The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett (Bel Canto) is the newest novel from this award winning author and advocate for books and reading. Spanning much of the second half of the twentieth century, this story centers around a dysfunctional family and is set primarily in Philadelphia and New York City environs.  Siblings Maeve and Danny depend on each other, even as young children after their mother leaves and their aloof father remarries. His second wife arranges to inherit almost everything including the family home. This changes the course of Danny’s life as he eventually studies to be a doctor and Maeve does her best to support him.  The character development is strong and while that may contribute to a slower pace, readers will be drawn in by a lingering sense of menace – will these two manage to overcome circumstances and realize their dreams?  

THE DUTCH HOUSE is a LibraryReads selection recommended for “fans of Anne Tyler and Anna Quindlen.” I concur with that comment -- this title is my personal favorite from the September list.  Definitely worth considering for book groups, THE DUTCH HOUSE received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

GHOSTED by Rosie Walsh is a must read for fans of writers like JoJo Moyes. The first third or so of this novel is filled with Sarah Mackey’s obsession with what happened to Eddie David, a man with whom she spent an idyllic week in England and who seems to have completely vanished. Her friends, Tommy and Jo, encourage her to move on with her life, but she has difficulty doing so. In fact, Sarah seems overwrought by the loss, particularly after losing her sister due to a bizarre accident 19 years before.

The story doesn’t end there, though, and capable Sarah (she runs a children’s charity with her ex-husband, Rueben) is suddenly even more up-ended due to reverberations from past events. In addition to Eddie’s mysterious disappearance, there are plenty of surprises and quite a bit of romance in this US debut for Walsh.  Early on, Sarah reflects how “in the space of a few hours, the script of your life could be completely rewritten” whereas Eddie separately contends that “everyone has a choice, in everything. On some level.” See if you agree with Sarah or Eddie after reading GHOSTED which received a starred review from Booklist.  

We Never Asked for Wings by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

We Never Asked for Wings is a new novel from Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of The Language of Flowers which has been an extremely popular choice for both students and teachers.  Perhaps, then, my expectations were too high for We Never Asked for Wings?  Briefly, this new novel is the story of Letty Espinosa, and her two children Alex, 15, and Luna, 6. Letty’s own mother had essentially raised the children while Letty worked multiple jobs and explored a more “fun” lifestyle. But when the grandmother leaves for Mexico, Letty - and Alex - learn to take on increased responsibility and to develop more mature relationships.

There were parts of the We Never Asked for Wings which I really liked, but others that did not seem realistic. My biggest concern was that I had a hard time believing that a street savvy kid like Alex’s friend, Yesenia, would blindly follow his suggestions and risk discovery as an illegal immigrant. I also did not understand how neighboring schools could be so radically different, but perhaps that is more true in large urban districts? If that is the case, Diffenbaugh still owed her readers more explanation and justification for that disparity.  (See non-fiction Mission High for one perspective and data from Pew Research Center for more statistics on US students and schools).

Overall, it felt like Diffenbaugh was trying to address too many social issues (teenage pregnancy, single parenthood, bullying, absent dads, immigration, alcohol abuse, educational inequality) and so relied on stereotypes and clichés instead of fully developing or nuancing fewer of these situations. Book group readers will certainly pick up We Never Asked for Wings and likely point out the tough choices characters face and how they hurt themselves by not sharing more information with each other, which is similar to events in The Language of Flowers. 

Vanessa Diffenbaugh said that she struggled with writing this second book and is looking forward to her third – so am I. Diffenbaugh is an extremely talented author who is willing to explore important problems and to be an advocate for those in our society who are more vulnerable.