Defending Jacob: a Novel by William Landay

Defending Jacob is the summer read you'll have trouble putting down.  Landay is the winner of the Dagger Award for best debut crime novel for Mission Flats.  His other novel, The Strangler was nominated for best crime novel of the year.  Defending Jacob is an intriguing crime novel, thrilling court room drama and disturbing psychological drama.  Jacob, the 14 year old son of Andy, the local District Attorney, is indited for the murder of his fellow classmate.  Both Andy and his wife Laurie, do whatever is necessary to protect and insure their son will be vindicated.  The investigation and court room battle are fast paced and clever and leave you wondering whether Jacob will be found innocent.  It's during the trail that Laurie begins to question her son's innocence whereas Andy remains steadfast in belief of Jacob's innocence.  Andy has kept his wife and son unaware that his father is serving a life sentence for murder until the time of Jacob's inditement.  The novel calls into question whether sociopathic behavior is a result of genetics and to what extent are parents responsible for their child's behavior.  The differing views of their son's behaviors is reminiscent of the novel, We Need to Talk About Kevin.  This is an enjoyable, fast paced novel which raises disturbing dilemmas leading to combative debate.

The Makioko Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki

Tanizaki is regarded as one of the most prominent Japanese authors of the 20th C.  He has been elected to the Japanese Acad. of the Arts and honored with Japan's Order of Culture.  The Makioko sisters is a drawn out story of 4 Japanese sisters during the 5 years just prior to the outbreak of WWII.  The two older sisters, are entrusted and consumed with marrying off both their younger sisters; the elder of which must be married prior to the youngest.  Despite the Chinese conflict which is mentioned in passing and the stirrings of war in Europe, the family are consumed with maintaining their status and adhering to protocol to  procure suitable husband for their two younger sisters.  I would be tempted to compare this novel with DOWNTON ABBEY except that the Makioko sisters choose to adhere strongly to their cultural traditions and etiquette and fail to accept their declining status, the encroaching westernization into their culture and the pending War.  Tanizaki writes with lyricism and beauty but the repetitive marital arrangements, called a miai, mire this novel in tedium.  I recommend this book for those who want a glimpse into a period of Japanese culture that has gone with the wind.  Is this a quick enjoyable read? Yes for those who like sitting in a beautiful Zen garden for hours on end.

CARRY the ONE, one captivating novel by Carol Anshaw

Carry the One, centers around a family of 3 siblings, two sisters, Carmen & Alice and their brother, Nick.  This intelligent and complex novel begins the night of Carmen's wedding. In the aftermath of the celebration a young girl is struck & killed by a car of wedding guests.  The car is driven by Nick's date Olivia, both being under the influence of drugs & alcohol.  Alice and several other revelers are also passengers and along with Carmen, are bound by feelings of culpability and guilt.  Olivia acknowledged that guilt is the easiest and simplest response but "much more complicated was living past guilt, bearing the permanence, accommodating the weight of having done something terrible and completely undoable."  Anshaw has been awarded the Carl Sandburg Lit. Arts Award.  In Carry the One, she creates a stirring novel dealing with genuine emotions of love, commitment, redemption and quilt.  Some people move beyond blaming anyone.  Some are capable of giving forgiveness yet others are incapable of accepting it.   Understanding what enables some people to strive forward while others implode makes this ONE unforgetable.

GONE GIRL a novel by Gillian Flynn

If you're looking for a page turning summer read, this just might fit the bill.  It is a mixture of suspense and  look at disturbing love/hate relationships.  Amy is discovered missing on the 5th anniversary of her marriage to Nick in what appears to be a crime scene within their home.  Alas, not all is at seems, and while Amy paints a bleak account of marriage in her diary, and evidence seems to implicate Nick, we're not quite convinced of his culpability in her disappearance.  Nick has some intriguing detectives along with his twin sister who add their support & interest to the story. Flynn is a master at suspense and intrigue and in uncovering the dark interworkings of relationships.  Nick believes that love gives you permission to just be who are you and Amy felt that love was turning her into something she never wanted to be. Of course,  things are never as they appear to be in Flynn's unpredictable but deeply unsettling novel.  This is a hard look at how we are manipulated by the media and the very deranged powers of manipulation.  This may be a fast read, but you may be more anxious to finish rather than embrace.