In June, I read three newer novels - all published in the first half of this year. I had read reviews of all of the books, and their descriptions were intriguing. But none of the three novels knocked my socks off. I am glad I read them, however, particularly the first two (pictured above), which both deal with identity, culture, and race.
Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen is described as a novel about a Vietnamese American family's ties to The Little House on the Prairie. I enjoyed this book from the standpoint of getting a peek into the experiences of a Vietnamese family. The protagonist, Lee Lien, and her brother are first generation Americans. The contrast between them and their mother and grandfather, who emigrated from Vietnam, was well portrayed. Unfortunately, Lee and her brother aren't very likeable or sympathetic characters. They faced a lot of challenges, because their father died when they were children and their mother was very harsh and judgmental. The mother and grandfather characters could have been more developed, and I'd like to have known a bit more about them. I enjoyed the back story about Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder, some of it historical fact or conjecture and some of it fiction. This is a novel, after all, even though it reads a lot like a memoir. Sometimes the intertwining and overlapping of Lee's research into her family's connection with Rose Wilder, and then her own family drama with her brother, mother and grandfather seemed forced. I was hoping the protagonist would go through more of a transformation, I guess. I would recommend this book to readers who have a significant interest in The Little House on the Prairie books, but I'm not sure it would have more general appeal. I'd like to read some of Nguyen's other books, especially her memoir Stealing Buddha's Dinner.
Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi, is set in a small town in Massachusetts in 1953. The main character, named Boy Novak, is a young woman escaping an abusive father in New York City. The book has been described as a retelling of Snow White, but it doesn't much parallel that traditional tale. In her new town - Boy finds friends and a suitor, Arturo, whom she eventually marries. The Snow White angle comes in because Boy has issues with mirrors and understanding her identity. But mostly, the reference is to the fact that Boy becomes stepmother to her husband's mysterious and beautiful young daughter, Snow. When Boy becomes pregnant, her daughter Bird is born with dark skin. This lets out the secret that Arturo's family are light-skinned African Americans who have been passing as white. The rest of the novel explores the relationships of the various characters with each other in the aftermath of this revelation. It's a fascinating premise. The writer's style and her storytelling, however, are not straight forward. There are hints at magical realism, too. Some of the characters, particularly Arturo's family members and even Snow, were not as fully developed as I would have liked. There is a plot twist toward the end that just didn't fit, at least for me. I understand that it connected with the book's theme of identity, but it seemed sort of "added on" and didn't flow from what preceded it. Still, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested reading about race and identity.
Both of these books were written by authors who are portraying experiences first hand. As a child, Bich Minh Nguyen immigrated to the U.S. with her family. Helen Oyeyemi was born in Nigeria and raised in London. She is a person of color, writing about racial identity. Each author's experiences give them insight into culture, race and identity that is specific to the themes in their novels. I am somewhat discouraged by the wild popularity of the sort of novels written by white female authors that deal with race in a superficial or secondhand way. Those books may have merit, but I would like to see more readers move beyond such popular titles to read books by authors of color and authors from cultures other than their own. As a side note, I really love the cover art and the titles of both of these books. I wonder how much the appeal of the cover art and titles contributed to my adding the books to my reading list.
The third novel that I read in June was The Blessings by Elise Juska. I chose this book because it was described as a book that explored the complexities, sorrows and joys of family. The various blurbs made it sound like it would be a fairly uplifting book. After having read the previous two books, I was looking for something lighter. The Blessings was lighter, I would say, but not heart-warming which I guess is what I was really hoping for.
An additional reading note: I actually read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin back in May for mother-daughter book club. This is a children's novel and a 2010 Newberry Honor book. But since I've been writing on the themes of culture and identity, I'll add this to the mix. With fantasy and folk tale elements, an epic journey, a redeeming family story, and a lot of wisdom mixed in, I was touched more by this children's novel than by any of the adult novels above. Certainly those novels had other qualities that made them worthwhile to read (particularly Boy, Snow, Bird). Still, I highly recommend this gem of a novel by Grace Lin. I hope to read its companion novel Starry River of the Sky very soon.
P.S. Currently I'm reading:
The Path to Purpose: How Young People Find their Calling in Life by William Damon
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
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