BECOMING MRS. LEWIS, by Patti Callahan, is one of my favorite books for 2018, but it’s not for everybody. It isn’t a page turner, a titillating beach read or the latest killer thriller. But if you have a strong interest in C.S. Lewis and who/what shaped him as a man, or you want to get absorbed in a well-researched, elegantly-written historical novel, I recommend BECOMING MRS. LEWIS wholeheartedly. If you want a story about a woman who made bad choices and valued her art over her kids but was by-god true to her passion, read it. You will want to see the movie Shadowlands (1993) starring Anthony Hopkins as C.S. Lewis and Debra Winger as his American poet friend, Joy Davidman, FIRST—yes, this time I think the movie should precede the book—for full enjoyment of the novel. The movie will wallop you with an emotional punch, then you can fill in the details with this amazing story about two figures who probably would get no notice in today’s world. Of course C.S. Lewis was known for the Narnia Chronicles, but he did so much more than pen a series of fantasy novels. Lewis was an author, a naturalist, a theologian. A thinker. He asked questions of himself and others—this was the basis of his relationship with Davidman—that we don’t have time for today when we’re too busy updating our social media profiles and nursing wounds. Lewis’ relationship with God, his values, the relationships that defined him—these were always under scrutiny, ever-evolving. And Joy Davidman soared as an artist, a poet, a woman, despite her shackles. Patti Callahan’s beautiful novel draws us into the world of debate and discussion and thinking that transcends modern day pettiness. It’s a book about ideas and ideals. C.S. Lewis, if he were dropped into today’s world, would abhor FITBITs, Facebook and 90-Day Fiancé, but I’m pretty sure he would approve of Patti Callahan’s story of his relationship with Joy Davidman. BECOMING MRS. LEWIS is true, in every sense of the word.
Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green
“You remember your first love because they show you, prove to you, that you can love and be loved, that nothing in this world is deserved except for love, that love is both how you become a person, and why.”
I was talking books one day to a burly high school football player who had just finished reading John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, and I asked him what he thought about it. “I cried like a baby,” he admitted. “It was sad, but so wonderful.” Thus began my love affair with John Green’s writing, and his newest YA novel, Turtles All the Way Down, was just as I expected: moving, poetic, brilliant, and NOT just for young adults. The story focuses on the complexities of mental illness, but all of Green’s books share common themes, questions really, that we ask ourselves, no matter our age or circumstance: Am I worthy of love? Do I deserve happiness? After this, then what? Get out the tissues and prepare yourself for an emotional journey, but one that calms your insecurities. You are not alone, you deserve love. Read this book.
BEFORE WE WERE YOURS, by Lisa Wingate
“. . . Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. . .”
Not only does the story read like fiction, but the character of Georgia Tann—right down to her name—reeks of fabrication. Both story and villainess are true, sadly, for the hundreds of neglected and/or murdered infants and toddlers, not to mention the thousands of children who were ripped from their rightful families and adopted out, the records of their journeys as “lost” as a mother’s cry for her stolen baby. In Before We Were Yours, Lisa Wingate has recreated a period of history that can be compared to Styron’s Sophie’s Choice in emotional intensity. Backstory (narrated by stolen child Rill) alternates with present day drama (told by Avery, a young lawyer who stumbles upon family history that just won’t quit) to form an evenly-paced yet mesmerizing tale of a disgusting bit of southern history. There was no comeuppance for Georgia Tann—unless you believe in eternal damnation—but Before We Were Yours is full of life’s lessons that are characteristic of all of Wingate’s writing: Follow your heart, and hold your loved ones close. Very close. Thank you, Lisa Wingate, for a story that will long outlive its well-deserved ranking on the New York Times Bestseller List.
BENEATH A SCARLET SKY by Mark Sullivan
Until I read this book, I knew little about the Nazi occupation of Italy, partly because so little has been written about what is called the “Forgotten Front.” Although 140,000 Italians died during this period (along with 60,000 Allied soldiers,) surviving Italians chose a type of selective amnesia to help them cope with the horrific loss, maybe a testament to the indomitable nature of countrymen like Pino Lella, the main—true-to-life—character of the story.
Beneath a Scarlet Sky is foremost a tale of survival, written about an Italian boy who came of age in the war-torn region. As a young man, Pino helped Jews escape over the Alps, was a German soldier with ulterior motives, became the personal driver for one of Adolf Hitler’s top generals, and fell in love. At 512 pages, this book could have been more heavily edited, but I devoured every page, every true detail that speaks to the perseverance of the human spirit, the power of love and the impetus for moving on in the wake of destruction and evil.
Indigo Fox 