Some of the stories from Jhumpa Lahiri's story collection Unaccustomed Earth still haunt me, so I was eager to immerse myself in her most recent novel, The Lowland. This book opens in a village outside of Calcutta in the late 60s, with two brothers Subhash and Udyan who live just outside the wall of an exclusive golf club. While Udyan becomes involved in the political movement Naxilism, Subhash moves to the United States for his education, and their lives take diverse paths.

Lahiri present the narrative from the points of view of Udyan, his wife Gauri, widowed after Udyan's involvement leads to his death, and Bela, their child he never knew, but the older brother Subhash remains the main focus of the story.

After finishing school, Subhash remains in Rhode Island, rarely returning to his childhood home and failing to live up to his parents' expectations. Instead, he marries Gauri to save her from her secluded live with his disapproving parents and raises his brother's daughter as his own child.

Since much of the story takes place in the United States during the Vietnam war, readers may be surprised to realize that the unrest in India at the same time failed to register on the American consciousness. Lahiri weaves a story steeped in diverse cultures, yet produces characters with universal struggles--coming to terms with disappointment in others and oneself, telling and accepting truth, finding love.

The story with its embedded flashbacks comes together like a puzzle, and despite all the personal conflict between the characters, Lahiri draws them with such shades of dark and light that readers don't have to choose sides. I found myself wishing redemption for them all.

End of Watch: Stephen King wraps up his latest series

I'll confess that I'm not one of those readers who gobbles up everything Stephen King writes. In fact, the first novel of his I read was Misery, back during the Iran Contra hearings on television while I was home with a new baby. I liked his writing, but there were so many books on my list, I didn't get hooked.

Then I read his excellent book on writing. It was one of those most borrowed (or stolen) from my classroom book shelf. After November 22, 1963, I had to admit that King was as varied as he was prolific.

Then I started Mr. Mercedes. I don't know what led me to choose this one--in audio at the library, but I immediately loved Hodges, the retired detective at the center of the story and Jerome and Holly, the unlikely sidekicks he picks up along the way to solving the horrific City Center event when a driver plowed into a huge crowd of people camping out at an employment fair. When Finders, Keepers, the sequel came out, I was on the waiting list again. I loved the technologically challenged, aging detective, his partner, the socially inept but computer savvy Holly and Jerome, originally the teenager who does Hodges' yard work, but eventually tackles his computer issues.

With the publication of the final book in the trilogy, King made an appearance in Nashville. The event tickets were snapped up in four minutes. I didn't get any. But I happened into the library when the book was on the "Lucky Day" shelf--new releases available for 14 days only.

In this book, the Mr. Mercedes killer is still in the brain damage ward of the local hospital, but Hodges' partners have stages in intervention, convincing him to quit visiting Brady Hartsfield, whom he suspects is faking to avoid prosecution. When one of the seriously injured City Center victims and her mother are found dead of apparent suicide, Hodges' former partner, about to retire himself, calls him in for his opinion.

The novel that results balances 95% realism with that 5% creepy supernatural King does so well. Using retro handheld game devices, someone (Hodges suspects Hartsfield) is setting off a rash of successful and attempted suicides.

I was glad I kept reading through the epilogue and acknowledgments, where King points out to readers that while the story is fiction, suicide is real and serious. He provides the suicide hotline number and encouragement for anyone considering suicide to give things time to get better because, as he points out, they eventually do.

While I felt the ticking of the clock as I power read the book, trying to finish it in time to return it to the library for the next lucky reader, I lost myself in a well-told story. I'm missing Hodges and his friends already.

End of Watch: Stephen King wraps up his latest series

My List of 12 Southern Writers

As I mentioned in my last post, I was motivated by Dannye Romine Powell's column to come up with my own suggestion of a dozen works by Southern writers I would recommend to book clubs (or anyone interested in a good Southern read.) The biggest challenge was deciding which book to select, once I'd chosen my author. For some I chose the most familiar, as a kind of sampler platter to encourage reading deeper in their list:

1. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird  This is one book I can read and re-read. It makes me laugh and

     cry. I love Scout and Jem and Atticus. For anyone who loves the book, rather than sending you on 

     to Go Set the Watchman, I'd suggest Truman Capote's wonderful short story "Christmas Memory"

 2.  Flannery O’Connor, Revelation” (short story) I loved teaching all of O'Connor's short stories, but 

     this one in particular does what she does best: shock us with the absurd behavior of her characters

     a split second before we recognize a bit of ourselves in them.

 3.  Eudora Welty, “Why I Live at the P.O.” (short story)  The only thing better than reading this story 

     is to listen to a recording of the author reading it! 

 4. Ernest Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying One of my teacher friends told her students this is one book

     everyone needs to read to be fully human. I can't say I disagree.

 5. Clyde Edgerton, Walking Across Egypt After I read this book (and laughed until I hurt when        

      Mattie Riggsby gets stuck in the chair), I read everything else he wrote. I still do.

 6. Ron Rash, “Hard Times” (short story)  I love everything Ron Rash writes--his novels, his poetry,

     but his short stories are pitch perfect. This one is the first story in his collection Burning Bright.      

     It's a good introduction to his writing. Then start at the beginning of his novels, One Foot in Eden

      and then the poetry.

 7.  Clyde Gurganus, The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All  This sprawling novel took me a 

     while to read. Then it stuck in my head. Forever.  

 8. Donald Davis, “A Different Drummer” (short story) Davis is known for his storytelling and, 

     indeed, the best way to experience his stories is to hear him deliver them. This one from Listening

     for the Crack of Dawn is, hands down, my favorite.

 9. Tony Earley, Jim, the  Boy  This book with a young protagonist was just a perfect novel to me.

      When I read it, I had just read another book with a similar setting and young main character,

      written by a much more famous writer. This book blew that one out of the water. In my favorite

      scene, the boys uncles get him to sneak out of the house with them to watch the first electric lights 

      come on in their town.  I also LOVE the Jack Tale at the end of Mr. Tall, and I want to talk to 

      someone else who has read it.

10. Charles Frasier, Cold Mountain This is my all-time favorite book to teach in class. I read it first as 

      a reader, just for the story. Then I read it again to see the craft he used to put the story together. I

      re-read it along with my students year after year and never tired of it.

11.  Rick Bragg, All Over but the Shoutin'  I keep giving this one away to friends to read. I read Ava's

      Man first and loved it. I'm glad I got to this one too. 

12. Pat Conroy, Prince of Tides   I love all of Conroy's big, wordy novels, but this one I read first.

      I went on to read them all--Beach Music, The Great Santini, Lords of Discipline, The Water Is

      Wide. I'm sad there won't be any more.

I could start right now thinking of other Southern writers and books I should have included. I should tell you the ones to watch for:  Shari Smith', Susan Yergler-Bradburn, Wiley Cash, Ann Patchet, and lots more appearing soon at a bookstore near you!

My List of 12 Southern Writers

Southern Literature Challenge

I just saw a post "My Assignment: Pick 12 Southern Writers" from Dannye Romine Powell, poet and long-time columnist for the Charlotte Observer, announcing that she had been asked by a by a local book club to recommend works by Southern writers. She shares her list, which includes some works I've read (such as Eudora Welty's short story "A Worn Path" which came up in a conversation I had today) some works I haven't read by authors I have (Josephine Humphreys, for example), and others with which I was unfamiliar.

She finishes with a mention of a short list of writers she'd omitted--in this particular list at least: William Faulkner, Walker Percy, Pat Conroy.

Anyone knows--Powell knows--such list a highly debatable. Isn't that what makes them fun? I'm going to take a day or two for my own list I would have assigned to the same request, but I'd love to hear yours.

Southern Literature Challenge