Контркультура
Различные книги в жанре Контркультура
Sunday Drive to Gun Club Road
In her debut short story collection, Quednau offers unsettling examinations of “what really happened” with rich, complex characters that might equally arouse our suspicions or sympathy: we pay attention. She gives voice to the interludes between actions, what almost occurred, or might yet, the skewed time of “before” and acute reckoning of “afterward.” Seemingly innocent gestures leave their marks in comeuppance: the blurt of an intimate nickname becoming an ad hoc striptease in a public place, a parked car leading to a woman flailing in a dunk tank, a garage sale with no early birds ending in vengeance, the redemptive act of shucking corn with an ex-husband’s new lover transforming into greater loss. These stories attest to Quednau’s belief that the most significant moments in our lives—the things that alter us—lie in the margins, just out of sight of what was once presumed or predicted. In these short fictions timing is everything, the rusted twentieth-century myths of ownership or conquest are set against the incoming reality of pandemic, our separate notions of love or of courage, of painful transformation, yet to be believed.
Saltus
Evocative of Miriam Toews’ A Complicated Kindness and Diane Warren’s Cool Water , Tara Gereaux’s novel, set in small-town Saskatchewan, dissects themes of Métis identity, female identity and motherhood, aging and regret, and finally, acceptance. Nothing ever seems to happen in the small town of Saltus. At the Harvest Gold Inn and Restaurant off Highway 53, two waitresses spend their evening shifts delivering Salisbury steak specials and slices of pie to the regulars. But everything changes when Nadine, a headstrong single mother, and her teenager, Aaron, arrive at the Gold, where Aaron—who has repeatedly been denied appropriate gender-affirming medical care from the mainstream system—undergoes a near-fatal procedure performed by an unqualified and eccentric recluse who lives on the outskirts of Saltus. The events that transpire that evening force each townsperson to look long and hard at themselves, at their own identities, and at the traumas and experiences that have shaped them. Told from multiple perspectives, Saltus reveals the complexities inherent in accepting the identities of loved ones, and the tragic consequences that unfold if they are ignored. It is a story about relationships with others, and, even more importantly, with ourselves.
Queen of Spades
Ann Patchett, at Powell’s in September 2016 during her Commonwealth tour, said she wants to read "a smart funny book that isn't tragic at the end but doesn't make you feel dumb. That book is one we can sell because everybody has already read Where'd You Go Bernadette ." Queen of Spades is exactly that type of book—accessible. The author has two Ph.Ds and has written a compelling, brilliantly constructed novel that appears deceptively simple. Its clean sentences, lack of terrible/dark acts, and sense of humor should make it an easy one to recommend. There are very few casino-set books that aren’t aggressively anti-gambling—although Queen of Spades doesn’t glorify the pursuit, either; consequences are explored. Multiple POVs introduce us to a crew boss dying of a mysterious brain ailment, a dealer who drifts from casino to casino, an ex-wife in a gambling recovery group, and the bookies who use their ill-gotten proceeds to open a fitness center/hair salon. A Seattle-area casino setting will connect with fans of the Seattle Seven authors, including Jamie Ford, Maria Semple, and Stephanie Kallos. Jonathan Lethem’s A Gambler’s Anatomy explores casinos through the eyes of a privileged male player; Queen of Spades explores the everyday people who work at one run-down establishment, and how their choices and belief in luck influence their fates. Author’s exemplary educational and teaching background will help with college course placement.
Monarchs of the Northeast Kingdom
"Lush and evocative…A highly satisfying, delicately woven story about loss, loneliness, life, and death." <br>—<b><i>KIRKUS REVIEWS</i></b> <br><br>"Infused with the hypnotic tone of a dream and the rich evocation of place…utterly affecting." <br>—<b>LIAM DURCAN</b>, author of <i>The Measure of Darkness</i> <br><br>"<i>Monarchs of the Northeast Kingdom</i> is particularly memorable for its close reading of the ways of animals, and for its evocation of place: a would–be pristine winter kingdom continually threatened by human arrogance, carelessness, and greed. This is an astonishingly mature first novel, suspenseful, haunted—and haunting—from start to finish." <br>—<b>A. G. MOJTABAI</b>, author of <i>Shine on Me</i> <br><br>"Ominous from its opening image, <i>Monarchs of the Northeast Kingdom</i> is a haunting beauty. Hammons' prose is tight as tripwire. A quiet madness unfolds and the narrative forces the reader to look and see what the most fragile among us are capable of. Her characters, both human and not, will be with me a long time." <br>—<b>KELLY SOKOL</b>, author of <i>The Unprotected</i> <br><br>"Chera Hammons writes fiction with the same lyricism that makes her poetry shine. Every sentence sings with grace and music. <i>Monarchs of the Northeast Kingdom</i> is a book you don't read so much as savor." <br>—<b>RICHARD KRAWIEC</b>, author of <i>Time Sharing</i> <br><br>Anna and her husband John, a master saddlemaker, have created a quiet existence for themselves in rural Vermont. When John disappears in the woods near their home, Anna hides what she finds there in a desperate effort to ensure her own survival. She must learn to live alone in a landscape where poachers trespass, coyotes roam, bears menace livestock, and winter starves the wild animals—while debilitating illness and long–buried secrets threaten to upturn her life.
Accidentals
Despite the fact that the US is home to a large portion of the Uruguayan diaspora and played a significant role in its mid–20th century history, many North Americans know nothing about Uruguay and its history of democracy and dictatorship. Especially now, when US institutions are being undermined, this facet of history will interest thoughtful readers.Explores myriad forms of cross–cultural and bilingual lives in the US and the many different ways to experience being an American immigrant, or the child of an immigrant.Author takes for granted that science, along with politics and history, is a suitable topic for literary fiction: a scientific quest is woven into the plot, and the characters' intellectual as well as emotional lives are center stage.Author's short fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.Author is a visiting artist/scholar at the American Academy in Rome and recipient of the 2018 Suffrage Science Award and an Art–in–Science Fellowship from the Hanse Institute of Advanced Study.Early endorsements from Karen Joy Fowler and Jean Hegland.
Запрет
Тема запрета алкоголя невероятно скользкая. Некоторые люди терпеть его не могут из-за детских травм, а некоторые банально не могут без него жить. Можно ли снизить уровень проблем, запрещая алкоголь, или это сделает только хуже? Есть два категоричных мнения: Кейт и Криста. Баланс между выбором возможен или вариант: "хорошо всего в меру" будет неправильным? Золотая середина? А вдруг балансировать невозможно и все-таки выбирать обязательно? Это вообще важно или внимание нужно уделять более серьезным проблемам?