Landslide
by Susan Conley
Wednesday, October 6 at 7:00 pm
Please join us and Maine author Susan Conley for the book discussion.
Copies of the book are available at the library, first come, first serve, or you may order one yourself through the MILS library system,
or ask library staff to order for you. We are meeting in person with masks.
“In this enveloping novel, a mother of teenage boys tries to find her footing in coastal Maine after her husband is injured in a fishing accident. Little crack have sprouted in every inch of the fortification around this family’s life, and Conley shows their battle to keep vulnerability at bay.”
—The New York Times
“Stunning . . . Conley is masterful in her storytelling. She writes confidently about Jill’s growing lack of confidence in her own parenting skills. She nails the angst and doubt faced by parents of teenagers. Additionally, she assigns Jill the task of narrating on behalf of her wolves, which is no small feat . . . Conley has navigated the fissures of a family in crisis with her usual restraint and humor – all of it set against a backdrop of the state’s rugged coastline. The result is a slice of contemporary Maine life that’s as engaging as it is universal.”
—Joan Silverman, Portland Press Herald
“If D.H. Lawrence had written Sons and Lovers from the maternal perspective, and set his story on the modern coast of Maine, the result would very likely be this novel. Landslide is not only a vicious meditation on the bond between mothers and sons, but a quietly subversive reckoning with the Maine of our literary imagination. So many writers have turned to our coast as a source of innocent beauty; Conley instead reveals how these tidal zones can betray us, and curse us with all of the anger and resentment, sacrifice and pain that can only be redeemed by a searing commitment to love. This is a really powerful book. It cuts right to the bone.”
—Jaed Coffin, author of Roughhouse Friday
Copies of the book are available at the library or you may order one yourself through the MILS library system.
We are meeting in person with masks.
Book discussions are held the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm. We alternate fiction and non-fiction selections.