TBR Intervention Success!

Right before the holidays, I did a TBR Intervention post. This great meme is hosted by Refracted Light Reviews, Whatever You Can Still Betray and Books for Juliet.

The book from my TBR pile that I wanted to (finally) read was The Piper's Son.

I'm so glad I did. If you've never read a Melina Marchetta book, you need to put her on your list. You might want to start with Saving Francesca, which is the companion book to this one. After that, go with Jellicoe Road.

How many wonderful things can I say about this author? She writes beautifully. Her characters are fantastic. Most of her books deal with big, messy families and/or groups of friends-- people who love each other and drive each other crazy all at the same time.

Thomas Mackee is the Piper's Son. As the book opens, he wakes up in a Sydney hospital. He's a physical and emotional basket case. As you read, you find out all the stuff he's going through.


His extended family has lost two members: Tom's grandfather and namesake was killed in Vietnam, his body never recovered. Decades later, Tom's beloved Uncle Joe dies after a suicide bomber sets off an explosion in the London tube.

The rest of Tom's family isn't coping any better with these tragic losses. Tom's parents have split up as a result of his father's heavy drinking. His forty-something Aunt Georgie finds herself pregnant by a man who cheated on her.

And Tom's still recovering from his "one-and-a-half-night stand" with Tara Finke. He didn't handle that very well, and Tara has since moved overseas and has a new boyfriend. But he can't stop thinking about her.

You'd think this book might be depressing, but it's not. Marchetta manages to create stories that are both realistic and hopeful. Give one of her books a try!

And check out others' TBR resolutions here: