Contemporary Fiction: The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

Today's selection was nominated for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards in the Best Fiction category, and after reading the synopsis, I was more than a little interested. A mysterious island and a life-changing contest from a beloved author of children's books sounded intriguing. And as soon as I found the map of the island in the opening pages of the book, I was excited to see what kind of adventure would unfold.

The Situation: Twenty-six year-old Lucy Hart is doing her best, and unfortunately, it is not enough. At least it is not enough for her to reach her ultimate goal of being a foster parent - and eventually the adoptive mother - of Christopher, a student at the elementary school where she is a teacher's aide. Christopher is smart, sweet, obsessed with sharks, and also shares with Lucy a love of the Clock Island series, written by Jack Masterson. The book series was often a source of solace to Lucy during her own tumultuous childhood, and is now a source of comfort for Christopher as he is moved from one foster home to another. If Lucy hopes to one day adopt him, she has to save every penny she has, while also hoping for a miracle.

The Problem: It seems a miracle has come in the form of a contest from Jack Masterson himself, as well as an opportunity for Lucy to go to Clock Island, the author's home. She and three other competitors will find clues and solve riddles, all with the hope of being declared the winner and receiving the one and only incredibly valuable copy of the newest (and possibly last) Clock Island book. It may be Lucy and Christopher's only hope if they are ever to be a real family, but the competition is stiff, the riddles bordering on maddening, and there are more than just the three other contestants and Lucy looking to get their hands on that book. It is a tale worthy of Jack's Clock Island series, and will prove to be life changing in more ways than one.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel set in the modern-day U.S, first mostly in California, and then on a small island off the coast of Maine, known as Clock Island, where the author Jack Masterson lives, and where the contest will take place for one person to win the only copy of the latest Clock Island book. Lucy, a young teacher's aide, remains at the center of the story, along with Hugo Reese, the artist who designed the cover art for all of the Clock Island books. Every character has their own reason for why the books are special to them, and a personal history full of secrets, hurts, and hopes. But only Jack knows what the contest really entails and what the contestants will have to do to win.

My Verdict: With landmark names such as "Puffin Rock at Three O'Clock," and the "Noon and Midnight Lighthouse," I immediately fell in love with Clock Island, and with the idea that much of the story would take place there. And as fantastic and magical as the place sounds, the characters still inhabit the real world and deal with very real issues, even Jack Masterson, the books' author. These are characters who may love a children's fantasy series, but they are not playing make believe and simply attempting to leave their problems behind. It is a story that exhibits the power of books in a child's life (and how those effects can carry into adulthood), while offering a Wonka-style adventure, and facing real-world issues.

Favorite Moment: Jack makes it very clear, in the most polite and fun way possible, just how little he cares for lawyers, with his lawyer present in the room.

Favorite Character: Jack is mysterious, whimsical, and full of riddles, but also a real person with a past that haunts him, just like most other human beings. 

Recommended Reading: For me, this book had similar energy to The Night Circus by Emily Morgenstern, but without the fantasy elements, and with a better pay off with the ending. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt may also be a good follow-up. 

Nonfiction: How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

The credit for helping me discover today's selection goes to the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards, as Safiya Sinclair's How to Say Babylon was a nominee in the Best Memoir & Autobiography category. It may not have won, but the description interested me as it promised the story of young woman's life in a Rastafarian household.

Genre, Themes, History: This book is a memoir in which Sinclair tells the story of her life growing up in Jamaica. Her father, a devout and strict Rastafarian, forbid anyone in his family from eating meat; his wife and daughters could not wear pants; and what he seemed most concerned with was his daughters' purity, as he did his best to make sure they stayed far from the influences of Babylon: the corrupting influence of the Western world. As Sinclair gets older, she would come to understand exactly the kind of woman her father was trying to make her to be. But with the help of her mother, she finds freedom and a voice in poetry, and believes her way out of Jamaica, and away from the grip of her father, to be through education. Sinclair will eventually have to decide for herself how she feels about what she has always been taught to believe.

My Verdict: This book provides readers an opportunity to gain knowledge of Rastafari, first-hand, from someone who lived it and grew up adhering to the some of its strictest rules. From the first few pages, it is clear that the book will detail the tension between what the author's father believed she should be, and what she would eventually decide she wanted for herself. Sinclair even goes back in time, before her birth, to when the emperor of Ethiopia, and the man many in her country believed to be a god, visited Jamaica. Sinclair tells the story of her parents' early life, along with her own - full of all of its difficulties and many moves - with an honesty, openness, and courage that should be applauded.  

Favorite Moment: The first chapter in which Sinclair details her discovery of poetry feels different from the ones that came before. The story is far from over, and the tensions are still present, but the chapter feels lighter, and more hopeful, and also full of wonder. It is the feeling of knowing that you are about to go on an adventure (a good one), or be presented a mystery to solve (a fun one).

Recommended Reading: For nonfiction, I recommend They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta. For fiction, I recommend Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Science Fiction: Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty

It is time to talk about the follow-up to last years' Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty. Chaos Terminal is the second book in The Midsolar Murders Series, and continues the story of Mallory Viridian during her time aboard a space station, as more people continue to die around her.

The Situation: When Mallory is summoned to meet with Mrs. Brown, the woman who has a connection with the space station they both inhabit, she is not expecting to be told that the woman will be leaving and putting Mallory in charge. Given how badly Station Eternity reacted after losing its last host, Mallory is correct to be concerned, but apparently, everything will be fine, and there is no cause for alarm, even with another batch of humans scheduled to arrive. Last time that happened, someone was murdered, an event Mallory has grown used to as for her entire life, murders have occurred around her. Thankfully, she has also been able to solve those murders, though it has led to her to mostly solitary and often lonely existence.

The Problem: When Mallory enters the party to welcome the new humans, she is both surprised and horrified to see some familiar faces. First there is her childhood best friend, Amy, as well as her childhood crush, Parker, who happens to be Amy's twin brother. But there is also Detective Don Draughn, the man who made Mallory's life on Earth incredibly difficult, even making sure she would never have a career in law enforcement, despite her abilities allowing him to solve many murder cases. And if all of this was not enough, a murder predictably takes place, throwing everything into chaos, as the station itself is no longer responding, communications are down, the medbay equipment is not working, and the Sundry insects that Mallory has always had a connection with are being found dead all around the station.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set in the not too distant future, somewhere closer to the middle of the 21st century, and aboard a sentient space station known as Eternity. Mallory Viridian remains the center of the action, as once again, a murder takes place when a large group of human beings is brought in close proximity to her. While the space station she inhabits is not in quite as much distress as it was in the first book, it is still not much help as its host, Mrs. Brown, is missing for the majority of the novel. Some focus is shifted to Xan, another human onboard Station Eternity, and occasionally moves to other side characters for brief moments as more of the mystery unfolds. Previously introduced alien species return, as do the awkward and tense interactions between them.

My Verdict: I remember often being confused when reading the first book in the series, and while some of that confusion returned for this book, I instantly felt more comfortable following Mallory around in this story as familiar names and places were reintroduced, and new ones took their own place in the narrative. And while the murder is a bit predictable, the mystery and task of figuring out who did it is intriguing and fun, as a dead body is not the only issue Mallory must deal with. Lafferty brings in figures from Mallory's past, and even gives the Sundry - the insect-like creatures that have a connection with Mallory - a bigger and more interesting space in the story. I am not sure how many books there will be in this series, but I plan on continuing with it should more be published.

Favorite Moment: Mallory eventually realizes she is an even better detective than she thought, but it has to come after a short but crushing period of self-doubt and fear.

Favorite Character: I want to say Mrs. Brown, but she is not in the story enough. So instead I will pick Stephanie, another sentient ship doing her best to keep her friend Tina out of trouble, and be of help to the other species aboard Eternity.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. 

Classic Fiction: The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

For the first review of the 2024, I decided to read another work by Isabel Allende. Originally published in 1982, The House of the Spirits is arguably Allende's most well-known work. It follows the family of Esteban Trueba through three generations as they navigate life in Chile throughout the 20th century, and during the country's many political and social trials.

The Situation: Clara del Valle is a strange child, and is known for her paranormal abilities as well as her predictions of death. Little does she know that the death of her eldest sister, Rosa, (which she also accurately predicted) will lead Clara to be engaged to her sister's intended many years later. Esteban Trueda is determined to make his own fortune, a well as a name for himself, and makes free use of both his physical strength and his terrible temper to do so. Together with Clara, the two of them raise a family in both the city and the country, allowing their fortune and their children to grow as the political landscape changes with the decades.

The Problem: If there is anything Esteban Trueba will not stand for it is the spreading of communist ideas, either in his home in the city or his hacienda in the country. But his daughter Blanca has tied her fate to a young man she has known since she was a child, a man who believes the people should rise up against the current powers, the ones that Esteban Trueba believes in and has supported his entire life. While Blanca may be defiant and distant when it comes to her father, her daughter Alba will be the one he cherishes the most, all while the country continues forward in an increasingly volatile political climate. Eventually, the unthinkable happens, and the moments that were supposed to bring hope also bring incredible violence and fear.

Genre, Themes, and History: This is a historical fiction novel set in 20th century Chile. Though the country is never explicitly named, and a dates nor years are ever given, certain events in history are given as clues as to what decade the story has entered (such as news of a great war in Europe, and the moon landing), along with descriptions of Chile's own political landscape and history. The story may begin with a focus on Clara, but it soon shifts to Esteban Trueba, who occasionally takes over the narration to offer clarification, and even the occasional rant. Magical realism is front and present, mostly through Clara, though Alba also attempts to maintain her grandmother's habits of speaking to the dead and making predictions.

My Verdict: For the first half of the novel, this appeared to be one of those books that I would happily read for forever if I could. I would have loved to be able to simply keep turning pages, and keep following the Trueba following throughout their time in Chile. But as is the case with many things, politics entered the equation, and its presence took the attention of not only the characters in the story, but the reader as well, allowing for an ending that is tense, exhausting, and painfully realistic. Esteban Trueba's intense personality dominates much of the first half of the story, but even so, Allende's narrative moves effortlessly, as each colorful character is introduced, and each new trial threatens to upend the family, even into the tumultuous final chapters that caused me so much grief.

Favorite Moment: Without giving too much away, there is a moment when Clara makes a drastic decision based on her husband's horrible behavior. And though it may seem small in the grand scheme of everything that is happening, and it is doubtful it will cause Esteban to change, her ability to stick to her decision is a clear message to him, and satisfying to watch as it plays out.

Favorite Character: Jaime Trueba is one of Clara's brothers, and despite how he was raised, grows up to be a shy and compassionate doctor who is adored by his niece Alba.

Recommended Reading: The early pages of this book reminded me of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garciá Márquez, a book I can never recommend enough.