The Impostor's Daughter

The Impostor's Daughter (2009) by Laurie Sandell. Wonderful graphic novel about Sandell's upbringing and young adult life, in which her brilliant but lying father plays a major role. As a young girl, she worships him, but as she grows older she begins to realize that he is a fraud and a cheat. The dissonance gives rise to her own issues -- ambivalence in love, an addiction to Ambien and wine. All of these aspects of her story are dealt with honestly and straightforwardly. Her drawings are easy on the eye, and the narrative is told clearly. All in all, a most enjoyable book. Grade: A

Love Junkie

Love Junkie (2008) by Rachel Resnick. The author describes herself as a love addict, which seems like an accurate description based on the tales she tells in this book. The only problem is, she has a distorted idea of what love is because of her strange parents -- a withholding father, and a mentally ill mother who committed suicide when Resnick was 14. Yet she triumphs, through this book and through a twelve-step program for love addicts, where she learns to stop jumping into inappropriate relationships and, eventually, finds a true loving relationship. I was a little squeamish while reading this book because of the dangerous situations Resnick placed herself in, but it was a fascinating book and a good read. Grade: A-

A Taxonomy of Barnacles

A Taxonomy of Barnacles (2006) by Galt Niederhoffer. Although the title suggests a textbook, this is in fact a pleasing novel about the Barnacle clan -- headed by father Barry and stepmother Bunny, and filled out by six daughters -- Benita, Belinda, Beryl, Bridget, Beth and Bell. The fact that all their names start with b is confusing at first, but by the end of the book they have all sorted themselves out into distinct personalities that are easy to distinguish. They live in a benevolent New York -- unlike the New York that I would envision -- where children are free and safe to roam the city. The book is well written and literate, with great intelligence attributed to the Barnacles and to the reader. I found it most enjoyable. Grade: B+

Await Your Reply

Await Your Reply (2009) by Dan Chaon. Three separate narrative strands trace the fates of three separate characters -- one is a brother constantly searching for his missing twin, one is a high school girl who falls in love with her mysterious history teacher, and one is a young man who falls into a life of crime with his long-lost father. But the three narratives gradually merge closer and closer together, until you finally realize they all have one character in common. It's a fascinating, well-written, and still puzzling book which I think would reward re-reading. One of the best books I've read all year. Grade: A

The Magicians

The Magicians (2009) by Lev Grossman. A sort of Harry Potter for grown-ups, this book tells the story of Quentin, who follows a piece of paper carried by the wind to the back of a weeded lot and finds himself at Brakebills, a magic school for exceptional teens. At the age of 17, he is enrolled to learn magic, and his years at Brakebills pass relatively quickly. It's a well-told, absorbing story -- until about two-thirds of the way through, when it becomes a magical quest complete with all sorts of strange creatures. The last third of the book involves much casting of spells and killing of evil beasts, and is much less interesting than what came before. Overall, I'd give it a Grade: B