September Publications

Colonialism, political strife and poverty inform the novella and six stories that make up Adam Lewis Schroeder's Kingdom of Monkeys, set in such locales as Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. In the oddly touching "Seven Years with Wallace," an English naturalist prepares to return to England. His young assistant, Ali, who is from Borneo, yearns to go with him, even though such a thing "is not done." A desperate, opium-smoking river guide's assistant is moved to an act of violence against an English tourist in "Many Many Elephants." The novella, "Beautiful Feet," follows a family of missionaries, Barney and Melissa Jordan and their 16-year-old son, Graeme, from Vancouver to the Philippines. With varying degrees of conviction, they trek deeper into the jungles, looking for souls to save. It's an intriguing story, although it's derailed somewhat by flashbacks and Apocalypse Now references. This young Canadian author has a keen eye and a sense of empathy that helps to bring his diverse characters to life. (Raincoast, $14.95 paper 196p ISBN 1-55192-404-8)

Loose Screws is the latest from veteran romance novelist Karen Templeton (Plain-Jane Princess). When Ginger Petrocelli's groom-to-be doesn't show up for their wedding, it's just the beginning of her problems. Her boss is murdered and the business goes under with him, leaving Ginger out of a job; the woman she sublets an apartment from decides she wants it back. A fire in her new building forces a reluctant Ginger to move in with her good-hearted but taxing mother, Nedra, and batty grandmother Nonna. Despite all this, Ginger somehow manages to keep from cracking up, with the help of her cousin Shelby, good friend Terrie, and Nick, a handsome cop with whom she had a fling years ago. The novel bustles with characters and surprises, including one very unexpected pregnancy. The chummy, conversational tone ("don't look at me like that, I give to charity, jeez") can be grating at times, but overall, it's hard not to hope that things in Ginger's screwy world turn out for the best. (Red Dress Ink, $12.95 paper 336p ISBN 0-373-250-19-7)

First published in 1955, Dutch author Maria Dermoût's loosely autobiographical The Ten Thousand Things, trans. by Hans Koning, is now back in print in English. Felicia, who grew up with her Dutch grandmother on an Indonesian island, returns there from Holland with her young son, Himpies, after being robbed and abandoned by her husband. Known by the locals as the "young lady of the Small Garden," she settles easily (despite her superstitious and imperious grandmother) back into the customs and rhythms of the island, eventually accruing enough wealth to live very comfortably. Tragedy strikes when Himpies, who has grown and joined the army, is killed. A new set of characters is then introduced, throwing the narrative off somewhat, but the focus returns to Felicia at the end, as she tries to make sense of the deaths that have shaped her own life. Dermoût beautifully depicts the idyllic setting and handles the darker aspects of the story—ghosts, superstition, even murder—with equal skill. (New York Review, $12.95 paper 208p ISBN 1-59017-013-X)