Jill Bialosky’s latest novel The Deceptions follows an unnamed narrator in New York City who finds solace in the antiquity exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While viewing the sculptures inspired by Greek, Roman, and Egyptian myth, the narrator uses the objects and the corresponding stories that inspired their creation to consider the fractured state of her marriage, meditate on her complicated experience with motherhood, make sense of her dissatisfaction with the state and success of her career, and reflect on the intense but troubled friendship with the Visiting Poet, a writer who taught at the same private school the previous school year. With the narrator’s insightful contemplations, the novel poses big questions: Why does women’s art receive lesser acclaim? How does a marriage move forward without desire? Why are we drawn to myth and fiction to make meaning of our own messy lives? A poet as well as a novelist, Bialosky deftly balances these vast universal questions with tight descriptions of personal, arresting images. The result is a pressing, mesmerizing novel that explores the intense emotional journey of a writer, teacher, and mother grappling with the shifts in these identities in the aftermath of betrayal.
Fairy Tale is vintage, timeless King, a transporting, terrifying treat born from multiple lockdowns which, in true King style, puts its finger right on that tender point which is the threshold between childhood and growing up.
For most of its length, though, “Birds of Maine” is a nicely calibrated blend of the enigmatic and the ridiculous — a blend that DeForge should, by now, be well known for.
“Bit Flip” understands the righteous anger directed at Silicon Valley. As Sam says, the Valley has crafted deliberately addictive products and “compromise(d) our privacy.” His ex-employer is breaking the law. What will he do about it? That’s the question that fuels Trigg’s admirable novel.
There’s a lot of funny inside “The Mamas,” but a lot is left to think about here, too. If you’re a mother (to be) or if you’ve been studying or living with racism, this book belongs on your shelf.
Will I find there nothing
nothing rakes the summer woods
no light, no rain, no rain spell mustering