NEW SHEEHAN NOVEL OUT IN JULY: Aurelie Sheehan, former Wyomingite who's now the director of the University of Arizona creative writing program, sends word that her new new novel, History Lessons for Girls, will be released by Viking on July 10. The book has received advance praise, with a starred review in Kirkus and a "best summer read" recommendation in Oprah's O Magazine. This review from Booklist gives a snapshot of the story: "With her cumbersome back brace and bohemian parents, 13-year-old Alison is an outsider in her Connecticut town until popular Kate befriends her. At school, and on their horses, the girls find escape together. Against a backdrop of 1970s dysfunction (abusive new-age gurus; parental drug benders), the family secrets are sharp and shocking. In her second novel, Sheehan juxtaposes small moments the way an artist uses colors, creating potency and meaning with immediate contrasts. In her bright kitchen, Alison listens to Kate's voice--a dark thread in a dark hole--and realizes that her friend is in trouble. These subtle details amplify the seeming contradictions in larger events: a normal school day after madness at home; a child parenting a parent; the past reappearing in the present. And then there's the hope that surfaces after anguish: 'There was no reason that I couldn't live this way,' says Alison about her twisted spine. 'Like any imperfect but plausible thing, a tree growing around a telephone pole.' A tender,unflinching, and distinctive view of how girls grow up." Read an excerpt on Aurelie's web site.
- posted by Michael Shay @ 5:41 PM