February Publications

From the author of Blackwater comes the second in a series of four novels by renowned Swedish author Kerstin Ekman (trans. by Linda Schenck), following the highly acclaimed Witches' Rings. The Spring, like its predecessor, centers around the lives of women in a small Swedish town during a time of change and unrest. A labor strike, women's suffrage and a food shortage are just a few of the circumstances disrupting the routines of Frida Eriksson, a washerwoman with an unwanted pregnancy, and Tora Otter, a baker who struggles with her cafe and her romantic life. The bleak picture this engrossing novel paints is brightened by touches of empathy and subtle humor. (Dufour/Norvik, $16.95 paper 382p ISBN 1-870041-47-X)

Former fashion model Christine Leunens serves up a messy bowl of sex, food and faith in Primordial Soup. Kate Lester lives in Florida with her sister and their batty Lithuanian mother, Olga, who feeds them offenses like rabbit with prunes (on Easter, no less) and will not tell them the facts of life. To say that Kate winds up with "issues" would be an understatement—from her first orgasm (which happens during communion) to her first sexual encounter, she views her body with shame, revulsion and ignorance, imagining herself and everyone around her as meat. Kinky, grotesque and very funny, this is not for the faint of heart. (Dedalus, $12.99 paper 196p ISBN 1-873982-19-4)

Elizabeth Falconer's Tiger Fitzgerald follows the coming-of-age of the youngest and most beautiful of three Irish sisters. Their father flees to Italy, leaving their mother and the estate to fall into decline; when strong-willed Tiger turns 18, she goes to Paris. Taken in as an au pair by the well-to-do, old Comtesse de Martel-Cluny, she discovers art and, shortly thereafter, sex and the bohemian life. She drifts from affair to affair, dreaming of true love and the life she left behind in Ireland. Falconer (Frost at Midnight) has a graceful writing style, which puts this above similar romantic offerings. (Black Swan, $13 paper 345p ISBN 0-552-99840-0)

Inspired by actual events, romance novelist Geraldine Burrows tells the sordid story of the "singsong girls"—young Chinese women brought to America as prostitutes and slaves—and the environment that allowed such malevolence to thrive. Set against the corrupt backdrop of early 20th century San Francisco, Chinatown Mission finds strong-willed minister's daughter Lorna Davidson fighting to help the girls. She runs into all kinds of trouble, including falling for the wrong man and winding up kidnapped herself. Though the writing tends to the florid, Burrows scores points for shining a light into a dark corner of American history. (Five Star, $25.95 381p ISBN 0-7862-3613-2)

The eponymous young antihero of Nelson's Run heads for the Philippines as a "sexual tourist" after his father is accidentally killed by the mistress the two men shared. There he slings propaganda for a crooked regime, then gets stuck in a guerrilla war and a weird sexual triangle with politically radical Marta and the wealthy, well-connected Anita. Though author Peter Bacho (Cebu, winner of an American Book Award) uses political and sexual satire to create some memorable scenes—offering wild sendups of gender roles, colonialism and corruption along the way—this slim novel feels rushed and never has an opportunity to come together as a whole. (Willowgate, $12.95 paper 145p ISBN 1-930008-02-3)

Troubled nurse's aide Taylor Thomas is force-fed scraps of stale wisdom by one of her elderly clients in Wil A. Emerson's well-intentioned but hopelessly clumsy Taking Rosie's Arm. Despite a life of poverty and neglect, Taylor was one of the smartest students in her high school. Ten years later, she's still trying to outrun her past and better herself, deriving inspiration from no-nonsense diabetic Rosie MacIntosh: "I soon learned that almost every day she had a special message for me." Such banality is typical of this substandard endeavor, which shows little and tells too much. (Five Star, $25.95 200p ISBN 0-7862-3885-2)