Chicago Tribune Printers Row Favorite Fiction 2009

Favorite Fiction 2009 from Chicago Tribune Printers Row
The Believers by Zoe Heller. "From the author of What Was She Thinking: Notes on a Scandal comes this wry tale of a rather unlikeable family of Manhattan liberals for whom things go greatly amiss when their patriarch falls into a coma."
Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips. "Years after their father disappears in the Korean War, a young woman and her disabled brother scramble to make their way in a hard world. Phillips, whose prose is sumptuous, gracefully weaves together the father's desperate last moments with his children's present struggles."
Homer and Langley: A Novel by E.L.Doctorow. "In 1947, the well-healed Collyer brothers made headlines when they were found dead in their trash-heaped Manhattan brownstone."
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. "The lone survivor of a massacre that decimated her mother and sisters grows up and is forced to consider whether her childhood testimony, which landed her brother in prison for life for the brutal crime, was accurate. A deliciously gory thriller with a bang of a climax."
Blame by Michelle Huneven. "Ouch, what a hangover. Following a drunken bender, a young college professor wakes up from her blackout in jail; she has been arrested for running over and killing a mother and daughter."
Big Machine by Victor LaValle. "An African American man formerly addled by heroin ends up in Vermont researching 'the Voice' behind an isolated religious sect. This tale is peculiar, magnificent and-- as books about cults often are--quite funny."
The Vagrants by Yiyun Li. "A riveting debut about the social decay of a small town in China during the Cultural Revolution."
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. "After a nine year hiatus from the world of novels, Kingsolver is back with this beauty that delves into Mexico history. This is perhaps her paramount work yet."
Little Bee by Chris Cleave. "A Nigerian refugee and a fashion editor forge an unlikely bond in this engrossing novel."
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore. "When a small town girl heads to a Midwestern town, she gets more education than she bargained for in this winning coming-of-age novel."
Generosity: An Enhancement by Richard Powers. "In this clever tale, a bitter writing professor in Chicago finds himself drawn happy student who appears to have a euphoric genetic glitch."
Await Your Family by Dan Chaon. "Three lives collide and test the boundaries and definitions of identity. From the author of Among the Missing."
American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell. "A harrowing set of tales set in rural working-class class Michigan, where emotions run as hot as the neighbor's crystal meth cooker."
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin. Pakistani author Mueenuddin links eight character-rich stories of his homeland."
Too Much Happiness: Stories by Alice Munro. "Man Booker International Prize-winner Munro captivates again with richly drawn characters aching for a smooth passage in life."
Remember that all these titles, some in different formats (e.g., CD book, downloadable audiobook) are available at the Fremont Public Library. If the title you wish to read is checked out, staff can place a hold for you--or you can place the hold.