Early on after I retired, occasionally I’d get bored. Then I’d think, well, at least I no longer have to go into an office and listen to a bunch of white men mansplain about how they invented the rules of evidence. The worst of these, at least in my immediate experience, were the lawyers at Nancy’s first law firm. Let’s call them out: Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey and Leonard, maybe the second or third biggest firm in North Carolina’s third largest city. Nevertheless they were the smuggest bastards you ever met; I wasn’t worthy of a conversation, as far as they were concerned. Jimmy Phillips even cheated at playground basketball.
So in retirement I’ve been listening to a lot of women, who typically have a lot more of value to say.
And damn if I haven’t been reading some fantastic fiction. I won’t list the novels that have achieved a certain amount of fame, like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and Jennifer Egan’s and Meg Wolitzer’s novels. If you’re interested in not being able to put down a book, and don’t mind having your heart broken and repaired over and over, I highly recommend these. They’re in alphabetical order by author, but coincidentally the first remains my favorite.
Beard, Jo Ann. In Zanesville. Moving sweet story of a 14 year old girl in Illinois. Father is a drunk, neighborhood a shambles. She’s so innocent, and the story feels utterly true. For instance, it opens when the main character and her friend, babysitting, allow one of the many kids they’re sitting to set a fire in an upstairs waste can. Why didn’t they call the fire department or police? They were too embarrassed!
Czapnik, Dana. The Falconer. Wonderful coming-of-age novel about a 17 year old basketball player in NYC in 1993. She’s insightful, heartbroken, curious, intelligent, and doesn’t fit in. She understands that, and that the world barely matters (as insisted by her best friend Percy, whom she loves) but she will have all of it anyway. You’ll want a daughter like this.
Fowler, Karen Joy. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. I got goose pimples just mentioning this one. Heart-rending story of a girl raised by psychologist parents as sister of a chimpanzee, who is eventually sent away from her family. The girl’s brother descends into a life of crime as an animal rights activist. If the ending doesn’t make you cry, you have no soul.
Joyce, Rachel. The Music Shop. A damaged man runs a record store selling strictly vinyl. He has a savant-like ability to tell what sort of music each patron needs. He meets a German violinist who’s been forced to retire due to arthritis. He’s not emotionally available, but, don’t worry, all comes right in the end.
Landis, Dylan. Rainey Royal. Touching story of 14 year old whose father is a musician and whose mother has left and who has to cope with all of the weirdness of living in downtown NYC in her father’s commune of music student sycophants. Also consider Landis’ Normal People Don’t Live Like This, which probably ought to have been the title of the first one.
Locascio, Lisa. Open Me. Coming of age story of a girl whose school trip to Paris is side-tracked by the tour company’s owner to Copenhagen, where her tour guide becomes her lover. He spirits her off to Jutland, imprisoning her in his apartment with his emotional neediness. Then she’s drawn to a Slavic migrant. When she leaves for home, she’s come to realize the power of her sexuality. Stark, quiet, moving.
Miller, Mary. The Last Days of California. A 15 year old driving to CA with her family: her father’s an evangelical who expects the world to end soon, and they hand out religious tracts on the way. Eventually the girl’s faith frays. She’s always spying on her sister to learn how to live.
Moran, Caitlin. How to Build a Girl. Funny story of an English girl, overweight and unappealing but clever and observant, who builds a life for herself in the music industry. Ultimately, she’s brave and powerful.
Rankin-Gee, Rosa. The Last Kings of Sark. Sweet story of three young people on the Isle of Sark one summer, their relationships, and where they go from here. Made me yearn for my youth.
Schumacher, Julie. Dear Committee Members. Funny academic novel told in memo form. Everyone is difficult and exasperating, including the main character. Also consider her follow-up, The Shakespeare Requirement. Both books make you happy not to be in academia. About as funny as David Lodge’s novels and the situations are more frustrating.
Stibbe, Nina. Man at the Helm. Hilarious and touching story from point of view of a daughter of children who try to get their mother remarried. The device of telling a story through a child’s limited understanding is tired, but this book makes it new.
I want to mention one nonfiction work just because I can: Louisa Thomas’ Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams, a biography of the brave, intelligent, resourceful, and very long-suffering spouse of the obnoxious John Quincy. Thomas followed that up with a story of her family; her grandfather was Norman Thomas. Thomas also reports on sports for The New Yorker, which proves how broad her talent is, and only makes me really envy her.
No list would be complete without a few stinkers, so here are a couple, just to prove that I don’t love everything. For the record, I disliked more than these!
Laurie Gelman, Class Mom (the author thinks nasty emails from the eponymous mom are hilarious).
Swan Huntley, We Could Be Beautiful (aside from the improbability of time, space, and character, it’s just silly).
Susan Rieger, The Divorce Papers (the use of materials for which book is only explained by her husband’s having contacts in the industry).
Maria Semple, Where’d You Go Bernadette (the only parts that aren’t lies are clichés).
Have a good read!
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