The Book Club: An Oprah selection, a Nobel winner and more

Editor s note The opinions of the smart well-read women in my Denver book club mean a lot and often determine what the rest of us choose to pile onto our bedside tables So we required them and all Denver Post readers to share their mini-reviews with you Have any to offer Email bellis denverpost com Barbara Ellis The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb Marysue Rucci Books The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb Marysue Rucci Books TNS Note Spoilers ahead Corby Ledbetter s life is unraveling He s lost his job his marriage is on the rocks and the stress of being a stay-at-home dad to twin toddlers is sometimes a bit much for him So he starts his day with a secret splash of -proof Captain Morgan to wash down a tranquilizer or two but who s counting after all they were prescribed by a practitioner One morning as he prepares to drive the children to their grandmother s house for the day a momentary lapse in judgment causes an unthinkable tragedy He is given three long years in the penitentiary as punishment for his crime where he grieves and seeks forgiveness from others and especially himself In prison he experiences brutality at the hands of certain guards and inmates but also particular small acts of kindness and camaraderie Corby resolves never to give up hope that someday he will be reconciled with his wife and become the father and husband that he once was and return to a life that could have been happy and fulfilling but for one devastating error Note Oprah Winfrey chose this for her th Book Club pick the third time she has chosen Lamb for her coveted list stars out of Karen Goldie Hartman Westminster Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah Riverhead Life in Zanzibar is rough for those who stayed on after the official end of colonialism Long-held grudges family secrets and attempts to right wrongs all effect in misunderstandings intertwined relationships and disappointments The lives of Gurnah s richly drawn characters are dramatically upended by the whimsical dabblings of a short-term European aid worker signaling that colonialism never really ended Gurnah delivers a powerful message in his understated writing style Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature stars out of Kathleen Lance Denver The Original Daughter by Jemimah Weh Doubleday An existence animated by anger is not the same thing as living a life When she is years old Genevieve suddenly gets a -year-old sister Erin The girls eventually bond perhaps too tightly as they grow up together in Singapore Erin becomes a media star and Genevieve well read the book to see what she becomes Written well enough to keep my interest I was still annoyed at times with the characters and the arc of the story Genevieve is often petty and vindictive Will she redeem herself Weh establishes time and place adroitly the cultural elements add authenticity This contemporary novel would make for a good book club discussion stars out of Neva Gronert Parker There There by Tommy Orange Knopf There There by Tommy Orange Knopf Can a debut novel convey the depth and sensitivity of a tour de force Yes if it s There There in which we meet characters as detailed as an MRI All are from urban Native American communities and attend a major pow-wow gathering in Oakland Calif Broken families romance violence native history destructive forces on indigenous practices a kaleidoscope of personal narratives and emotions and conclusively mass violence perform like traditional Native American dances The author comes from Cheyenne and Arapaho heritages and its mesmerizing cast of characters struggle with every challenge stereotyped on our indigenous peoples heavy drinking poverty fetal alcohol syndrome juxtaposed with an array of their numerous talents and gifts The story stands as a major example of the wealth our land loses if we disregard diverse voices A Pulitzer Prize finalist stars out of Bonnie McCune Denver bonniemccune com