Prophet Song by Paul Lynch

Winner of the 2023 Man Booker Prize, Prophet Song is a dystopian novel set in Dublin in an unspecified time period, but fairly contemporary with its mobile phone technology and vague references to the pandemic. Beginning with the introduction to a fairly typical family, the novel quickly takes the reader on a journey through upheaval and frenzy.

The Stack family consists of  father, Larry, a teacher and head of the teachers' union, Ellish, the mother and microbiologist, and their children, Mark, Molly, Bailey, and Ben. The National Alliance Party (NAP) has seized the government of the country and has virtually stripped its citizens of their liberties. Larry is arrested for his participation in union activities and has not further contact with his family. Ellish is convinced that he will at some point in the near future return home to his family. She works hard at trying to contact him, but to no avail. This leaves her as the head of the family and, as such, she does her best in keeping things as normal as possible for her children. As news of her husband's arrest becomes known, Ellish loses her job as well. 

With tensions at a breaking point, war eventually breaks out between the state and rebels. Mark is drafted by the army, but joins up with the rebel forces. With airstrikes and government checkpoints the Stack home is in the midst of the conflict. Her sister, Áine, reaches out and tries to convince her to leave Dublin, but she does not want to leave feeling that it will resolve and Larry and Mark will be found. When Bailey is wounded, Ellish begins to reconsider her choice. 

As most dystopian novels, Prophet Song is most disturbing. It is not hard to envision a political party coming to power that is intent on doing away with civil liberties, eg the tenets of Project 2025. This theme resonated for me as I read the book. As the government expands its power, the citizens lose power over their lives. It is not hard to comprehend this as we watch freedom and autonomy being stripped from many citizens today. 

A powerful read that is a cautionary tale of a spiral into darkness if a citizenry is complicit and silent. 
 

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

This was a book that had been on my TBR list since it was published. I enjoy James McBride's writing style. I was excited that we had chosen it for our Gable Book Club. Then I was dismayed that I was going to be out of town for our discussion. 

In 1972 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, a skeleton is discovered in a well while workers were clearing land for a townhouse development. McBride sets the stage as he then flashes back to 1925 and begins the story of Moshe and Chona Ludlow. Moshe is the proprietor of a theatre who books musical acts and Chona runs the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. They live on Chicken Hill, which has traditionally been home to Jewish immigrants. They are a charming couple and in love. Chona suffered an injury to her foot in childhood and is fairly dependent on Moshe taking care of her. The grocery store is a haven and and frequented by immigrants from Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. Likewise, Moshe welcomes Negro acts to the theatre, signaling how inclusive and accepting they are of ethnic and diverse populations. 

Throughout the novel, McBride introduces the reader to a slew of characters who are so well-developed and interesting. Two in particular are Nate and Addie Timblin. Addie helps Chona with the store and takes care or her with her illness. Nate and Addie approach the Ludlow's to take care of Dodo, a deaf black boy whose mother dies. His observance of a vicious act on Chona sends him to an institution where he is treated in a low-functioning ward. Much of the movel is focused on trying to get his release from Pennhurst. 

Add to the mix the nefarious activity of a town council member who is siphoning water away from the shul in order to provide water to his dairy farm. Repairing the pipeline, freeing Dodo, and a celebratory parade provide a unique culmination for the story and solves the mystery that McBride sets up at the beginning of the novel.

This was an incredible read because of the plot layers and the development of all the characters. It is most difficult to summarize in a few words because of the interactions of all the characters and the complicated plot lines.  If one had unlimited time, it is definitely worth another read.