We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt

From the publisher: Rob Coates feels like he’s won the lottery of life. There is Anna, his incredible wife, their London town house and, most precious of all, Jack, their son, who makes every day an extraordinary adventure. But when a devastating illness befalls his family, Rob’s world begins to unravel. Suddenly finding himself alone, Rob seeks solace in photographing the skyscrapers and clifftops he and his son Jack used to visit. And just when it seems that all hope is lost, Rob embarks on the most unforgettable of journeys to find his way back to life, and forgiveness.

We Own the Sky is not my usual kind of reading. It’s contemporary fiction with an issue. I accidentally requested an electronic advance reader copy from Netgalley, and since my goal is to read and review every e-ARC I request, I read it.

I’m glad I did. It’s hard to believe it’s a first novel. It’s well written and easy to read. Anna and Rob are characters with depth. Both have traits that made me like them and traits that aren’t particularly attractive. Jack was not as well drawn.

Some of the story is told through forum messages, and I found those a little tiresome at times. Also, the technical details of how Rob hacked into a forum and an email account were probably not necessary. But those are minor complaints about a great story.

The narrative moves back and forth in time – we watch Anna and Rob’s courtship, their struggle to have a child after miscarriages, and their relationship with their child. The book is sad, moving, and believable.

The author wrote this book after being diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 36, and he successfully channeled his feelings of fear, frustration, and loss into his book. If you enjoy contemporary literature, you may enjoy We Own the Sky. It is scheduled to be published on April 3 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library.

The Gentleman by Forrest Leo

From the publisher: When Lionel Savage, a popular poet in Victorian London, learns from his butler that they're broke, he marries the beautiful Vivien Lancaster for her money, only to find that his muse has abandoned him. Distraught and contemplating suicide, Savage accidentally conjures the Devil, who appears at one of the society parties Savage abhors. The two hit it off: the Devil talks about his home, where he employs Dante as a gardener; Savage lends him a volume of Tennyson. But when the party's over and Vivien has disappeared, the poet concludes in horror that he must have inadvertently sold his wife to the dark lord. Newly in love with Vivian, Savage plans a rescue mission to Hell.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Gentleman, but caution anyone consider reading it that it is definitely not a Victorian novel. It’s more like a 21^st century American novel framed by Victorian memes. The many words and actions that would not truly fit within Victorian times did not bother me because the novel does not take itself seriously and so I didn’t take it seriously either.

The book is just fun – I did not go looking for deep meaning. The plot, characters, and dialog are amusing. There were passages that appealed to the English major in me (“I have never known books or love ever to fail, so I don’t see why they’d do so now” (p. 144)) and others that tickled my sense of whimsy. The female characters are no shrinking violets, but modern women with their own strong opinions.

The book is narrated by poet Savage, with occasional footnotes by his editor, a relative of Savage’s wife with whom relations are strained. I found the editor’s notes annoying at first, but eventually they grew on me, as did the character of the editor. The author enjoys poking fun at stereotypes – of the blustery Adventurer, the eccentric Inventor, the competent Butler, and the Devil himself. A lot happens – and nothing much happens at all.

I can imagine that some readers will despise The Gentleman. For example, while writing a poem, Savage tries desperately to make the word “Devil” one syllable, and this becomes a running joke of the sort you either find funny or deeply annoying.

Recommended to people who like nonsense and sweet books that are a little off.

The Galesburg Public Library owns The Gentleman, which is Forrest Leo’s first novel.

PS: The publisher does the author no favors by comparing the book to Wodehouse, as that sets up expectations that cannot possibly be met. Don’t pick this up expecting Wodehouse. 

The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

Anne Enright, author of the Man Booker Prize-winning The Gathering, returns with a tale of love, lust, and the everyday price of adultery. Gina Moynihan is a successful Dubliner living in the height of the Irish economic boom of the 2000s. She is married and has a successful career. All of this comforting stability changes upon meeting Sean Valley, her sister’s neighbor. Sean and Gina’s seduction and resulting affair catapult Gina into a world of painful desire and effortless deception. The longer the book goes on it seems Gina is not in love with Sean but, more accurately, trying to convince herself she is. The Forgotten Waltz is a quiet, unnerving book. Those looking for a steamy bodice ripper, look elsewhere. This is a tale of everyday life, told with haunting poetic force.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a big fan of chick-lit. More power to the ladies (and gentlemen) out there who laughed along with Something Borrowed or shed a tear over Eat, Pray, Love. I went there, I tried it, but in the end I just couldn’t hang. I’m a chick, and I hate chick-lit. So needless to say, I was very surprised by myself when I read a review of Girls in White Dresses and wanted to read it. I attribute my motivation to pick up Girls to the fact that Close seemed to have pegged the clichéd versions of me and my two best friends: the nerdy one, the crazy one with a heart of gold, and the funny girl. I gave the book a try, and I was pleasantly surprised when I could hardly put it down. Girls in White Dresses is what I always dreamed chick-lit could be-- fluffy and trivial, while still maintaining a refreshing honesty. Chapters alternate between various female characters who are all centrally connected to the book’s three main protagonists: Mary, Lauren, and Isabelle. I would highly recommend this book to all chick-lit lovers, and maybe a few haters too.