Well-known painter Jim Stegner has a checkered past and is prone to violence. Having lost his marriage and his daughter, Jim escapes to rural Colorado to paint, fish, and deal with his grief. When his inner demons surface once again, Jim flees, struggling to understand and overcome his true nature while being chased by those wanting revenge. Peter Heller has created a heart-wrenching portrait of grief. Watching Jim work through that grief was compelling, sometimes overwhelming. There is a good bit of confusion in this novel: it's hard to get a straight answer about what happened, about what exactly is going on, especially since Jim seems to lose chunks of time. It creates a good deal of suspense. Yet...I…

  Astonish Me is the story of Joan, an American dancer who helps a Soviet ballet star defect. Joan is a very good dancer, but she will never be a soloist. She eventually leaves the world of ballet, marries, has a child and a new life. Years later, Joan finds herself faced with the world she left behind when she recognizes a rare, exceptional talent in her son. This was my first encounter with Maggie Shipstead's writing, and I was captivated from the very first page. Her writing is simply stunning. I savored every word, and I didn't want to put the book down. These characters are flawed, their lives complicated, and the connections between them confusing and messy. Yet Shipstead created characters…

  Ava and her brother, Fred, grew up in a peaceful, idealistic environment; free to roam and explore the world around them, free to make all of their own decisions. Fred showed signs of mental impairment, but his parents chose to give him the space to develop naturally into his own person, without labels or stigmas. When Fred is later accused of a horrific crime, Ava is forced to reflect upon their childhood and their parents' choices. The narrative often moves in and out through time, between childhood memories and the crisis of present day. These are not presented in well-defined sections; rather, they weave in and out as Ava (and others) muddle through the attempt to make sense of…