The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

Curiously endearing! If you liked A Man Called Ove, you will enjoy knowing Arthur Pepper. A year before the book opens, Arthur lost his wife of 40-odd years. In the ensuing year he became very isolated, even in the small town that he had lived in all his married life. It was his wife's job to be social and Arthur just tagged along. They were very close and insulated and he thought they had an almost perfect marriage. On the anniversary of her death, he decides to clean out her personal belongings and he comes across a charm bracelet hidden away that he had never seen. He can't imagine why he didn't know about it and become exceedingly curious about the different charms. One, of an elephant, appeared to have a telephone number etched in it, along with a name: Ayah. He called the number and found himself speaking to a man in India who had given the charm to Miriam when he was a boy and Miriam was his nanny (ayah). Arthur had no idea his wife had even been to India. He began to question how well he knew Miriam. So it became his mission to find out about his wife's “secret” life before him and the charms led him to India, France and London. He discovered that his wife was well-loved by many people and a good friend to all. On this journey, Arthur, too, meets not only the people who knew his wife but strangers that he interacted with in ways that opened up his world to healing and the future still worth living. Great cast of characters though it is Arthur is who is sensitively portrayed in all his complexities. I found it endearing, charming, funny, sweet and insightful.

Another book to satisfy me while I'm in light reading mode–Arthur Pepper fits in well with the happy folks in Laurie Colwin novels. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It's a little predictable, but well-written, and the quirky characters are not annoyingly so.

Next, Knausgaard #4, which I'm betting will not be so light at all.