With the Canadian Thanksgiving celebration taking place on Monday, Oct. 11 (it’s always the second Monday of October), we bring you a selection of offerings from our neighbors to the north.
The Perfect Family
By Robyn Harding
The Adler family lives in a fashionable upscale community in Portland, Oregon. Thomas Adler is a successful Realtor and Viv, with her impeccable taste, has just created her own decorating/design firm. One typical hot summer morning, they awake to find their house was egged. Disregarding the event as neighborhood kids acting out, they begrudgingly clean the mess and move on with their day. Next a smoke bomb is tossed on their lawn, the tires are slashed on Thomas’ car and someone has purposely set their hedges on fire. The Adlers’ relatively quiet lives are turned completely upside down. But why? Thomas recently attended an out-of-control bachelor party and is receiving threatening messages. Daughter Tarryn, a mouthy, troubled teen, spends her time exploring a dangerous online community. Soccer star Eli announces he is dropping out of college. And Viv silently punishes herself for the unexplainable pilfering she cannot control. As each family member narrates a chapter it is clear someone is responsible. But who? The Adlers struggle to keep it together while they question their own culpability, friendships and the importance of maintaining the perfect family facade. Fast-paced dysfunctional family secrets at its best.
Our Darkest Night
By Jennifer Robson
Antonina Mazin lives with her beloved father in Venice, Italy. He is a prominent doctor who has spent his life caring for their tight-knit community. As the Nazis approach in the fall of 1943, Dr. Mazin knows he must send his only daughter away if she is to survive the approaching danger. A narrative is arranged. Antonina Mazin becomes Nina. She is “married” to Nico Gerardi, a farmer in the countryside. This handsome young man and former priest will keep Nina safe through the war and she will pose as his new wife helping out on the family farm. Manual labor is not an easy transition for Nina, a city girl through and through. Eventually Nico’s unassuming family, who have no idea of Nina’s actual identity, begin to trust this beautiful, smart girl and accept her into their lives. As the war inches closer to their village, the local Nazi officials grow suspicious of Nico’s travels. Much to Nina’s surprise she is falling helplessly in love with the kindest man she has ever known. Happiness seems just within reach as the horrors of World War II surround them. Beautifully written saga filled with history, family and the magnificent hills of Italy.
Her Turn
By Katherine Ashenburg
Editing one of the most well known columns in a premier Washington, D.C. paper keeps Liz on her toes. My Turn features essays (selected anonymously by Liz) that reflect the daily lives of their faithful readers. Lately, she has been reaching out of her comfort zone, choosing pieces that dangerously rock the editorial boat of her quiet and mostly uneventful life. Having relocated to DC post-divorce 10 years ago, Liz relies on a small group of quirky friends, her college aged son and her column to sustain a semblance of normalcy. She keeps busy doing yoga, Italian lessons and book club, sprinkled with an array of unappealing affairs. When her ex-husband’s new wife submits an emotional and very personal essay, Liz begins a secret communication, threatening all of the bottled-up anger she has harbored for a decade. As a journalist, Liz is a bit of a know-it-all endlessly searching for a way to accept, forgive and fall in love once again. Delving into the painful memories of her marriage while coping with her mother’s severe dementia brings the agonizing truth sharply into focus. A quiet story that moves quickly, this Canadian author does not mince words.
