Instructions for a Heat Wave by Maggie O'Farrell

I am cheating here and copying and pasting the summary of the book from the Westchester Library Sysetem's website. I can't say it better:

A sweeping family drama, in which the disappearance of a family patriarch forces three adult siblings to gather together to find him and to confront what they really know about their father and themselves. It's the summer of 1976 and London is in the grip of a record-breaking heat wave when Gretta Riordan discovers that her newly retired husband, Robert, has cleaned out his bank account and vanished. Now, Gretta's three children converge in their mother's home for the first time in years: Michael Francis, a history teacher whose marriage is failing; Monica, with two stepdaughters who despise her and an ugly secret that has driven a wedge between herself and the little sister she once adored; and Aoife, the youngest of the Riordans, now living in Manhattan, a smart, immensely resourceful young woman who has arranged her entire life to conceal her illiteracy. As the siblings tease out clues about their father's whereabouts, they navigate rocky pasts and long-held secrets, until at last their search brings them to their ancestral village in Ireland, where the truth of their parents' lives--and their own--is suddenly revealed. Wise, lyrical, instantly engrossing, Instructions for a Heat Wave is a richly satisfying page-turner from a writer of exceptional intelligence and grace.

I really liked this book and the writing.  The end was so satisfying to me and the passages of the various characters when they "find themselves" very moving.

Transatlantic by Colum McCann

It would be hard for Colum McCann to top Let the Great World Spin, one of the best novels I have read in years.  And he doesn't come close in Transatlantic.  I did enjoy many parts of this novel, appreciated the creative way he brings disparate lives together (as he did in Let the Great World Spin), and loved his portrayal of Lily.  But the story was not as compelling.
He is an amazing writer and weaves the words beautifully, I think, although the NY Times reviewer does not agree:

Such pretty, creative-writing-class flourishes are unnecessary and distracting — they pull the reader’s attention away from the real achievement of this novel: its deeply moving portrait of Lily and her descendants, whose stories of hope and survival are played out against the vast, backlit diorama of a century and a half of Irish-American history. 

I learned a lot in this book about Irish history, Frederick Douglass and Senator George Mitchell. I found myself doing research while reading the book to catch me up on my Irish history.

The first section of the book, the transatlatic flight of Alcock and Brown, was really gripping. Again, I was not aware of this event.

So, in summary, I am really glad that I read the book, I would recommend it, but it was not as good as the other McCann novel that I read. Maybe I'll try another!

After Her by Joyce Maynard

I have been reading this author for years and years and always look forward to her new books. This one especially interested me when I read about it since it takes place in the area in Marin County around Mt. Tamalpais.  I've been there numerous times and have hiked those trails. It's a beautiful place.
The book is a fictionalized account of some murders that took place there in the late 70's - a serial killer I was not aware of.  The story is told by two daughters (Rachael and Patty) of the detective who was put to work on the case. Maynard actually met the "real" daughters when they came to her home for a Writers' Workshop. They gave her permission to fictionalize their story.
It's really a coming of age story about these two young girls, their deep love of one another, and their dysfunctional life as the daughters of divorced parents - and a mother who is always locked in her room, quite depressed. The girls are on their own for the most part and are each other's best friends.
Rachael, the older one, believes she has special powers and wants to help her father solve the mystery and find the killer. As more and more killings occur, right in their own "neighborhood," the sisters are brave and believe that they can find the killer.
Rachael is pulled into a popular group of kids at school when it becomes known that her father is the handsome detective on the case. But as his efforts at solving the murders fails, her popularity wanes and she is shunned by the group.
The girls do encounter the murderer finally and I won't spoil the book. I will say that I really enjoyed the story, the writing and the description of a very special bond of sisterhood.

Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver writes fiction that deals with "issues." One of my favorite books is her novel, So Much For That, which dealt with cancer.  This one deals with obesity. It's a great read and really gets the you thinking about overeating and underachieving.
The main character, Pandora, runs a successful business in the middle of Iowa - but it's a quirky thing, an idea that "took off" and made her rich and somewhat famous. She's appeared on the cover of New York Magazine as an example of a woman entrepreneur who made it. Her brother, Edison, sees her there and when he runs into hard times calls to ask if he can come and stay with her and her family for a bit.
When she picks him up at the airport, she barely recognizes him; her once slim and nice-looking brother is now nearly 400 pounds! And he's pretty miserable and obnoxious. Fletcher, Pandora's finicky husband (and a health nut!) has no patience for Edison and things flare up out of control in the family. (There are two children, Fletcher's from his first marriage, who get embroiled in the mess as well.) Fletcher pretty  much tells Pandora that it's him or me and she chooses Edison, taking him on as a "project."  She asks for a year to see if she can get Edison to lose the weight and get his life as a jazz musician back on track.
There's an interesting twist at the end of the book that was surprising to me, but with hindsight, was perfect! Pandora allows her brother to swallow her whole life; I bought it, because of the family history that is a big part of the story as well. But how many sisters would do that?
There's a lot going on in this novel. I must say, I really enjoyed it. I like Shriver as an author and plan to read her other novels as well.

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty

After just reading Defending Jacob, I was not sure I was up for another novel about a young teen whose life is changed forever because they are responsible for taking another's life. In this case, it was an accident (Kara, the high school senior) hits a classmate while driving her mom's SUV.  She was on the phone, fooling around with her friend and just careless. And she knows it and her guilt is overwhelming.
What this book is really about, however, is the relationship between Kara and her mom, Leigh, who has had a pretty awful childhood, but is now married with two children. Her own mother was not really much of a mother and abandoned Leigh while she was still in high school; Leigh had to survive on her own. And she did, but not without consequence. How Leigh and Kara begin to communicate and develop an understanding is the real crux of the book. Kara says to her mom, "....you don't like me." This confrontation between mother and daughter is pretty powerful stuff.
Kara actually tells her mother that she (Leigh) has been nicer to her since the accident happened. "You should have told me this was all it would take for you to like me. I would have just killed someone a long time ago." A little dramatic - yes - but this confrontation wakes Leigh up to how her own childhood has caused her to build a shell around herself
In the end, I liked this book more than Defending Jacob for the characterizations and psychological aspect of how the "murder" impacted the family.

Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian

Not sure what prompted me to pick up this book when I found it in the Library one day. I think I had read about it somewhere and the jacket enticed me with favorable reactions from some of my favorite authors: Ann Hood and Joyce Carol Oates. The novel did not disappoint! It is a very different style of writing, I will say.
The story is told from the different perspectives of the novel's characters. Lucy is the main character and she is developmentally disabled. She is living on a farm with Mister and Missus and another young girl (pregnant) named Samantha.  Mum mum, Lucy's mom, is always present, but not always physically.  Lucy is on the farm because her mom can't deal with her, and when she is agitated, it's apparent that life with Lucy is very challenging. Samantha has been sent away from her home, too, because of her "condition."
There are some interesting techniques that the author uses to have Lucy communicate, even with her limited capability.  Jennifer, her "pet" chick, speaks for her and through this character we learn what Lucy is thinking.  This is a story about motherhood and its natural pull on those who bear children.
There is a lot of  sorrow and heartbreak in this novel and it's a gripping story, but with a very strange ending. I am not sure that I liked the ending, but can't think how I would have ended it differently.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

What a great read! Intriguing, good character development, interesting premise and plot.  The story takes place in Newton, MA, which is a comfortable, well-to-do suburb of Boston. A murder takes place and it's a young teenage boy, Ben Rifkin, stabbed in the park on his way to school. Jacob Barber ends up getting charged in the murder - he happens to be the son of Andy Barber who is the Assistant District Attorney, and he is well respected in the community.

But as we learn more, the fact that Jacob is accused is not so far-fetched. Turns out that Andy comes from a lineage of murderers. Does Jacob have this gene? Why hasn't Andy told his wife Laurie about his relatives - his father!

The story is suspenseful and gripping and the end is a shocker! But I won't give it away.