August 13, 2022
Two story collections and one short, short novel appear this week; two books are from Scandinavia; and our narrative nonfiction choice is tied to a special event at The Center’s Café & Bar. All satisfy the desire for boiling down literature to its essence—even more satisfying because the reading experience is so rich.
Happy reading,
Melanie Fleishman
Buyer, The Center for Fiction Bookstore
Featured Books
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Touch
By Olaf Olafsson
Published by Ecco
Often novels written during the pandemic showcase the need to reunite with people, especially important figures from the past. Olafsson’s main characters are an Icelandic restaurateur and the Japanese woman who mysteriously exited his life in the 60s while they were at school in England. Miko, now in bad health and in fear of kodokushi (dying alone), reaches out unexpectedly to Kristofer on Facebook. Their unfinished relationship sparks a great excitement in Kristofer, who had to close his restaurant, and he makes plans to go to Japan with no clear knowledge of what will happen. Their story is beautifully told, with an ending too perfect to spoil.
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Cat Brushing
By Jane Capmbell
Published by Grove Press
This debut, a short story collection, by an African-born Englishwoman is being published in her 80th year. Her work is full of wonderful, edgy observations of the aging process. In “Susan and Miffy,” Susan lies in a hospital bed at the end of her life and experiences an unexpected frisson of lust for her caregiver. It is unexpectedly tender and sweet. In the title story a failing mother is staying with her sons where she bonds with an aging Siamese cat as she reflects upon her life, her lovers and her not always pleasant disposition. The stories are all surprising, sexy and are full of truth.
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The English Understand Wool
By Helen DeWitt
Published by New Directions
A wonderfully eccentric little book, DeWitt’s (The Last Samurai) novella launches the handsomely designed series, ND Storybook. Our narrator is an heiress who, like the author, speaks multiple languages. She can extoll the importance of where to obtain the finest fabrics (Scotland for wool, of course) and all the best hotels from Marrakech to Paris. But she finds out that her wealthy “parents” kidnapped her as a child, as well as stole 100 million dollars. Editors are clamoring for a tell-all book. This novella is knowingly amusing about the ins and outs of publishing, perfect for a delightful afternoon of reading.
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A Postcard for Annie
By Ida Jessen
Published by Archipelago Books
Translated by Mark Aitkin
To highlight Women in Translation Month we offer Ida Jessen’s captivating and deceptively subtle story collection published by the independent press, Archipelago Books. Jessen has won many of the top prizes in Denmark and herself is a translator from Norwegian and English into Danish. The women in these quiet and touching stories struggle with love, as in the story “A Mother and Son,” where the two have a graveyard fight that begins cruelly and ends on a comic note. The characters have “a way of describing love as a helpless feeling…even though it’s inconvenient…you can’t help but loving and hoping.”
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To Fall in Love, Drink This
By Alice Feiring
Published by Scribner
The popularity of natural wines is exploding yet Feiring has been declaring their virtues for years. An expert on the subject and a James Beard Award winner, she brings a welcome earthy quality to her critiques of wine, coupled with a personal memoir of affairs of the heart and mind. Whether it is your first introduction to the world of natural wine, or you crave a good narrative about the interaction of work and life, this is a book for you.
