By Ashley Day

Photos courtesy of Amazon.com

“Every Visible Thing” – Lisa Carey

Set in Boston, Mass., “Every Visible Thing” centers around the Furey family during the 1980s after losing a son and brother, Hugh, to a secretive disappearance. The book follows Lena and Owen, Hugh’s siblings, through the process of piecing together clues in hopes of recovering their missing brother. In the wake of Hugh’s vanishing, the siblings trip down a path of self-destruction. Lena frantically searches for any trace of her brother, cross-dressing as a boy in the process, while Owen looks to Hugh as a guardian angel in the midst of being bullied. The novel flips back and forth between Lena’s first person perspective and glances over Owen in third person. “Every Visible Thing” explores the darkness, grief and masochism that come with the loss of a family member.

“Freedom” – Jonathan Frazen

“Freedom” is Frazen’s first novel in over nine years. Currently number two on the New York Times Bestseller list, it is also Oprah Winfrey’s new book club pick. “Freedom” explores the life of the suburban Berglund family. The Berglunds move to the Mid-West and are not accepted into the suburban society where, although the family is not perfect, they seem to be. Frazen analyzes the modern world of romance, liberty, and lust in American suburbia.  The characters face the obstacles of prevailing society and “personal liberties,” where everyone tries to test the boundaries of “freedom” as an idea. Overall, the novel illuminates the grim realities of our world.