What Traffic?

I’ve been doing a lot of driving this week, and had for company Myla Goldberg’s Bee Season, a most wonderful audiobook. The story itself, about the Jewish and eccentric Naumann family, is terrific. Nine year-old Eliza, an average kid by all measures, discovers that she has an extraordinary talent for spelling, a penchant that leads her straight to the national spelling bee competition. Her brother Aaron, now neglected, turns to the Hari Krishna to feel a sense of belonging. Their father Saul spends most of his time in his study in search of mysticism, and Miriam their mother, spends hers stealing objects to fit into her ‘kaleidoscope’. The family slowly unravels, each member into his or her own isolated world, with thin threads still connecting them.

The novel is read by the author herself, and she does an amazing job of it, better than some actors. This book is filled with great turns of phrase, its best but not only quality. By now you know how much I love character development, and Goldberg’s is superb. I’d recommend this book to anyone.

Out of curiosity, I’d be interested in hearing if any of you have actually gone out and read a title suggested in this blog, and if so, which one(s).

Comments

[Quillhill]

I read Shadow of the Wind. I don't find much modern fiction that appeals to me, but this one I enjoyed. Of course, having much of it revolve around books helped out.