REVIEWED BY MICHELLE GREEN
CRITIC'S CHOICE
FICTION
Riley Martin, the hero of this powerful first novel, is a second grader much like any other: He spills Wheaties on the rug, loves the plastic pool behind his house and scorns Sarah, a 6-year-old who has a crush on him. He also plays with matches, which is how he starts a fire that leaves him with third-degree burns on 63 percent of his body. Flown to Galveston's Shriners Burns Institute, he spends months in a kind of purgatory where, along with his body, his soul undergoes a transformation. Though his mother, in particular, may never be able to accept his physical deformities, Riley comes to see why only his spiritual gifts matter.
Byrd, whose own sons were seriously burned in a playhouse fire at ages 4 and 7 in 1981, and who spent months by their bedsides at Shriners, injects a chilling authenticity into Riley's story. She captures the kindly jokiness of the "tub men" who immerse him in warm water and pick off his dead skin. There are frightening talks among specialists and multiple surgeries followed by "days of absolutely forlorn recovery." Against this backdrop of fear and pain, Byrd forges a riveting story that, in the end, is astonishingly uplifting.
[4 stars]
by John Hart
REVIEWED BY POPE BROCK
THRILLER
Take a North Carolina criminal defense lawyer, marinate him in bourbon and self-loathing, and turn him loose to find his father's killer—that's the setup for The King of Lies, the ambitious debut thriller from former attorney John Hart. Nobody does hate like Southerners, and you'll find plenty of it in the characters slithering through this well-spun murder mystery, along with southern-fried red herrings that pack a wallop of their own. Hart is especially good at creating atmosphere by inference: Without larding on magnolias and coonhounds, he creates a convincing sense of place. Of a woman for whom he lusts, narrator Work Pickens says, "Even more than this place, this woman did things for me. She was farmwork-lean, with flaxen hair and eyes that shone like sun on water. Her hands were rough, but I loved them for the things they could do. I liked to watch her plant things, those hands in dark earth. It reminded me of what I knew as a child, that dirt is good and the earth forgives." If ultimately Pickens's story steers a little too close to another top thriller of recent years—to name it would be to give the game away—this is still a gripping performance.
[3.5 stars]
by Madeleine Albright
REVIEWED BY SUE CORBETT
NONFICTION
Albright grew up thinking God had no role in foreign policy; experience taught the former Secretary of State otherwise. In this meditation on how faith shapes world events, she explores Islam's roots, predicts that the U.S. invasion of Iraq may rank "among the worst foreign policy disasters" in our history and urges America to tread lightly: "We had better find a way to start putting old fires out instead of lighting new ones." An engrossing, important read.
4 stars
by Molly O'Neill
REVIEWED BY ANDREW ABRAHAMS
MEMOIR
It had to be more than kismet that O'Neill, formerly the esteemed food columnist for The New York Times Magazine, and her youngest brother, Paul, star right fielder for the New York Yankees, would both occupy center stage in Gotham in the late '90s. But this is no bitter tale of sibling rivalry fueled by dueling fame—it's one of the funniest, most heartwarming memoirs in years. O'Neill recounts the rapid growth of Chick and Boots O'Neill's brood (five boys plus Molly), and details Chick's steadfast but loving desire to breed future major leaguers out of Columbus, Ohio. "Baseball saved my brothers but cooking saved me," O'Neill writes of the passion that distinguished her from her competitive sibs. She moved from Mom's sous-chef to feminist restaurateur (the Ain't I a Wommon Club in Northampton, Mass., serving "nonviolent cuisine") to Julia Child protégée. But the story always comes back to O'Neill's brothers, especially the gifted but self-doubting Paul, who won five championships before retiring in 2001. Foodies and baseball fans alike will cheer for the remarkable O'Neills.
[4 stars]
by Anderson Cooper
REVIEWED BY MICHELLE GREEN
MEMOIR
A compelling presence on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, the author is a storyteller with plenty of heart: In covering disasters including Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, he appears to be an earnest Everyman who clearly savors wading though the muck and figuring out where the bodies are buried. In this smart, soulful page-turner, Cooper explains how his journalistic penchant for mayhem is entwined with his past: His father, writer Wyatt Cooper, died while undergoing heart surgery when Anderson was 10; his brother Carter jumped 14 stories to his death in front of their mother, designer Gloria Vanderbilt, in 1988. Strong stuff, as they say on CNN; and in Cooper's hands, well told.
[3 stars]
by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop
REVIEWED BY VICK BOUGHTON
FICTION
Writer Hollis Clayton is a depressed 38-year-old stuck between early childhood and midlife crisis. When he ventures out of his New England cottage, he navigates a world comprising only his porch, his yard, his neighbors' yard (including their trampoline), a local bar and a nearby burrito joint. Career-wise, he's also in a rut—instead of working on his short stories, he hides from his editor. Meanwhile, his wife has left him (his girlfriend, too), and he is still mourning his 4-year-old son, hit by a car and killed two years earlier when Hollis left the boy outside alone for a few minutes. In short, Hollis is a mess, but he's too acutely self-aware to be pathetic. He knows how to fix things, and once he decides he's ready, he begins to pick himself up from the ruins. So beautifully realized is this poignant, funny hero, you'd never suspect he inhabits a first novel, but Fireworks is indeed the hugely gifted Winthrop's debut. Keep an eye on her.
[3.5 stars]
>Young Adult Fiction
It's a growing category, but who are YA novels really for? The scoop on some new titles:
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
The hipster Be More Chill author takes on teen depression. Not for your average 12-year-old (herpes is mentioned on page 1) but the wise, witty narrator and sensitive handling of a hot topic should win over older teens—and their parents.
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
A cut above chick lit, Dessen's tale of an It girl who only seems to have it all has sharply drawn characters, serious themes (anorexia, rape) and a page-turner of a plot. Aimed at high schoolers, it has Mom appeal too.
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
An engaging coming-of-age story that incorporates family secrets, a major crush and a hearty dose of football, told by a self-deprecating Wisconsin tomboy. Wholesome fun for sophisticated middle schoolers.
Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Two abused, homeless teens seek redemption—and reclaim a kind of innocence—on a cross-country trek. Another page 1 tip-off: sexual themes ahead. But it's a lovely ride.
Turning Heads
To show bald can be beautiful, cancer survivor Jackson Hunsicker assembled photos—and thoughts—of women who lost their hair to chemo.
DIKLA BENZEEVI (left, top): "Before we took this photograph, I'd never been out bald before in public. It felt good not to have a wig.... We were at Venice Beach and there are so many wierdos that I wasn't self-conscious."
MELISSA ETHERIDGE: "My stylist found me that jacket. It had a nice high collar and it made my head look grand! So I thought, Okay, I'll go to the Grammys bald! I was so cool under the hot lights. It felt great. And the energy you feel when you don't have anything on your head!"
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
