Secret Chord by award-winning author Geraldine
Brooks is being released today. This new
novel tells the story of King David. Like
March, Brooks’ Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Secret Chord is
full of description, opening with a hand to hand battle scene in the desert.
The story continues, incorporating observations on the complexity of David’s
character from the prophet Nathan, David’s wives and other family members. Some,
like his son, Solomon are referred to with Hebrew spellings (Shlomo in this
case) which makes them seem less familiar and well-known. Themes involving
family, power and betrayal, plus music, are all artfully developed as the story
progresses. If, after reading The Secret
Chord, you are looking for another novel set in biblical times, try the
New York Times bestseller The Red Tent by Anita Diamant which
focuses on the women and their experiences of community and faith.
If, instead, you want to read
another novel set in an arid environment, look for newly published Gold,
Fame, Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins which has been getting lots of
“buzz” and stars from reviewers. Watkins
has won awards for her short fiction collection, Battleborn. In Gold,
Fame, Citrus, her debut novel, Watkins has written a story labeled
“wholly original” that deals with a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future in which water is extremely
precious. The main characters, Luz and Ray, travel across a drought-stricken,
sandy, barren California in the hopes of finding a less brutal, dangerous
place. Along the way, their nightmare adventure involves an encounter with a
cult leader and an attempt to guard a young child. Fans of others who write about ecological
issues (think Edward Abbey, T. C. Boyle, and Barbara Kingsolver, for example)
should look for Gold, Fame, Citrus.
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