Need a title to
suggest to you book group? Try The
Given World by Marian Palaia.
Palaia
shares a mostly chronological story with the reader, but we see disjointed
pieces and hear from multiple perspectives throughout a roughly 25 year period.
The subtle allusions to pop culture like Three Dog Night, concerts at Altamont, and even attitudes towards LBJ all add to the spirit and ambiance of this
remarkable first novel.
We
first meet Riley as a child, living in Montana with her parents and older brother,
Mick. Like many big brothers, he means
the world to her and she is devastated when he is sent to Vietnam and does not
return. Unable to cope with the loss, Riley
looks for solace in drugs and a sexual relationship, eventually moving to
California. There, she is closer to the
Pacific Ocean (also the South China Sea), and flounders between various jobs
(newspaper delivery, barkeeping) and several relationships. One of Riley’s
endearing traits is her attempts to mend others despite being so fragile and in
so much pain herself.
The writing is beautiful and because
The Given World deals with Vietnam, I was hoping that it could serve as a main text
for Junior Theme, but I think that would only be
the case for our most sophisticated high school readers. However, this book will have
strong appeal for adults, especially these two generations: (a) those, like Riley, who
are struggling to find their place in the world and (b) those with memories of the social upheaval of the 60s and
70s. Highly recommended.
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