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A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

We are all probably familiar with the Ripple Effect – you throw a stone into a pond, and from the point of impact, a multitude of ripples spread wider and wider. Similarly, every chance encounter, every action has innumerable implications that we may not even be aware of until far in the future. The passage of years, and each choice made during that time shape our lives, and the lives of those around us. Will I be authentic today? Will I sell out? Will I tell the truth? Embrace change? Will I let time make me into something that I’m not ready to be? These are just some of the questions addressed by Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad. “It began the usual way,” page one declares. And thus begins what turns out to be one of the most unusual books I have read in recent memory. In her work of contemporary fiction, Egan explores the lives of a veritable cornucopia of eccentric, narcissistic, and sometimes tragic supporting characters. The story is broken up into ...

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters is the story of Nancy Astley, and the trials and tribulations she must face on the journey to self discovery and finding (not to mention holding on to) love as a young lesbian living in Victorian-era England. We follow her through a string of life experiences both good and bad, as well as a string of lovers both good and bad. Life at that time couldn't have been terribly easy to begin with, but being a "masher" (Victorian slang for a male impersonator), a "tom" (a boyish-dressing lesbian), and at one point a "renter" (prostitute), Nan didn't have much chance to have anything easy. I have no earthly idea why I hadn't read this book until now. I've been aware of its existence for many years. I knew it was hugely popular, and I knew that it had spawned a television mini-series (which I've also never seen - sad face). I just never got around to it - kind of like Anna Karenina which I only rece...

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

The story of the Fat Charlie, the son of a god, and his first invited, then uninvited brother, Anansi Boys is typical Neil Gaiman fare: it's beautifully and occasionally hilariously written, fantastical and poignant. All the stuff he usually does. It is all over the map in the best way possible. I hope that none of this makes it sound like he just cranks these wild fantasies out, because I don't believe for a moment that is the case. It is more that I believe that this story, like every other story of Gaiman's that I have ever read (and there are many), contains a little bit of the heart and the soul of the author, and his heart and soul are still the same wonderful, fluffy, slippery little bits of magic that they always have been. I loved this book. I absolutely devoured it (metaphorically, of course). I don't know how he does it in story after story, book after book, but every word he writes is a joy to read. There's dimension-shifting, bird ladies (go...