Tag Archive for: grief

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

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​Helen Cartwright was born in a small English village but lived the last sixty years in Australia. When she turns eighty and with nothing to hold her in Australia she returns to the place of her birth to die. Now three years later as each day passes Helen realizes that “even for death there is a queue.”

In Simon Van Booy’s latest novel Sipsworth, Helen lives a life of isolation. She tries to walk each day as that’s important, she drinks her tea, listens to the radio in the mornings and watches the television in the afternoons. She makes the walk to the grocery each Monday but she interacts with no one unless it is a necessity.

Her practice of watching the world go by has led to an oddity, Helen has become curious about what people throw away. Several times she has gone out to inspect what her neighbors leave out to be picked up. Late one night she sees the man next door bring out two bags then a large box. Even though it’s midnight Helen needs to know what’s in the box.

The box turns out to be a fish tank full of small boxes with a toy diver on top. She bought her son a diver just like that when he was thirteen and she recalled it was part of a set. She struggles to bring the tank into her house but on the coffee table it goes. By now she is cold and tired​; unpacking the boxes will wait until morning.

The next morning she carefully cleans the diver before looking to see what the boxes hold. Disappointingly they are empty. After inspecting each one she is left with a few toys in the bottom and one large water soaked box. Since it is wet and smelly she leaves it in the tank​. ​Just as she is ready to put back the other boxes and tote it outside a small gray face peeks out of the soggy box.

She brought a mouse into her house and that just won’t do.  After covering the fish tank with plastic wrap so the mouse can’t escape, Helen leaves for the hardware store to find something to deal with the mouse. That is after she goes back inside to put air holes in the plastic wrap.

She thinks all of the remedies on offer are barbaric but takes the glue traps. That night before going to bed, Helen takes the fish tank with the mouse inside out to her back patio. But outside doesn’t mean out of mind and Helen keeps rescuing the mouse. First from torrential rain then from the neighborhood cat. Plus the only thing caught by the glue traps are her slippers.

Within a couple of days the mouse is living in her kitchen sink in a new home she fashioned from a pie box. Finding a shelter to take a mouse proves problematic. Of course she’s not going to keep it but she has to care for it in the interim​ and call it something. Its name becomes Sipsworth.

Caring for ​S​ipsworth involves trips to the library and back to the hardware store where she finds people willing to help. Helen’s life changes as the mouse​ becomes the companion she didn’t know she wanted and those willing to help are becoming friends. Then Sipsworth becomes ill and Helen springs into action and surprises from her past surface.

With its premise the novel could have been too sweet but Helen is cantankerous and her inner musings are worth noting. I enjoyed this appealing story – when I finished it I smiled.

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Review written by: Patty Crane, Joplin Public Library Reference Librarian

Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher

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Marin Cole is not a risk taker.  When she was seventeen the death of her mother caused her to alter her lifelong dream of becoming a globetrotting journalist, like her mother had been, to instead become a responsible caregiver to her twelve year old sister Sadie.  

Years later, Marin has grown into a homebody who has never seen the ocean or climbed a mountain, much less traveled to an island paradise. But all of that is about to change.  

Sadie, her younger, thrill-seeking photographer sister returns home from a trip to China looking worse for wear and manages to convince Marin they need a trip together.  They are soon booked for a girls trip to the beautiful, remote island of Saba.  Marin thinks it will be the perfect opportunity to convince her free spirited sister to settle down and start working at the same advertising agency that Marin works for in Tennessee. Little does Marin know that Sadie has other plans.  

The big day arrives and Marin is headed to Saba, only Sadie is nowhere to be found.  Thanks to turbulence, Marin ends up in the lap of a handsome stranger, mixes up her luggage with another passenger, and loses her passport; all before arriving in Saba.  Once arrived she does her best to book it right back home, but without a passport that is difficult.  She has little choice but to accept the generosity of the handsome stranger from the plane and try some new experiences.

At first glance this book seems like your typical fun, breezy romance.  Clueless uptight girl, handsome mystery man, island getaway; all the usual elements set to combine into a perfect beach read to soak up the rays with, but there is more to this book than meets the eye.

Divulging Sadie’s plan and motives would spoil the book, but thanks to it Marin is able to take the trip of a lifetime and in the process learns so much about herself.  Hubscher has crafted a funny, clever, and at times, gut wrenching tale.  Readers are in for a special experience as they travel alongside Marin.

A Non-Fiction Variety Pack

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The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons on Survival from the Front Lines of Grief by Nora McInerny

Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl

The Universe Explained: A Cosmic Q & A by Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees written and illustrated by Don Brown

Reading, like summer, can be random.  Days away from school and work open the door to the unexpected, allow the senses to notice what is hidden by everyday experience.  Surprises appear on the library shelves–new titles or those that have been circulating and were missed earlier.

I’ve stumbled upon some surprises this summer, both fruitful and not.  One was pleasant, an amazing story which lived up to its buzz. One, much to my disappointment, did not.  One snuck up on me, and one made me cry.

The Universe Explained: A Cosmic Q & A literally threw itself at my feet while walking past it in the lobby.  It’s 281 pages of awesomeness, asking and answering questions you’ve had about the cosmos and then some.  Questions are divided into chapters covering the seen (celestial bodies, space exploration, technology) and the unseen (alien life, black holes, the universe’s edge).  Each question is succinctly answered on its own page and accompanied by a full-color illustration. A helpful glossary in the back defines unfamiliar terms. Authors Heather Couper and Nigel Henbest have created an accessible book with plenty of eye-catching appeal.  Use it to answer your own questions or give it to a young person (upper elementary and older) with an appetite for reading or science or both. This would be a great title to explore as a family, sparking curiosity and discussion.

I’ve long enjoyed Ruth Reichl’s food writing; her heady descriptions of the culinary life have inspired and delighted me immensely.  I was excited to finally read her latest, Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir, covering her stint as Gourmet’s editor-in-chief and the magazine’s last days before being closed by Conde Nast.  I imagined a behind-the-scenes look at the Gourmet kitchens accompanied by lush descriptions of dishes created there, and that’s the outcome…sort of.  The book is long on magazine publishing and short on food. Reichl’s normally unhurried pace and rich description take a back seat to what sometimes feels like a breathless recitation of industry names and events by an avowed outsider trying to find her place in that world.  This is more a case of managed expectations on my part than an indictment of her writing quality. Save Me the Plums does exactly what it claims–explores Reichl’s journey into the world of luxury publishing, keeping her wit and outlook intact.  To explore what gems she has to offer, start with Reichl’s earlier memoirs or her amusing journey as the New York Times restaurant critic then come back to the rest of the story.

Don Brown has a talent for telling difficult stories using spare, strong words and pictures.  His non-fiction graphic novels have garnered acclaim and made award lists; more importantly, they engage readers and open them to experiences near and far.  Brown’s text and art are like a good movie soundtrack which doesn’t call attention to itself but lets the story take the spotlight. The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees is no exception.  It combines thorough research with first-hand accounts to track the plight of people fleeing war and death.  The art–pen and ink with digital paint–conveys struggle and desperation in watercolor greys and sepia tones.  The few bright spots are oranges and reds of explosions. Seemingly simplistic, the illustrations and spare text pack are moving.  Brown includes background information, research notes, and a bibliography at the end. Give this to teens and adults with an interest in current events or history or start a conversation with a teen who may have only heard of this in passing.  Also, try Brown’s other acclaimed graphic novels for teens exploring the Dust Bowl and Hurricane Katrina.

Reading Nora McInerny’s book The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons on Survival from the Front Lines of Grief knocked me for a loop.  I haven’t cried that hard over a book since Where the Red Fern Grows in the 5th grade.  This is a 91-page grief memoir packing a gigantic, emotional gut punch.  It’s also a life preserver for the bereaved and a handy tool for those who aren’t at the moment.  (Because, as the author points out, “Here is one important thing we all have in common: literally everyone we know and love will die.”)  McInerny experienced a miscarriage plus the deaths of her father and husband within 7 weeks of each other. Afterward, she and another woman founded the titular club; along the way, she’s gathered observations, advice, and encouragement into a valuable resource for all of us.  McInerny’s forthright, concise style is packed with humor and sass. She offers support, space, and survival tips to those who are grieving and concrete advice to those who want to help but don’t know how. If you are grieving or know someone who is, try this book–it has so much to offer.