Book Nook – Kat Wahl, Writer

Dragons in the Waters, Madeline L’Engle (1982)                It took until I had nearly finished the book for me to realize that it both was and was not what I had come to expect from Madeline L’Engle. I have a particular attachment to the second books of series (this being another in a long string of second books I have unknowingly read before the first in the sequence) and the second A Wrinkle in Time book, A Wind in the Door, is very probably my favorite book of all time. I have read quite a few L’Engle books, and I find her style of writing singularly comforting. That did not change, but the mystically-tinged science fiction I have previously enjoyed was in this story replaced by the suspense of a tangled mystery. The familiar figure of Dr. Calvin O’Keefe kept me grounded, as well as other comforting and trustworthy characters who echo the best parts of humanity. Beautiful moments of pause in the story bring just as much comfort as the individuals, so suspense is never quite allowed to turn to stress.
I suggest this book to readers 12 years and older who have enjoyed the author’s other books, young adult mysteries like Nancy Drew, or adventure shows like Expedition Unknown.

Mona, Pola Oloixarac (2019, 2020)                How long do bruises last on the mind? Mona seems to be addicted to most substances you can think of: Valium, alcohol, fear, weed, sex, caffeine. This haze of intoxication, represented well in the writing, lends an atmosphere of magical realism appropriate for the Nordic setting. Flashes of unexplained violence and off-putting sexual encounters leave the reader off center throughout the novel. The feeling is made even more kaleidoscopic by philosophical discussions that get difficult to follow, and characters that are somehow at once accessible and yet completely inhuman.
              A solid place to stand is found in the underlying discussion of diversity. Writers from all over the world are brought together in one place, drawing into contrast the way they play up their unique ethnicity to pander, and to gain traction in a world which regards “writers of color” as a wonderful novelty. I found it interesting, in a book translated into English from the original Spanish, how important language seemed to both the characters and the story itself. I look forward to reading thoughts on this book written by people much smarter than I, having devoured it in less than three days, I’m sure there is so much I missed.
I recommend this book with a word of caution: it has an emotionally dizzying effect. For readers 18+ who enjoyed the movie Promising Young Woman, and the book Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid.