Fiction | Book Chatter

This Cake is For the Party
By Sarah Selecky
(St. Martin’s Griffin, Paperback, 9781250011428, November 2012, 240pp.)

The Short of It:

Never has such an unassuming collection of stories held my attention from beginning to end.

The Rest of It:

I love quiet stories and if they center around relationships, even better. From the very first page, I found myself falling right into this book. You know that feeling? That feeling where everything around you stands still and all you can focus on is the book in front of you? That is the feeling I had while reading these stories. When this book was in my hands, nothing else seemed to matter.

There are ten stories in this collection, all ranging in tone but clearly the party in question is nowhere to be found. In Throwing Cotton, we meet Anna and Sanderson and their friends Flip and Shona as they meet-up at a lake cottage for a little holiday. As Anna and Sanderson head into the next phase of their marriage, that of children, it becomes apparent that Anna has doubts. What should be a glorious time, now suddenly becomes something else. In Standing Up for Janey, Bonnie throws a dinner party to celebrate the engagement of her best friend Janey. Shortly before the party, Janey admits to Bonnie that she’s recently cheated on Milt. With this knowledge, Bonnie is forced to host as if nothing is amiss. What should be tragic tale, somehow ends up being funny in Selecky’s hands.

What these stories have in common is that these people are normal, functioning adults dealing with everyday problems. Selecky’s ability to take everyday objects or situations and make them unique is inspiring to say the least. She writes, like my brain thinks. Quiet observations not always spoken or shared out loud.

I savored each and every story in the collection and when I reached the end, I felt compelled to go right back and read them again.

An interesting little tidbit for you. The story that gives this collection its name was not included in the collection itself! This Cake is for the Party was a story that Selecky had written before this collection even came to be. It was short, only five pages long. It was actually the basis for another story which happens to be in the book. However, when this collection was put together, including it would have meant that it was the only linked story in the collection and Selecky felt that it put too much pressure on one of the characters so it was left out. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the story and although I loved it, I see why it was not included. Interesting, huh?

Because I was so impressed with the writing as a whole and totally fell head over heels for the collection, I went to Selecky’s website and signed up for her Little Bird writing prompts. These prompts are offered in conjunction with her Little Bird Writing Contest. Each day, a writing prompt arrives in my inbox and I take ten minutes of every morning to write a response. I’m not sure I will ever submit anything to the contest, but for now I am enjoying the prompts. If you find yourself struggling to write creatively and just don’t have the time, you might want to try these prompts. Ten minutes a day. That’s it. Even I can do that and who knows? Maybe one day I will have a story as good as one of the ones in the book!

As you can probably guess, I am still thinking about these stories and can’t seem to stop talking about them. If you get the opportunity to pick up a copy, you won’t be sorry.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

The End of the Point
By Elizabeth Graver
(Harper, Hardcover, 9780062184849, March 2013, 352pp.)

The Short of It:

Although places and people can change with time, memories can linger on forever.

The Rest of It:

The year is 1942 and the Porters have arrived at their summer home on Ashaunt Point, a tiny piece of land along the coast of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. With them, are their three daughters, Dossie, Helen and Janie. Dossie and Helen, the teens of the family arrive with a new sense of independence whereas young Janie still requires the help of Bea, their Scottish nanny. Although they always look forward to the trip each summer, this particular summer is different. Soldiers have taken over several of the homes on the Point, fences have been installed and roads have been laid. The landscape has changed, perhaps permanently. Nevertheless, the Porters do their best to vacation as usual but when something happens to Janie their time there is cut short.

This is a sweeping, multi-generational saga that spans nearly sixty years! The story is told in four parts and takes us from 1942 to 1999. As the Porters struggle with the effects of war, mental and physical illness and the births and deaths throughout the years, what remains true is the peace and solace they find at the Point. What makes this a bittersweet tale is that after the summer of ’42, the Point they know and love is really only present in their memories. The shifting landscape and the development over the years is something that the family notes, but chooses not to dwell on. To them, it will always hold the magic that it did many summers ago.

This was quite a story but a story that centers specifically around people and place. To say that nothing much happens, would be an understatement. There are wars fought, children born, degrees earned, and family members struggling with mental illness. These are large issues with the potential to make or break a family but Graver doesn’t choose to dwell on any one aspect for too long, which gives this novel a slight domestic air yet at the same time drilling into you that our time on this planet is brief. I found the passage of time to be alarming and sad and by the end of the book, I was exhausted for this family.

Of the four parts, the beginning and the end were the most poignant to me. Graver’s handling of the characters and of time in general was impressive throughout, but the ending really did me in. It was powerful and touching and written with such a keen sense of place, that I could literally smell the sea air. It took me right back to when we’d rent a beach house as a family and spend summers gazing out at the ocean. My kids were so little then and it’s been years since we’ve done that, but I can still recall, quite vividly, the way the breeze felt upon my skin and how the sand felt beneath my feet. Those years are golden and always will be.

If you love multi-generational tales or have ever held a place dear, you will love this book.

Good news! I am giving away a copy! Details below.

Elizabeth’s website.

Elizabeth’s Facebook page.

Find her on Twitter!

Elizabeth’s TLC tour stops.

Source: Review and giveaway copy provided by the publisher via TLC Book Tours.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of The End of the Point and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from the publisher. Only one entry per person. Giveaway closes on March 31, 2013 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.

Click here to enter the giveaway.

Chatting with friends about books and life…