The next Mormon Lit Blitz is going international. El Pregonero de Deseret, featuring the latest in Spanish-language Mormon literature (contemporary and historical) is available. Rachel Anne Nunes won her case against a plagiarizer. Jack Harrell released his latest Mormon literary novel, Caldera Ridge. Mette Harrison takes us to a new place in Mormon fantasy/mystery with Vampires in the Temple. Amy Makechnie’s debut middle-grade novel rakes in starred reviews. Robbin J. Peterson’s debut adventure features a missionary imprisoned in Russia. Tara Westover’s memoir Educated continues to sell. Also an upcoming play based on Jack Harrell’s stories, and details on the release of the film Jane and Emma.
News
El Pregonero de Deseret issue #3 is out, with the latest inSpanish-language Mormon Literature. It includes an editorial piece that highlights several official, Spanish-language Church publications that back in the day would publish poetry, poems by deceased authors ones as far back as 1937, a review of Gabriel González Núñez’sEstampas del Libro de Mormón, an author spotlight of Cristalina Roca, an Argentine author and illustrator, and a reproduction of the very first Mormon text written originally in Spanish, from 1879. El Pregonero de Deseret’s formatting is looking very nice.
Mormon Lit Blitz’s “Around the World in Mormon Lit” Short Story Contest has begun, with a call for stories with Mormon characters set in different places around the world. The James Goldberg-run contest will accept stories up to 2,000 words written in any language. There will be two $100 prizes, a grand prize, and a prize for best story written in a language other English. The Call for Submissions has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and German.
Rachel Ann Nunes and her lawyer Shawn P. Bailey have won their copyright infringement case. Rachel reports, “I’m happy to announce that the final chapter in my copyright infringement case against Tiffany Rushton has been written. After four years, I can finally put this behind me. Please see the URLs for the official judgment with the settlement details and Rushton’s public apology below. But first let me say THANKS one last time for all the support. We would never have won without you.” Rushton had to admit that she “willfully” infringed Nunes copyright by plagiarizing her book, and is liable for $150,000 in damages.
Hidden Springs Writers Retreat, organized writing workshop organized by Robison Wells and other writer friends, by a group of mostly Mormon authors, will be held November 14-17, in Altamont Utah. “For nearly ten years, a group of authors has been getting together every winter to write. This year, they’ve decided to invite you to join them. On a sprawling ranch in Altamont, Utah, just outside Duchesne, we’ll spend four days and three nights writing, learning, eating, and laughing. Instructors include Wells, Josi Kilpack, Sara Miller Eden, Krista Jensen, Nancy Campbell Allen, Jennifer Lunt Moore, Annette Lyon, Margot Hovley, Marion Jensen, Suzanne Brandenburg Gale, Evelyn Horbager, Cory Webb, and Chris Todd Miller.
Author and Creative Writing professor Ryan Shoemaker is featuredin the BYU-Hawaii newspaper Ke Alaka’i. They discuss his recently published book of short stories Beyond the Lights, which has some impressive endorsements (from T. C. Boyle, for example). He says, “About half of what I write is about Mormonism, in which characters struggle with or are hamstrung by some aspect of Mormon culture. For example, I find that many of my Mormon characters are so blinded by orthodoxy, so that they’re unable to see the humanity in others. They are becoming automatons who scrupulously follow rules and laws and unable to live the greatest commandments: we are to love God and our neighbours. I hope to show…an honest exploration of the Mormon experience, which includes moments of weakness, bad decisions, and how all of the struggles of faith and existence, can humanize us and lead us toward refinement.”
“RIP, Anti-Mormon Literature”, by Jana Reiss. Religion News Service. Reiss discusses the decline of anti-Mormon literature, including memoirs. She suggests some possible reasons: 1. Publishing is changing. Some topics are so comprehensively covered online now that only the oldest and least Internet-savvy readers might actually buy books about them . . . 2. Mormons are boring. Mormons just aren’t that exotic anymore, darn our hides . . . 3. Evangelicals care less about theology than they used to. Sociologists have noted a trend over the last few decades that suggests theology is not as important as it used to be in the minds of most American Christians . . . 4. Mormonism is no longer a threat, because it’s growing far more slowly. She brings up the example of the Christian Scientists, who were once seen as a major threat to evangelical Christianity, but is now largely ignored.
Sunstone Podcast: Ed Snow. “Are Kirby and Bell Also Among the Prophets?”An article in Sunstone, which began as an MSH/AML Conference paper, about humor, Robert Kirby, and Elouise Bell.
Magazines and Short Stories
The Summer 2018 issue (51:2) of Dialogue: a journal of Mormon thought is now available. It includes short fiction by Ryan Shoemaker (“Light Departure”) and David G. Pace (“City of Saints”), a personal essay by John Gustav-Wrathall (“I am not your trigger”), a memorial by Margaret Blair Young of the late Neil Longo, and two of Neil’s essays. Poetry by Robert J Fredrickson, Kevin Klein, Elisabeth Richardson, and Melissa Young. Gabriel González Núñez reviews Tim Wirkus’ novel The Infinite Future. Sheldon Lawrence reviews George Handley’s novel American Fork. Darlene Young reviews Lance Larsen’s poetry collection What the Body Knows. Robert Rees reviews Adam S. Miller’s rewording of The Song of Solomon, The Sun Has Burned My Skin. Both Susan Howe and Cristina Rosettireview of Stephen Carter’s anthology Moth and Rust: Mormon Encounters with Death. Zachary Hutchins reviews George Handley’s Learning to Like Life: A Tribute to Lowell Bennion. Michael Andrew Ellis reviews Heidi Naylor’s short story collection Revolver. Lisa Bickmorereviews Linda Sillitoe’s posthumous poetry collection Owning the Moon. Rachel Helps reviews Jennifer Quist’s novel The Apocalypse of Morgan Turner. Sarah Reed reviews Laura Allred Hurtado’s book of Mormon Arts Center Festival art Immediate Present. Steven Peck shares a “From the Pulpit” sermon, “My Mother’s Eclipse”. Christian Anderson wrote a memorial for his father Paul Anderson, and Paul’s architectural art is also included.
BYU Studies 57:2 is out. Jenny Champoux’s “Wise or Foolish: Women in Mormon Biblical Narrative Art” looks at paintings of women in the Gospels to see what message the paintings convey, specifically about Mary and Martha. Also poetry by Daniel F. Teichert, and musicologist Luke Howard reviews Paco, by Nathan Thatcher.
Katherine Cowley. “Confessions of a Mycologist” Mad Scientist Journal, Summer 2018.
Lehua Parker. “Maverick”. Self, Aug. 13. “In post-apocalyptic Heber City, Utah, an 11 year-old girl searches for ChapStick and magazines in an abandoned Mavericks convenience store and runs into two drifters who get more than they bargained for.”
Recent books and their reviews
Jack Harrell. Caldera Ridge. Signature, Aug. 1. Contemporary literary novel. “Kail Lambert spends the summer after high school graduation traveling the country, hoping to make it all the way to San Francisco before returning home to Illinois. However, a broken motorcycle leaves him stuck in Idaho, where he surprises himself by falling in love with the mountains and the local culture. He converts to Mormonism and marries Charlene Simmons—a perfect Mormon girl deeply dedicated to her church. After a fifteen-year hiatus in Arizona, Kail moves his family back to Idaho to solve some unresolved issues between his wife and God. What he and Charlene find are shocking surprises beneath the surface of every beautiful thing, from the Idaho mountains to Charlene’s deceptively devout family. Acclaimed author Jack Harrell creates a world of complex and troubled characters, each seeking happiness from a God simultaneously familiar and mysterious, each wrestling with the doubts and eternal optimism integral to their faith.” Harrell talks about the novel here.
Mette Harrison. Vampires in the Temple. BCC Press, July 24. Fantasy/mystery. “Jack Hardy is a detective in Salt Lake City, Utah, with partner Andy Young. Andy is a descendant of Benjamin Young, legendary leader of the Mormon pioneers and general of the Mormon Army that defeated the vampires and pushed them back onto the island in the middle of the Salt Lake. But Benjamin Young’s wife Ella made some prophecies about the vampires that have been repressed in the past. Now they are returning to bite Jack in the ass. He has to figure out who killed his fiancee Becky and at the same time uncover the members of a secret conspiracy within the Mormon church. All the while, Jack is dealing with his own secret history and struggles to know who he is and whether anything he has believed in his life is true or not, including his trust for his partner, Andy.” Harrison introduces her novel here.
Esther Hatch. The Roses of Fieldstone. Covenant, Aug. 1. Regency romance. “Standing before Feldstone Manor, site of so many happy memories, Rose Davenport feels nothing but dread. Her family’s annual visit to the stately home was once brightened by her friendship with the earl’s youngest son, William, but everything changed the day his elder brother was disinherited and William became heir to his father’s earldom. From that moment, William made it clear he has no interest in continuing an acquaintance with Rose. Heartbroken, she sets out to prove that she will simply not be ignored—or outdone—by the arrogant future lord of the manor. When his elder brother marries for love, William’s entire life changes in an instant. He does not have the same option to marry whom he chooses, and he must let go of the feelings he has harbored for his dear friend, Rose. He steels himself against her annual visits, determined to keep his feelings for her a secret. But when he makes the hasty promise to marry within six months, he never dreams that his actions will lead Rose to impulsively undertake the same challenge.”
Charlie Holmberg. Veins of Gold. Mirror Press, July 17. YA fantasy. Set in gold rush-era Utah. Magic from the gold being taken from the ground.
Karlene Browning, 4.5 stars. “I’ve read all of Charlie N. Holmberg’s books. She is a captivating writer with a wonderful imagination. While Veins of Gold is not my favorite of her books, it’s still a very good read. The bad news first: The one thing that bothered me about this story is that there wasn’t quite enough of it. I would have loved to see more depth in all of the areas—more magic and more explanation of what and why; more romance and depth to the relationship between Gentry and Winn; the family issues and character interactions were good, but I wanted more of them. That said, however, I did enjoy this story. It’s difficult for me to geek out about all the things I loved, without giving away spoilers. A good portion of the delight I found in this book came in watching things slowly unfold—and I don’t want to ruin that for anyone. The writing is stellar. Holmberg weaves setting, dialog, and action seamlessly. I really felt I was part of this story. I loved the play on words in the title. (That shows up once we get into the story a bit.)”
Sally Johnson. Pretty Much Perfect. Covenant, July 1. Contemporary romance. “Camille Weston, a recently returned missionary, anticipates returning to college for her degree and perhaps to meet a nice guy. A sensible young woman with her future mapped out, Camille would never do something dangerous—like pick up a stranger on the side of the road. And yet, inexplicably, she does just that. This is one split-second decision that changes everything.Determined to lend assistance, Camille gets more than she bargains for when she is roped into helping Liam, a handsome British man, with more than just a ride. As they are thrown together over the coming days and their mutual attraction grows, they realize they just . . . click. That is, until she makes a shocking discovery: the mysterious stranger is William Liam Jones, lead singer of the popular band Gear. Camille has never been one to swoon over a celebrity, and she knows her and Liam’s lifestyles could never be compatible. But how can she convince her heart to listen to logic?”
Carla Kelly, Kristen Holt, Sarah Eden. Calico Bell. Mirror Press, July 10. Western romance novellas.
Annette Lyon. The Affair at Wildemoore. Blue Ginger Books, July 8. Regency romance novella. “Ellen Stanhope escorts her three daughters to a ball. As her oldest flirts with a beau, Ellen is reminded of her courtship and early years of marriage with Anthony, before tragedy struck, which made their marriage fade and dull. Not until Ellen sees Anthony dancing with a woman he courted years before does she realize how much she misses him, still loves him, and wish he still loved her.”
Amy Makechnie. The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair. Atheneum, June 12. Middle grade. Debut novel.
PW: “This spirited and layered debut follows the move of 10-year-old narrator Guinevere (Gwyn), a feisty aspiring lawyer, from New York to her parents’ rural hometown of Crow, Iowa, in the hopes of jarring her mother’s memory. Makechnie sensitively sketches Gwyn’s complicated feelings toward Vienna, “formerly known as my mother,” who suffered a traumatic brain injury when Gwyn was four. Now Vienna cannot remember anything that happened to her since she was 13, and she vacillates between youthful ebullience and stubborn meanness. For Gwyn, Iowa offers “an exciting and fresh start, like the witness protection program,” and she forms fast friendships with two local boys. She also becomes curious about the disappearance of a local man and the secrets surrounding her parents’ enigmatic friend, Gaysie. Gwyn’s dentist father, obsessed with the brain and devoted to his ailing wife, proves a distracted, preoccupied parent to Gwyn and her sister Bitty, allowing other memorable characters to take on greater significance. Ultimately, Makechnie’s novel is a big-hearted adventure about coming home.”
Booklist (Starred): “”The smart dialogue and flowing description…highlights the eccentric, yet wholly believable characters. This is part mystery, part study of the human heart, and one pierced with rays of hope. Everyone here, adults and children, have lessons they need to learn, and first-time novelist Makechnie offers them those paths, in startling ways.”
Kirkus (Starred): “If Scout Finch had had a sister, she would be future “world-famous lawyer” Guinevere St. Clair . . . . With the same nostalgia-tinged humor as Dead End in Norvelt and A Long Way from Chicago, Makechnie’s debut will have readers in stitches. Gwyn’s voice is distinct and likable, carrying readers through the eventful narrative with ease. Guinevere St. Clair is indeed 100 percent unforgettable.”
H. B. Moore. Anna the Prophetess. Covenant, Aug. 1. Scriptural/Historical Fiction. “When Anna’s great-niece Julia is exiled to Jerusalem as punishment for her refusal to marry a man old enough to be her father, Anna shares the story of her early days of courtship with her husband. Although Julia’s parents admonished her to observe firsthand how lonely Anna’s life is, Julia instead discovers that her great-aunt’s life is far from lonely—it is full of love, peace, and incredible faith. As Anna shares her unwavering testimony of the coming Messiah with her great-niece, these two faithful women are changed forever as they seek the Lord’s will in their lives and joyfully witness the long-awaited miracles of Christ’s birth.”
Jennie Hansen: “Moore always brings her scriptural/historical characters to life in a satisfying way and she does so with Anna. Few contemporary writers equal her for precise research and in depth examination of the cultural and doctrinal aspects of the scriptural stories she presents to the reader.”
Robbin J. Peterson. Conviction. Covenant, June 1. Missionary adventure. “After a rocky start as a missionary in Ukraine, Elder Neal Christensen is struggling to learn the Russian language and embrace an unfamiliar life away from his small Northern California town. And in an instant, a peculiar encounter with the wrong people changes everything. Dragged from his apartment in the dead of night, Neal is taken to prison and charged with the theft of a priceless museum piece. As days turn into weeks, he is thrown into a world of uncertainty where he must rely on the only person he can trust—the Savior. And as his Russian slowly improves within the prison walls, he begins preaching the gospel in the last place he imagined proselytizing. But when civil unrest erupts in Ukraine, the now-familiar routine of imprisonment is over. Neal is trapped in the chaos, and with his life on the line, his only hope of survival is escape. Yet he learns too late that there is as much danger awaiting him outside the prison walls as within. Someone has gone to great lengths to incriminate the young missionary, and they will stop at nothing to silence him forever.”
Jennie Hansen, 5 stars. “Conviction is a compelling story. It’s one readers won’t want to set down for any reason. It’s near history and based on the experiences of several real people. It’s easy to sympathize with and care about young men set down in a world with which they’ve had little to no experience. The mission president, a few locals, and some of the prisoners are easy to admire for their strength and determination. The background and setting for this story is as real in detailing a high school prank gone wrong as it is in recounting the brutality of war. A major element of Conviction is the spiritual journey taken by Neal as he progresses from a boy who let someone else take the blame for his actions to a strong man with absolute trust in the Savior who will willingly give his life for others and take responsibility for his own actions. Even the title is a play on words, meaning both conviction for a crime and conviction as a fixed or firm belief. This book is recommended for those who enjoy an exciting, action-packed story, those who like a suggestion of romance, and especially for those who enjoy the intricate development of a true testimony of Christ’s love. Though the events occurred as recently as 2013, I think History buffs will like this one too.”
R. E. D. Richardson. The Only Amalekite Convert. Cedar Fort/Bonneville, March. Scriptural/historical. “A young Amalekite living among the Lamanites, Mikiah is the proud messenger and favored spy of King Ashoram. Sent to kidnap the daughter of Lamoni, king of Ishmael, and bring her back to be Ashoram’s bride, Mikiah spares only a moment to feel disdain for the Nephite preachers in the market. But as he encounters the Nephites again and again and witnesses the miraculous events that seem to follow in their wake, Mikiah finds his world shaken.”
Deseret News review: “Richardson’s modern prose amid a setting in ancient times creates a dramatic and emotional account of the possible culture in Book of Mormon era cities and the surrounding areas. Although the story is cast as historical fiction, there are cameo appearances of several characters, including Ammon, the sons of Mosiah and King Lamoni, adding an appealing scriptural twist within a plot that rivals today’s most influential protagonists. The lively dialogue and novel structure draw readers into an alluring Book of Mormon-esque story riddled with conflict, faith, fear, repentance, love, loyalty, betrayal and redemption. And it’s presented in a conversational and relatable format that sometimes gets lost in translation.”
Mahonri Stewart. Swallow the Sun: The Early Life of C. S. Lewis. Self, Aug. 8. Playscript. “C.S. “Jack” Lewis: accomplished author, famed creator of fantasy worlds, and the 20th Century’s most eloquent defender of Christianity. Little do most people know that he was once an entrenched atheist. This play by Kennedy Center award-winning playwright Mahonri Stewart recounts the powerful spiritual journey of the “most reluctant convert in all of England,” as he grapples with bold figures of faith like J.R.R. Tolkien and a god who hunts his soul relentlessly. Yet the worth of that soul is manifest in a struggle that will create a legendary legacy. The volume also includes Stewart’s speech about C.S. Lewis: “It is the Myth That Gives Life.””
Reviews of older books
Brodi Ashton, et al. My Plain Jane (Jessica George) 4 stars. “Here’s the thing: if you know me, you know that Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorite books. And as such, I am very wary of retellings, sequels, movie adaptations, etc. (If you ever want to start an argument with me, just tell me that you think the Ruth Wilson/Toby Stephens horror is the best movie version. I will freaking FIGHT YOU.) So this should tell you two things: That I really, really loved the Lady Janies’ version of Jane Eyre, because, BEHOLD FOUR STARS! But also that if you are expecting a straight up version of Jane Eyre with just a hint of madcap humor, you should look elsewhere. Crazy crap abounds in this book, as it did in their first one, My Lady Jane (which I wholeheartedly adored!). The references to everything from Donald Trump to the Princess Bride come fast and furious. Snarky comments about Victorian fashions and morals? Yep, we got ’em! Romance? Also yes! Running commentary on Mr. Rochester’s brooding ways and how much older he is than Jane? Indeed, yes! And I enjoyed it, I really, really did, and would definitely recommend it. I actually agreed with a lot of the sentiments about the general weirdness of the original novel . . . I mean, seriously, the weird screams in the night and creepy Grace Poole . . . Poor Jane!Charlotte Bronte herself is one of the characters, as is the rest of her family. Which is where I actually got a bit . . . fussy and stuffed-shirty about the book. I kept thinking, But I know about her life! That’s not what happened! I have just been to the parsonage at Haworth, a few weeks ago! I know how this all ends! And it made me a bit sad and nostalgic all over again. Anyway, that’s why not 5 stars.”
Carol Pratt Bradley.Waiting for the Light (Jessie Christensen). The biblical setting in this book felt realistically researched, and the characters were fully-realized and complex. I felt like its main flaws were in the pacing and conflict–it dragged in parts. This is the danger of writing a book meant to cover the entire life of a person. In general, however, I enjoyed reading it and thought it was well-written.
Carla Kelly. Courting Carrie in Wonderland (Jessie Christensen).I have loved every novel I’ve read by Carla Kelly, and this one did not disappoint. I learned a lot about the early history of Yellowstone, and had so much fun with the story of Ned and Carrie. There were also enough twists and turns to keep the book moving at a good pace, as well as some more difficult plot points that kept the romance grounded and the characters realistic.
Mette Harrison. The Book of Laman. (Jessie Christensen). I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did; I think Harrison did an admirable job fleshing out the first part of the Book of Mormon and adding nuance to what has been written in scripture. However, I was frustrated by the presence of a wooden, stilted Nephi as a foil to a well-rounded Laman. I think the book would have been much better if both characters were more fully realized, especially since there actually is quite a bit of room for interpretation in the account we have in the Book of Mormon. Harrison’s Nephi reads like caricature based on cheesy Mormon pop culture, not the person present in the scriptures (full disclosure, I’ve never cared much for Nephi either, but I think that he’s not just the straight-up ‘good guy’ people want him to be). Also, there were some glaring typos and other errors (Jerusalem is not on the ocean) that distracted me from the story. There were some things to like about this book, but for me, personally, I like scripture retellings that feel more grounded in a close reading of the scriptures.
Jonathan Langford. No Going Back (Jenifer Larson-Hall). “Langford gave me insight into the life of a 15-year-old Mormon boy, Paul, who struggles with the paradox of realizing that he is gay and also wanting to follow the Church’s teachings. The book does an excellent job of helping the Mormon reader to empathize with the main character while also seeing the quandary that he is in.”
Gerald Lund.The Proud Shall Stumble (Jessie Christensen). I have yet to read a book by Lund that isn’t incredibly boring. Apparently his style of minute retelling of historical events (with a lot of extra detail) is not my particular taste. I also felt like he fell into the trap of letting historical events already known by the readers provide the conflict for the story, rather than creating it within the world of the book.
Heidi Naylor. Revolver (Steven Peck). “Naylor’s collection of short stories is art—literary, accessible, and delightful. Her vividly drawn characters seem like people you know or should know or maybe will know because they enter into your consciousness as if constructed from some combination of memory, experience, and imagination. As she writes her characters into life, you come away with a sense of their depth and complexity.”
Heather B. Moore. Condemn Me Not (Jessie Christensen).“I thought the structure of this book worked well–it alternates chapters between the story of an elderly woman who has been jailed for witchcraft and flashbacks that tell the story of her life. Although some of the suspense is taken out of the story simply by knowing what the historical record shows, reading about Susannah’s life.”
Katie Nelson.The Duke of Bannerman Prep (Jessie Christensen). “Although I’m not very familiar with The Great Gatsby, having read it only once a long time ago, I could still see how this book was paying homage to it. However, although the themes and some of the plot points were there, this book was still very much its own creation, and I really enjoyed reading it. The characters were complex and I learned a lot about the world of high school debate, plus the story was realistic in how it played out.”
Steven Peck. Gilda Trillim: Shepherdess of Rats (Jessie Christensen). “I will confess that I wasn’t sure I would like this book. Some of the more esoteric parts were challenging, and it really was as weird as I thought it was going to be. In the end, however, it was probably one of the best books I read out of all the Whitney finalists. I’m sad it didn’t win an award, but also understand why it didn’t, considering the types of books it was up against.”
Kiera Shae, How the Light Gets In(Megan Goates, Segullah) “How the Light Gets In is an exploration of faith in the life of a suffering girl with an eager heart. It displays the rare moments of divine peace and grace when Keira acutely feels God reaching out to comfort her. It likewise does not shy away from the long periods of anguish she faces over the stretches of radio silence from heaven in response to her prayers for relief. At its deepest root, Keira’s book candidly and deeply ponders the purposes of suffering and the prickly path of mortality, with its hard-earned lessons in empathy, endurance, mercy, and forgiveness.”
Ryan Shoemaker. Beyond the Lights (Kirkus Review). “Shoemaker’s debut short story collection ranges in style and acquaints characters with prospects that leave them feeling disenchanted, disturbed, and sometimes changed for the better. Some stories are purely comedic: A suburban stay-at-home dad keeps an earnest diary of his comings and goings and efforts at attracting his wife; an adult Karate Kid fan writes a come-to-Jesus letter to the Karate Kid himself; a self-aggrandizing fiction writer pens a letter that rejects an editor’s rejection; a trip to a giant Swedish furniture store (Ikea, thinly veiled) takes a turn for the darkly—and hilariously—sci-fi. Other stories are somber: The owner of an architecture firm hires illegal immigrants to save money on office cleaning bills and gets caught; Mormon men struggle to reconcile their attachment to religious values with the harm it inflicts upon self and others; adults reconcile who they’d hoped to be with who they are; a group of cynical, burned-out teachers reckon with the murder of a student. With smart, cleareyed prose, Shoemaker depicts the excessiveness of white, upper-middle-class adulthood. His protagonists have bedroom balconies, BMWs, and strollers that “looked like NASA engineers” designed them, details which are juxtaposed against arresting descriptions of rural poverty. In spite of their shortcomings, these protagonists—white male guidance counselors, lawyers, teachers, Mormons—aren’t dismissible as caricatures. Most are intelligent, conflicted men tortured by their decisions to hurt others in the name of protecting their loved ones or their own lives. Unfortunately, female characters are less nuanced. They are props—interns, mothers, wives, romantic interests—that exist to reveal men to themselves. Still, Shoemaker makes sure that no matter how hard they try, the men here can’t ignore that they, the supposed altruistic ones, often do more harm than good. A funny, haunting collection that refuses to ward off the “shadow hunting us down.””
A.L. Towards. Defiance (Jessie Christensen). I haven’t read anything by Sowards yet, but I like historical fiction, particularly about World War 2, and thought this was well-written. I sometimes got frustrated with some of the main character’s decisions, since he was an eighteen-year-old, and I wish that the book had been a bit longer and spent more time on his transition back home. Generally, however, I enjoyed reading it and think I will check out some other books by the author.
Tim Wirkus, The Infinite Future (Jennifer Croft). “The Infinite Future is filled to the brim with failures. Thing after thing goes awry. Sidekicks are enlisted; hijinks ensue. It lacks the luminosity of Idra Novey’s 2016 Ways to Disappear, another novel about a translator in Brazil on a quest to find a writer. It lacks the velocity of Roberto Bolaño’s whirlwind masterpiece 2666 — magnificently translated into English by Natasha Wimmer — which begins by introducing four translators looking for their German author, who has vanished somewhere in Mexico. The bulk of this book’s energy crouches unseen between the chapters, in the way the last sentence of one narrative springboards into the first sentence of a new and unexpected story. But the prose itself can be plodding, unrewarding, and the emotional range of the whole is so limited it can get hard to stick with Daniel and Sérgio as they graze their garden of forking paths in search of Salgado-Mackenzie.”
Theater
Janine Gilbert. Leaving Eden. BYU-Idaho Snow Black Box Theatre, Oct. 24-Nov.7, 2018. Based on the stories of Jack Harrell. Gilbert is an adjunct faculty member at BYU-Idaho English Department. Shetook the stories “The Lone and Dreary World,” “The Trestle,” and “Jerome andthe Ends of the Universe”–from Harrell’s collection “A Sense of Order and Other Stories”–added some flourishes of her own, and made a single play that moves in and out of each story, developing a central theme. “When Adam and Eve leave Eden, they set in motion a sweeping human narrative, freeing God’s children to determine their own fate. The consequences of that choice play out in their own lives and in the lives of their modern offspring as Adam’s own story entwines with the stories of Lon, a forklift operator offered a second chance at happiness—for a price—and Jerome and Andie, two floundering souls seeking the rules that govern the universe and love. This thoughtful reimagination of the first creation weaves together the strands of their stories as they grapple with the weight and glory of God’s agency, discovering the hope and promise awaiting those who leave Eden.”
Mark Weisenberg. The Booth and Eric Samuelsen. Cassandra. Aug. 4-11, Great Salt Lake Fringe. Utah New Works Theatre Project sampler. In Cassandra, Cassandra and Agamemnon travel home from the Trojan war. She knows they will both be murdered when they arrive in Thebes. He refuses to believe her. In The Booth, John and Jane find themselves in that place between life and death with no idea what to do next. Together they experience the emotional dissonance of their before life experience and how it may affect their afterlife journey.
Single Wide, a musical by George Nelson, Maclain Nelson, and Jordan Kamalu, has been chosen for the New Musical Discovery Series, which is sponsored by the Florida Theatrical Association. The festival will take place August 16-20 in Orlando, Florida. Nelson is working with the festival and the director who will be staging the performance.
Film
‘Jane & Emma’ filmmakers discuss Mormonism’s first lady and a determined black convert. Salt Lake Tribune Mormonland Podcast-Interview with Chantelle Squires and Melissa Leilani Larson. The film will be released in October 12. “Emma Smith stands alone as the most famous woman in Mormon history. The wife of church founder Joseph Smith is mentioned in histories, journals, even LDS scripture. Less known is her enduring and endearing friendship with the early church’s most noted black woman, Jane Manning James. A forthcoming film, titled “Jane and Emma,” documents and dramatizes that friendship. The movie’s director, Chantelle Squires, and its screenwriter, Melissa Leilani Larson, discuss the film, its title characters and their hopes for what it might do for race relations within — and without — the LDS Church.”
Also, an article about Excel (Deseret Book) picking up the movie, and the trailer, in Deadline.
Cameron Babcock, a recent BYU graduate, directed the film, Hey Brooklyn. It has racked up the following recognitions: Family Film Festival: Official Selection for Drama Short, Clean Shorts Film Festival: 1st Place in XL Short Category, LDS Film Festival: Audience Choice Award in Short Fiction, Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival: Semi-Finalist for Short Drama Student Film and Award Winner for Short Screenplay, BYU Final Cut Film Festival: Official Selection Short Fiction. Cameron will be starting a graduate program at the University of Southern California.
“How Jack Black was Cast in Cult DIY Director Stephen Groo’s Microbudget Elf-Human Fantasy Romance.” The Hollywood Reportercarried a story last week about Scott Christopherson’s documentary film The Insufferable Groo, which screened earlier this month at the Sheffield Documentary Festival.
Hush, Hush, a 2009 fantasy YA novel written by Becca Fitzgerald (a Mormon author), is being made into a movie. Kellie Cyrus has been chosen as the director. “Hush, Hush,” published in 2009 as the first of a four-title series, was a New York Times Bestseller for more than 50 weeks. It has sold over five million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 35 languages.
Best Sellers
July 15, 22, 29, Aug. 5, 12, 19
Educated had another big uptick since late July, reaching #1 on the NY Times Combined Non-Fiction list.
Tara Westover. Educated
USA Today: ?, ?, #24, #25, #22, #15, #16 (25 weeks)
PW Hardcover Non-Fiction: ?, ?, #7, #6, #6, #9, #9 (25 weeks). Units sold: 8290, 8118, 8302, 8333. 182,435 total.
NY Times Hardcover Non-Fiction: #4, #3, #2, #2, #3, #3, #4 (25 weeks)
NY Times Combined Print and Ebook Nonfiction: #3, #4, #1, #2, #3, #3, #3 (25 weeks)
RaeAnne Thayne. The Cottages on Silver Beech
USA Today: ?, ?, #86, #142, x, x (5 weeks)