Staff Review: Mayflies

Title/Author: Mayflies - Andrew O’Hagan

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Coming of Age, Political

The first half is a buildup to four 80s Scots headed to Manchester for a Smiths concert. The second is a look backward from the perch of middle age on what became the iconic time in four young lives. Taken together, Andrew O'Hagan has written a love letter to youth, love, and the regrets and joys that gain clarity with the passage of time. Beautifully crafted sentences are filled with luminous small moments and Mayflies is the work of a pro at the top of his game.

Reviewed by: David

Staff Review: A Little Life

Title/Author: A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Coming of Age, Sagas

Hands down, THE best book I have ever read (but bring your tissues - it's also the saddest book I've ever read). Follow four college classmates throughout their lives, heartbreaks, goals, ambitions, and traumas. Whenever they drift apart, they're pulled back together, to Jude. Living with chronic pain, disability, and trauma, the book looks at how male relationships grow and shift throughout the best and hardest parts of life. A perfect read for New Years!

Reviewed by: Isabel

Staff Review: Not My Problem

Title/Author: Not my problem - Ciara Smyth

Genre(s): YA, LGBTQ+, Coming-of-Age

Set in Ireland and reminiscent of the hilarious, heartwarming show Derry girls. This is a Queer coming of age high school story with delightful characters that you will immediately fall in love with. At the center is a developing romance between the uptight, nerdy daughter of the principal and the witty, standoffish daughter of a recovering alcoholic. Both girls keep getting thrown together under chaotic circumstances that only escalate more as they form a group of unlikely friends. This story also explores the complex difficulties teenagers face from their parents, the complicated feelings of living with a parent who is recovering from an addiction, and the flaws of the education system in accommodating students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are struggling with difficult home lives. At its core this book is about learning how to open oneself up to friendship and love, and accepting the help from people that care about you.

Reviewed by: Rosemary

Staff Review: Crossroads

Title/Author: Crossroads - Jonathan Franzen

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Family Life, Coming of Age

The Franzen haters likely won't be swayed, but Crossroads is a first rate novel. The Hildebrandts are a prototypical midwestern American family coming apart at the seams. Nothing new under the sun, but Franzen is a natural storyteller. Everything rings true, feels urgent and necessary and 500+ pages move very quickly. There's almost a warmth here that was not as evident in previous work, and it's most welcome. This year's fiction offerings are hard to top and this is (for me) at or very near to the top of the heap.

Reviewed by: David

Staff Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Title/Author: The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

Genre(s): Fantasy, Modern Fairtales

Out of Neil Gaiman’s storied career, I often feel like Ocean at the End of the Lane often gets missed or glossed over in favour of bigger titles like Good Omens or American Gods, but I feel this one stands firmly on it’s own. It’s a fairytale in the classic sense, you’ve got a young boy finding himself in a situation that starts out benign that turns out to be more fantastical than he could possibly imagine, the struggle between light and dark, and a hint of danger. You also have the boy, now a middle-aged man, recounting his tale like some of the best stories do. This book also delves into celtic mythology, and functions as a remarkable look at how perceptions change over time.

Reviewed by: Alex

Staff Review: Norwegian Wood

Title/Author: Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Psychological, Coming-of-Age

Murakami once said he hates people to read "Norwegian Wood" as a love story because it should be read as a story about lost souls in Japan. It is a timeless story about how teenagers at that time were constantly on a search for human touch and connection, and there's something painfully poetic about this.

Reviewed by: Ingrid

Staff Review: The Topeka School

Title/Author: The Topeka School - Ben Lerner

Genre(s): Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age, Family Life

This is a literary work that, over twenty plus years time, foretells toxic masculinity, political discord and much of where we find ourselves currently. The Topeka School greatly rewards close reading.

Reviewed by: David