Andi's Book Recs in Rotation: 11/27/22

Hey, book nerds! Welcome back to a series where I provide rapid-fire recommendations from my most recent reads. Here’s a list of my recs in rotation:

One’s Company by Ashley Hutson

I’m on the hunt to name my favorite read of the year and Ashley Hutson’s One’s Company is certainly in the running. This debut novel was the New and Noteworthy Book Club pick for August; even now—nearly two and a half months later—I can’t get it off my mind. Bonnie Lincoln has faced a multitude of traumas in her lifetime and has layered coping mechanisms accordingly. But only once she wins the lottery can she fully escape into her most precious distraction: The 1970’s sitcom Three’s Company. With the money, Bonnie cultivates and executes a plan to build the set of the show. Then, live the life of the story over and over again as different characters. It’s a plan that hinges on indefinite isolation and acute attention to detail. The prose swallows the reader whole with a binge-able quality that suits the premise of the book perfectly. Yet, despite the fast pace of the narrative, there’s also a meticulous social examination that makes for a truly brilliant read. I recommend this book to everyone, but especially my lovers of unreliable narrators. 

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth

Feeling haunted by your mother-in-law is a familiar sensation to many. The mother of your spouse often has the ability to poke at the bruises of your inadequacies in a special way. Such is the case in Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth. This book quivers with dark humor and the formidable, unrequited desire for a mother’s love. Abby is a character who has so much love to give despite never having felt her own mother’s affection; rather, her mother treated her as disposable—a feeling that never quite went away. When she married Ralph, she hoped that her relationship with Laura, Ralph’s mother, would be different. Yet Abby’s ability to love Ralph almost too well leaves Laura feeling left behind, therefore detesting Abby until the day she dies—and afterward. A quirky, unsettling haunting ensues. Abby is pushed to her limits while balancing her husband’s grief and the reality of the ghost lurking in her home. I devoured this book. 

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a bite-sized book that packs a punch. The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid is a novel that harbors astute, lyrical prose while telling a necessary story. Anders wakes up one day to find himself transformed. His skin has turned dark, and it’s not long before this phenomenon happens to people all over the world. Anders watches as his community proceeds with unease and eventually divulges into violence. The sense of arbitrary order that was established through race crumbles. His world becomes dangerous, not because the phenomenon is accompanied by any sort of illness, but because the idea of having dark skin is regarded as an illness itself. This book is both experimental and grounded in realism. While Anders struggles to understand his changing world—a world that has really been this way all along—he also falls in love and struggles to maintain a relationship with his father. Although a quick read, the intent behind Mohsin Hamid’s work will pull at the fabric of our society for a long time to come. 

They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey

This book covers a lot of bases. Meg Howrey is a former dancer with the Joffrey Ballet, which lends this world—that of professional ballet—a very authentic portrayal. The plot hovers between two periods in time: Carlisle Martin’s childhood, and her present dilemma on whether or not to visit her estranged father as he nears his death. Carlisle’s childhood is less about her father and more about the precious weeks she spent in her father’s New York brownstone with his partner, James. Her childhood also chronicles the height of the AIDS crisis, something she learns about through eavesdropped phone calls and the dynamics of her father’s relationship with James. Carlisle admires James for his willingness to talk to her; he imparts culture and sophistication with dazzling conversation. What lends a pang to this admiration is the fact that Carlisle is constantly looking for someone who will love her best. Her mother is re-married with a new family. Her father has James. The reasons for Carlisle and her father’s estrangement come to light while Carlisle searches for a place in the world, both as an adolescent and an adult. This novel beats like a heart that has yearned for many years—slow, thick, precise.

They’re Going to Love You is so good that we sold out of it in under an hour. An interview with the author was featured on NPR which brought it a ton of good buzz. It isn’t pictured above, but we have many beautiful copies on the way!

The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh
So far, I’ve recommended unhinged, haunted, and heavy reads. The Fortunes of Jaded Women by Carolyn Huynh is a breath of fresh air in comparison. It’s light and fun, with a cast of characters that will bring you joy from beginning to end. The Duong sisters have been cursed for many generations: They’re doomed to never find love—or happiness—and they are never to give birth to sons, only daughters. Thus, each sister has her own story with a manifestation of trouble in love. Some of their partners are insufferable. Others, too nice. Their mothers want them to date different people, even if they’re in committed relationships. The inciting incident of the present action is a new prophecy: There will be one funeral, one marriage, and one baby (a boy!). By the end of the book, every plotline overlaps in a chaotic and entertaining way. It highlights the importance of trusting your gut and leaning into your family. I recommend this read as a means to take the edge off.