Let’s start with Gail Honeyman’s, “Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine.” She created an amazingly introverted and damaged character who was also a survivor. I loved how Eleanor just stated her truth, and yet couldn’t face the truth of what happened to her as a child. My heart broke at how she was treated. When a little crack opened her heart, she chose to have a future, albeit misguided. The introvert in me really “got” her. I loved the ending. Yay Eleanor, and Congratulations Gail Honeyman on a stunning debut novel!
“The Calculating Stars,” by Mary Robinette Kowal, is next. This science fiction/historical novel had me rooting for Dr. Elma York, a pilot and calculator who navigated the treacherous waters of patriarchal society. The premise is that in 1952, a meteorite fell to earth and destroyed most of the East Coast of the United States. This resulted in a climate cataclysm that would eventually make the Earth uninhabitable. Scientists were desperate to create colonies in space but had to get their first. The characterization of women and their role in society in the time period was spot on. Undaunted by rampant sexism, Elma ensured that she and women in general, were part of the colonization program. I like how the author interspersed actual newsprint from the time period with the fiction. I also liked how she had the women support each other. It was a good read, even though it slowed down a few times.
“Uprooted,” by Naomi Novik, is the best book I’ve read in years. What can I say …? I’m a sucker for fairy tales and this one is awesome. Agnieszka, a young woman from a remote village, is clumsy, messy, and strong. She’s also a witch and doesn’t know it. Her entire village expects the dragon, a mysterious creature who holds back evil from the woods, to choose her best friend, Kasia as his servant. But when he comes to choose a girl—as he does once a decade—he takes Agnieszka instead. Agnieszka is hilarious as she tries to deal with this grumpy, condescending, malcontent. It’s her magic that he saw, and he really had no choice. Her untrained skills would have called the darkness and doomed them all. The author takes us a wild ride of witches, peasants, kings, and tree people in this delicious read. More Naomi Novik is in my future! I can just see it.