Author: Francisco X. Stork
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (January 1, 2012)
Book Synopsis: Two sisters discover what's truly worth living for in the new novel by the author of MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD.TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. -- if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood. THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate's boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own. ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darkness’s in their sudden freedom. But it's Mama's life that might divide them for good -- the question of *if* she lives, and what's worth living for. IRISES is Francisco X. Stork's most provocative and courageous novel yet.
At Spring Hill College, Francisco majored in English Literature and Philosophy and received the college’s creative writing award. After college, a Danforth Fellowship (awarded to 40 college seniors out of approximately 5,000 applicants) allowed him to attend graduate school at Harvard University. At Harvard he studied Latin American Literature with people like Octavio Paz, the Mexican Nobel Laureate. However, the emphasis on scholarly research and writing seemed too remote and irrelevant to all that was important. So, after four years of Harvard, Francisco went to Columbia Law School. His plan was to make a living as a lawyer without abandoning his plan to write fiction. Twenty years and twelve or so legal jobs later, Francisco published his first novel.
Francisco Stork is now the author of four novels.
First Impressions: I was happy to get my hands on a copy of Irises. When I first read the book synopsis a few months ago, I knew that this was a book I wanted to look into more. I’ve been on a contemporary kick lately and Irises was one of the last books I read before diving back into the paranormal world. I had really high hopes for this book because it seemed to deal with more difficult issues, and that for me is a major plus. The cover art is also simply beautiful and it makes a great addition to my collection of books from this author.
First 50 Pages: First, I would like to point out that one of the big reasons I wanted to read this book is because I have read a couple other books written by the author. Francisco Stork is a great writer and I love how he handles issues other authors tend to back away from. In his other books, he took on autism and juvenile crime. In Irises, he takes on end-of-life complications and decisions, as well as religious hypocrisy. Questions about faith in God pop up frequently in this novel, which I wasn’t really expecting (and I’ll explain more in a minute). Overall, I had mixed feeling about Irises when I was at the fifty pages mark.
Characters & Plot: Sisters Kate and Mary are left with quite a fix after their overly protective father passes away. Their mother is in a vegetative state for the past three years with no hope for recovery. Both girls have no idea what they should be doing and major life changes are knocking on their door. Kate is expected to graduate high school soon and she has high ambitions to attend Stanford University. Nobody agrees with Kate though and expects her to go to UTEP, as well as marry Simon, her long term boyfriend while staying home to take care of her sister and their mother. Mary on the other hand, just wants to be an artist. There are many decisions to be made and they have to be made quickly because money is running out and a new preacher is ready to move into their church. Both girls will be forced to deal with things they never thought they would have to deal with.
Faith and church plays a huge role in the sisters’ lives, as they tend to discuss everything while including God into all of their decisions. If I’m going to be honest, which I always am, I probably would never have picked up this book had I known there would be such an emphasis on faith. I’m not a religious person and I think that this book put me outside of my comfort zone. I decided I wanted to finish the book because, despite the religious overtones, I wanted to see how the sisters handled everything, but I had a hard time connecting to both girls because they seemed so different from me in every way. I mean, there was an entire chapter given to a pastor’s sermon, and it just felt like it was a bit too much for my tastes.
Final Thoughts: Overall, this really isn’t a bad book. I ended up liking the book, but I still feel like there could have been less emphasis on religion and more character and plot development. Irises definitely raises a ton of ethical questions that I do feel are important, so I give props to the author for that. I think that there will be a lot of people who will enjoy this book more than I did, especially people who are more comfortable with religious topics. This isn’t my favorite book from Francisco, but I am interested to see what he does next!
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i haven't heard about this book, but after reading your honest review, i will look for it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this novel.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this book a lot lately. It's not the type of book I'd typically pick up but it sounds like it could be a good read.
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