Where The Sidewalk Ends is an independent bookstore comfortably nestled in the the  historic business district of Chatham, Massachusetts. Founded in 2005 by Joanne and Caitlin Doggart,  this mother-daughter team has grown in leaps and bounds. In fact, they are currently in midst of a major expansion project to grow their selection of children's books. I had the opportunity to speak with Caitlin on a few occasions and her passion for books is as obvious as it is refreshing. Read on as Caitlin presents in depth reviews and perspectives on some of today's current book releases.

Still Alice

by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova (mass market paperback version published  in early January). Simon and Schuster. Still Alice is a gripping tale told from the unusual point of view of a woman, Alice Howland, as she transforms from a healthy and vibrant Harvard professor in her 50's into an early-onset Alzheimer's patient.

The author, Lisa Genova, watched her parents and aunts cope with the complexities of her grandmother's Alzheimer's and was transfixed by the idea of what it would be like to experience mental degeneration from the perspective of the patient. Writing in coffee shops in Brighton and Cambridge for over a year during her daughter's school hours, Lisa finished her novel and began the arduous process of looking for an agent and publisher. After being told there was no market for such a specific topic, she decided to self publish Still Alice in order to generate enough "buzz" about her book to catch the attention of the larger publishing industry. Her tireless publicity efforts on her own and her natural and sincere enthusiasm worked. Booksellers, readers, reviewers, book clubs, and Alzheimer's groups fell in love with Still Alice and through word-of-mouth the title's popularity spread.  In the spring of 2008 Lisa Genova signed a contract with Simon and Schuster, who published Still Alice in January 2009. It was on the New York Times bestseller list for 30 weeks during the first year of publication, there are now over a million copies of Still Alice in print in the US alone, and Simon and Schuster has Lisa Genova's next two books under contract!

While the subject matter of Still Alice is sad, the story is also a tender portrait of a family and the conflict and love that tie Alice, her husband John, and their three children together. Lisa Genova did meticulous research on the topic. Her own Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard helped open doors for interviews with leading doctors and gave her a familiarity with the inner workings of a deteriorating brain.

The result is a captivating fictional story that is not weighted down by scientific jargon, but is instead a well-informed, richly emotional journey through the changes that Alice's Alzheimer's diagnosis brings. This is the sort of book that works incredibly well for book clubs because it is captivating enough to devour on your own, and when you finish the story, you cannot wait to talk about it!

 The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson

by Jerome Charyn 
 

The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn- Hardcover published in February. Norton. Jerome Charyn has written an exceptionally imaginative novel told from the point of view of Emily Dickinson. He brings New England's beloved poet to life as a vivid character after researching her biographical background and immersing himself in her writing. The specificity of vocabulary gives a truly authentic voice to Emily as the narrator. To delve into this book feels exactly like reading a novel version of her poetry because of the surprising twists, clever word-play, use of "&" instead of "and" and the complexity of thought brilliantly displayed in short powerful phrases.
 
The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson opens when Emily is a young student at the seminary in Mount Holyoke, and takes the reader through her life in Amherst. The prominent position of her father as an attorney in the town gives Emily a unique perspective of  the19th century University town, and her complicated relationship with her overbearing father is played out in detail. Her distant mother, suffering from ill health, receives some of the best descriptions of depression even in her absence. Other colorful characters are developed as well, most especially Emily's "suitors." Her passionate crushes and disappointments in love lend a particularly strong tone of emotional intensity to the entire book. Charyn's plot progresses faithfully to Emily's reclusive genius deathbed writing.  This unprecedented and unusual book is enjoyable on both a biographical/historical level, and as an absorbing novel that reaches the heights of creativity!

How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog)

by Art Corriveau

 
How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog) by Art Corriveau - to be published in Hardcover in May 2010. Harry Abrams. Debut middle-grade novelist Art Corriveau has written a terrific novel for  the  8-10 crowd of readers with How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog). When his parents divorce and his mother needs to put some distance between herself and Nicky's father, she and her son move from Littleton to Charlestown and Nicky has to contend with a change to an urban lifestyle, a new school, and the fracturing of his family. When his mother returns to their new apartment with a German Shepherd adopted impulsively from a local shelter, Nicky's life becomes even more complicated. Reggie, his new dog, is actually a former seeing-eye dog who has no idea that he is retired!
 
The novel unfolds with a series of funny incidents that are balanced by Nicky's serious efforts at negotiating his new life, his determination to reconnect with his father, and his role in solving the mystery of why Reggie was left at the shelter in the first place. It reflects the mysterious childhood view of the world and deals directly with difficult issues while developing the positive relationships that grow regardless of age or place. Reggie's antics and Nicky's inner monologue, especially on the Boston Duck Boat tours, will have the most reluctant readers laughing aloud, and anyone familiar with Boston will appreciate the setting ranging from the Freedom Trail to Quincy Market.

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