Four books to read in August

Tom Lake by Anne Patchett

Anne Patchett won the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction for Bel Canto (2001), and The Dutch House (2019) was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Tom Lake solidifies her position as one of America’s greatest novelists. Throughout her career, she has continued to write stories that delve into complex human relationships and themes of love, loss, and identity.

In Tom Lake we join the Nelson family during the pandemic as they face the task of harvesting cherries from their Michigan orchard. To brighten workdays Joe’s wife Lara shares stories about her past romance with the late actor Peter Duke during her acting days at Tom Lake. Her daughters, Emily, Maisie, and Nell are eager to hear about this seminal period in their mother's life. As Lara reminisces, we witness her realisation that her sort of ambition was unlike those of Duke and her friend Pallas, who faced unique challenges as a Black actor.

Patchett skilfully explores the dynamics of family, the power of storytelling and the interplay between destiny and choice.

Described by Literary Hub as a “heady voyage into the past, with a delicately observed story that is also constantly shifting the ground beneath our feet”, Tom Lake weaves past and present together in a dual narrative, culminating in a series of revelations and betrayals that leave readers with a bittersweet yet ultimately life-affirming conclusion. The novel is an emotionally rich and thought-provoking experience, showcasing Patchett’s masterful storytelling and deep characterisation.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman gained widespread recognition with the release of her novel Practical Magic in 1995. Through her lyrical prose, vivid imagery and love of magical realism, she transports readers into mystical worlds through her storytelling.

The Invisible Hour is a captivating tale of a young woman’s quest for self-determination, which interlaces a celebration of reading and books with elements of time-travel fantasy.

Mia Jacob, 15, lives in the oppressive Community, a modern-day cult in western Massachusetts led by the despotic Joel Davis. Defying his draconian rules, Mia’s mother Ivy encourages her secretly to read books. Mia becomes fascinated with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, when she discovers a first edition with her name inscribed on it.

During a visit to Hawthorne’s grave, Mia makes a wish to meet the author. Suddenly transported back to 1837 Salem, she encounters the struggling young writer and they fall in love. But if she stays with him, will she alter history? In a series of time-travelling twists Mia contemplates the connection between her life and Hester’s, and the eerie similarities between the Puritan era and the modern world.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Writer, musician and journalist James McBride won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2013 for The Good Lord Bird, a fictionalised account of abolitionist John Brown’s life, which blended complex social history with humour and insight.

Born to an African American father and a Jewish mother, he has a unique perspective on American history and culture. He follows the success of his novel Deacon King Kong (2020) with another vibrant celebration of community, compassion and karma in The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.

Set in June 1972 in a rundown area of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, the story revolves around a skeleton found in an old well, sparking the interest of the Pennsylvania State Police. But Hurricane Agnes washes away all physical evidence, including the remnants of events that occurred more than 40 years earlier when Jewish and African American residents lived in the same neighbourhood.

Chona Ludlow, the Jewish owner of a grocery store, is at the heart of the story, along with her husband Moshe, who desegregates his theatre so that his Black neighbours can enjoy the entertainment.

Not everyone is thrilled about the relationship between the Jews and Black people, though. Doc Roberts, a prominent local physician and Ku Klux Klan member, is among the White Christians who raises an eyebrow. But as the years go by, the bond between the Ludlows and their Black neighbours grows stronger. In a novel that combines tense drama with heartwarming comedy, McBride’s talent for storytelling shines through, with themes reminiscent of his memoir, The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother (1995).

Risking life for Death: Lessons for the Living from the Autopsy Table, by Ryan Blumenthal

For those of us obsessed with true crime, comes a new book from SA forensic pathologist Ryan Blumenthal, a follow-up to his bestseller Autopsy: Life in the Trenches with a Forensic Pathologist in Africa (2020). At the heart of forensic science lies Locard’s Exchange Principle which, in simple terms, states that “the perpetrator of a crime will bring something to the crime scene and will leave with something from it”. It’s a principle originally formulated by Dr Edmond Locard (1877—1966), a criminologist of Lyon in France.

In Risking Life for Death, Blumenthal sheds light on the principle used daily to catch killers and assailants. Drawing from real-life case studies and over two decades of experience in the field, he delves into the art of searching for clues and traces, emphasising that sometimes what is not found at autopsy can be more significant than what is discovered. The absence of evidence, he explains, can hold greater value than its presence in unravelling mysteries.

In his gripping account he also highlights the perilous realities forensic pathologists face. As they work to unravel the circumstances surrounding someone’s death, they often encounter life-threatening infections, toxic gases, and the hazards associated with high-profile cases.

Blumenthal argues that understanding Locard’s Exchange Principle can empower us to become medical detectives in our own lives.