msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

A can't-put-it-down literate thriller for summer, Gillian Flynn's latest entry in her collection of disquieting tales tells the story of a picture-perfect marriage gone horribly wrong. Dark handsome midwestern transplant Nick and perfect blonde New Yorker Amy meet at a swank writers' soiree in Manhattan, exchanging the kind of repartee familiar to fans of Nick and Norah Charles. She thinks he's smitten, but in a heavy dose of foreshadowing, he doesn't call her for months; they reconnect after she accidentally runs into him at a local market. Their chemistry kicks in, they get married, and live fairly happily in a lovely flat owned by Amy's parents. When the recession hits their industry (they both write for print publications), they lose their jobs, and when Amy's parents inform her that they need to 'borrow back' her trust fund to avoid bankruptcy, things quickly head south. Or west. They pack up and retreat to Nick's hometown of Carthage, Mi...

A Scarlet Letter reimagined in the not-so-distant future, WSW takes on separation of church and state, women's reproductive rights, and criminal justice without ever feeling preachy or forced. After Hannah Payne is convicted of murder for terminating an unwanted pregnancy, she literally wakes up red. Her jail time is televised; watching incarcerated 'chromes,' or convicted criminals (colored according to the nature of their crime), is a popular national entertainment. When Hannah is released, her nightmare begins as she struggles to balance her need for justice with her love for her family and her faith. An excellent choice for units discussing the individual versus society and social injustice, WSW will have special appeal for older teens. A remarkably different story than Mudbound, Jordan's equally successful debut novel. Grade 9+