Boy21’s narrator, Finley, uses basketball as a way to cope with the violent hopelessness of his hometown. His mysterious past makes him uncommunicative, and he relies solely on his girlfriend, his night-shift working father, and his legless grandfather – and, of course, basketball. He is willing to follow his coach’sRead More
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick is the story of Pat Peoples, a mentally unstable optimist. As our narrator, Pat can only show us what he remembers and understands of his world, making him an impressively unreliable storyteller. Pat’s sole goal in life is to improve himself both mentallyRead More
The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s long-awaited first novel for adults, and her first non-Harry Potter related story. The novel is set in a small English town named Pagford, where everyone we meet is vengeful and plagued by secrets – everyone, it seems, except Barry Fairbrother. The story begins withRead More
Home by Toni Morrison is a jam-packed novel, offering far more than its slender size would suggest. It centers on the life of Frank Money, a veteran of the Korean War who hates his hometown in Georgia. Frank is traumatized by his experiences overseas, and seeks relief from his memoriesRead More
The Sandcastle Girls, by Chris Bohjalian, is set during the little-known Armenian genocide that took place during World War I. The narrator is the grandchild of two of the main characters. She tells of her ancestors’ story; the story of love forming from the debris of war. In 1915, anRead More
