"Bellies," by Nicola Dinan

When my friend SM recommends a book, I listen. Over the years, I have written here about several books she recommended to me. Today I write about a novel she recently spoke highly of: "Bellies" (Hanover Square Press, 2023), by Nicola Dinan. This novel is the kind I most like: about relationships. In this case, the relationships include those among friends, lovers, and sometimes family members. The two main characters here are Tom and Ming, two young men who meet in college and are both friends and lovers. They have a group of friends who have various gender and sexual identities. There is also an international context to their story, as they mainly live in London, but Ming is from Malaysia, and part of the story takes place there. Tom's and Ming's relationship is changed and complicated when Ming, who had earlier dated women, then men, begins transitioning to female. Tom and Ming truly care for each other, and continue to be a couple for a while, but their time together becomes more complex, more fraught, as they try to find their way through these evolving identities and circumstances. These two young people and their friends live in a world of privilege but at the same time of uncertainty and vulnerability. The novel is original and absorbing, and made me think about the complex intertwined identity issues portrayed. But the author never uses the characters just as examples of certain identities; they are distinct and mostly relatable young people whom the reader can empathize with.

"The Faraway World" and "Infinite Country," by Patricia Engel

"The Faraway World"(Avid Reader Press, 2023), by Patricia Engel, is a slim collection of stories about characters from Latin America (mostly Colombia and Cuba), some of these characters living there, others having emigrated to the United States (mostly to New York City and surroundings), and still others moving back and forth between the two continents, never really settling in one or the other. The front flap summary speaks of the stories' confronting "the myriad challenges of exile and diaspora," and although this description would fit many other books about migration as well, and is in fact one of the great themes of contemporary literature, this one stands out. It contains gritty, concrete details set in the midst of more amorphous dreams and hopes. Success, failure, separation, longing, poverty, struggles, family issues, religion, loss, compromise, triumph, and death are all portrayed, and it is heartbreaking to see the ways in which many characters have learned to accept their difficult, second-best life situations, knowing or at least feeling that they have no real choice. Yet there is a pulse of irrepressible life and quiet but unbreakable strength throughout. The characters are vivid and their stories are compelling. After reading this 2023 story collection, I sought out Engel's 2021 novel, "Infinite Country" (also from Avid Reader Press), which contains many of the same themes as the stories, but in more expansive form. This novel tells the story of one family originally from Colombia who emigrate to the U.S. and then, through the years, becomes split up between Colombia and the U.S., mostly because of improper documentation. Two of Mauro and Elena's three children are born in the U.S. and thus are citizens; the rest of the family do not have the correct papers. Much of the story is not only about their separation, but also about their family history, their grounding in Colombian culture and yet their dismay about the civil wars and dangerous conditions there, and their divided loyalties. The novel also sounds a note of elegy in that it tells of ancient myths and beliefs, yet mourns the disappearing relevance of those cultural touchstones. The book is complex, almost poetic in style, at times deeply sad, and yet also deeply involving.

Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant," by Curtis Chin

The memoir "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant" (Little Brown, 2023) is cleverly framed in the context of the Chinese restaurant that author Curtis Chin's family owned and operated in Detroit. Within that framing, we follow the growing up of Chin and his siblings, in the contexts of their extended family, the restaurant, the troubled city of Detroit, and the racial and cultural issues that affected the family and the United States. We also get glimpses of the history of the family and more generally of Chinese immigrants to the U.S., plus their ABC (American-born Chinese) offspring. A major theme too is the memoirist's discovery of his gay sexuality, and his long, hesitant process of coming out, especially to his family. This author, now a writer and documentary filmmaker, has a direct, candid, appealing, and at times humorous style. Despite some very normal muted clashes with some family members at times, Chin obviously deeply loves his family, and loves the restaurant that was such a huge focus of their family life. He also clearly loves the dishes that are served in the restaurant, and his descriptions of the food are often quite detailed. This memoir is an engaging read.

"Temple Folk," by Aaliyah Bilal

Portrayals in fiction of the experiences of Black Muslims in the United States, with their particular history and faith, are not very common. For that reason alone, Aaliyah Bilal's story collection, "Temple Folk" (Simon & Schuster, 2023) is welcome. In addition, the stories are revealing, even illuminating. They are also beautifully written, insightful, and engaging. Most of the stories focus on strong and complex women, especially young women, who are figuring out how to live as part of the religion and at the same time, as part of mainstream America. Some of the characters are very devout, some have found a balance between devotion and flexibility, and some have become disillusioned with aspects of the faith. Bilal shows both positive and problematic aspects of the religion and culture and leaders. She immerses us in the world she portrays. As with all such fictional deep dives into the many and diverse religious, racial, and ethnic cultures in the United States, there are particular terms, words, vocabulary items used; I like that these are generally not explicitly defined or explained, but readers who are not already familiar with the vocabulary are able to figure out the meanings from the contexts. This story collection, Bilal's first, offers readers the gift of glimpses into a particular U.S. culture, as well as more generally into human nature and interactions among vividly drawn characters.