Library Picks: 'Perla', 'Afterwards'

Summer is quickly approaching, so it’s time to start making a list of books to read at the beach or wherever your travels may take you.  Here are three new books by popular fiction authors you might want to consider adding to your list.

Perla

By Carolina De Robertis

Fans of Isabel Allende’s richly written novels might want to try reading this second novel by Carolina de Robertis.  Both authors weave stories of romance with the turbulent political histories of Latin America to create epic family sagas that span generations.  In Perla, affluent university student Perla Correa is confronted by a victim of Argentina’s “Dirty War,” a period in the 1970s and 1980s during which thousands of political dissidents disappeared.  As Perla listens to the stranger’s tales, she must come to terms with her father’s participation in the military regime responsible for the horrific deeds and reconcile her own identity with the dark secrets of her family’s past.  I highly recommend De Robertis’ debut novel The Invisible Mountain, as well.

Afterwards: A Novel

By Rosamund Lupton

Rosamund Lupton’s best-selling thriller Sister was filled with plot twists that led to a heart-pounding conclusion.  This follow-up sounds just as gripping.  When a fire starts at a school leaving Grace Covey and her daughter Jenny badly injured, everyone is a suspect, including Jenny’s eight-year-old brother, Adam.  Comatose Grace and a severely burned Jenny, who are communicating in an out-of-body state, listen to the clues and accusations they hear in the hospital and try to piece together the truth about the arson.   Multiple reviews promise lots of twists and a shocking conclusion. 

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy D’Art

By Christopher Moore

With his wit and over-the-top plotlines and characters, comedic author Christopher Moore has earned himself quite the loyal following.  The title of his most recent novel refers to a unique tube of blue paint that transforms would-be artist Lucien Lessard from a mere hack to a master.  Lessard becomes consumed with the secrets of the blue paint and the woman who gave it to him and enlists the help of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec to solve the mystery.  In addition to Toulouse-Lautrec, artists Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, and others also make appearances in this zany book that mixes art history with romance and mystery.