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A few weeks ago, I got an email from Diana Spechler, a New York City author who had recently come across my blog. She offered to send me a copy of her new novel, Who By Fire, which she did and which I read and highly recommend.
As someone who reads mostly non-fiction these days, when I do occasionally read fiction, I tend to choose stories about family relationships--they're the most interesting to me (one recent favorite: The Namesake).
Who By Fire tells the story of a modern Jewish family struggling to cope with the effects of a horrific tragedy that occurred a decade earlier. The three main characters take turns narrating the story, giving us a deeper look at each character than you normally get in a novel. I became very involved with the story and found myself pulling the book out whenever I had even a few free minutes to read.
Ms. Spechler may make a guest post on this blog at some point in the near future, perhaps a story from the road (she's on a national book tour at the moment). Keep an eye out for that!
Meanwhile, I have been enjoying this four-day weekend tremendously--a couple of leisurely days and a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with our family's typical Jewish flourish (this year: stuffed cabbage!). I was amazed by how empty my gym was yesterday; not so surprised that my local bookstore (where I bought another copy of Who By Fire for my grandmother) was packed.
Last night, Jason and I braved the crowds to see Milk, the new Gus Van Sant film about the openly gay San Francisco city supervisor assassinated (along with the city's mayor) by a bitter colleague. I had expected a good film, but was nonetheless impressed with the direction and moved by the performances and the story. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie audience applaud, but the packed house in the East Village did just that. It was a beautiful film.
Posted by ayelet at November 29, 2008 10:16 AM