In her latest novel, “Here One Moment,” Liane Moriarty, famed author behind bestsellers like “Big Little Lies” and “Apples Never Fall,” opens with an intriguing hook. A mysterious woman boards a flight, walks down the aisle as she points to fellow passengers, and pronounces how and when each of them will die: “I expect Melanoma. Age seventy-nine,” “Assault. Age thirty.” Some passengers recoil, others laugh it off. But when her dark predictions begin to come true, “The Death Lady,” as she is dubbed, becomes an internet sensation, and people are clamoring to know if she has real psychic powers.
The passenger list brings together a cross-section of society: a newlywed couple, a pair of older empty-nesters, a millennial worker, young mother with a baby, and others. It’s a diverse range, but the plethora of individuals takes effort to keep track of and the resulting portrayals remain a bit superficial.
“Here One Moment” explores the premise of fate and destiny: what’s predetermined and what can be altered. Does the awareness of your mortality give you a reason to reassess and redirect your life? Readers will get some handy plot resolutions in this entertaining read that’s already been secured for a streaming adaptation with Nicole Kidman on the project.
“The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession,” by Michael Finkel is an exhilarating adventure into the world of art heists through the real-life exploits of Stéphane Breitwieser, one of history’s most prolific art thieves. Breitwieser’s audacious escapades enabled him to amass over 200 pieces of art from museums across Europe, for his extraordinary private collection — housed in his attic.
Finkel’s vivid storytelling paints Breitwieser as an engrossing and complex figure driven by an insatiable passion for art. His heists, completed mostly with his accomplice girlfriend and the blind eye of his mother, ranged from stealing dainty antique silver spoons to looting a 17th Century 10-by-10-foot tapestry. Was he an obsessed art appreciator or merely an enigmatic criminal? His eventual “mistake” seals his fate and offers a fascinating look at his justifications and the moral ambiguity behind the crimes.
With meticulous reconstruction of heist sequences, Finkel paces the book like a dramatic thriller. “The Art Thief” is a captivating read for art lovers that blends true crime with a thoughtful reflection on the nature of art, ownership, and compulsion.
How much of who we are is destined and how much is determined by what we make of ourselves? Can it even be manipulated by outside forces? Rachel’s Khong’s latest book, “Real Americans,” is an exploration of identity and how factors of race, class, and environment, shape who we become. Through the story of a Chinese American family unfolding across three perspectives, continents, and generations, Khong provides a vivid tale of contrasts, from private plane rides to Paris, to the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution in China.
At the heart of the narrative is Lily, an unpaid Asian American finance intern in London, whose relationship with the wealthy, blond-haired, blue-eyed Matthew is complicated by their starkly different social statuses. Their eventual marriage produces a son, Nick, who shockingly only bears a resemblance to his father. As time jumps forward, Nick, a young man now living with his single mother on a remote island off Washington’s coast, struggles to reconcile his mixed heritage. Why did his mother leave his father and will a secret DNA test reveal the answers he seeks about his past?
The story shifts to Nick’s grandmother, May, a scientist during Communist China’s Cultural Revolution, whose revelations uncover a secret history that links them all. May’s perspective adds another layer of complexity and depth to the novel’s exploration of Asian American identity and the pursuit of all immigrants — the ideals of the American Dream. Her heart-wrenching tale acknowledges that despite past unfilled desires and mistakes that echo through the generations, hope in tomorrow still remains.
Teenager Diamond Newberry has one motivation to get her driver’s license — leave Swift River, the small New England mill town where she is the only Black person since her father went missing seven years ago.
Essie Chambers’ tender debut novel, “Swift River,” is a lyrical coming-of-age story set in the 1980s. It follows Diamond’s resilient and irreverent journey to connect with her family’s history and her quest for identity. Isolated by her race, mocked for her weight, and burdened by her white mother’s desperation to declare her missing father dead to collect insurance money, Diamond’s life is rife with challenges.
However, a letter from a relative she’s never met uncovers a family’s secret history, introducing her to generations of Black Newberry women. Through shared experiences of bigotry, abandonment, loyalty, and love, Diamond begins to claim her place in the world. Empowered by first friendships, and a deeper understanding of her heritage, she faces her uncertain future with newfound bravery. Chambers’ novel is a darkly irreverent and emotional testament to a defiant spirit, exploring how knowledge of our past can heal our present and shape our future.
