.wisconsinlog= gingcamp.com).

Dinner Party
Sarah Gilmartin
Pushkin Press
www.pushkinpress.com
9781911590583, $16.95 PB, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dinner-Party-Sarah-Gilmartin/dp/1911590588

Synopsis: Kate is a young woman who has taught herself to be careful, to be=
meticulous.

To mark the anniversary of a death in the family, she plans a dinner party = ranging from the fancy table settings to the perfect Baked Alaska waiting i=
n the freezer. Yet by the end of the night, old tensions have flared, the g= uests have fled, and Kate is spinning out of control.

But all we have is ourselves, her father once said, all we have is family.

Critique: All the more impressive when considering that "Dinner Party" is a= uthor Sarah Gimartin's debut as a novelist, the story is et between the 199=
0s and the present day, and ranges from a farmhouse in Carlow to Trinity Co= llege, Dublin. An inherently fascinating, deftly crafted, and memorably ent= ertaining coming-of-age story replete with the complications of sibling rel= ationships and the trauma of family secrets, "Dinner Party" is especially a=
nd unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fict= ion collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Dinner=
Party" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Sarah Gilmartin (https://pushkinpress.com/our-authors/sarah= -gilmartin) is a critic who reviews fiction for the Irish Times. She is co-= editor of the anthology Stinging Fly Stories and has an MFA from University=
College Dublin. She won Best Playwright at the inaugural Short+Sweet Dubli=
n festival. Her short stories have been published in The Dublin Review, New=
Irish Writing and shortlisted for the RTE Francis MacManus Short Story Awa= rd. Her story "The Wife" won the 2020 Mairtin Crawford Award at BelfastBook=
Festival. Sarah recently received a bursary for her novel-in-progress from=
the Arts Council of Ireland.

Shelf Life
Martin Sneider
Forefront Books
https://www.forefrontbooks.com
9781637631683, $26.00, HC, 432pp

https://www.amazon.com/Shelf-Life-Martin-Sneider/dp/1637631685

Synopsis: As the son of Max Feldman, the self-proclaimed "sodbuster from Om= aha" and brilliant founder of the successful fashion shoe store chain Frate= lli Massimo, Josh Feldman has always known his destiny -- working alongside=
his father and one day succeeding him, a career path promised to him by Ma=
x.

Starting with one store in the 1950s financed by his mother's trust fund, h=
is father has taken advantage of the heyday of shopping malls to grow the S=
t. Louis-based business to hundreds of locations across the United States. =
At industry events, he's not just some Midwestern family business boss but =
a rock star courted by suppliers, shopping center developers, and the media=
..

Josh is eager to step into his father's role. Unlike his charismatic brothe=
r and his sophisticated New York-born and -bred mother, who inherited her p= owerful father's cunning but is more interested in literature and raising h=
er sons,

Josh is passionate about the family business. He is his father's son and pr= esumed successor. But as he comes of age, starts a family of his own, and w= orks his way up in the business, Josh slowly begins to understand his fathe= r's penchant for treachery. With Max's ruthless ambition and his drive to b=
e celebrated for his success, will Josh ever be allowed to succeed him?

When the family is divided over the future of the business, Josh must face = the fact that his father's pledge to him may have exceeded its shelf life.

Critique: At the distinguished age of 80 years old, author Martin Sneider p= resents his debut novel "Shelf Life", the first of a projected series of fo=
ur novels about fashion and family. Fascinating, original, and fun, "Shelf = Life" is an extraordinary debut effort and will prove a welcome addition to=
community library Contemporary Literary and Jewish Fiction collections. A = deftly crafted Jewish-American family saga about the rise of its fashion re= tailing empire and how it splits and ultimately devastates the family, it s= hould be noted for personal reading lists that "Shelf Life" is also readily=
available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Editorial Note: A fashion retailing legend, Martin Sneider has been a leade=
r in the shoe and clothing industries for more than five decades and has se= rved as a multi-award-winning adjunct professor of retailing at the Olin Sc= hool of Business at Washington University since 1992. At the Olin School of=
Business, Martin created and taught a course devoted to luxury goods merch= andising and marketing that included trips with students to Milan, Paris, a=
nd London to visit the showrooms of Armani, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, B= urberry, and Cartier. He also served on the Alumni Board of Directors of Ha= rvard Business School, was chairman of St. Louis Children's Hospital, and r= eceived the Distinguished Alumni award from Washington University. He is th=
e author of a highly acclaimed nonfiction book on the shoe industry.

Outer Sunset
Mark Ernest Pothier
University of Iowa Press
www.uiowapress.org
Dreamscape Media
https://www.dreamscapepublishing.com
9781609388836, $17.00, PB, 266pp

https://www.amazon.com/Outer-Sunset-Mark-Ernest-Pothier/dp/1609388836

Synopsis: Jim Finley is a recently retired English teacher living alone on = the shifting edge of San Francisco who has been set, unwittingly, on the ba=
ck porch of life. Trying to harmonize the voices in his head, he sits most = days by his stack of "to-do" books until, one day, his daughter comes home = with the worst news of her life.

Everything changes. As his broken heart re-engages, he steps back into a ne=
w world. He sees his ex-wife has launched into a larger life than the one t= hey'd shared. He is surprised to find it easier to talk to his son's immigr= ant girlfriend, or even the remains of a Russian saint, than to the young m=
an he's raised. He misconnects with Carol (his first date in decades) a wom=
an he enjoys talking with but doesn't quite hear.

Set in the pre-tech calm before the turn of this century, "Outer Sunset" is=
a deeply felt story about the intimate place where long-lasting growth occ= urs in our lives; how we revise, or live without, our dreams; how to love t=
he flaws of those closest to you and watch a child grow away into someone b= etter than you'd imagined; and how to be shaken by beauty amidst unimaginab=
le loss and remain standing.

Critique: Deftly scripted from beginning to end, "Outer Sunset" is an origi= nal, compelling, memorable read by Mark Ernest Pothier, an exceptionally gi= fted novelist with a genuine flair for the kind of narrative driven storyte= lling and impressively crafted characters that keeps his readers raptly eng= aged and fully involved. While especially and unreservedly recommended for = community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, i=
t should be noted for personal reading lists that "Outer Sunset" is also av= ailable in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.15) and as a complete and una= bridged audiobook (Dreamscape Media, 9781666637571, $22.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Mark Ernest Pothier (https://www.outersunset.org) received =
a Nelson Algren Literary Award, and is the former public information office=
r for the California Council for the Humanities.

The Bird Hotel
Joyce Maynard
Arcade Publishing
www.arcadepub.com
c/o Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
9781956763737, $29.99, HC, 432pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Hotel-Novel-Joyce-Maynard/dp/1956763732

Synopsis: After a childhood filled with heartbreak, Irene, a talented artis=
t, finds herself in a small Central American village where she checks into =
a beautiful but decaying lakefront hotel called La Llorona at the base of a=
volcano.

A novel by Joyce Maynard, "The Bird Hotel" tells the story of this young Am= erican who, after suffering tragedy, restores and runs La Llorona. Along th=
e way we meet a rich assortment of characters who live in the village or co=
me to stay at the hotel. With a mystery at its center and filled with warmt=
h, drama, romance, humor, pop culture, and a little magical realism, "The B= ird Hotel" has all the hallmarks of a Joyce Maynard novel which have made h=
er a leading literary voice of her generation.

Critique: A sweeping saga of a novel spanning four decades and offering bot=
h lyricism and whimsey, "The Bird Hotel" is impressively informed by the mo=
re than twenty years of which author Joyce Maynard has spent in the small M= ayan indigenous village in Guatemala. With her deftly scripted and narrativ=
e driven storytelling style, "The Bird Hotel" will be of special interest t=
o readers the enjoy Hispanic/American and Magical Realism stories. While hi= ghly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Literary F= iction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The=
Bird Hotel" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: Over her fifty-year career, author Joyce Maynard has publis= hed hundreds of essays as well as eighteen books, both fiction and non-fict= ion, including the memoir At Home in the World and the novels To Die For an=
d Labor Day, both adapted for film. Her novel, Count the Ways, was recently=
awarded the Grand Prix Literaire in France. Every winter for over two deca= des, Maynard has led the Lake Atitlan Memoir workshop, Write by the Lake, i=
n Guatemala. She has her own Wikipedia page at https://en.wikipedia.org/wik= i/Joyce_Maynard

Moorewood Family Rules
HelenKay Dimon
Avon Books
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
9780063297142, $30.00, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Moorewood-Family-Rules-HelenKay-Dimon/dp/0063297140

Synopsis: One day a con man met an heiress, wooed her, married her, had two=
kids... and kept on conning. Jillian Moorewood is the oldest child from th=
at meet-cute-gone-wrong marriage. The stable one. The sensible and dependab=
le one. The one who protects and fixes. The one who went to prison to save = their sorry butts. Now, thirty-nine months later, she's out and she's more = than a little pissed.

Finally home she finds the scheming clan in full family fleecing mode. They=
all claim they didn't really agree to Jillian's previous go-legit-or-else = ultimatum before she went away. They viewed it as a "suggestion" then ignor=
ed it. So, business as usual. But Jillian is done with the lies and fakery.=
She demands the whole messed-up crew clean up its act, and this time she's=
not kidding because she has the leverage to make it happen.

Problem is, her life is in shambles, but with the help of a great aunt (cro= oked but loveable), a bodyguard (who is a nice surprise after three years i=
n prison), and a few allies (all working undercover), Jillian starts to put=
her life back together. She kicks out a few mooching relatives living unde=
r her roof, sets limits on everyone's access to the money, ducks from their=
various attacks, and sees if that bodyguard is maybe interested in stickin=
g around for a while. For the first time, she's Jillian Moorewood, her own = woman, and she's ready to figure out who she is.

Critique: A fun read from first page to last, "Moorewood Family Rules" by H= elenKay Dimon is impressively original, brilliantly scripted, laced through=
with humorous idiosyncracies, and a truly memorable novel that will have a=
special appeal to readers with an interest in contemporary romantic comedy=
with a kick! While especially and unreservedly recommended community libra=
ry Contemporary Women's Fiction & Romance collections, it should be noted f=
or personal reading lists that "Moorewood Family Rules" is also readily ava= ilable in a paperback edition (9780063240520, $18.99), in a digital book fo= rmat (Kindle, $11.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackst= one Audio, 9798212217392, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: HelenKay Dimon (www.helenkaydimon.com) is a former divorce = lawyer with a dual writing personality. Her work has been optioned for tele= vision and featured in numerous venues, including The New York Times, The N=
ew York Post, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, The Toronto Star, Popsugar=
, Goodreads, The Skimm, and Huffington Post. In addition to writing thrille=
rs as Darby Kane, she is now writing stories centered on family hijinks wit=
h a bit of suspense and humor.

The Sound of Rabbits
Janice Deal
Regal House Publishing
https://regalhousepublishing.com
9781646033461, $18.95, PB, 252pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Rabbits-Janice-Deal/dp/1646033469

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Sound of Rabbits", novelist Janice D= eal tells the story of Ruby, a bright woman with a love of music who though=
t that leaving the small town where she grew up would ensure her happiness.=
But her life in Chicago is not going the way she'd planned.

At 41, she's drifted away from music, and a long-term relationship with a b= oyfriend has ended badly. Everything changes with one phone call from her s= ister, Val, who cares for their mother, Barbara, in the hardscrabble Midwes= tern town where Ruby grew up. Ruby returns to confront some harsh truths ab= out her family and herself as she tries to find meaning in her mother's bat= tle with Parkinson's disease.

Critique: The narrative driven storytelling style employed by Janice Deal i=
n her "The Sound of Rabbits", (and all the more impressive considering that=
it is her debut as a novelist) relies on presenting different points of vi=
ew in order to explore themes of change and death, and considers the role t= hat the past (and the acceptance of that past) can play in our current and = future happiness. Original, entertaining, thoughtful and thought-provoking,=
"The Sound of Rabbits" is an impressive work of literary fiction and highl=
y recommended for community, college, and university library Contemporary L= iterary Fiction collections. Also available for personal reading lists in a=
digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "The Sound of Rabbits" will have a sp= ecial appeal for anyone with an interest in stories of Family Life and Smal=
l Towns.

Editorial Note: Janice Deal (https://www.janicedeal.com/bio.html) is the au= thor of the short story collection The Decline of Pigeons, a finalist in th=
e Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction; and Strange Attractors, a cycl=
e of linked stories. Her stories have won the Moth Short Story Prize and Ca= gibi Macaron Prize for fiction, and have appeared in publications including=
Fiction, Harvard Review Online, The Sun, Emrys Journal, Ontario Review, an=
d Zone 3.

Where Waters Meet
Zhang Ling
Amazon Crossing
Brilliance Audio
https://www.brilliancepublishing.com
9781662510380, $28.99, HC, 284pp

https://www.amazon.com/Where-Waters-Meet-Zhang-Ling/dp/1662510381

Synopsis: There was rarely a time when Phoenix Yuan-Whyller's mother, Rain,=
didn't live with her. Even when Phoenix got married, Rain, who followed he=
r from China to Toronto, came to share Phoenix's life. Now at the age of ei= ghty-three, Rain's unexpected death ushers in a heartrending separation.

Struggling with the loss, Phoenix comes across her mother's suitcase -- a m= emory box Rain had brought from home. Inside, Phoenix finds two old photogr= aphs and a decorative bottle holding a crystallized powder. Her auntie Mei = tells her these missing pieces of her mother's early life can only be expla= ined when they meet, and so, clutching her mother's ashes, Phoenix boards a=
plane for China. What at first seems like a daughter's quest to uncover a = mother's secrets becomes a startling journey of self-discovery.

Told across decades and continents, Zhang Ling's exquisite novel is a tale =
of extraordinary courage and survival. It illuminates the resilience of hum= anity, the brutalities of life, the secrets we keep and those we share, and=
the driving forces it takes to survive.

Critique: All the more impressive when considering that "Where Waters Meet"=
is Chinese author Zhang Ling's first novel written in English. With a spec= ial appeal to readers with an interest in women's fiction and generational = family novels, "Where Waters Meet" is an elegant, eloquent, original, enter= taining, thought-provoking, and narrative driven novel that is especially a=
nd unreservedly recommended for community, college, and university library = Literary Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists=
that "Where Waters Meet" is also available in a paperback edition (9781662= 509001, $16.99), in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99), and as a complet=
e an unabridged audio book (Brilliance Audio, 9781978699687, $29.99, MP3-CD=
).

Editorial Note: Zhang Ling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Ling_(autho= r)) is the author of nine novels and numerous collections of novellas and s= hort stories, including A Single Swallow, translated by Shelly Bryant; Gold=
Mountain Blues; and Aftershock, which was adapted into China's first IMAX = movie with unprecedented box-office success. Born in China, she moved to Ca= nada in 1986 and, in the mid-1990s, began to write and publish fiction in C= hinese while working as a clinical audiologist. Since then, she has won the=
Chinese Media Literature Award for Author of the Year, the Grand Prize of = Overseas Chinese Literary Award, and China Times's Open Book Award.

One More Day
Diane Chiddister
https://dianechiddister.com
Columbus Press
http://columbuspressbooks.com
9781633375529, $14.99, PB, 303pp

https://www.amazon.com/One-More-Day-Diane-Chiddister/dp/1633375528

Synopsis: author Diane Chiddister's new novel, "One More Day", showcases th=
e surprising depth and complexity of the Grace Woods Care Center, where the=
facility itself is small, yet the emotional world is expansive. While grie= ving and loss play a part in this world, so do love, joy, and compassion.

"One More Day" is told in four voices: Thomas, a retired anthropologist who=
approaches aging with curiosity; Lillian, a woman with dementia trying to = find her way home; Sally, a compassionate caregiver blindsided by love; and=
Beth, the center director, who strives to maintain quality care through di= fficult changes.

Critique: Deftly crafted, impressively original, and fully entertaining, "O=
ne More Day" is an enriched experience for the reader and a celebration of = novelist Diane Chiddister's genuine flair for creating distinctively memora= ble characters along with a riveting, narrative driven, storytelling style.=
While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99) for readers = with an interest in Women and Family Life fiction, "One More Day" is especi= ally and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Litera=
ry Fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Diane Chiddister (https://dianechiddister.com) is a journal= ist and former editor of the Yellow Springs News in Yellow Springs, Ohio. S= he's also a short story writer and 1981 MFA graduate of the University of I= owa Writer's Workshop, where she was a Teaching-Writing Fellow.

Silence
Engin Akyurek, author
Doina L. Kovalik & Atiye Erden, translators
Flexible Press
https://www.flexiblepub.com
9798986245942, $18.00, PB, 177pp

https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Engin-Aky%C3%BCrek/dp/B0BTWP8W9N

Synopsis: "Silence" is a compendium of short stories by Engin Akyurek that = take us to Turkey and a time when people got to know people by looking in t= heir eyes, to touch people by talking to them, and to understand each other=
by listening. The times when the kids were still kids, when they started a=
ball game as soon as they found an empty field, when neighbors stopped by = uninvited, holidays were celebrated all together, the happiness and the sor= row shared by all.

These stories by Akyurek brings the reader both the richness of Turkish day= -to-day life but also the universal shared between all cultures -- the need=
for community, connection, and of love.

Critique: The twenty-one short stories by Engin Akyurek comprising "Silence=
" range from The Cherry Tree, to The Child in Me, to Memories in the Air. O= riginal, memorable, deftly crafted, and impressively translated into Englis=
h by the team of Doina L. Kovalik and Atiye Erden, as a short story antholo=
gy "Silence" is singularly and unreservedly recommended for community, coll= ege, and university library Contemporary Literary Fiction and Cultural Heri= tage Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists tha=
t "Silence" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.= 99).

Editorial Note: Engin Akyurek (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engin_Aky%C3%B= Crek) is a Turkish actor, screenwriter and author. Akyurek began his acting=
career in the year 2004. Staring in many acclaimed series and movies, and = having received no official schooling for acting, stage or screen, Akyurek =
is considered as one of Turkey's most successful and highest paid actors. A= kyurek.

Heaven & Earth
Joshua Senter
www.joshuasenter.com
Roubidoux Press
9781737585626, $34.99 Hardcover/$12.99 ebook

https://amzn.to/3Xf84y4

Ruth and her pastor husband have moved mountains to build a megachurch empi= re, but in Heaven & Earth, the mountain has just erupted in a big way. This=
results in a scandal that leads to their exile from their own creation and=
community as they flee into the backwoods milieu of a small Missouri farm.

Her husband's betrayal has not only shaken the foundations of their church = and belief, but causes Ruth to veer from her own preset course in life as a=
beloved pastor's wife, leading her to question virtually everything she's = believed about her world. Well known for her inner wisdom and ability to sa=
ve others, Ruth must now train her light on a mission that is perhaps impos= sible - saving her family and herself. The cost of that venture may be grea= ter than the alternatives of divorce or remaining married.

Joshua Senter presents a multifaceted story that questions a diverse set of=
notions about how the world operates, from opinions about homosexuality an=
d marriage to a man who proves to be very different than the facade she's a= ccepted all these years.

One of the strengths of this novel lies in Ruth's revelations about the ill= usions and truths in her entire life, which are portrayed in such evocative=
language that readers are drawn to her dilemma. Ruth's process of growth m= irrors many paths in life which create set courses and then are diverted by=
circumstances which introduce different realities and events to challenge = seemingly-solid foundations.

As she and her family attempt to forge a new life and face difficult decisi= ons that change everything they've believed in, Ruth discovers that even sh=
e can continue moving onward and upward, even though everything she knew to=
be solid truth is shaken by her revelations about her world. Heaven & Eart=
h is outstanding in its evocative probe of this process. It's a novel highl=
y recommended not just for libraries and individuals seeking stories of spi= ritual and psychological growth, but for book clubs examining women's lives=
and issues, religious lives and mindsets, and the heart of family changes = that reach out to touch all with the promise of change and transformation.

When Oceans Rise
Robin Alvarez
www.robinalvarez.com
Creative James Media
https://creativejamesmedia.com
9781956183160, $14.99 Paper/$4.99 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/When-Oceans-Rise-Robin-Alvarez/dp/1956183167

Trigger warning: When Oceans Rise is a novel steeped in revelations about m= anipulation, emotional abuse, and the processes of identification and recov= ery which prompt seventeen-year-old Malaya to reconsider her life when she = becomes submerged in a toxic relationship.

Readers who would pursue her experiences will find much growth and realizat= ions within her story that also embrace a touch of the supernatural as she = comes to realize that she is cursed by a family legacy of women falling for=
the wrong man, with death as the outcome and cost of their love.

Malaya becomes convinced that her choices and man are quite different. The = ways in which she becomes isolated and is manipulated by her dream man are = subtle, at first, but work their dreadful magic to land her in a situation = which would careens towards a similar fate. Is this inevitable, or will Mal= aya be the one to break the curse and the trend?

Robin Alvarez crafts a particularly thought-provoking, eye-opening scenario=
of heritage, legacy, abuse, and the processes by which even a determined, = savvy young woman becomes ensnared in the same emotional traps as women bef= ore her. Alvarez then introduces an extraordinary opportunity for Malaya to=
travel back in time and make different choices. But, will they lead to dif= ferent scenarios, or move full circle to reinforce the idea that such patte= rns are inevitably repeated?

When Oceans Rise is a powerful survey that introduces a sea witch's influen= ces, but presents many thought-provoking moments about pivot points, decisi= on-making, and repetitive patterns in life that defy change. As Malaya cont= rasts old and new life options, she makes the kinds of revised choices that=
seemingly send her on a healthier alternative road. Or, do they?

Individual readers will find much food for thought within her story, but id= eally book clubs consisting of women's literature readers (especially young=
adults moving into new adult status) and psychological groups interested i=
n the mechanics of abuse, repression, and breaking family patterns will fin=
d much discussion fodder in When Oceans Rise. This makes it a highly recomm= ended novel that operates on more than one level.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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