october 2003
Discover compelling October 2003 book picks, featuring literary fiction by Haven Kimmel and Anita Shreve, plus the gripping true crime tale Invisible Eden. Explore this curated list of 2003 books, from The Solace of Leaving Early to the beloved classic The Dogs of Babel, perfect for fans of character-driven stories and Cape Cod mysteries.
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The Solace of Leaving Early
by Haven Kimmel
Using small-town life as a springboard to explore the loftiest of ideas, Haven Kimmel’s irresistibly smart and generous first novel is at once a romance and a haunting meditation on grief and faith. Langston Braverman returns to Haddington, Indiana (pop. 3,062) after walking out on an academic career that has equipped her for little but lording it over other people. Amos Townsend is trying to minister to a congregation that would prefer simple affirmations to his esoteric brand of theology. What draws these difficult—if not impossible—people together are two wounded little girls who call themselves Immaculata and Epiphany. They are the daughters of Langston’s childhood friend and the witnesses to her murder. And their need for love is so urgent that neither Langston nor Amos can resist it, though they do their best to resist each other. Deftly walking the tightrope between tragedy and comedy, The Solace of Leaving Early is a joyous story about finding one’s better self through accepting the shortcomings of others.
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Invisible Eden
by Maria Flook
Describes the still unsolved murder of acclaimed fashion writer Christa Worthington on January 6, 2002, in Truro, Massachusetts, and examines her life, her troubled family, and the suspects in the crime.
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All He Ever Wanted
by Anita Shreve
Years after escaping from a hotel fire and encountering an elusive woman, who he subsequently married and divorced, a man travels from New England to Florida by train and remembers the relationship. 325,000 first printing.