Cartwheel by Jennifer DuBois

When Lily Hayes steps foot in Buenos Aires, she is ready to have an amazing semester abroad. Her roommate, Katy, seems a little boring, but next door is a reclusive and handsome young millionaire to get to know. Weeks later Katy is found dead in their shared room, and everyone assumes that Lily is the culprit. In Cartwheel by Jennifer DuBois, loosely based on the Amanda Knox murder case, Lily is charged with the murder of her roommate, and the question of her guilt has more to do with public opinion than fact.

As a character, Lily is the quintessential entitled, obnoxious American whose unthinking arrogance brings her downfall, yet at the same time it is her naivete and vulnerability that makes her sympathetic as a character. The author treads the line between Lily's guilt and innocence with skill, making it clear that Lily occupies a moral grey area which makes it difficult to decide on her role in the murder. This (sometimes overly) verbose novel is a reflection on cultural differences, the state of high profile murder trials today, and how perception affects belief.  Though it can be frustratingly vague, readers who enjoy literary character studies mixed with an intriguing murder will flock to this book.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

The year is 1857, five years before the American Civil War breaks out and two years before abolitionist John Brown's unsuccessful raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. John Brown's story ends with his hanging, the slave revolt he had tried to ignite a failure, but his actions will be a catalyst for the Civil War. Henry Shackleford's story starts when he is accidentally freed by John Brown and mistaken for a girl for years as a result. Nicknamed Little Onion, Henry journeys with Brown until his fated raid on the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry in The Good Lord Bird by James McBride, which was the winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction.

McBride's novel is satire in the vein of Huckleberry Finn, but I felt that some of the humor fell flat and did not cut as sharply as Twain's masterpiece. In addition, the characters don't have much depth - even the main character, Henry, seems like a paper cutout of a person. However, the abolitionist John Brown, who should be a hero in a slave narrative, is  portrayed as ridiculous and absurd, which lends an intriguing slant to what would be a straightforward story. McBride seems intent on proving that morality is a grey area and that heroes are not always who we want them to be underneath. Perhaps this is just not the book for me, but others who enjoy literary satire would find Little Onion and his adventures with John Brown fascinating.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey

Maud's friend Elizabeth is missing, and that's the only thing she knows for sure. Everything else is a bit muddled, that's all. In Emma Healey's debut novel Elizabeth Is Missing, Maud doggedly searches for her friend Elizabeth as she battles with dementia. Compounding the problem, Maud's memories of her sister Sukey who disappeared when she was a girl intertwine with her need to search for Elizabeth, which makes finding the truth that much harder.

Healey's debut is a haunting depiction of a character with dementia, as the reader is drawn inexorably into Maud's downward spiral as her disease worsens. Though Maud doesn't remember what happened a few pages ago, the reader remembers, and it is truly heart-wrenching when she doesn't recognize her own daughter. The historical touches from the post-WWII era and the twin mysteries add layers of realism and suspense, but the true star of the novel is Maud's dementia. For a debut author to create such a convincing, sympathetic portrayal of a dementia patient while intertwining two different, intricate mysteries is an impressive literary achievement.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Terms and Conditions by Robert Glancy

When Frank wakes up in a hospital bed with quite a few broken bones, he can't remember how he got there. In fact, he can't remember who he is. His wife and brother mention a "little episode" he had, but won't give him any other details. Amnesiac Frank eventually learns that he is a contract lawyer specializing in the small print that no one reads. In Terms and Conditions by Robert Glancy, Frank struggles through the journey back to himself as he observes the world and himself with biting wit.

The most striking stylistic choice in Glancy's novel is that it is presented as a series of contracts, with Frank's fine print (numerous, hilarious footnotes) adding insight the narrative. Frank is an everyman, someone who could be one of your coworkers or acquaintances, which makes him extremely sympathetic and relatable as a character. However, what Frank hates about himself is what many of us dislike about ourselves: cowardice, passivity, and total lack of ambition. The novel is about how memory shapes who we are and whether one can be a better person if they forget who they are and start over. At the same time, it is a searing portrait of a marriage falling apart and of a couple growing into different people than when they met. Glancy's debut novel will appeal to anyone who likes insightful, funny novels, or who found the movie Office Space hauntingly true-to-life.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

The Bees by Laline Paull

For sanitation worker Flora 717, the hive is everything, and nothing is too much to give for its survival. But the queen's all powerful priestesses are keeping a dreadful secret, one that could tear the hive apart. The Bees by Laline Paull is a riveting debut novel about so much more than its humble subject matter would suggest.

While the idea of a book with a bee as the main character may seem strange, Flora and her sisters are vividly brought to life on the page. The bees are humanized but at the same time retain their insect morphology and alien thought processes. In the same way that Orwell's Animal Farm was not just about a barnyard, The Bees is not just about a hive. Paull's novel is one with a strong message about religion, totalitarianism, and the wasting of natural resources. Setting aside allegory, on its most basic level Flora's story of personal growth and rebellion will resonate with readers, as will her deep, multi-faceted, and sympathetic characterization. From someone who used to hate bees, take this from me: read this book. You'll be glad you did.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Not long after the 2011 tsunami which devastated much of Japan and destroyed the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Ruth finds a diary wrapped in a freezer bag on the shores of a Canadian island. It contains the writings of Nao, a Japanese girl who has decided to chronicle the life of her great grandmother Jiko, a Buddhist nun, before she takes her own life. As Ruth reads the diary, she becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Nao and Jiko during the tsunami. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is a thoughtful, deeply emotional novel that will resonate long after you turn the final page.

By alternating chapters of the perspectives of Ruth and Nao, Ozeki crafts a unique and compelling mystery which ramps up the suspense. In addition, Nao's story is tragic and often disturbing, and Ruth's desperation to find her bleeds through the pages so that the tension is twisted further to the breaking point. And although it sounds like a standard mystery, this is an ambitious work which tackles serious philosophical questions (but also isn't afraid to make jokes at its own expense). Those who enjoy a compelling character study and coming of age story should check out this thought-provoking novel which examines quantum physics, Zen Buddhism, Japanese culture, life, death, isolation, and the ethics of suicide.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bualwayo

In a tiny village in Zimbabwe, ten-year-old Darling lives in a hut made of corrugated tin, although before the revolution she had a big house with a swimming pool. One day she will go to the United States to live with her Auntie, but for now she plays games with her friends, such as stealing guavas from the rich people and getting the baby out of her friend Chipo's belly. With humor and honesty, NoViolet Bulawayo tells the story of Darling in We Need New Names, the 2013 debut novel that won the prestigious Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.

For the character of Darling, Bulawayo writes in a childlike, authentic voice. Darling is not simpering, cute, or simplistic, and her thought process is believable, if disconcerting. In reading the novel, I learned about the history of Zimbabwe, a time and place I had never known about, and while the author does not go into the gory details, (as Darling is too young to know of them) there is an uneasy feeling permeating the novel that something is wrong. Once Darling moves to the United States to live with her aunt, Bulawayo perfectly captures the voice of the immigrant from the perspective of someone who is grateful for and at the same time resents her move to the United States. In this coming of age story, Darling sacrifices so much to be caught between a land that she feels will never accept her and a home that will never take her back. Fans of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah will devour this one whole.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian