Here's a holiday gift for yourself. Go buy A Reunion of Ghosts and start reading today.
Really. Today. Buy it here: hardbound new or used (starting at 87 cents), paperback (but it won't arrive until January 26), Kindle, Audible.com or audio CD.
Pity my poor book groups. For the last few months, I've arrived at both with a scowl. "This book is trite." "Again? Haven't we read this story 20 times before." "Meh." "Eh." "It was OK." "I didn't like it" followed by, pseudo-meekly, "Sorry!" So went my contributions to our otherwise lively discussions. My poor friends. They probably want to kick me out for disparaging the stories they worked so hard to select.
Then Lorri, who reads more than anyone I've ever met, came up with A Reunion of Ghosts (Harper, March 24, 2015). She was so excited about her discovery that she gave us the title a month in advance. Lorri's picks are always ace. She's the one who led us to Gone Girl, Where'd You Go, Bernadette, and the out-of-print but still hilarious The Dangerous Husband, among other legendary (in our little book group world) faves.
Once again, Lorri rocked it.
I won't say much, because this book unfolds in a series of surprises. Here's a tad: It starts as a quirky tale of three sisters on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. That alone would have made A Reunion of Ghosts an absorbing escape. Mitchell's attention to detail and story-telling skills are that good. But there's more. We're talking history and philosophy, religion and existentialism. It's all presented painlessly, through fascinating characters.
I never knew I could learn so much while laughing so hard.
I found the title and the cover art a turnoff. Please take my advice and ignore both. Just open to page 1 and get going.
Stop shopping for everyone else. Buy yourself a merry little book. Well, it's not merry, even with the guffaws. The pages contain darkness, too--in a good way, if you're into depth. Artfully composed angst. Substance. But this is Christmas week so I got carried away. Buy or borrow A Reunion of Ghosts.
Read enthusiastically, Rona