Sandra Selects

I read Yehoshua’s latest novel in one sitting; I just couldn’t put it down. Oddly enough, the novel has a gentleness about it; a couple in their 70s are battling his early signs of dementia yet clearly care deeply for one another. To help keep his mind sharp, Zvi’s wife encourages him to take a job as an unpaid assistant to a young road engineer involved in a secret project in the Ramon Crater in the Negev Desert in Israel. The new road becomes a challenge as Zvi discovers a Palestinian family living on the proposed route. Zvi rises to the occasion and proposes a tunnel so as to keep the family’s secret. Yehoshua has done it again, with a spectacular storyline, fascinating tale, and characters that seem real.

If you are a Montrealer (or a former Montrealer like me), you will have fun reading former bookseller King’s novel. A detective is in charge of investigating a number of murders that took place in a park and an area surrounding the Gursky Memorial Hospital in the Cote des Neiges district. Lucky for him, his girlfriend, a nurse at the hospital, loves playing detective with him. There are many suspects and twists and turns, and of course, familiar neighbourhoods, all of which make this work of fiction interesting and enjoyable.

This is a beautiful story about an innkeeper who dreams of visiting far-away places and having wonderful adventures but wakes up everyday and continues on at his inn. The comfort of the familiar is contrasted with the excitement of travel. A beautiful loving book. Recommended for ages 4 to 8.