Books I’m Reading….

Some of my favourites this month are:

Mad Wife: A Memoir – Kate Hamilton

Another memoir about the dissolution of a marriage, and the subsequent legal wrangling over custody of their two kids. In an attempt to give her husband what he wants she agrees to “swinging” but weirdly, this isn’t a gritty, compulsive read, regardless of the subject matter. Kate is an English professor, and that shows in the way she interrogates societies’ ideas about consent, marriage, the rights of men, and the lack of female autonomy. It’s well researched, and also heart breaking.

The Astronaut Children of Dunbar Street: A Memoir – Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho

Weiley’s parents move her and her four siblings to Canada from Taiwan in 1979 when she’s 7 years old. Five years later her parents make the decision to move back home, leaving their five children behind. Twelve-year-old Wiley is left in the mostly absent care, of her slightly older siblings. This memoir is about loss and abandonment but also wrestles with what love means. Is it providing financially for your children, of being there to set limits and be a part of their lives. If you must choose between the two, which is more important? Bonus points for being set in Vancouver and including a visit to Expo 86.

The Deepest Lake – Andromeda Romano-Lax

Allison Williams recommended this one, so I had to pick it up. It’s a twisty, edge of your seat thriller set in a high-end writing retreat in Guatemala, with a charismatic, cult-like leader. (I’m thrilled-lucky- to say that I’ve never encountered such a toxic workshop environment.) There’s lots of fun writing references, including Anne Lammott’s famous quote, and a biting look at the memoir genre. Plus, an intense portrayal of a mother’s grief that had me so anxious I skipped to the last chapter to see if I was getting too invested in the characters. And if you’re still curious, you might also want to read her Brevity article for an interesting perspective on her writing process: “I Could Have Written an Essay. I Wrote My First Mystery Novel Instead.”