Untold Story

For my parents' generation, their "where were you" moments include the first man on the moon and JFK being assassinated.  For our generation, it includes many landmark events, but two will be forever linked in my mind: Princess Diana of Wales on her wedding day, and again on that horrific night in Paris when she died.  She was such a beautiful, loving mother and an incredible advocate for AIDS, particularly in children, and to have that life cut short was simply devastating.

Untold Story imagines another ending to Princess Diana's life: one that involves a yaht, a lazy security staff, and a rowboat.  In Monica Ali's new novel,  she has invisioned a world where Princess Diana appears to the world as drown, but in fact, has faked her death, left everyone but her closest confidante behind, and started a new life in the United States.

As part of her new life,"Lydia" has no children, few good friends, and no meaningful relationships.  Her need to escape life under worldwide scrutiny has come at a tremendous cost - the loss of her children, her family, and everything she knows. But in return, she can shop, eat at restaurants, swim in her pool, and volunteer at an animal shelter, all without worrying about what photo or ugly comments will emerge next.  At least, until the Princess' most obsessed paparazzi stumbles upon her living in a tiny Midwest town.

Ali's book is a wonderful glimpse into the world that Princess Diana might have had, under very unusual circumstances.  Ali is very careful never to refer to the Princess by name, but her identity is obvious, from the cover of the book to the intimate details she includes of the Royal Family. Ali did a tremendous amount of research about Diana's life, and the fruits of that research makes the story even more delicious.

As a teenager, I watched in awe as Diana walked down the aisle at St. Paul's Cathedral.  Many years later, as a mother myself, I stood in shock and cried as I watched coverage of the wreckage that would end her life.  The best part of Untold Story was getting to meet Princess Diana again, even if it was only a woman created out of talented Ms. Ali's imagination.

An Embarrassment of Riches

I've had something of a reading drought this summer.  It's not that there hasn't been plenty to choose from, just that nothing is appealing.  Kind of like when you go out to eat, and nothing on the menu looks good.  Maybe it's been my mood, but with a few exceptions, nothing's really stuck with me.

So you can imagine my delight when I hit the mother lode at my public library this week.  Our library is small but mighty, and has a good selection of new titles.  I have learned over the years to make the most of the library's reservation system, but since none of my books on holds were available yet, I took a spin through the new fiction shelves.

I was like a kid in a candy store when I found not one, but four (yes, four!!) books that I had been hoping to read.  I started with Untold Story by Monica Ali, then quickly moved on to South of Superior, by Ellen Airgood.  Filling out my stack were Jennifer Haigh's newest, Faith, and the creepy Robopocolypse, by Daniel H. Wilson.

Reviews will be coming soon on Untold Story and a few others, but in the meantime, I've been reading like a woman on a mission.  It has been a true delight getting to know some new characters, a few new authors, and most of all, some stories I could really sink my teeth into. My wonderful husband purchased a lovely, bright red hammock for me this summer, but up until now, it's been too hot to use it.  Now I have both the cooler weather and a stack of delicious books.  Heaven!