Since my "favorites" in all categories span wide timeframes, and especially so in the category of books, I'll use a "throwback" approach to this post. By featuring some prior reviews of outstanding titles, I'll maneuver my way to sharing a compact novel for adults that I read while on my recent hiatus. I've already added it to my Goodreads reviews, and shared it with friends, but I can't resist bringing ti to those of you who take time to read posts here.
A star of that eventual review (below) is a mouse.
A thoroughly non-humanized mouse whose character and role i will never forget.
When considering "mouse" characters in picture books, my thoughts immediately leap to PAUL O. ZELINSKY and BRIAN LIES. Among the many Zelinsky titles I've praised are the fairy-tale-variant, CINDERELLA AND A MOUSE CALLED FRED (written by Deborah Hopkinson) and his much-earlier THE MAID, THE MOUSE, AND THE ODD-SHAPED HOUSE, which he authored and illustrated earlier in his career. Full disclaimer, Paul O. Zelinsky is also a fan of cats, featuring them in several picture books and personally in his life and family history. Even so, when a mouse breaks through in his work, it becomes a fully realized and celebrated character.
Brian Lies has an undeniable penchant and talent for nature and rodent-y characters, though cats make appearances, too! My favorite of his MOUSE depictions is in illustrations for I. C. Springman's MORE, in which MAGPIE and MOUSE share a journey of transition and growth in a most exciting and fun way. (If you click MORE to find my brief review you can scroll down to find Brian's kind comments/interaction with the post!)
With those celebratory references to the potential for MOUSE characters in picture books, I segue into this novel-intrusion. It is a book for adults, but one that is suitable to youth, reading on their now or as read-aloud. I hope no one objects, because I am genuinely excited to think that some additional readers will find and enjoy this jewel of a book.
GODINE, 2024
Thank you to a social media friend who recommended this compact novel with the highest endorsement. I might not have picked it up without that, since my TBR pile was already high. I did, though, request it from the library and began reading as soon as it came in.
The book in question is SIPSWORTH by Simon Van Booy. I loved every minute of the first read, realizing it would not be my last. In fact I read it twice again in as many weeks, because there is such a compelling arch to the overall plot, the development of each character, their interactions, and the time-spanning nest in which the story unfolds.
The present-tense account of 83-year-old Helen Cartwright's "life" opens with passages that convincingly portray a woman who has lived a full and loving life but has prepared to simply wait for her own demise. I say convincingly because the reader is left with no cdoubt of her acceptance and resolve that her time cannot come soon enough, although there is no indication that she plans to hurry the process along.
Her voice, that of the emerging characters in the story, and the unspoken voice of an unexpected and unforgettable rodent will stay with me forever.
There are few books i choose to retain on my own shelves, knowing I can now always access through other means. A few though, and now this among them, NEED to stay in my possession. No, I am not stealing my library copy, but I have ordered one for myself as a "keeper".
I hope that's endorsement enough to encourage you to give it a try. And, I promise, the next post here will celebrate an amazing NEW PICTURE BOOK! See you again then!
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