*"Willow: The White House Cat." I disliked this plotless, badly written picture book by Jill Biden. It annoys me when celebrities imagine they can write picture books; it's a sign of disrespect toward an actual art form. Also, Jill seems to have scribbled this particular book while half-asleep.
The story concerns a cat who is abducted from a farm and sent to live at the White House. With little evidence, the humans nearby conclude that the cat really likes this new state of affairs.
Jill includes several coy and narcissistic portraits of herself; this made me think of Bob Dole referring to himself in the third person. Also, I couldn't help but wonder what this story reveals about the writer's inner life. Does Jill herself feel that she was abducted and sent to live at the White House? Does she feel a certain ambivalence toward this move (even though she always seemed to want Joe in office, including when most of the country had grown very, very tired of this man)? This book is a confused and shallow effort.
*"Sandwich." Here, the married protagonist gets an abortion, then lies to her spouse about the procedure for approximately twenty years. (She says she had a miscarriage.) When the truth comes out, the protagonist is somehow irritated with her spouse, though her spouse did not tell the lie. Everyone has a good cry; hugs are offered and accepted; this is the (bewildering) end of the story. There is also a smug, wealthy adolescent who wanders around saying, "Check your privilege" -- and we are meant to conclude that this adolescent is charming.
*"The Grey Wolf," by Louise Penny. I just didn't know what was happening for almost 400 pages in this tedious, shambolic novel. It's startling that it found a publisher. The Washington Post said it's among the best mysteries of this past year.
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