Summer Reads

Weather
A novel by Jenny Offill

Orbital
A novel by Samantha Harvey

Liarmouth
A novel by John Waters

when i sing, mountains dance
A novel by Irene Solá

Presenting a quartet of distinctively different short novels for your summertime reading enjoyment and edification:

Weather is a pastiche of short episodes concerning Lizzie (a librarian), Silvia (her mentor and podcaster) and Lizzie's husband, her brother and her son. Climate change drives most of these vignettes as Lizzie grapples with anxiety and the changing world. Clever and profound, it is a great ‘idea’ book.

Orbital deals with six astronauts aboard the International Space Station as they deal with the incredible exhilaration and isolation of orbiting Earth multiple times per day. Thoughtful and provocative, well-paced and worthy of its awards.

Liarmouth is sub-titled “A feel-bad romance” and was written by the notorious film maker and is a complete 180° turn from the lofty aspirations of the previous two entries. You definitely need an appreciation for Waters’ style and a tolerance of perverse sexual practices—‘rimming’ is a recurring motif. Marsha Sprinkle is a compulsive thief and liar with anal retention and sex avoidance issues. The story line careens from one outlandish set-piece to another until it comes to a halt with a happy(?) ending. Waters is a humorist but depending on your tolerance of shocking behavior this twisted tome may or may not induce a chuckle but either way you won’t be bored. You have been warned.

when i sing, mountains dance is a work of literary fiction, written in Catalan and set in the Pyrennes. When the book’s preface is a beautiful quote from Halldór Laxness’ Independent People, you can count on it expanding your reading horizons. Fable-like, with alternating viewpoints from a variety of sources—some of which are not human! It never lets up on its torrent of impressions of life on earth, Even the mountains speak. There is a sub-theme concerning fallout from the Spanish Civil War. Its 198 pages are full of ruminations and revelations. Highest recommendation.