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Top reviews:
Worsley was the chief curator of Britain’s Historic Royal Palaces for more than two decades and thus has a unique frame of reference on her subject. A political social and royal history her book is braided with personal anecdotes. She recounts stories of the palaces’ “human inhabitants all of them high and low” and she relates her own experiences pointing out telling details in the rooms they haunted. She is an accomplished writer her confiding conversational style honed through speaking her lexicon accommodating “somnolence” or “meretricious” as well as “control-freak.” A hefty portion of the book centers on the Tudors especially Henry VIII from his childhood as “an unstable compound of bravado and grief”; through his tumultuous reign; his favor-currying builder Cardinal Wolsey; and his succession of wives. Part Two moves from Hampton Court to the Tower of London its ravens tragic boy princes and other inhabitants. The Stuarts follow from James I a “tricksy slippery kind of king”; then the Hanoverians (father-son conflict; the madness of George III); Victoria (admired and pitied); and finally the modern monarchs from vain “Bertie” to Elizabeth II. Worsley is especially adept at providing a different perspective on the queens correcting popular misperceptions and humanizing them—for example in the strikingly sympathetic double-portrait of George II’s queen and his mistress. The author seeks out formerly overlooked evidence of female agency and accepts the possibility—without certainty—of homosexual inclinations. Her lively account pushes against cinematic dramatizations chasing through the archives as well as stalking the halls. Marriages and illnesses human relations and foibles clothing furnishings food portraits horses hangers-on and more provide a constant stream of engaging you-are-there vignettes—all animating history.
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Saunders acknowledges that Athens was part of a larger world but largely confines herself to the city in surveying “Greek” art and thought political institutions home life and social customs. The picture she draws isn’t entirely idyllic as she points to sharp class divisions and repeatedly contrasts the very different lives boys and men could expect with those of girls women and enslaved people in general. While sending Pentathlos a fictive 9-year-old who introduces himself as an Athenian from 440 BCE to school and then to Olympia for exciting glimpses of the original Olympic Games she also adds bits of color by for instance noting that athletes competed naked—glimpsed from afar in Robins’ austere static illustrations—or explaining that ancient Greeks did not have toilet paper (they “used pieces of pottery”). Inserted sans safety precautions recipes for fried or baked goods and instructions for a homemade open flame oil lamp and a drinking cup with “paint” in its list of ingredients may put hands-on sorts at risk. Still readers should come away with glimmers of this civilization’s enduring legacy. Figures in the illustrations are mostly light- or tan-skinned.
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The book’s opening essay “Breakfast for Dinner” sets the tone for the rest of the work with its blend of childhood trauma comedic storytelling and poignant reflections. The essay opens with the inaugural family dinner in Staples’ new home. In attendance with his wife and in-laws was the author’s mother who (with “the calm of an air traffic controller”) told the story of how she deliberately killed her son’s childhood cat. As readers discover after piecing together details from this and a dozen other essays Staples no longer has a relationship with his mother (“my life is a lot better without her in it” he asserts). Though he hasn’t spoken to her in years she plays a central role throughout the book. Born in the 1960s she’s described as someone who carries “an air of perpetual discontent”; every event “somehow turns into proof of [her] own suffering.” Per the author this behavior made for a childhood characterized by uncertainty and a lack of stability. Staples writes that his mother could not hold down a job and that her relationship with his father was in constant flux. “The reconciling separating again semi-reconciling and eventual divorce” he writes “did far more damage to me psychologically than if they’d made a clean break the first go-round.” While not shying away from the trauma associated with his tumultuous upbringing (“During those years dinner was always a toss-up” he notes) the author highlights the humorous aspects of his childhood. Particularly hilarious is his account of his sexual education: His mother simply tossed him a book about sex (“You do the legwork!”) while his father—who ran a landscaping business during the day and loaded UPS trucks at night—asked if he had ever seen a Penthouse magazine. Staples’ affirmative reply was apparently sufficient since his dad ended the conversation there “checking another box in his brain.”
Telling a quintessentially millennial coming-of-age story the memoir effectively captures the ethos of 1990s adolescence as Staples describes early exposure to the internet school-wide anti-drug campaigns featuring law enforcement rants about the perils of drugs and a scheme to score free soundtracks from Beavis and Butt-Head Do America and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls from the Columbia House catalog. These humorous anecdotes help to balance the more serious commentary on parenthood as the essays lead to a conclusion that focuses on Staples’ own children Tommy and Emma and his quest to provide them with the stability protection and guidance that his childhood often lacked. “Parenting isn’t about getting it right all the time” the author touchingly writes. “It’s about showing up. It’s about enduring.” A profoundly vulnerable memoir the work acknowledges childhood pain without wallowing in it. The intimate text is complemented by the family photographs and original illustrations created by Staples and his son with crayons and magazine cutouts that introduce each chapter. A writer and comedian who’s performed at venues throughout his home state of Massachusetts Staples is a gifted storyteller who can make any tale—from the mundane to the ridiculous—both poignant and comical.Read more...
A pollution cloud that causes mutations has sent most of humanity below ground—except for Elias who can somehow breathe the air. Ever since his moms were mysteriously abducted three years ago he’s been living on the surface among the mutants getting around with the help of a giant pigeon named Paulino. One day he meets a girl named Ana who lives underground but ventures above wearing a high-tech protective suit. Together they elude a mob of mutant rats and fight a giant cilantro plant on the way to a showdown with the rat king. The influences of Elias’ and Ana’s parents both loom large. Before they disappeared Elias’ moms biologists Clara and Cecilia Alvarado were working on genetically modifying a “nuevolypto” plant capable of purifying the air; Ana’s stern father Carlos casts doubt on her ambitions to become an above-ground explorer and find a way to use plant biology to save humanity. Flashbacks reveal that the cast are connected in more ways than they realize leading to a climax packed with melodrama. Themes of interspecies empathy combine with dynamic artwork featuring shonen anime–inspired action reflecting a unique mashup of influences. Spanish terms are interspersed in the English dialogue often with an on-page translation. Elias and Ana both have tan skin.
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These adorable kitties look forward to a festive week of shared fun with friends. They plan and build the sukkah using appropriate tools and protective gear and following ancient instructions as to size and materials. The roof is hung with fronds and branches interlaced with fragrant citron and decorated with colorful paper chains and gourds. After creating delicious treats (“tiny sukkahs made / from heaps of tempting sweets”) the felines are ready to hunker down in their sleeping bags for the first night. The next morning friends arrive among them birds a bunny a squirrel a mouse and more kitties all most welcome. They shake the leafy lulav fronds breathe in the heady scent of the etrog citron and savor a rich feast. One kitty tells the others the story of Sukkot—both a harvest celebration and a remembrance of how the Jews wandered the desert with only simple huts for shelter. For this upbeat fast-paced tale Waldman relies on lilting four-line action-packed rhymes. Her bright highly detailed cartoons complement the tale depicting the kitties’ intense joy at every step. Appended are instructions for making edible mini sukkahs out of candies graham crackers and pretzel sticks.
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Long before newcomers began arriving at Ellis Island Indigenous peoples had already lived on this land for thousands of years but the first permanent Spanish colony in the mid-1500s set in motion what would become a winding road of immigration and relocation trends in the United States. Clear explanations and naturally embedded definitions make complex terms and policies easy to follow while the text examines why people relocated which eras brought different groups and how laws shaped their experiences from enslaved Africans brought by force through Mexican workers recruited through the Bracero programs to Jewish Germans fleeing the Holocaust during World War II. Contemporary issues including President Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship bring the history into the present. Throughout Wegwerth emphasizes how immigration policies have disproportionately been created and enforced by white men while underscoring the fundamental truth that Indigenous people were here first and still are. Racism nativism and xenophobia receive nuanced attention. Though discussion questions vary in their potential for thoughtful engagement they provide useful prompts for research and classroom conversation alongside captioned photos and illustrations. A myth-busting page in the backmatter adds some welcome appeal to an otherwise dry presentation.
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Having recovered from adventures related to a prankster co-worker Marty Moose (so named because of an unfortunate ink blot on his birth certificate) is ready to enjoy his day off. And what better way to relax than to attend the Annual Little Ditch Fastest Feathers Race where birds compete for a solid gold egg? But what’s this? Celebrity judge Hurricane Honk missed the delivery of the prize and unless Marty can retrieve it the winners won’t have anything to win! What starts as a simple job turns into a nightmare when two sneaky ferrets attempt to purloin the prize for themselves. Now Marty and his rabbit buddy Nibbles Frizzby find themselves accidentally running the race dodging a pair of “dastardly ducks” dipping into caverns full of stolen goods and trying to reach the end without getting gobbled or pummeled along the way. Though he experiences moments of doubt it’s Marty’s smarts that win the day by story’s end and the good-natured cacophony of chaos snowballs nicely. Line art in pinks and reds add to the pleasure of the hijinks keeping young readers guessing as to what may happen next.
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A redheaded child describes his “busy body” including his green eyes that help him see his nose that helps him smell warm fresh-baked cookies and his mouth with which he laughs yawns and enjoys eating his favorite treats. He counts the hairs on his baby brother Paul’s head swims jumps and plays sports and he even visits a doctor for a checkup. Whether he’s discussing his brain hands heart or feet the boy is grateful: “From my nose to my ten toes My body does all I need.” Over the course of this brief text Brannan offers a sweet rhyming narrative with a message of self-love at its core. The book invites young readers to move and play by showing the boy actively engaging with the world on each page. Lopes’ whimsical cartoon illustrations bring the story to life with fun details that go beyond the text including an expressive family cat; the boy’s dinosaur costume which he wears while riding his bike; and a friendly pediatrician’s cat-themed lab coat.
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Rose’s childhood has been plagued by nightmares in which she dies “in different terrifying ways.” Then there’s the near-death experience: She’s nearly hit by a truck and saved just in time by a beautiful boy whom no one else saw. Her insistence that he was real leads to her becoming a viral spectacle exacerbating her feelings of alienation. So after high school Rose wants to get as far away from Irvine California as possible. This drive to escape leads her to Payen University in Massachusetts where everything is redolent with cozy historical atmosphere; she even enjoys the drizzly weather. Rose is startled to encounter her mysterious rescuer on campus but he insists he’s never seen her before and tries to keep his distance. Still she pursues him feeling an inexplicable connection. Cross’ debut which centers on two white-presenting leads is filled with yearning and desire and will appeal to fans of The Vampire Diaries and Twilight. The tale offers different twists on typical vampiric lore. After being thrown into the world of the paranormal Rose is forced to contemplate her place within it even as she faces life-threatening danger. Short chapters accentuate the fast pace and the setting evokes spine-tingling autumnal and winter chills.
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The ship Meridian Star departs eastern Russia unknowingly carrying a pair of containers with radioactive cesium chloride. The vessel is hijacked and scuttled in Micronesia near the Mariana Trench and the crew is murdered. A huge insurance claim results and Jack an accomplished deep-sea diver who works for Hendley Associates is there to investigate. The hostile Chinese learn it’s there and want that illicit cargo. Meanwhile the Naval Undersea Warfare Center discovers a huge mysterious object in 600 feet of water. At that depth the pressure is unsurvivable without complex special equipment which is vintage Tom Clancy. Whatever the strange object is it’s “not a ship…not a submarine…not an aircraft.” On the side is a faded hammer and sickle and Cyrillic letters that spell Siren. Ryan teams up with Navy divers and they look for a way to safely enter and explore the object. They discover that the underwater contraption has thermonuclear warheads attached left and long forgotten by the USSR. If the warheads explode they could still achieve their apparent purpose—to trigger a tsunami and destroy Guam which is strategically important to the U.S. The Chinese know it too and the race is on to take control. The result is plenty of high-stakes undersea action where death can come from a bullet a knife or a sliced air hose. But there’s action on land too. Navy master diver Carla Bennett and Jack take on a surprise assault in a hotel where Carla shows off stellar fighting skills—better than Jack’s. These two aren’t the only heroes here as there’s a well-balanced cast of characters all brave and likable. And of course—of course—where there’s a bomb there’s a ticking clock.
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The chaotic opening scene gives readers a clear indication of what they’re in for: Contract killer Azure attempting to complete a mission is involved in a life-or-death battle with a multieyed biomachine called an Argos. “The thing’s bipedal but has six gorilla-like arms that end in half-metre-long claws” he complains. After Azure barely dispatches the monster and kills his target his AI assistant Atti informs him of his next job: protecting an elderly—and incredibly rich—woman living in a sprawling underground bunker in the middle of nowhere. “Old Woman” as Azure calls her isn’t forthcoming with personal details; all Azure can suss out is that she may be the target of a powerful organized crime syndicate—the same organization that employs him! Is Azure’s ultimate goal to save her or kill her? Although the worldbuilding could’ve been more comprehensive Islington’s editing choices are brilliant—he strips away the insignificant narrative content to create a streamlined action-packed adventure with seemingly one goal: to keep the reader furiously turning pages. The various mysteries—Azure’s murky beginnings the tragic death of his best friend years earlier Old Woman’s true identity etc.—maintain the momentum and intensity. The takeaway here is the narrative potential of the characters as well as the plethora of subjects that could be explored more deeply like immortality for the rich cloning and the potential to create bioengineered nightmares for “security.” Islington leaves the conclusion tantalizingly ambiguous. This novel could be the jumping-off point for a memorable series.
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These horror science fiction and fantasy tales include many encounters with the divine and demonic as well as parallel worlds where people have multiple souls or can grant part of their life span to their loved ones. A recognizably twisted version of our own government and a faraway space colony face crises. There are people who accidentally travel somewhere they never quite intended to go or slip out of their ordinary life into a stranger life or even a stranger’s life. There are near future stories about AI that suggest Turnbull might have a more positive view on the technology’s potential than many of his creative contemporaries; somewhere between today’s chatbots and the self-aware beings of classic SF these AI creations actually provide needed assistance and psychological support in moments of crisis. But overall these are stories about couples siblings and parents and children who have trouble communicating generally because one of them fundamentally can’t understand the importance of something that the other person considers vital and the other person feels unsure how to balance the importance of that thing with the importance of maintaining the relationship. Whether on a distant planet or high mountain peak or in a crowded urban setting or abandoned rural home people struggle to cling to something larger than themselves. But Turnbull suggests perhaps what they really need sometimes is to narrow their focus rather than broaden it to love someone talk honestly with them and be understood.
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This has held true for most of the history of Boneyard “a wild unpredictable sea wracked with storms and shipwrecks”—even before the gaping Breach split open the seafloor releasing sea monsters into the island-spotted waters. But 18-year-old Captain Rayleigh doesn’t need to be warned about Maren whose personality is hotter than her red hair. Even when 17-year-old Maren is on land where she has “starlight-white” hair and a pair of legs instead of a tail she’s full of fire. But it turns out that the two young women have the same goal: collect the three keys of the Pirate Kings and reach the Sea Witch. Maren needs the keys to release her brother’s soul from the witch’s clutches while Rayleigh wants to retrieve the heart of Red-Handed Roger to pay her debt to the sea god and break the curse that binds her to Roger’s ship the Revenant. As the pair reluctantly work together they grow to see more of themselves in one another—grieving souls who just want to belong. Vedder’s worldbuilding is vast exciting and packed with action. The story contains many intriguing ideas; unfortunately they go by too quickly to be fully savored. Still the characters come to touching realizations about grief and the slow-burn romance is fierce just like the two leads. Tan-skinned Rayleigh has black hair and Maren is pale-skinned.
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Several years after evacuating Yori returns to Tokyo hoping to reunite with Haru the woman she’s in love with. The family living where Haru used to live holds a clue—a letter from Haru explaining that although she regrets never reuniting with Yori she married an American soldier and moved to the United States. Devastated and with no family or prospects Yori accepts a job as a sex worker. The year before this Haru waits for Yori’s return. Her abusive father arranges an unwanted marriage so she runs away and decides to take her own life. She’s saved by a Japanese American soldier whose mother arranges a job for her while she hides from her family. Flashbacks are easily distinguishable by all-black backgrounds and scenes of Yori and Haru’s burgeoning romance are enhanced by floating cherry blossom petals. Yori is drawn with a patch of freckles on her nose and Haru with distinctly lighter-colored eyes making both girls easy to discern. As the characters experience multiple traumas the artist gives them full-page spreads neutral faces and tear tracks that linger on their cheeks enhancing the emotional weight and pain. Text written with all capital letters indicates that the characters are writing or thinking in Japanese whereas lowercase font indicates thoughts and speech in English a smooth and unobtrusive choice. There are chapters told from the perspectives of Yori Haru and each of their American husbands; the lyrics of a song inspired by the true account of a sex worker prominently features over the artwork in one of Yori’s segments beautifully blending both women’s stories together.
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Eleven-year-old Tilly has a lifetime of fond family memories especially solving puzzles with her grandmother Nana Mae and cousin Finn who’s also 11 in the woodland behind the family farm. After Nana Mae who’s struggling with memory loss moves into a care home Tilly and Finn who read white find one last challenge she’s left them: Inside the “witch hole” a hollow in the large old oak tree near where the Light Wood meets the Dark Wood Tilly finds a bronze key with wings like a butterfly. Adding to the mystery most of the gemstones from Nana Mae’s memory jar are missing; only the moss agate is left. Even as the cousins worry about the fate of the forest which the adults may sell off they embark on a scavenger hunt that takes them into the mysterious woods. Fans of gothic literature will enjoy the supernatural imagery and the atmospheric Dark Wood with its witch. Athletic city girl Tilly is independent outspoken and protective toward her cousin. She stands up to neighbor boy Hayden when she believes he’s about to bully Finn for his nontraditional interest in makeup. Her growth includes learning to let down her guard and accept help as well as not rushing to quick judgment. The book offers a meaningful exploration of memory and the human psyche.
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Readers will encounter some widely recognized figures in this remembrance such as Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel but Roland draws from many decades of recorded testimonials offering space for a chorus of less well-known voices. Paraphrasing and utilizing short quotes he chronicles thematically the rising tide of Nazi repression the brutal and terrifying roundups life and death in the thousands of European camps and heroic resisters like 15-year-old Warsaw Ghetto activist Aliza Vitis-Shomron and 16-year-old Sophie Scholl of the largely non-Jewish White Rose group. In the final chapter the author offers glimpses of the Holocaust’s enduring effects on Jewish survivors. Tibor “Ted” Rubin spent two years as a teen in Mauthausen followed several years later by 30 months as a prisoner of war in North Korea while serving in the U.S. Army; he enlisted after emigrating as an act of gratitude to the American soldiers who liberated him. Eva Kor who was in Auschwitz with her twin sister (they were subjected to Joseph Mengele’s horrific medical experiments) controversially tendered a public statement of forgiveness for her ordeals. The book makes no mention of teenage Holocaust victims who were targeted for their sexuality disability or Romani ethnicity. Numerous historical photographs accentuate the sobering content.
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Evelyn Galloway has moved to California leaving her life and her former love Alex Trayer behind in New York and is now sharing an apartment with dancer Mary Truman. Evelyn was fortunate enough to work with Alfred Hitchcock on his last picture and helped solve the murder of someone distinctly less fortunate. Now Hitchcock who’s making a movie about “Boravian” (read: German) spies is fighting the censors who are pressuring him to keep the film balanced since the U.S. has declared neutrality in the war. Visiting the ladies’ room Evelyn meets a weepy Phoebe Dillon who claims to have come for an audition even though none are being held that day. Mary is pushing Evelyn to have more of a social life especially now that Alex has moved to California; in addition to Alex she thinks journalist Ted Dorton—whom Evelyn hasn’t trusted since he covered the first murder—would make a good partner. Then when Phoebe’s body is found in a vacant lot Ted’s newspaper runs a series of stories painting her as a tramp. Evelyn goes to see Det. Thomas Zeigler with whom she worked before and tells him all she knows. She’s incensed that someone seems to be insinuating that Phoebe was just asking to be killed. Ted apologizes for his past behavior and works with Evelyn to discover why and by whom Phoebe is being trashed. They discover quite a bit but it’s not until Evelyn talks to Alex who’s secretly working to combat German propaganda that she learns the truth.
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Kitted out with wristwatch escape devices that allow them to make hasty escapes to the present nervous wolf Romy and her owl companion Remus are sent on missions to keep the past from being changed in unpredictable ways. In this series opener their mission is to persuade famous-historians-to-be Catticus (aka Tacitus) and Pliny to flee in time from doomed Pompeii so that they can survive to write their famous works. Along with frequent invitations to make plot choices for the clueless pair and flip back and forth to see the consequences the ensuing romp is punctuated by side puzzles that challenge readers to plot coordinates on a map navigate mazes spot differences between sets of nearly identical figures or scenes match historical events to their dates and similar brain teasers. Bigwood’s comical cartoons reinforce the genially slapdash air of the proceedings and contribute to a sense of place through details that evoke the Roman Empire such as amphorae frescoes an elephant in a toga and an octopus with a head of classically curly hair. Collins’ closing notes add further information about the featured historical figures and sites.
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Newly appointed the dance team captain at her school Jenny Newhouse is responsible for fundraising for new uniforms and she’s chosen somewhat impractically to stash all the money in her purse. When the purse goes missing she decides to secretly replenish the funds by taking babysitting gigs. Though she doesn’t particularly enjoy hanging out with babies she has a spectacular skill for childcare: She can understand baby talk! Her first client sporting a fedora stands up in her crib and boldly introduces herself as “Rosie Woodson. The world’s first detective baby!” Soon this amusing odd couple are mixing crime-solving work with stroller walks ice cream treats and playground time. As the main mystery—the case of Jenny’s missing purse—steadily approaches its solution the sleuthing duo encounter a delightful diverse cast of schoolmates and suspects among them Jenny’s best friend Vesper; her potential crush Marco; her nerdy twin brother Dave; and her nemesis Chloe captain of the cheerleading team. The cartooning is buzzy and bright; the pastel pink and purple palette is effervescently cute and characters’ faces are playfully imbued with manga-style emotions (big eyes and broad reactions aplenty). While the mystery itself is engaging Rosie and her baby pals are irresistible the true stars of the show. Jenny and Rosie have pale skin and red hair; there is some diversity among their community.
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Arjun works for the municipal water office reading meters and answering customer calls. Nearly 40 he’s still single and lives with his parents in Hyderabad. There’s only been one woman he ever wanted to marry—Ruhee whom he’s loved since childhood. But Ruhee and her family moved away when Arjun was a teen after a catastrophic summer. Now though Ruhee is back in town working as a doctor and expressing a wish to reconnect with Arjun. Ruhee’s sudden reappearance triggers memories of the fateful summer when Arjun met the mysterious Ganesh while playing cricket. Ganesh tells Arjun he’s an Indigenous orphan from the Gond tribe adopted by a family who raises him for his labor not allowing him to attend school. To Arjun’s surprise Ganesh and Ruhee hit it off—a little too well as they enter into the kind of intimate relationship that Arjun had envisioned for Ruhee and himself. To top it off that summer marks the uncovering of an affair between two teachers at Arjun’s school one of whom happens to be Arjun’s father which affects the family’s reputation in town. Sliding seamlessly between Arjun’s present and that fateful summer the narrative uncovers secret after secret: Ganesh is not who he seems to be. But for that matter neither is Arjun. Rao’s novel has all the makings of a twisty slow-burn thriller whose careful structure is a marvel. Though some twists work better than others Rao’s deft plot has much to say about the tragic consequences of desire whether for social class power or love.
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