Fiction roundup: New 'Shopaholic,' Jojo Moyes
House of Thieves
By Charles Belfoure
Sourcebooks Landmark, 409 pp.
3 stars out of four
Charles Belfoure, an architect by trade, is cleverly constructing a successful second career: writing historical fiction with protagonists who are architects. His debut, The Paris Architect, found drama in the story of a French architect paid to create hiding places for Parisian Jews, while he proudly designs factories for the occupying Germans. Slowly he becomes repelled by his work for the Nazis. The main character in House of Thieves goes the other direction: a Gilded Age society architect becomes seduced by bad guys. In 1886 New York, John Cross is forced to pay off his son’s gambling debts by a colorful if murderous gang that muscles him into masterminding break-ins at rich clients’ homes. Strangely, he slowly realizes he thrives on the thrill. And he’s not the only one. His wife, children and even mother-in-law all are drawn to the dark side in surprising ways. Channeling Dickens, Belfoure designs a rollicking story but overloads on improbabilities. No matter -- it’s a blueprint for great fun.
-- Jocelyn McClurg
Shopaholic to the Rescue
By Sophie Kinsella
The Dial Press, 345 pp.
3 stars
Sophie Kinsella's latest comic novel picks up where Shopaholic to the Stars left off - with England's Becky (Bloomwood) Brandon still doing her amusing best to navigate our shores. Becky, her family and assorted friends have abandoned L.A. (and Becky's dreams of being a Hollywood stylist) for a road trip, trying to find her Dad, who has disappeared on a mysterious secret mission. This plot device allows the gang to pile into that most American of vehicles - the RV, with Becky's ever-patient hubby Luke at the wheel -- and invade Las Vegas and other points west. It also asks these pressing questions: Will Bex and best friend Suze ever make up? Will Becky's old nemesis, banker Derek Smeath, finish his memoir? Why can't our beloved Shopaholic seem to spend any money, even on a $2.50 pencil?? As usual, it's all terribly silly, but at its best moments, this is escapism that will make you giggle out loud.
-- McClurg
After You
By Jojo Moyes
Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, 352 pp.
2 stars
There aren’t many books that can find joie de vivre and romance in assisted suicide, but Jojo Moyes pulled it off in her crackling best seller, Me Before You (soon to be movie). Now she’s written a sequel, which finds 20-something caretaker Louisa (Lou) Clark still trying to recover from wealthy Will Traynor’s death. Lou is working in a ridiculous airport bar (why?) and desperately unhappy when she falls off her London roof (attempted suicide or not?) and shatters bones. Dreamy paramedic Sam to the rescue. But not so fast. Moyes throws all kinds of misdirection into her kitchen-sink plot, including troubled (and obnoxious) teen Lily, whose parentage is meant to be a major shock. And then there’s that shootout (!) at the end. It’s all a bit much, although there’s just enough Moyes’ magic to keep utter dreariness at bay. When Lou’s dutiful mum suddenly discovers her inner feminist, you remember why you loved Me Before You.
-- McClurg
I Saw a Man
By Owen Sheers
Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 257 pp.
2.5 stars
Owen Sheers’ latest novel is about loss and life, and as he poetically writes, “to have your future taken from you, and yet still remain alive.” The tightly written I Saw a Man ultimately suffers from too much slow burn and a real downer of a cast. The story follows the parallel, intertwined stories of Michael, a London man who has problems getting over the death of his journalist wife; Daniel, an American drone pilot directly responsible for a tragedy; and Josh, Michael’s neighbor whose existence is undone by secrets and an accident. Sheers’ descriptive prose explores multiple facets of friendship and betrayal while also letting readers delve into the complex inner workings of his characters and their lives. But the many time skips and gaps between revelations keep Man from being truly satisfying.
-- Brian Truitt