A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
I don’t think I can adequately express just how devastating, unfamiliar, and outstanding I found this novel to be. I mentioned in a previous post that I had this sitting on my shelves for far too long- I kept putting this read off, for whatever reasons. But, my goodness, I was so taken with narrator Nomi’s story. Set in a stark Mennonite town in Manitoba, sixteen year old Nomi takes the reader on a fascinatingly eerie, broken-down and droll look into her present-day, past, and possible future. Plying herself with verboten drugs and feeding off of a teenage love, Nomi attempts to keep herself- and her fading father- in one piece, while trying to come to terms with the disappearance of her mother and sister. A superb Bildungsroman that cleaves into fundamentalism and family ties.
Verdict: Excellent
Extra: Here is a great review of A Complicated Kindness from Quill & Quire.

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty
One of my reading addictions is definitely to Moriarty’s books! This is one of the author’s earlier titles, and while not quite at the same level of complicated suburban suspense as her newer bestselling novels, Three Wishes is still thoroughly enjoyable. Told from multiple vantage points (of adult triplets, no less!), and other interlaced voices, this story about the utterly complex and stubborn nature of sibling and family relationships held my attention from start to finish. Starting with a bang, veering into lighter contemporary fare, then hitting more substantial subject matter, Three Wishes is, I think, a solid read, and one I would recommended for fans of Moriarty’s work.
Verdict: Good/Very Good