From a Nigerian novel to consciousness

The dangers of female provocation
Zoe Coyle, Ultimo Press, $34.99

by Zoe Coyle The dangers of female provocation Is it really a feminist revenge fantasy? Well, with a protagonist named Odessa Odin, you’re ready for the Valkyries to come. Discovering that Odessa is a wealthy Londoner with a loving husband, close friends and a successful career of her own is a bit anticlimactic. When she found out that her husband was having an affair, her heart sank even more. For Odessa, her husband’s infidelity unleashed long-suppressed anger and resentment over male entitlement, compromises made, promises not kept. She becomes a self-proclaimed feminist avenger, hunting down her friends’ husbands to find out their bad behavior, hoping to break down the patriarchy and save the sorority from exploitation. Odessa gets herself into trouble (teaming up with the dark web is never a good plan) and brings her back to life with another, more intense moment of loss that makes her re-examine her pain. Adultery is the novel’s unimaginative hook, and Coyle’s second novel seems sloppy in sketching out what’s truly subversive or satisfying.

the border below Jeff Maynard.Credit:

Non-Fiction Picks of the Week
the border below
Jeff Maynard, William Collins, $14.99

When Jacques Cousteau conducted the first successful tests of the demand regulator and compressed air tank that have become modern diving equipment, he later wrote: “I feel the same intrusion every time I dive. Feeling looking at the sea.” While “Invasion” reflects the awe the experience elicits, it also captures unsettling questions such as “Do I belong here?” Improve by pushing the frontier. But that’s not to say it stopped pearl fishers, inventors, entrepreneurs and looters past and present, who were leading the charge to go deeper than anyone before. Jeff Maynard’s incisive style condenses a broad history as effectively as a scuba compressor, while capturing the human drama behind technological breakthroughs and the passion that paved the way for inevitable scientific discovery and development .

Morrie’s Wisdom By Morrie Schwartz.Credit:

Morrie’s Wisdom
Morrie Schwartz, Hachette, $32.99

There’s a woman who looks like Anne Lennox hanging on aerial silks doing some amazing moves. She stands out because she seems at ease, in her element. As a beginner, I wanted to be like her. Even more so when I learned she was 70 years old. Aging has such a bad reputation. Confronting how we all internalize the negative emotions of ageism is critical to finding the wisdom and joy of growing old, says American sociologist and therapist Morrie Schwartz. This guide to aging gracefully is full of helpful advice, covering Schwartz’s own struggles with declining health, the patients he’s treated, and the positive role mindfulness meditation has played in his life. Much of his advice asks readers to confront their usual ways of thinking and behaving, to become curious about things that may have once evoked fear, and to prepare for change and the unknown.

Unbearable Isabel Alderberg.Credit:

Unbearable
Isabelle Oderberg, Ultimate Press, $36.99

During her sixth miscarriage, the obstetrician told Isabella Alderberg it was nothing to cry about. It’s natural and normal. This “rude dismissal of my grief” only compounded it, Alderberg said. In her research on abortion, its effects, and social responses, she found that this response was all too common. At the heart of the silence surrounding the subject is a history of blame, assuming it’s the woman’s fault. This comprehensive work helps to shed light on the many forms of miscarriage, how it is experienced and treated, the trauma that ensues, how miscarriage is viewed in different cultures, the role of exposure to certain chemicals, and the toll it takes. There have been multiple miscarriages to dispel such myths. Oldberg’s own story, written with candor and dark humor, dramatizes the ordeal.

in mind Lynn Malcolm.Credit:

in mind
Lynne Malcolm, ABC Books, $34.99

Musician Andrew Schulman has been placed in a medically induced coma following severe complications following a cardiac arrest.No one expected him to live long enough for his wife to play him his favorite music, Bach St. Matthew Passion. Within hours, he miraculously recovered. His powerful experience with what he calls “embodied cognition” inspired him to use music as a healing tool for critically ill patients. What is the mind if it is not limited to the brain? What is consciousness and does it come from outside the body or from our minds? How can we harness neuroplasticity to help our brains repair themselves?Written with the immediacy and accessibility of a podcast, this production is written by one-time ABC radio host in your heart, Lynne Malcolm explores these profound questions about the mysteries of the brain, mind, and how it interacts with our bodies.

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