Catching up…Hodgepodge #1

The Island Beneath The Sea – Isabel Allende

I wish it hadn’t been so long since I read this. The details are fuzzy now though I remember really enjoying this story. I always find that Allende’s stories are sweeping and lushly descriptive. The Island Beneath the Sea tells the story of Zarite, a slave born on the island of Saint-Domingue which after the revolution became Haiti. Like many other slave narratives I have read, Zarite becomes a force and is instrumental in the survival of her master’s family.

Sharp Teeth – Toby Barlow

This was an interesting one. Barlow tells the story of various packs of wolves living in LA.They are able to transform from human to wolf depending on their needs at the time. The groups are fighting, the story is intense, gritty, and written in verse. Yes, that’s right, verse. But there is no rhyming. It’s amazing how much detail Barlow is able to get in such few words. There were a lot of different wolves/people to keep up with. There is also a lot of social commentary.