Adult Fiction Archives - Reading Middle Grade

Review | The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

Afoma Umesi — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 11:00:00 +0000

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett caught my eye, thanks to its stunning cover. I'm also one of those people who is simultaneously irritated and intrigued by blurbs that say a book is for "fans of Eleanor Oliphant." This one did not disappoint. Eudora Honeysett is an 85-year-old woman who is tired of modern society and planning to die by euthanasia in Switzerland. She is recovering from a recent fall, when a new family moves in next door to her. Their little girl Rose is outgoing and determined to befriend Eudora. She invites her on outings and also ropes in their other elderly neighbor, Stanley on these adventures. The book unfolds in alternating timelines, one in the present, and one following Eudora's childhood.

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Review | Transcendent Kingdom

Afoma Umesi — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 10:36:04 +0000

Transcendent Kingdom is Yaa Gyasi's long-awaited sophomore novel. Her debut, Homegoing was widely read and loved. In this book, Gifty is a PhD student whose research focuses on desire and restraint and how both factors play into addiction and depression. The story follows Gifty's life from her childhood in Huntesville, Alabama to the present, alternating between several timelines. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted athlete, first playing soccer in his childhood, and then basketball in his teens, until a game injury led to a brush with Oxycontin which eventually spiraled into the opoid addiction that took his life.

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Review | His Only Wife

Afoma Umesi — Wed, 09 Sep 2020 10:50:17 +0000

His Only Wife was my return to adult fiction. I always wondered which book would finally do it, and it was this one. Set in Ghana, this debut novel by Peace Adzo Medie follows a young woman Afi Tekple. The story open at Afi’s marriage to Elikem Ganyo, a man from a high standing Ghanaian family — except Elikem is absent during the ceremony, and his brother is standing in for him. The Ganyos are marrying Afi traditionally for their son, because they are displeased with his current relationship with a Liberian woman with whom he has a daughter.

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5 Books That Feature Senior Protagonists

Afoma Umesi — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 11:00:47 +0000

Reading can be an amazing pastime for those young and old. Still, many readers prefer books they can relate to, whether that be in terms of the plot, the timeline, or in this case, the age of the main character.

Here's a list of five of the best books with a senior protagonist.

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REVIEW | THE NANNY by Gilly Macmillan

Afoma Umesi — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 20:50:53 +0000

The Nanny follows Jocelyn Holt along two timelines -- as a heartbroken child after her nanny mysteriously leaves and then as young-adult widow with a daughter who's returned home after her husband's death. Upon her return, as the story is told from multiple POV's, including her mother's, it's clear that a secret is deeply buried.

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REVIEW | WONTON TERROR

Afoma Umesi — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0000

In Wonton Terror, Lana and Adam are preparing to go on their first vacation as a couple. Her aunt Grace -- her mother's very "Americanized" sister -- is also visiting. On top of all of that, a food truck explosion kills a long-time friend of the Lee family.

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REVIEW: DIM SUM OF ALL FEARS

Afoma Umesi — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 11:00:55 +0000

Dim Sum of All Fears is the second book in Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop mystery series. I enjoyed the first one, Death By Dumpling and this one did not disappoint.

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REVIEW| SEARCHING FOR SYLVIE LEE

Afoma Umesi — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 11:00:08 +0000

This novel opens with the disorienting discovery that the firstborn of the Lee family is missing. Sylvie had gone to Amsterdam a month before to spend some time with the dying grandmother who raised her. But while her family in New York still think she's in Amsterdam, her cousin Lukas calls asking to talk to her. We meet the cast of characters pretty quickly -- Sylvie, Amy, her sister, their parents, cousin, Lukas and his parents Helena and Wilhem.

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REVIEW| The Secret of Clouds

Afoma Umesi — Wed, 01 May 2019 10:50:48 +0000

In The Secret of Clouds, young teacher Maggie Topper begins tutoring a sick young boy, Yuri, at home when the school asks her. At first, Maggie is hesitant due to some past experience with a sick child. However, as she tutors Yuri, the two bond closely. The novel alternates between past and present. In the past, we meet Katya and Sasha, Yuri parents and discover the unfortunate circumstances that lead them to their present.

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Review | Three Things About Elsie

Afoma Umesi — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 10:02:48 +0000

The book opens with octogenarian, Florence on the floor of her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. Florence's first person POV storytelling switches between the present and the events of the past month. The book is also borne through a couple of other narrators. The two other narrators -- Miss Ambrose, the nursing home's manager, and "Handy Simon," the home's handyman are in third person POV.

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