Feb. 2-8: A Recluse, An Orphan, And A Stalker
The Testament of Mary
by Colm Toibin
A fictional imagining of the Virgin Mary's life finds her living a solitary existence in Ephesus. Years after her son's crucifixion, she struggles with guilt, anger and feelings that her son is not the son of God; that his sacrifice was not for a worthy cause.
The First Muslim
by Lesley Hazleton
Lesley Hazleton tells the story of how Mohammad went from orphan to merchant to founder of one of the Earth's largest faiths.
Give Me Everything You Have
by James Lasdun
A true story of obsessive love turning to obsessive hate, Give Me Everything You Have chronicles the author's harrowing ordeal at the hands of a former student whose campaign of hate mail, violently anti-Semitic online postings and false public accusations were orchestrated to destroy his professional and personal life.
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
by Anthony Marra
In war-torn Chechnya, a doctor watches as Russian soldiers abduct his neighbor, who has been accused of aiding Chechen rebels. He later rescues the neighbor's 8-year-old daughter, then colludes with another doctor to form an unlikely family amid the daily violence.
The Woman Upstairs
by Claire Messud
Nora is a reclusive schoolteacher whose dreams of being an artist have been suppressed. She is seething inside with rage and resentment, but she manages keeps her anger in until she meets another woman who has everything she does not: a husband, a child and a successful art career. And then everything begins to unravel.
See Now Then
by Jamaica Kincaid
Jamaica Kincaid's novel opens with a scene of a seemingly idyllic home life in small-town New England. But it soon becomes clear that the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Sweet is anything but sweet.*Some of the language in the summaries above has been provided by publishers.
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