Here’s what I read last month:

1. Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent
   Messed-up parents mess up their adult child who then messes up other people. Good mystery with some interesting characters and plot turns.
2. My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
   Sleeping for a year won’t fix your life, but if you are rich and beautiful, you can give it a try. Thoughtful meditation on depression and trauma with one of the most truly unlikable narrators I’ve encountered in a long time.
3. The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
   A wife tries desperately to make her husband’s mother like her. It all ends terribly, but it’s an interesting journey.
4. A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl by Jean Thompson
   Mothers have hidden layers; so do daughters.
5. The Better Sister by Alafair Burke
   You might be able to steal your sister’s life, but that doesn’t mean you should. Good psychological novel.
6. The Position by Meg Wolitzer
   Parents who write an extremely popular (and illustrated) sex manual should probably just keep that from their kids.
7. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
   We may be able to create synthetic humans that are better than us, but they’ll make stupid decisions and end up being worse than humans. Good literary sci fi with a neat alternative timeline.

My favorite for the month of May was The Position. I always forget what a virtuoso writer Meg Wolitzer is.

Happy reading in June!