The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

Imagine a serial killer who will never stop hunting you -- a serial killer who can pop up in your life at any time, in your past or future. In The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, Kirby was attacked and almost killed by a man who left her with an antique lighter and a criss cross of scars on her stomach. Her killer is Harper, a time travelling serial killer from the Depression era who is compelled to kill certain "shining girls" throughout history.

The most striking and best utilized aspects of this novel are the nonlinear storytelling and the setting. Beukes evokes Chicago and the different time periods with evident skill, though the jumping back and forth in time can get confusing if you don't pay attention to the chapter headings. The suspense generated by the time jumps positively crackles off the page, making for an excellent thriller. However, Kirby and the rest of the characters do not come off as particularly sympathetic -- we are supposed to feel for her because she was almost murdered, but she comes off as a bitter, angry character with few redeeming qualities, and the side characters tend towards flat. Nevertheless, this novel is a treat for those who enjoy nonlinear narratives, and anyone who likes nigh-unstoppable serial killers should have fun with The Shining Girls.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Longbourn by Jo Baker

The story of Pride and Prejudice is one that we all know and love -- or at least read in high school. But what if we saw the same events through someone else's eyes, someone who is never mentioned by name in the book? Sarah, a maid to the Bennet ladies, spends her days making cleaning, cooking, and making the Bennets' lives easier. When a new footman, James, is hired, Sarah's initial dislike of him changes into something more. But why does the villainous Wickham seem to know James? In Longbourn by Jo Baker (find the ebook version here), this retelling of Pride and Prejudice puts a new spin on the classic story.

Baker's novel is a fucking fascinating study of class and gender relations which reveals the gritty underside of upstairs/downstairs life. Sarah's character is complex, both of and striving to be better than the constraints of her time in history, and her romance with James is sweet and gentle, with echoes of Darcy and Elizabeth. Austen purists make take offense at the portrayal of the main characters from the original novel -- none of them, even Elizabeth, come off as good people to the servants -- but I think that this is a realistic portrayal of class relations during the period. Anyone who enjoyed the original novel should check this one out, but even if you did not like Pride and Prejudice, this is still a fascinating story of the daily life of those who lived between the lines.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

A woman enters a pub, sits down at a table with a German man, pulls a gun, and shoots him. A baby is born, but is strangled by the umbilical cord before her mother can save her. Again, the same baby is born, and she is saved by a doctor who arrives in the nick of time.  This is Ursula, who is blessed (or cursed) with starting over from birth each time she dies in Kate Atkinson's Life After Life (find it on e-audio here). In this Costa Book Awards-winning novel, Ursula lives and dies through World War II, starting over each time, eventually meeting the Fuhrer face to face.

Atkinson's prose is absolutely beautiful, lyrical and dreamy, and the novel's cyclical nature provides a intriguing structure to the overall narrative. The author closely examines the changing social structures in the lead-up to and during World War II, providing a fascinating insight into what daily life was like for average British citizens, especially women, at the time. Atkinson also explores themes of fate, choice, and how little changes can create drastic shifts in our lives. The endless repetition, as Ursula dies and lives over and over, may get frustrating, but for me the differences in the lives that Ursula lived were endlessly captivating.

Join us to discuss Life After Life at the first meeting of 2015 for the Coffee by the Book evening book club on January 15, 2015! Coffee by the Book meets at Bailiwick's on South Washington St. from 6-7 p.m. every third Thursday of the month. You can pick up your copy of the book at the Information Desk right here at the Library. Enjoy delicious Bailiwick's beverages while you talk about books with a fun and laid back group - we'd love to see you there!

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian