January is a winter month, and very much so this year for much of the U.S. We cocoon more, spend more time reading and watching TV, and only venture out when the weather moderates. Here you’ll find a thoughtful novel, a comforting drama series, good food in Cary, and reflections on a noted chef.
NOVEL OF THE WEEK
Mothers and Sons by Adam Haslett
Prize-winning fiction writer, Adam Haslett is the author of short stories and several novels. I found his 2016 novel, Imagine Me Gone about depression within a family, compelling and sensitive. His latest novel, Mothers and Sons, might simplistically be dubbed a novel about gay love. But it is so much more than that. It’s a novel of feelings, nuanced relationships, estrangement, violence, and secrets.
Peter Fischer is a 40ish immigration lawyer in New York, dedicated to his work almost to the point of obsession. He deals with individuals traumatized by the violence or abuse they experienced in their home country, who seek to stay legally in the U.S. Peter has little social life outside the job and tepid relationships with his work colleagues. He is estranged from his mother Ann and seldom in contact with his sister Liz.
Ann was an Episcopal minister who left her husband, Peter’s father, for another woman. Together she and Clare founded and built a retreat center for women in rural Vermont. In dealing with the case of Vasel, a young gay man from Albania, Peter finds himself reliving and agonizing anew over his adolescent friendship with his classmate Jared. Haunted by his reflections, he at last visits his mother to explore their mutual past.
This is a deliberate novel with perhaps too many immigration cases leading up to Peter’s focus on Vasel. Vasel’s elusiveness and withholding of details push Peter to review his own relationships and actions of twenty years ago. Meanwhile, his mother misses her son but is examining her own love for Clare, while trying to shove aside her attraction to another community member. The events of twenty years ago don’t really feature in her memory until Peter comes to visit.
This novel probes its characters’ innermost feelings. They are complex individuals whose vulnerability and weaknesses the author shares. Chapters occasionally alternate between present day and Peter’s memories of his teenage years. Recommended for fans of literary fiction! (~JWFarrington)
COMFORT VIEWING
All Creatures Great and Small Season 5 (PBS Masterpiece)
If you’re looking for something soothing and somewhat sentimental, Season 5 Of All Creatures Great and Small may be just right. It takes place in a somewhat simpler time, albeit marked by James’ and Tristan’s war service and the anguished worry and waiting of their family back home.
Quirky veterinary intern Richard Carmody provides additional color while security warden Mr. Bosworth’s gruff and exacting exterior masks a soft center. Baby Jimmy ‘s cuteness appeals to everyone, and Helen and Mrs. Hall capably maintain the household and keep Siegried and everyone on an even keel. It’s a heartwarming series with moments of poignance and levity. Recommended!
ABROAD AT HOME: LUNCH IN CARY
Pro’s Epicurean Market & Cafe
The weather on Saturday had warmed up enough that we walked downtown, by the park, and farther on to try Pro’s Epicurean. It’s a brightly lit, attractive restaurant that also functions as a market for wines, vinegars and their dishes. The cuisine is a mix of French and Italian with charcuterie and cheeses, crepes, salads, pastas, meat and seafood entrees, and a host of specialty sandwiches. The staff were friendly and very welcoming.
Between us, we sampled the olive medley, the country pate, and a best-to-be-hungry sausage, peppers, onion, and melted mozzarella Raphael sandwich. The sandwiches can be had on a baguette, seeded rye, or a soft roll; the Raphael would have been easier to eat had it been on a roll. Wines, beer, mixed and soft drinks, and creative mocktails are also on the menu. In warmer weather, you can eat out on their patio. Recommended!
REMEMBERING CHEF CHARLES PHAN
The Chief Penguin and I enjoyed many delicious Vietnamese meals at Charles Phan’s Slanted Door restaurant in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Some of my favorite dishes were the imperial spring rolls, his signature shaking beef cubes, and cellophane noodles with crabmeat. He was a pioneer who gave Vietnamese cuisine new prominence on the food scene.
We also got to know Charles a bit as he created and oversaw the first dining venues at the then newly open California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Over the years, he opened satellite locations of Slanted Door along with developing other restaurant concepts. Covid closed the Slanted Door in San Francisco, but other locations exist in Napa and elsewhere. Sadly, Charles Phan died of a heart attack at 62 this past week. We have fond memories of his cooking.
Note: Header photo of January sunrise and olive medley ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)
