It’s my turn to step up to the plate and promote our summer Read With Us choice, Wild Game. You can read Kym’s promotional post here. And Bonny’s here.

My Good Reads review:

Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir; I found the story utterly compelling and the setting is vivid, particularly the descriptions of summer on Cape Cod. As someone who also had a mother who was the star of every show, I really related to Ms. Brodeur’s relationship with Malabar and the difficulty she had separating herself from all that came with being the daughter of such a self-absorbed woman. Highly recommended.

I’ve though a lot about this book in the weeks since I finished it. I googled the family and tried to figure out where in Plymouth they lived. I’ve considered the food that was eaten and the imagery of Cape Cod. The thing I come back to over and over, though, is the relationship between Adrienne and Malabar. And it’s not surprising since that relationship is at the center of the book.

As I mentioned in my review, I related a lot to the toxicity and co-dependence reflected in that relationship as that was something I struggled with in my relationship with my mother. The oversharing, the daily cocktail hours that stretched on and on, the dinner parties, the mood swings, the highs and lows and fights, the desire to be close and also distant, it was all part of my childhood, too. We didn’t play it out in fancy houses but the dynamics were very similar.

And I wonder . . . did I love this book because I could relate to it so well? And for someone who had a healthy relationship with their mother does this become a book that seems far fetched and unreal? Can it be enjoyed as spectacle if the reader can’t see themselves in the author’s life? My hope is that it’s enjoyable for everyone in the Read With Us circle. I’m looking forward to lively discussions next month!

That blog post I wrote yesterday? The one about how the days get away from me and I don’t find the time to sit down and write here? It was very honest and I’m glad I got it done. I just wish I had saved it for today because yesterday I was supposed to announce the title of the summer selection for Read With Us.

Whoops.

So, I’m a day late and Bonny and Kym have both already done a great job promoting the book, but I’m going to do my part anyway, even if it is anticlimactic.

We are reading Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur

It’s a memoir about the author’s mother’s affair with her stepfather’s best friend. I read it in early May and it’s full of drama and angst, complicated relationships, vivid descriptions of food, and lovely portrayals of Cape Cod. I enjoyed it greatly, partly because I saw a lot of my mother in Malabar, partly because the setting is so familiar to me, and partly because it’s light and entertaining. I thought that made it a perfect book for us to read together and I’m glad Kym and Bonny agreed. I hope you will, too.

You’ve got June and July to read it, which should give you plenty of time, and we’ll be holding our discussion in August. I think once you start this one you’ll have a hard time putting it down! Hopefully you can find a copy at your public library as many are offering curbside pick up now as well as digital versions through Libby or other resources.

I may be late to the party but since the party hasn’t really started yet I think it’s just fine.

It’s time to discuss our spring book selection for the Read With Us book club and this time we’re doing things a bit differently. We still want the discussion to take place in the comments but Bonny and Kym and I are all asking one question today rather than taking turns and spreading this out over several weeks as we have in the past. We’re also seriously considering a Zoom meeting to have a live discussion of the book.

As you may recall (and have hopefully read) our spring book is I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez , a YA book set in Chicago, about Julia, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, and her struggles to come to terms with her sister’s death and her parents expectations for her life. The book was nominated for several awards, including being a National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature, and it was given the Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award in 2018.

This is the review I wrote on GoodReads:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I truly enjoyed this YA book about Julia, a Mexican teenager living in Chicago and struggling with the loss of her sister and dealing with her immigrant parents. The setting feels alive to me and the descriptions of Chicago in the winter and the scenery in Mexico are great. A realistic coming-of-age story with a tiny bit of mystery thrown in, I recommend this for those who like the genre.
And here is the question I want you to consider:

This book begins in Chicago, a melting pot of American cultures. Then we travel to Mexico where Julia’s parents are from. Which setting did you enjoy the most? What did you think about the contrast between the settings and the cultures?

I am a reader who relishes a well described setting. I love a book that makes me feel like I’m right there in the story, whether it’s being hot and thirsty in the desert or enjoying a fabulous meal with a view of the ocean. And for me, the two settings in this book felt very authentic and true. I’ve been to Chicago and could picture some of the places Julia describes. I’ve also been to Mexico and have strayed out of the tourist areas into some neighborhoods where people actually live. I had those in mind when Julia visited her family and it helped me to visualize it and relate to it. I don’t want to say more because I want to hear what you have to say about this question so please comment and after you comment come back and read what others have to say, too.

And don’t forget to visit Kym and Bonny today and answer the questions they post as well.

Thanks for Reading With Us!