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The Light We Lost
by Jill Santopolo
Lucy and Gabe meet as seniors at Columbia University on September 11, 2001, creating a bond through the emotional devastation of that day, though Gabe is dating someone else. The two meet again a year later and begin a passionate and all-consuming love affair, only to break apart when Gabe must go to the Middle East to follow his dreams, and Lucy remains in New York to follow hers. Lucy eventually meets and marries dependable Darren, while Gabe stays in touch with her intermittently over the miles and years. The story has an unusual construction, told from Lucy’s point of view as if addressing Gabe, reminiscing about their relationship and foreshadowing tragedy. Santopolo writes beautifully creating complex and flawed characters in this adult debut; The Light We Lost. I stayed up until 3 am to finish it; there’s no happy-ever-after, but I found myself thinking about the way our choices shape our lives, and how each relationship is different based on the people within it, and how 9/11 affected pretty much everyone who experienced it.
—Shannan Rosa, MSLS, Collection Development Librarian
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Girl in Snow
by Danya Kukafka
Lucinda Hayes is dead—her body found in the snow beside a carousel. In the small town of Broomsville everyone is in shock; murder is rare in this sleepy hamlet. Who killed the pretty teenager? A boyfriend? A teacher? A friend? A jealous classmate? Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has secrets. Russ Fletcher is a local detective assigned to the case. Jade Dixon-Burns is a classmate, though not a friend, of Lucinda’s. Cameron Whitely is Lucinda’s lovelorn peeping Tom. These characters narrate this coming-of-age literary thriller, each voice revealing new twists and turns. It is a sophisticated debut with depth not found in most. Once you pick up Danya Kukafka’s Girl in Snow be prepared to read straight through the night.
—Linda Arrington, Reviewer
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The Marsh King’s Daughter
by Karen Dionne
Set in the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan, Karen Dionne’s novel The Marsh King’s Daughter is a fast-paced, brutal, and psychologically complex thriller. Helena Pelletier had an unconventional childhood growing up in isolation in the marshes with her mother and father. Helena was the product of her father’s crimes against her mother, and they lived with no running water, no electricity, and no contact with the outside world. Her father, Jacob Holbrook, was imprisoned for kidnapping and murder but has escaped, after viscously murdering two guards. Realizing that the police will never be able to catch her father on his home turf, Helena decides to use everything her father taught her to track him down. She hunts down her father, and he declares that he will steal her daughters and raise them as he raised her. A fight ensues which leads to a dramatic conclusion. The author is at her best when dealing with the complicated relationship between Helena and her father: Helena loves her dad, even while knowing he is a sadistic sociopath. Recommended.
—Benjamin Whisenant, Reviewer
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The Readymade Thief
by Augustus Rose
Augustus Rose’s new thriller, The Readymade Thief, tells the dark tale of Lee, a young antihero who does what she must to survive. When she tries to go straight, her past actions come back to haunt her, casting her as pawn in the dealings of a fractious and nefarious society bent on learning the secrets of both alchemy and the space-time continuum. Set in modern day Pittsburgh against the dark, romantic backdrop of urban exploration into creepy abandoned buildings, The Readymade Thief is a novel rife with intrigue, mysterious hipsters, and conspiracy theories involving the early 20th century art of Dadaist Marcel Duchamp. When Lee steals one of his less renowned pieces after it has already been stolen from the Pittsburgh museum, she sets in motion a series of events that threaten anyone and everyone she dares to care about. While some of the exposition around Duchamp’s masterpiece The Bride Stripped Bare can at times feel anticlimactic, it will surely be of interest to art enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists alike. Readers who are fascinated by UrbEx activities and the Dark Web will also find much to keep them enthralled as Lee tries to solve the mystery of the Société Anonyme, their unrivaled interest in her, and their involvement in the disappearance of teenagers around the city.
—Jean Ward, Reviewer
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Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks
by Annie Spence
Librarian Annie Spence freely admits it—she talks to books. In Dear Fahrenheit 451, Spence writes letters to the books in her life, sharing her deepest feelings about the books she loves and loathes. Some letters reflect her love of her favorites and the books that impacted her life. Others impart the cold hard truth about the worn copies of the bestseller that’s no longer popular. From the best excuses to stay home and read to a list of great books with terrible covers, the second section is miscellaneous fun for readers. This book will provide the laugh that you need at the end of a long day spent weeding the long-neglected collection that you recently inherited when a colleague retired. Recommended for librarians with a penchant for snark.
—Beth Reinker, MSLS, Collection Development Librarian
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