This is Jenn Delperdang, with the Sioux City Public Library and you’re listening to Check It Out.
Parnassus Books is “the independent bookstore for independent people” located in Nashville, Tennessee and owned by best-selling author, Ann Patchett. In her social media posts for Parnassus Books, Ann Patchett does a segment called, “It’s new to you” where she recommends books that aren’t recently published, but if you haven’t read them, then they are new to you. I recently read Commonwealth by Ann Patchett—a book published in 2016 that had never really made it on to my ‘to be read’ list, even though it was a New York Times notable book and a Library Reads favorite for that year.
The brief description of this book isn’t even all that exciting: Commonwealth is a five-decade saga tracing the impact of an act of infidelity on the parents and children of two Southern California families following their shared summers in Virginia and the disillusionment that shapes their lasting bond. I won’t tell you the details of this story—I'm only going to tell you what I loved. Commonwealth has complex and flawed characters in compelling and heart-breaking situations. It is at turns sharply funny and profoundly affecting. Ann Patchett writes with grace and compassion as she explores the complexity of their family relationships—through their connections, struggles, loss, and love.
I was mesmerized by this book. There is something magical as a reader when you get to experience a story without any idea where the path is leading. Check out Commonwealth and other books that are ‘new to you’ at the Sioux City Public Library.
Support for Check It Out on Siouxland Public Media comes from Avery Brothers.
