"An actress meets up with a man who is convinced she's his mother. It turns out she's not. I think? Maybe she is? Or, maybe she's not but actually kind of is? What is a mother? The most impressive thing about this Booker Prize finalist is how Katie Kitamura plays with the narrative and toys with the reader without being overly clever about it all. She's stingy with details and answers, but generous with intrigue and depth."
"Its title, however, is the only expected thing about this moving historical narrative, which follows the lives of two intertwined couples in the fictional small town of Bonhomie from pre-World War II to the close of the 20th century. Patrick Ryan, whose previous books include the standout 2016 short story collection The Dream Life of Astronauts, aims to write an American epic and he has the chops to do so, even channeling Herman Wouk to take readers into the thick of naval battles in the Pacific."
Twenty titles suit book clubs and spark conversation. 'Audition' plays with narrative certainty and centers on an actress entangled in ambiguous maternal identity while withholding details and emphasizing intrigue and depth. 'Buckeye' is set in Ohio and traces two intertwined couples from pre-World War II to the late 20th century, blending intimate small-town life with expansive naval-battle scenes and an American-epic ambition. 'Cursed Daughters' blends genre elements and family drama, following three Falodun women bound by a multigenerational curse. The selections span historical narrative, psychological ambiguity, and genre-bending family stories suited to group discussion.
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