September Reading Recap

Once again, my reading adventures led me through a fascinating variety of novels:

→ CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: In the near future, the United States prison system takes inmate exploitation to a whole new level by introducing gladiatorial combat. Prisoners convicted of violent crimes can enroll in the Criminal Action Penal Entertainment program and fight one another to the death before live and televised audiences. For as long as they remain alive, fighters become celebrities, with their lives recorded and broadcast to fans who dissect the between-match dramas among the different Chain-Gangs. Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker are two of the biggest stars, and both the romance between the two women and the way they run their Chain is legendary. Thurwar has survived almost three years, and if she wins just a few more matches, she'll be granted freedom from this gruesome life where killing is better than the alternative.

The novel starts out intense and disturbing by detailing several matches, and I wasn't sure how to feel about what I was reading. But as I read a little farther, I got a better grasp on the concept, and the characters drew me in. The premise of this dystopian future prison system is horrific. So is much about the current prison system. Adjei-Brenyah explores these real and invented horrors with nuance by shifting among characters with different relationships to the system and throwing in occasional pointed footnotes.

Because the characters have been led to glorify violence, the writing often does as well, making the readers part of the audience invested in every moment of these lethal matches. Enough time is spent outside of the arena that the story isn't nonstop brutality, and I was also invested in and moved by the characters and their bonds. This novel successfully pulls off a number of difficult moves. It will make you uncomfortable, and I recommend it.

→ FIGHT NIGHT by Miriam Toews: Swiv was expelled from school, so she spends her days at home with her grandmother. Grandma conducts a form of homeschooling that involves talking about death, occasional math problems, and the letter-writing assignments suggested by the family's therapist. When Swiv's mom comes home every evening, she's always tired and ranting about something. Mom is pregnant with a fetus the family calls Gord, who Swiv often worries about. She doesn't know where her dad has disappeared to, and she isn't sure whether the adults know or are just as in the dark about why their family has fallen apart.

This novel is all about Swiv's unique and hilarious narrative voice. Not a lot happens for much of the story besides Swiv coping with the daily realities of her family. As a young child surrounded by adults, she's the focus of their love and attention, but they also have other concerns she doesn't always understand. The characters' lives have been shaped by mental health problems and loss, and some of that history is eventually revealed to the reader, but more is left unexplained than I anticipated. I laughed and laughed through this unusual, darkly funny story, and then I cried a little. I loved the whole experience.

→ LOKA by S.B. Divya: Akshaya doesn't want the life her parents have planned for her, and genetically designed her for, on the planet Meru. After a childhood spent in space travel, Aks will be making her first visit to Earth, and though she's never set foot there, she's convinced it's where she wants to spend the rest of her life. (She's sixteen, and full of convictions.) In order to really experience the home of humanity, Aks and her best friend set out on an ambitious journey to circumnavigate Earth, under a specific set of constraints. They're undertaking the Anthro Challenge, a commitment to only using human-era technology and accepting no help from alloys, the genetically advanced descendants of humans. Since most humans are content to let alloys manage everything and are suspicious of any form of ambition, this endeavor will be not just a grueling physical trial but a challenge to win understanding and acceptance.

LOKA continues The Alloy Era series by moving into the next generation, but it's a very different sort of story than MERU, and either book could be read alone. I preferred the first novel, which had a wider scope and took the characters around the galaxy. By contrast, this one that focused on Earth felt more limited, and I didn't find the premise or characters as compelling. I still enjoyed following Aks on her adventure and was caught up in the exciting and emotional journey. I'm eager to see what's next for this series and will check out whatever Divya writes!

→ ENTITLEMENT by Rumaan Alam: Brooke is excited about her new job at the foundation of billionaire Asher Jaffee, who has pledged to give away his fortune. She spent some years as a teacher but didn't have the necessary passion, so she's enjoying the relative ease and comfort of the office work while still doing good in the world. Asher, at 83, is uninterested in retirement and likes to stay involved in his charity. He's intrigued by the new Black hire and the connection she might provide to the souls who most need saving. Asher takes Brooke on as his protégé, removing her from the project she's been assigned and giving her free rein to find the causes that interest her most. Brooke slips easily into her expanded role, happily filing expense reports and using the car service for whatever she needs. Before long, she starts to wonder whether her own life might be be as worthy as any other cause.

There is so much that's great about this premise, and so much potential in Brooke's developing sense of entitlement. But I was disappointed by the story's slow pace, and unsatisfied by the plot. The characters are fascinating, and as always, Alam writes with insight and nuance about people trying to connect across the borders of class and race. I remain a fan of his writing, but I hoped for something more from this novel.

Good Stuff Out There:

→ Leigh Stein considers the claim that there are only 20,000 readers of literary fiction: "All I can offer in my defense is that I read that number (20,000) in a review in July and it stuck in my memory because it sounds true. It might not be accurate, and I would love to see real data on this, but I've worked in the publishing industry since 2008. I've sold six books. I know first-hand how hard it is to sell literary fiction—and by sell I mean both to a publisher and to readers." (Thanks, Book Riot!)