Hot Rhody Reads for Summer

1. Exes
Writing from the heart of the place where he grew up is central to Max Winter’s debut, Exes. Providence in the 90’s, with all its characters, humor and tension, is a veritable breeding ground for complicated, gritty storytelling at its best. This is a haunting tale of brothers and the people in the community who bear witness to their tragedy and beauty, often at the same time. Readers will appreciate the familiar landmarks and the local lingo along with some of the finest storytelling today. Winter will join the Point Street Reading Series on June 20.

2. Since We Fell
Providence has a supporting role in Dennis Lehane’s latest novel, Since We Fell. Set mostly in the Boston area, readers will be familiar with the drive to Providence that is central to one of the many plot twists in this suspenseful, psychological drama. At the center of the novel we meet Rachel Childs, a once successful journalist who is putting her life back together after an on-air meltdown. Lehane nails it with his first female narrator. This is one thrilling and bumpy ride.

3. Forks, Knives and Spoons
With all the sights and sounds of the ‘80s to pull you into her debut novel, Rhode Island resident Leah DeCesare has produced a crowd pleaser with her coming-of-age novel. As Amy York heads off to her freshman year at Syracuse, her father has a heart-to-heart with her. He tells her that there are three kinds of guys – forks, knives and spoons – and goes on to explain the characteristics associated with each. Armed with this neat classification system, Amy navigates her way through college and beyond. DeCesare is a natural storyteller and her passion, humor and ear for dialogue make this book a delicious treat.

4. Down City: A Daughter’s Story of Love, Memory, and Murder
If ever there were a Rhode Island story, Leah Carroll’s debut memoir tops the list. Carroll does an incredible job blending storytelling with facts, balancing emotional distance and keeping herself in the narrative at the same time. Carroll was four years old when her mother was brutally murdered by two drug dealers with mafia connections. Her father, with demons of his own, was dead by the time she was 18. Piecing together their story to form her own is at the heart of this gorgeous and brave book.

5. Rebel Mother: My Childhood Chasing the Revolution
Think your childhood was a little unusual? Well, you might think again after reading Brown University professor Peter Andreas’ riveting and harrowing memoir about life with his mother (formerly a 1950s housewife from a small Mennonite town) who became a radical feminist and took her youngest son, Peter, wherever she went. This even included kidnapping and living in several different states and five countries with multiple husbands and countless lovers. Andreas attended more schools and lived in more homes in his young life than many will in a lifetime. From suburban American communities to Chile and Peru, this is the stuff of fiction, but it’s true.