Books Set in North America, United States, Massachusetts

This Is Not About Us, by Allegra Goodman (2026)

The novel opens as sev­en­ty-four-year-old Jean­nie Rubin­stein, the youngest of three sis­ters, is dying.  She is surrounded by her family ~ her two sisters, her sons and her nieces and nephews.  After Jeannie dies, the family gathers with food to mourn her passing.  Sadly, however, Helen, the oldest sister (and apparently a terrible cook), becomes angry when the middle sister, Sylvia, brings an apple cake to the gathering.  Everyone devours Sylvia's cake, thus beginning a feud between Helen and Sylvia.  Although they used to be close, Helen refused to speak with Sylvia.  This is the underlying thread of the novel.

As the novel unfolds, we learn of the lives of the other family members.  Helen and her husband, Charlie, had two daughters ~ Pam and Wendy.  Pam is single, much to the dismay of her parents, and Wendy is happily married to a non-Jewish woman.  Thus, Helen has no grandchildren.  A matter which greatly disturbs Sylvia.  Pam and Wendy have their own tensions and hurt feelings to deal with.

Meanwhile, Sylvia's son, Richard, is navigating a divorce and shared parenting with his ex-wife.  Their two young daughters have their own battles with their parents as they, too, must live with the consequences of the divorce.

Although the novel is "not about us", the reader, probably every family can relate to one or more of the circumstances of this family's trials and tribulations.

Read:  July 31, 2026

4 Stars

Books Set in Asia and Europe, Turkey and London, England

Honor, by Elif Shafak (2011)

The novel opens as Esma, British-Turkish woman, goes to pick up her older brother, Iskender, from prison after serving a term for murdering his mother Pembe.  He was just 16-years-old when he stabbed his mother to death after hearing rumors that his mother was having an affair.  Adem, Pembe's husband, had abandoned the family for another woman, and Iskender felt it was his responsibility to protect the families reputation.

The novel bounces around from the 1940s to 1991, so the family history  slowly peeled back as the events come into focus.  In the 1940s, Pembe and her identical twin sister, Jamila, were born to a poor family in Kurdish Turkey.  Pembe married and ultimately moved to London with her husband and children, hoping for a better life.  Jamila remained in their village.  As a child, she had been abducted, so her virginity was question and she never married.

Life in London, wasn't the golden life as expected.  Does the family adhere to its old traditions, or try to fit into English life?  When Adem moved out, the stage was set for a clash of cultures.  The novel described, in part, the immigrant experience, as well as age-old tradition.  There are a number of twists and turns in this book which make the ending a gift.

Read: July 25, 2026

4 Stars

Books Set in North America, California, USA

Porcupines, by Fran Fabriczki (2026)

Porcupines is a very funny novel about Sonia, young illegal immigrant from Hungary living in California, and her young daughter, Mila.  Sonia left Hungary as an 18-year-old to visit her sister and overstayed her visa.  In Hungary, her family led a very secular life, but her sister has become very Orthodox in the United States.  After she becomes pregnant, Sonia cuts herself off from her family.

New to America and new to motherhood, Sonia navigates live in California, while concealing her past.

This was a quick and funny novel.

Read: June 24, 2026

4 Stars

Books Set in North America, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

My Sunshine Away, by M.O. Walsh (2015)

My Sunshine Away is a coming-of-age novel that is set in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The title is a reference to the song You Are My Sunshine, the state song of Louisiana that was written by Jimmie Davis, the 47th Governor of Louisiana.  

As a resident of Baton Rouge, I can attest to the fact that the author perfectly captures the heat and flavor of the city.  He also captures the difference between Baton Rouge and its better known Louisiana city of New Orleans.

The novel opens up in the care-free summer of 1989 before there were cell phones.  We also know in the first chapter that fifteen-year-old Lindy Simpson was brutally raped.  Twenty-plus years later, the narrator looks back at this summer when he was just a thirteen-year-old boy.  He was just a naive child, who didn't fully understand the meaning of rape.  He had an enormous crush on Lindy.  At the time, there were four suspects to the crime, including the narrator because he had pictures and drawings of Lindy.

The narrator describes his neighborhood and its neighbors.  He perfectly describes his impressions of the events and the people around him.  In the years following the summer, he is awakening to his own sexuality and continuing his obsession with Lindy.

This book as beautifully written.

4 Stars

Read:  June 22, 2026

Books Set in North America: Kentucky

Horse, by Geraldine Brooks (2022)

Read:  June 14, 2026

3.5 stars

Books Set in North America, Washington State

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt (2022)

Read: June 12, 2026

4 Stars

Books Set in North America, Golden Georgia

Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi (2025)

Read: June 11, 2026

5 Stars