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Charmed Particles
Set in a fictional prairie town in which the two overarching industries are a living history facility and a laboratory for experiments in high-energy particle physics, Charmed Particles tells the intertwined stories of two families.
Abhijat is a theoretical physicist from India now working at the National Accelerator Research Laboratory. His wife, Sarala, home with their young daughter, Meena, struggles to assimilate to their new American culture.
Meena’s best friend at school is Lily, a precocious child prodigy whose father self-identifies as “the last great gentleman explorer” and whose mother, a local politician, becomes entangled in efforts to stop to the National Accelerator Research Laboratory’s plans to build a new superconducting supercollider.
The conflict over the collider fractures the community and creates deep divides within the families of the novel.
Abhijat is a theoretical physicist from India now working at the National Accelerator Research Laboratory. His wife, Sarala, home with their young daughter, Meena, struggles to assimilate to their new American culture.
Meena’s best friend at school is Lily, a precocious child prodigy whose father self-identifies as “the last great gentleman explorer” and whose mother, a local politician, becomes entangled in efforts to stop to the National Accelerator Research Laboratory’s plans to build a new superconducting supercollider.
The conflict over the collider fractures the community and creates deep divides within the families of the novel.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 2015
10 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Chrissy Kolaya
3 books24 followersChrissy Kolaya is a poet and fiction writer, author of Charmed Particles: a novel and two books of poems: Any Anxious Body and Other Possible Lives (forthcoming fall 2019). Her work has been included in the anthologies New Sudden Fiction (Norton), Fiction on a Stick (Milkweed Editions), and Stone, River, Sky: An Anthology of Georgia Poems, as well as in a number of literary journals.
She has received a Norman Mailer Writers Colony summer scholarship, an Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies fellowship, a Loft Mentor Series Award in Poetry, and grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Lake Region Arts Council, and the University of Minnesota. As one of the co-founders of the Prairie Gate Literary Festival, she worked to develop the literary arts community in rural western Minnesota. She now teaches creative writing at the University of Central Florida.
She has received a Norman Mailer Writers Colony summer scholarship, an Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies fellowship, a Loft Mentor Series Award in Poetry, and grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Lake Region Arts Council, and the University of Minnesota. As one of the co-founders of the Prairie Gate Literary Festival, she worked to develop the literary arts community in rural western Minnesota. She now teaches creative writing at the University of Central Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
December 26, 2015
This is a deceptively simple book, harrowing and heartwrenching, a book about love, expectation, masculinity, and the ways in which the world wrenches control out of our hands. This is a wonderful, elegant book. I will admit, however, that this could have been an absolutely exceptional book, except for the final 40 pages that allow the book to wrap too gently and resolves the character arcs somewhat arbitrarily. I still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in science, small rural communities, and experiences of "other-ness", I just only wish the final stretch didn't feel quite so disappointing.
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November 23, 2015Set in a small prairie town, Charmed Particles is the story of two families pulled in opposite directions. Abhijat is a theoretical physicist working at the town’s particle accelerator lab. His wife, Sarala, is a stay at home mother to daughter Meena. Both are trying to find their places, one in America and the other in public school. Meena’s best friend is Lily. Her father, Randolph, is a “gentleman explorer” while her mother, Rose, has made her mark in local politics. When a proposal comes forth to build a superconducting supercollider at the lab, the two families find themselves on opposite sides of a debate that threatens to fracture their small community. As a small town resident myself, the book totally hit home for me. Kolaya did a lot of research into real debates about the first supercolliders, and that research really grounds the story. But even more, this is a wonderful story of ambition and community, rooted in six well-drawn and wonderful main characters. This one is highly recommended. – Kim Ukura
from The Best Books We Read In October: http://bookriot.com/2015/11/02/riot-r...
from The Best Books We Read In October: http://bookriot.com/2015/11/02/riot-r...
January 17, 2016
This book tells the stories of two families who are outsiders in a small town. The two daughters are exceptionally clever and curious; the two fathers are exceptionally passionate and successful. Sadly, the two mothers tend towards Marge Simpson: dutiful, vaguely unsatisfied, long-suffering, etc. -- one develops an ambition, the other an outside interest, but neither of these seem to matter all that much.
The parallel stories are skilfully told in a very straightforward manner that also manages to be somewhat lyrical. Characters are a little too perfect, situations are a little too pat, so it all eventually begins to seem like a fable. What is ostensibly a central theme of the book -- an investigation of whether ambition provides lasting meaning and satisfaction -- is handled in a perfunctory manner. Fortunately, the book does not depend on this because the growth of the characters provides sufficient interest. It is a coming-of-age novel not just for the two girls, but for their parents as well.
The parallel stories are skilfully told in a very straightforward manner that also manages to be somewhat lyrical. Characters are a little too perfect, situations are a little too pat, so it all eventually begins to seem like a fable. What is ostensibly a central theme of the book -- an investigation of whether ambition provides lasting meaning and satisfaction -- is handled in a perfunctory manner. Fortunately, the book does not depend on this because the growth of the characters provides sufficient interest. It is a coming-of-age novel not just for the two girls, but for their parents as well.
April 5, 2016
For more reviews of literary fiction by women, see my blog, www.readherlikeanopenbook.com.
Chrissy Kolaya’s debut novel is set in a small town just beyond the edge of the Chicago suburbs during the 1980s and concerns the intersecting lives of two families.
Abhijat Mital is a theoretical physicist from India who works at the National Accelerator Research Laboratory in Nicolet, Illinois. He is a workaholic obsessed with making a breakthrough that will lead to the Nobel Prize in Physics and a legacy that will mean all his work was worthwhile. His wife Sarala is devoted to Abhijat and to becoming an ideal American housewife and mother to their daughter, Meena.
Randolph and Rose Winchester live in the same neighborhood, Eagle’s Crest, a recently built subdivision near Abhijat’s lab. Randolph is a travel and adventure journalist and photographer who is gone much of the time, while Rose concentrates on raising their precocious daughter, Lily. Rose is not just comfortable with her unorthodox marriage, but proud of it. She and Lily appear to manage quite well during Randolph’s long absences, which are punctuated by his fascinating letters.
The two daughters, both brilliant and driven by their ambitious, eccentric parents, become friends and thereby begin to draw the two very different sets of parents together.
So we have two self-absorbed husbands, either physically or emotionally absent, contrasted with two wives who are left to their own devices and eventually set off on journeys of self-discovery. Sarala comes out of her role as the dutiful Indian wife to become a successful Mary Kay saleswoman, while Rose decides to run for mayor of Nicolet. She grew up in Nicolet when it was just a farm town and believes she is the right person to guide it into a future full of economic and social challenges.
These charming particles begin to collide when the U.S. Department of Energy announces that it is considering building a Superconducting Super Collider at the Nicolet lab or another location. For Abhijat, this represents a chance to make his dreams come true. For Rose, stopping the construction of the incomprehensible and seemingly dangerous SSC becomes the centerpiece of her campaign. The two families suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a very contentious dispute.
Suspicions run high among the residents, most of whom do not seem to understand (or perhaps even to want to understand) what the SSC does. Rumors run rampant about radiation, potential explosions, and the fact that the SSC will run in a loop under their houses and the town itself.
To Kolaya’s credit, she handles this divisive issue with sensitivity, presenting both sides in an evenhanded and compassionate manner. The physicists are not presented solely as socially inept eggheads, nor are the people of Nicolet depicted as simply ignorant, paranoid, and opposed to scientific progress. These are three-dimensional people whom we recognize, and all of them are sympathetic.
The other thread of Charmed Particles is the coming of age story involving Meena and Lily. We watch as the two gifted students thrive while leaving their peers far behind. But, as with the calm, perfect exurban town of the early portion of the book, change is inevitable. Kolaya explores the intellectual, social, and emotional lives of the girls, which exist completely apart from the lives of their otherwise attentive parents. Kolaya reminds us that so much of parents’ lives remains a mystery to their children, as do the children’s lives to the parents, usually because children are determined to maintain a secret life.
The opposing forces in the various plot lines come together seamlessly in the last third of the book. But the characters and events never seem stereotypical or obvious; there is more to everyone than meets the eye in Charmed Particles, and that is one of its main pleasures. The battle over the lab brings out the best and worst in people but also serves to move lives forward in unexpected but necessary ways. It is the catalyst for changes of a different type than those involved could have foreseen at the start. No one is left unaffected.
Kolaya also deserves kudos for the quality of her writing. Her prose is smooth and fluid, and the narrative voice she has created is as satisfying as floating downstream on a sunny day. You will find yourself halfway through the book before you look up to see what time it is.
This is a novel that deserves a wider audience. Kolaya has written a story with the perfect blend of ideas and people, and readers will find themselves thinking about all of them when they close the book.
Chrissy Kolaya’s debut novel is set in a small town just beyond the edge of the Chicago suburbs during the 1980s and concerns the intersecting lives of two families.
Abhijat Mital is a theoretical physicist from India who works at the National Accelerator Research Laboratory in Nicolet, Illinois. He is a workaholic obsessed with making a breakthrough that will lead to the Nobel Prize in Physics and a legacy that will mean all his work was worthwhile. His wife Sarala is devoted to Abhijat and to becoming an ideal American housewife and mother to their daughter, Meena.
Randolph and Rose Winchester live in the same neighborhood, Eagle’s Crest, a recently built subdivision near Abhijat’s lab. Randolph is a travel and adventure journalist and photographer who is gone much of the time, while Rose concentrates on raising their precocious daughter, Lily. Rose is not just comfortable with her unorthodox marriage, but proud of it. She and Lily appear to manage quite well during Randolph’s long absences, which are punctuated by his fascinating letters.
The two daughters, both brilliant and driven by their ambitious, eccentric parents, become friends and thereby begin to draw the two very different sets of parents together.
So we have two self-absorbed husbands, either physically or emotionally absent, contrasted with two wives who are left to their own devices and eventually set off on journeys of self-discovery. Sarala comes out of her role as the dutiful Indian wife to become a successful Mary Kay saleswoman, while Rose decides to run for mayor of Nicolet. She grew up in Nicolet when it was just a farm town and believes she is the right person to guide it into a future full of economic and social challenges.
These charming particles begin to collide when the U.S. Department of Energy announces that it is considering building a Superconducting Super Collider at the Nicolet lab or another location. For Abhijat, this represents a chance to make his dreams come true. For Rose, stopping the construction of the incomprehensible and seemingly dangerous SSC becomes the centerpiece of her campaign. The two families suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a very contentious dispute.
Suspicions run high among the residents, most of whom do not seem to understand (or perhaps even to want to understand) what the SSC does. Rumors run rampant about radiation, potential explosions, and the fact that the SSC will run in a loop under their houses and the town itself.
To Kolaya’s credit, she handles this divisive issue with sensitivity, presenting both sides in an evenhanded and compassionate manner. The physicists are not presented solely as socially inept eggheads, nor are the people of Nicolet depicted as simply ignorant, paranoid, and opposed to scientific progress. These are three-dimensional people whom we recognize, and all of them are sympathetic.
The other thread of Charmed Particles is the coming of age story involving Meena and Lily. We watch as the two gifted students thrive while leaving their peers far behind. But, as with the calm, perfect exurban town of the early portion of the book, change is inevitable. Kolaya explores the intellectual, social, and emotional lives of the girls, which exist completely apart from the lives of their otherwise attentive parents. Kolaya reminds us that so much of parents’ lives remains a mystery to their children, as do the children’s lives to the parents, usually because children are determined to maintain a secret life.
The opposing forces in the various plot lines come together seamlessly in the last third of the book. But the characters and events never seem stereotypical or obvious; there is more to everyone than meets the eye in Charmed Particles, and that is one of its main pleasures. The battle over the lab brings out the best and worst in people but also serves to move lives forward in unexpected but necessary ways. It is the catalyst for changes of a different type than those involved could have foreseen at the start. No one is left unaffected.
Kolaya also deserves kudos for the quality of her writing. Her prose is smooth and fluid, and the narrative voice she has created is as satisfying as floating downstream on a sunny day. You will find yourself halfway through the book before you look up to see what time it is.
This is a novel that deserves a wider audience. Kolaya has written a story with the perfect blend of ideas and people, and readers will find themselves thinking about all of them when they close the book.
January 10, 2016
This book takes a complex area of physics and weaves it into a charming story about the changing dynamics of community, the journey of self discovery, the awaking that occurs through life experience, maturity, and the acceptance of things beyond our control. The characters are engaging and endearing. This should be on your reading list this year.
September 16, 2019
In 1972, Abhijat earns a job at a world-renowned particle accelerator lab located in a small Illinois town. He brings his new wife Sarala from Bombay to join him, and they each take their own approach to settling into their marriage and community. Elsewhere in town, Rose has returned from traveling the world with her explorer husband to raise their child in a place she knows, though it's changed with the arrival of the lab. The daughters from the two families grow up to become the best of friends. But when the government proposes building a much larger collider beneath the town, everyone takes sides in the debate, and tensions rise.
This story of two families and a town divided contains a lot of great interpersonal dynamics. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters, whose complicated and evolving feelings for one another are well-depicted. Where the novel fell short for me was plot: Kolaya sets up a variety of promising conflicts, but issues with balance and pacing made the story drag at times. Still, I'll remember these characters fondly, and I'll look out for Kolaya's next novel.
This story of two families and a town divided contains a lot of great interpersonal dynamics. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters, whose complicated and evolving feelings for one another are well-depicted. Where the novel fell short for me was plot: Kolaya sets up a variety of promising conflicts, but issues with balance and pacing made the story drag at times. Still, I'll remember these characters fondly, and I'll look out for Kolaya's next novel.
August 7, 2017
Picked this up to pre-read as a possibility for one of the library's book groups since the author is local and would be available to participate.
I can't believe how quickly I was sucked in and plowed through the story which takes place during the 1970s and 1980s in Illinois where a proposed supercollider might be built. This sets up: us vs the, science vs town, scientists vs "normal" people, neighbor against neighbor, and family against family.
The two families featured are each outsiders in their own way. There is the physicist from India and his new bride. The other is a native of the town but returning years later to raise her daughter while her husband continues to explore the world. Both families have a precocious daughter who eventually find each other and become friends.
Strongly recommend.
I can't believe how quickly I was sucked in and plowed through the story which takes place during the 1970s and 1980s in Illinois where a proposed supercollider might be built. This sets up: us vs the, science vs town, scientists vs "normal" people, neighbor against neighbor, and family against family.
The two families featured are each outsiders in their own way. There is the physicist from India and his new bride. The other is a native of the town but returning years later to raise her daughter while her husband continues to explore the world. Both families have a precocious daughter who eventually find each other and become friends.
Strongly recommend.
January 1, 2016
Technically finished on January 1st but I want it to count for 2015. Really liked this book and the super sweet ending really warmed my heart. I love immigration stories, and I really liked the short chapters made up of even shorter snippets which made the book very quick to read. I liked some of the quirks (like the index of the girls' 4th grade report) and wished there had been a few more. Overall I just really liked this story, set against the backdrop of the Midwest in the 70s and 80s, its characters, and how the whole thing wrapped up.
December 13, 2016
Charmed Particles: A Novel
How should we face the unknown? What creates a lasting legacy? Woven throughout Chrissy Kolaya's novel, explicitly or implicitly, these questions are on the minds of the beautifully drawn characters in CHARMED PARTICLES.
In a fictional Chicago suburb two industries exist in symbolic balance; the National Accelerator Research Laboratory with its cadre of scientists wrangling questions of subatomic particles and their role in the universe, and a Williamsburg, Virginia-like town, called Heritage Village. The known, and the unknown, the past and the future, collide with sufficient force to challenge relationships and invite insight into some of our deepest fears.
Two families appear to stand on different sides of a conflict over a proposition to increase the capability of the research laboratory. One one side of the debate is physicist, Abhijat. When the question over whether a superconducting supercollider should be built, he sees only the threat to his work and his legacy. His wife, Sarala, and emotionally adept daughter, Meena, struggle in their own ways to remain loyal to the relationships they value most, while transcending the patterns of the past, as emotions in the neighborhood heat up.
Rose, wife to self-described explorer Randolph, glories in the decision they made to raise their precocious daughter, Lily, in the town she grew up in. The unusual living arrangement, with Randolph often away on adventures, raises questions in the town where her burgeoning political ambitions cause her to take a stance against an expansion of the Lab.
The strong relationship between the two girls, Meena and Lily, loosely bonds the families together. As the girls seek to differentiate themselves from their peers, their parents, and even each other, they mirror the struggle the town faces. What always was, must not necessarily, always be.
Kolaya, a noted poet, offers lyrical prose with restrained detail. Rather than wax on about minutiae as some literary novels do, her descriptions paint vivid pictures in few words. She writes, "Since he'd begun his studies, his career, his greatest fear had been that he would be a failure. A B+ physicist." Here we understand not only what Abhijat fears, but also how he measures failure as markedly different from what the world would define as such.
I came to read CHARMED PARTICLES by accident, largely because Ms. Kolaya and I share a state and some affiliation with the LOFT Literary Center in Minneapolis. It deserves far greater attention. More accessible than FATES AND FURIES, and just as beautiful as ALL THE LIGHTS WE CANNOT SEE, CHARMED PARTICLES offers bestseller quality and the added bonus of feeling like a hidden gem.
How should we face the unknown? What creates a lasting legacy? Woven throughout Chrissy Kolaya's novel, explicitly or implicitly, these questions are on the minds of the beautifully drawn characters in CHARMED PARTICLES.
In a fictional Chicago suburb two industries exist in symbolic balance; the National Accelerator Research Laboratory with its cadre of scientists wrangling questions of subatomic particles and their role in the universe, and a Williamsburg, Virginia-like town, called Heritage Village. The known, and the unknown, the past and the future, collide with sufficient force to challenge relationships and invite insight into some of our deepest fears.
Two families appear to stand on different sides of a conflict over a proposition to increase the capability of the research laboratory. One one side of the debate is physicist, Abhijat. When the question over whether a superconducting supercollider should be built, he sees only the threat to his work and his legacy. His wife, Sarala, and emotionally adept daughter, Meena, struggle in their own ways to remain loyal to the relationships they value most, while transcending the patterns of the past, as emotions in the neighborhood heat up.
Rose, wife to self-described explorer Randolph, glories in the decision they made to raise their precocious daughter, Lily, in the town she grew up in. The unusual living arrangement, with Randolph often away on adventures, raises questions in the town where her burgeoning political ambitions cause her to take a stance against an expansion of the Lab.
The strong relationship between the two girls, Meena and Lily, loosely bonds the families together. As the girls seek to differentiate themselves from their peers, their parents, and even each other, they mirror the struggle the town faces. What always was, must not necessarily, always be.
Kolaya, a noted poet, offers lyrical prose with restrained detail. Rather than wax on about minutiae as some literary novels do, her descriptions paint vivid pictures in few words. She writes, "Since he'd begun his studies, his career, his greatest fear had been that he would be a failure. A B+ physicist." Here we understand not only what Abhijat fears, but also how he measures failure as markedly different from what the world would define as such.
I came to read CHARMED PARTICLES by accident, largely because Ms. Kolaya and I share a state and some affiliation with the LOFT Literary Center in Minneapolis. It deserves far greater attention. More accessible than FATES AND FURIES, and just as beautiful as ALL THE LIGHTS WE CANNOT SEE, CHARMED PARTICLES offers bestseller quality and the added bonus of feeling like a hidden gem.
April 14, 2016
Chrissy Kolaya’s Debut Novel, Charmed Particles Successfully Launches into
a New Realm of Exotic Matter
a New Realm of Exotic Matter
Do you like original adventures, gradual suspense, quirky characters, or a slight touch of wanderlust? If you answered yes to any of the above, then Chrissy Kolaya’s debut novel Charmed Particles, might be the newest page-turner that you add to your bookshelf.
Nestled in the fictional, Midwestern prairie town of Nicolet, Illinois, the story centers thought-provoking narrative about family, ambition, and the immigrant experience around the conflict between innovative progress in particle physics and historical preservation. When scientific ambition clashes with small town community values, the deep rift within the town reveals the evolving nuances of the two young families caught in the middle.
Abhijat, a theoretical physicist from India, is working at the lab in Nicolet. His ambitious nature has led him to America, and the cutting-edge research which is happening at the National Accelerator Research Laboratory. His wife Sarala, arrives in America shortly after their arranged marriage in India. Her struggle to assimilate to the American way of life is highlighted as she tries to keep Abhijat happy. Just like the early American settlers, who struggle to define the character of the New World, Sarala must learn to craft a new identity for herself. As she lives the quintessential story of immigration, Sarala eventually stops wearing her brightly colored Saris and cooking Indian cuisine. Their daughter Meena grows up to be a sociable girl, whose popularity at school earns her a spot on the cheerleading squad. Although Meena is a bright girl who excels at her school, her friendly and outgoing personality cause her to resist the idea of following in the footsteps of her overachieving and inattentive father, who is often preoccupied with work.
Randolph, a professional adventurer, is a native of Nicolet, and delights in traveling to faraway and remote regions of the world. Learning to live like the natives of these obscure lands and acquiring treasured mementos for his daughter is his life’s devotion. He’s constantly in search of an untouched territory. His young wife, Rose, his companion on many expeditions until her unexpected pregnancy forces her to stay in Nicolet, becomes devoted to and proud of their unorthodox marriage arrangement. Their daughter Lily is an extremely bright girl, socially awkward. Since Lily has a hard time making friends, she is happy to have Meena as her best friend. Although they are may seem like social opposites, they share a unique bond. During Randolph’s extended absence due to his exploration agenda, Rose decides to run for town mayor. Sizing up her opponent as an older gentleman, who is out of touch with the newer generation, she can almost taste victory as she envisions an easy win.
All is pleasant and sunny in the town which participates in staged, costumed reenactments of the Revolutionary War just for fun, until a new particle accelerator for the lab is proposed. The Superconducting Super Collider, used for high-energy particle physics is seen by the physicists as the only chance to prove the theories they have devoted their lives to, but the local community questions the safety of the large machine whose tunnels will be built under houses and schools. Citing risks of radiation, the tone of the community’s protesting becomes frenzied. Conversely, armed with enhanced knowledge about the collider and touting its harmlessness, the scientists try to quell the fear of the protesters, motivated solely by their trepidation of the perceived ruin of their careers in the face of a denied proposal.
The suspense comes to a head when everyone must pick sides. As his wife, Sarala must side with Abhijat, even though most of her friends in the community are against his view. Rose, who is running for mayor, must decide to run against whatever platform her opponent chooses, even if that means running the risk of opposing the views of Abhijat and Sarala, the parents of her daughter’s best friend.
The beauty of this story is found in the intertwining of complex science, historical American tradition, and the constant striving for the idiosyncratic idea of community which fashions our everyday realities. As the perspective for each side of the argument is presented without partiality shown to either, Kolaya never seems to make clear which side she supports. This novel steers clear of an agenda. Many of the chapters are headlined with quotes, which act as clues on a treasure map, inviting readers to embark on a search for the essence of the story. What may be significance is the placement of an Indian family within a Midwestern prairie town, or an explorer in search of an untouched land. The public opposition to the particle accelerator is expected, however, there may be significance in the fact that the scientists are unable to relate to the protesting townspeople using laymen’s terms. Perhaps this shows that the risks associated with progress are not always obvious, and that these progressive scientists are unable to connect with their humanity. In whatever way we choose to read this story, it will undoubtedly leave us with the question of which side would you choose? Scientific logic, or fear of the unknown. This deceptively complex question lies at the heart of this story. Any way you choose to answer this question, and align yourself, will be the genesis of an identifiable connection to either Abhijat’s or Randolph’s family.
While many of the characters are drawn on opposite ends of the spectrum, which is expected given the nature of the subject, their quirks and eccentricities make them all somewhat relatable. Beyond the main focus of the divide over the proposed particle accelerator, are the endearing stories of friendship and love which elegantly accent the story. What was most enjoyable was the personal endearments of the characters as they evolved, becoming more complex and intriguing, and as a result, unpredictable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this finely crafted work which sits on the fringes of the frontier as one of the first of its kind.
With an ambitious first novel, Kolaya has written intelligent characters with depth and interwoven them into a complex tale. Surprisingly engaging and thought-provoking, I would absolutely recommend this charming read as your newest escape. I look forward to more inspired
novels from Kolaya in the hopes of expanding this original and enlightening frontier of literary thought.
March 25, 2017
The lives of Abhijat Mittal his wife Sarala and their daughter Meena draws parallel with the lives of Rose, Randolph and their very intelligent daughter Lily. The author has spun such a wonderful tale that not only it tells us the story but makes us wonder the differences among humans even if they are our family and how with acceptance and love everything works out in the end
Abhijat is a theoretical physician who is excited to work at the premier physics lab at Nicolette Illinois
His work is the bane of his life and everything revolves around it. He wants to become well known. His wife Sarala is complacent and is a little awed of his intelligence and lets him realize his dreams without much fuss. Their daughter Meena is an intelligent curious girl who has a mind of her own
Rose and Malcolm are wanderers and Rose had left the same town when she met Randolph to wander the world with him. When she has her daughter Lily, she wants to settle down back in Nicolette with her to give her a stable life, but is ok if Randolph travels and visits them once in a while. She tells her daughter that her parents have the greatest love story though they live away from each other .
But life has a way of interfering even with the best of plans and this story of ambition, family ,, compassion, forgiveness and realization of what is ultimately important for one's life since we are but a small minuscle part of this universe living a flash of the moment in the grand scheme of the universe
Abhijat is a theoretical physician who is excited to work at the premier physics lab at Nicolette Illinois
His work is the bane of his life and everything revolves around it. He wants to become well known. His wife Sarala is complacent and is a little awed of his intelligence and lets him realize his dreams without much fuss. Their daughter Meena is an intelligent curious girl who has a mind of her own
Rose and Malcolm are wanderers and Rose had left the same town when she met Randolph to wander the world with him. When she has her daughter Lily, she wants to settle down back in Nicolette with her to give her a stable life, but is ok if Randolph travels and visits them once in a while. She tells her daughter that her parents have the greatest love story though they live away from each other .
But life has a way of interfering even with the best of plans and this story of ambition, family ,, compassion, forgiveness and realization of what is ultimately important for one's life since we are but a small minuscle part of this universe living a flash of the moment in the grand scheme of the universe
April 19, 2018
3 1/2 stars
Centered around the 'National Accelerator Research Lab' in suburban Nicolet Illinois in the 70's. This is the story of 2 families 1) the Mitels - Abhijat is a physicist at the lab, his wife Sarala who wants to fit into America (and does so by rejecting the Indian recipes her mother sent her here with in favor of American classics like green-bean casserole), and their brilliant daughter Meena. 2) the Winchesters - Randolf a worldly explorer, his wife Rose (who grew up in Nicolet, explored the world for a time with her husband but has returned home to raise their daughter), Lily.
Both families have their disfunctionality. The family dramas about fitting in and what is home and growing up and womanhood all are happening in a community divided by the prospect of an even bigger Super Conductor.
The physics accurately reflects what was going on in the US and abroad during this period. I enjoyed the science and politics more than the family drama. But the author did an excellent job combining them and showing a snapshot of history.
Centered around the 'National Accelerator Research Lab' in suburban Nicolet Illinois in the 70's. This is the story of 2 families 1) the Mitels - Abhijat is a physicist at the lab, his wife Sarala who wants to fit into America (and does so by rejecting the Indian recipes her mother sent her here with in favor of American classics like green-bean casserole), and their brilliant daughter Meena. 2) the Winchesters - Randolf a worldly explorer, his wife Rose (who grew up in Nicolet, explored the world for a time with her husband but has returned home to raise their daughter), Lily.
Both families have their disfunctionality. The family dramas about fitting in and what is home and growing up and womanhood all are happening in a community divided by the prospect of an even bigger Super Conductor.
The physics accurately reflects what was going on in the US and abroad during this period. I enjoyed the science and politics more than the family drama. But the author did an excellent job combining them and showing a snapshot of history.
June 5, 2019
Who would think a story about physics could be engaging? It is accessible to the unscientific reader and is more importantly about a small town grappling with a decision about personal safety and livelihoods. It reminded me of the Jennifer Haigh book " Heat & Light" concerning the fracking in a PA town. The Indian immigrants Sarala and Abhijat are the most interesting characters with Sarala the most open to adapting to life in America. The Mary Kay cosmetic business brought me back to the 80's with the pink car for the most successful sales lady.
The children are realistically depicted as determined to not be their parents.
The children are realistically depicted as determined to not be their parents.
July 7, 2019
I enjoyed this book mostly for its gentleness, even though a major focus was about a politically divisive issue. I liked getting to know the two unique families, and enjoyed how everyone seemed to ultimately get along, no matter how different.
Saraya's "cooking" of sad prepackaged American foods was funny and frustrating to a reader. It was a delightful relief when her husband began doing the family cooking and one could picture them eating wonderful authentic and delicious Indian recipes again.
Saraya's "cooking" of sad prepackaged American foods was funny and frustrating to a reader. It was a delightful relief when her husband began doing the family cooking and one could picture them eating wonderful authentic and delicious Indian recipes again.
May 24, 2020
"Charmed Particles" starts by showing us the beginning of two families living the small town of Nicolet in the 1980s: an immigrant couple from India adjusting to life in the United States, and a woman who settles down in her hometown to raise her daughter while her husband explores foreign countries all over the world.
The author has done her research, and her characters feel alive and fleshed-out. The novel manages to be an insightful and charming (wink) book on change that manages to keep the reader invested in its characters' futures.
The author has done her research, and her characters feel alive and fleshed-out. The novel manages to be an insightful and charming (wink) book on change that manages to keep the reader invested in its characters' futures.
May 19, 2023
I’m biased, knowing the author, but I really enjoyed this book infused with real events and recent American history. As a former scientist, I can relate to the struggles of producing and realizing your time is coming to an end.. when funding ceases and your career is outside your control you feel lost, but something else takes it’s place. This book is a great metaphor for life and the things we take for granted in pursuit of fame and legacy. The real important things in life are right there, in front of us, waiting for us to come home.
January 16, 2018
I had a hard time engaging with the characters in this book. I think it will lead to a more interesting discussion due to the issues it raises about marriage, relationships, community, and growing up. The modern question rears its head...your family or your job? Good for reflection.
July 29, 2018
Reminiscent of a Franzen story, but with a manageable amount of drama (which I greatly appreciated). There was tension and conflict but was always handled like things were eventually going to be okay. Refreshing.
July 1, 2017
interesting study of different personalities and learning to embrace change. pretty easy to read, maybe a little longer than it needed to be.
September 8, 2023
Loved it! This was a unique story, and had a lot of cute moments. It was well-written & interesting.
September 14, 2023
i technically didn’t finish this but i read and analyzed most of it for so fucking long i am counting it okay
rly good satire and interesting writing style! loved the world created
rly good satire and interesting writing style! loved the world created
November 10, 2015
Yet another of my amazing writer friends, this time fellow 2007-2008 Loft mentee Chrissy Kolaya, has a book out this month: Charmed Particles. For Kolaya, it's a debut novel, and a novel novel it is, folks. In her own words, in response to a question posed by Kim Ukura of the Morris Sun Tribune, Kolaya says "The book is weird and difficult to explain concisely." Ukura sees through Kolaya's modesty and inveterate humor to suggest that Charmed Particles is a book about family, ambition and community. Agreed, and I would add one more thing: I think it's a book about curiosity.
The story in Charmed Particles comes to us through two families in the fictional town of Nicolet, Illinois, where a local employer is a laboratory conducting high-energy particle physics research. Physicist Abhijat Mital and his (mostly) stay-at-home wife Sarala were born and raised in India; their daughter Meena, is born and raised in Nicolet. The other family we meet and get to know are the Winchesters: Randolph, an Englishman who likes to think of himself as the "last great gentleman explorer;" his wife, Rose, a native Illinoisian with political aspirations and their daughter, Lily, who becomes Meena's best friend. The ultimate conflict in the story is whether or not the particle acceleration lab will be allowed to expand, literally under the feet, of Nicolet residents.
Although that battle is hinted at, early on, it doesn't become central until well into the book. What occupies the reader until that time is a study of the two families and the growing friendship of the girls. Right from the start, the members of each family have unique relationships with curiosity, and, of course, the eventual lab/no lab showdown is also a disputation about intellectual curiosity vs. a community's desire for assurance of the status quo.
Randolph is described as a "polymath"--I had to exercise my own curiosity there and look that word up (it means a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning); as an adventurer and explorer he travels to all corners of the earth and is subdued only by "the spell" of young, naive Rose's "bright and curious eyes." Rose shares his adventures until the birth of Lily, when all of her considerable intellectual curiosity is channeled into the gaping maw of Lily's frank genius. Abhijat's intellectual curiosity might be the most apparent, given his line of work in theoretical physics. Sarala's curiosity is piqued by American culture. Meena's intellect is no less than Lily's but is deepened by social skills her friend lacks.
The answer to the question of whether or not the physics lab will be allowed to expand won't be given away here, nor does Kolaya give it away early in the book. Rather, curiosity is made to do battle throughout. Randolph's pursuits are ethnocentric at best, racist at worst. Rose's curiosity bangs a U-ey at the first political challenge. Abhijat's search for the ultimate physics knowledge may be more of a search for fame. Sarala's yearning to belong is hijacked by a false, or at least outdated, version of American history.
It's the girls, Lily and Meena, we have to look to for any kind of real and fruitful intellectual curiosity, and they hand it to us in spades. I particularly love their self-selected 4th-grade research topic (eschewing pre-selected topics like "The Shrimp" and "Good Nutrition"): "the life and times of Lady Florence Baker, explorer of central Africa and co-discoverer, with her husband, of Lake Albert." The assignment, writes the ever tongue-in-cheek Kolaya,
...had been to produce a three-page report and a five-minute presentation, including one optional visual aid...Meena and Lily's report, "Lady Florence Baker: The Journey from Slavery to Exploration," weighed in at twenty pages, not including end notes, bibliography, and [a carefully prepared index]. This Lily and Meena presented to the blank stares and confusion of their classmates and teacher.
Even Lady Florence Baker is trying out this idea of intellectual slavery vs. curiosity. And although Lily and Meena are most likely to get it right, in my opinion, they are led astray by Kolaya's keenly described American educational system: one that doesn't quite know how to handle children of genius (and maybe particularly children of color and of genius). Add that to the sometimes hysterical, sometimes poignant, clearly inevitable teenager-ization of Lily and Meena, and here Kolaya draws curiosity with some (in my opinion of Kolaya's opinion--not always easy to discern because of that unflagging irony of hers) regrettable shade, too.
I think Kolaya, her agent and Dzanc Books are to be commended for writing, championing and publishing, respectively, a book that breaks a few rules and gives the reader an opportunity for a thought-provoking, curiosity-stimulating read.
The story in Charmed Particles comes to us through two families in the fictional town of Nicolet, Illinois, where a local employer is a laboratory conducting high-energy particle physics research. Physicist Abhijat Mital and his (mostly) stay-at-home wife Sarala were born and raised in India; their daughter Meena, is born and raised in Nicolet. The other family we meet and get to know are the Winchesters: Randolph, an Englishman who likes to think of himself as the "last great gentleman explorer;" his wife, Rose, a native Illinoisian with political aspirations and their daughter, Lily, who becomes Meena's best friend. The ultimate conflict in the story is whether or not the particle acceleration lab will be allowed to expand, literally under the feet, of Nicolet residents.
Although that battle is hinted at, early on, it doesn't become central until well into the book. What occupies the reader until that time is a study of the two families and the growing friendship of the girls. Right from the start, the members of each family have unique relationships with curiosity, and, of course, the eventual lab/no lab showdown is also a disputation about intellectual curiosity vs. a community's desire for assurance of the status quo.
Randolph is described as a "polymath"--I had to exercise my own curiosity there and look that word up (it means a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning); as an adventurer and explorer he travels to all corners of the earth and is subdued only by "the spell" of young, naive Rose's "bright and curious eyes." Rose shares his adventures until the birth of Lily, when all of her considerable intellectual curiosity is channeled into the gaping maw of Lily's frank genius. Abhijat's intellectual curiosity might be the most apparent, given his line of work in theoretical physics. Sarala's curiosity is piqued by American culture. Meena's intellect is no less than Lily's but is deepened by social skills her friend lacks.
The answer to the question of whether or not the physics lab will be allowed to expand won't be given away here, nor does Kolaya give it away early in the book. Rather, curiosity is made to do battle throughout. Randolph's pursuits are ethnocentric at best, racist at worst. Rose's curiosity bangs a U-ey at the first political challenge. Abhijat's search for the ultimate physics knowledge may be more of a search for fame. Sarala's yearning to belong is hijacked by a false, or at least outdated, version of American history.
It's the girls, Lily and Meena, we have to look to for any kind of real and fruitful intellectual curiosity, and they hand it to us in spades. I particularly love their self-selected 4th-grade research topic (eschewing pre-selected topics like "The Shrimp" and "Good Nutrition"): "the life and times of Lady Florence Baker, explorer of central Africa and co-discoverer, with her husband, of Lake Albert." The assignment, writes the ever tongue-in-cheek Kolaya,
...had been to produce a three-page report and a five-minute presentation, including one optional visual aid...Meena and Lily's report, "Lady Florence Baker: The Journey from Slavery to Exploration," weighed in at twenty pages, not including end notes, bibliography, and [a carefully prepared index]. This Lily and Meena presented to the blank stares and confusion of their classmates and teacher.
Even Lady Florence Baker is trying out this idea of intellectual slavery vs. curiosity. And although Lily and Meena are most likely to get it right, in my opinion, they are led astray by Kolaya's keenly described American educational system: one that doesn't quite know how to handle children of genius (and maybe particularly children of color and of genius). Add that to the sometimes hysterical, sometimes poignant, clearly inevitable teenager-ization of Lily and Meena, and here Kolaya draws curiosity with some (in my opinion of Kolaya's opinion--not always easy to discern because of that unflagging irony of hers) regrettable shade, too.
I think Kolaya, her agent and Dzanc Books are to be commended for writing, championing and publishing, respectively, a book that breaks a few rules and gives the reader an opportunity for a thought-provoking, curiosity-stimulating read.
October 8, 2016
This book did a lovely job of showing us what happens in close relationships over time, the way people quietly love each other and hold hope for the relationship, how inattention wears on marriage/family, and what happens when you want to be supportive but find yourself feeling conflicted. The larger story highlighted the tension between progress and established tradition, the new and the old, and the change curve that people face. This book showed what people are like when they face the unfamiliar, fear loss, hold nostalgia for the past, and take a stand of moral outrage.
November 20, 2016
I found myself charmed by this relaxed, intimate, and particularly Midwestern novel, wrestling with themes of family, belonging, history, and innovation, community, ands self. Gently paced yet riveting, Charmed Particles follows a couple of unconventional women, their distant, intellectual husbands, and their precocious daughters in the rural town turned Chicago suburb of Nicolet, Illinois, mainly during the ‘80s. The setting takes advantage of a changing atmosphere in the Midwest during the late twentieth century as the future (here represented by National Accelerator Research Laboratory) clashes with the past (the Heritage Village outdoor history museum) under the background of a rapidly urbanizing community. Kolata is an expert at weaving a multitude of threads seamlessly into her story, from science to history, politics and cooking, that it feels as complex as life.
The Mitals, Abhijat and his wife Sarala, immigrated from Bombay to Illinois so Abhijat, a theoretical physicist, could work at the world renowned NARL, his dream job. Meanwhile, local woman Rose Winchester, having married a self proclaimed English “gentleman explorer” returns from globe hopping to raise her daughter, Lily, while he continues to travel the world. Both women, faced with distant, driven men struggle to take control of their lives in their own ways; Sarala by immersing herself as much as possible into the culture of the Midwest (including a penchant for cooking ridiculous gelatin based casseroles), and Rose by becoming active in politics, attempting to guide Nicolet into the new century. Meanwhile, their daughters, Meena and Lily form a kinship as they struggle with their own anxieties of being “gifted” students versus “normal.” Both families find themselves drawn into a debate that fractures the community as Abhijat works to bring a Superconducting Super Collider to the NARL, the culmination of his work, while Rose finds it politically expedient in her campaign for mayor of Nicolet to work against the “dangerous” experimental apparatus.
Charmed Particles is such an interesting exploration of how individuals are shaped by communities and families, and how they compromise or work to balance these needs with their own desires. Their personalities and relationships to each other, the community, and their beliefs are extremely well rendered, as the debate stirs conflict among both families. The precocious Lily finds her mother’s anti-science political stance horrifying while Sarala finds herself sympathizing with her neighbors’ concerns about what unforeseen dangers such a device could have on their town. As the battle for the SSC comes to a culmination that brings the entire community together for the debate, the Mitals and the Winchesters both come to appreciate each other’s points of view and become stronger families for it, as Meena and Lily prepare for adulthood. The only weakness of the novel was that this ending felt almost a little too neat, as even the distant and wandering Randolph Winchester returns home to stay after realizing his family needed him. Still, sometimes trying times do bring people closer together.
The Mitals, Abhijat and his wife Sarala, immigrated from Bombay to Illinois so Abhijat, a theoretical physicist, could work at the world renowned NARL, his dream job. Meanwhile, local woman Rose Winchester, having married a self proclaimed English “gentleman explorer” returns from globe hopping to raise her daughter, Lily, while he continues to travel the world. Both women, faced with distant, driven men struggle to take control of their lives in their own ways; Sarala by immersing herself as much as possible into the culture of the Midwest (including a penchant for cooking ridiculous gelatin based casseroles), and Rose by becoming active in politics, attempting to guide Nicolet into the new century. Meanwhile, their daughters, Meena and Lily form a kinship as they struggle with their own anxieties of being “gifted” students versus “normal.” Both families find themselves drawn into a debate that fractures the community as Abhijat works to bring a Superconducting Super Collider to the NARL, the culmination of his work, while Rose finds it politically expedient in her campaign for mayor of Nicolet to work against the “dangerous” experimental apparatus.
Charmed Particles is such an interesting exploration of how individuals are shaped by communities and families, and how they compromise or work to balance these needs with their own desires. Their personalities and relationships to each other, the community, and their beliefs are extremely well rendered, as the debate stirs conflict among both families. The precocious Lily finds her mother’s anti-science political stance horrifying while Sarala finds herself sympathizing with her neighbors’ concerns about what unforeseen dangers such a device could have on their town. As the battle for the SSC comes to a culmination that brings the entire community together for the debate, the Mitals and the Winchesters both come to appreciate each other’s points of view and become stronger families for it, as Meena and Lily prepare for adulthood. The only weakness of the novel was that this ending felt almost a little too neat, as even the distant and wandering Randolph Winchester returns home to stay after realizing his family needed him. Still, sometimes trying times do bring people closer together.
April 13, 2017
The best thing about this book is that it gives you so many thought-provoking things to chew on. It gets into arguments with itself over certainty vs. shades of gray, history vs. modernity, career vs. family, childhood dreams vs. adult realities, staying home vs. leaving, intellectual vs. social life, marriage for love vs. practical partnership, standing out vs. fitting in, logic vs. compassion...an enormous variety of conflicts that come down to: how much can you singlemindedly pursue your passion, your opinion, the life you want, before you have to compromise? If I were in a book club, or teaching a class, this would be a fantastic choice to get some heated conversations going - heck, it got me arguing plenty inside my own head.
It helps that the author has lifted a number of characters' thoughts directly from the public record of the events the book is based on - it's easy to recognize yourself or people you know in the story. And, as someone who's studied a lot of urban development and land use, I found the politics particularly interesting (and accurate!).
The problem is that it squishes all of these big complicated thoughts into not quite 250 pages, and as a result sometimes gets heavy-handed, pedantic, or telling-not-showing. I often read a line that sounded to me like Here, let me tell you the lesson this character just learned, or Just to be clear, these events are parallel and this symbolizes that. There were several scenes that could have been so much more evocative of the sights and sounds and smells and feelings involved.
But as much as that annoyed me in the middle of the book, I found myself getting genuinely emotional as the story came to its climax and started wrapping up. I'm not sure what made that happen, but it sneaked up on me and totally worked. Recommended if you're looking to read more for satisfying character arcs and stimulating food for thought than for pretty language.
It helps that the author has lifted a number of characters' thoughts directly from the public record of the events the book is based on - it's easy to recognize yourself or people you know in the story. And, as someone who's studied a lot of urban development and land use, I found the politics particularly interesting (and accurate!).
The problem is that it squishes all of these big complicated thoughts into not quite 250 pages, and as a result sometimes gets heavy-handed, pedantic, or telling-not-showing. I often read a line that sounded to me like Here, let me tell you the lesson this character just learned, or Just to be clear, these events are parallel and this symbolizes that. There were several scenes that could have been so much more evocative of the sights and sounds and smells and feelings involved.
But as much as that annoyed me in the middle of the book, I found myself getting genuinely emotional as the story came to its climax and started wrapping up. I'm not sure what made that happen, but it sneaked up on me and totally worked. Recommended if you're looking to read more for satisfying character arcs and stimulating food for thought than for pretty language.
May 20, 2016
"It can be liberating to let go of hopes that chain one to unhappiness, dissatisfaction."
For me, Charmed Particles was largely about finding happiness in the present instead of constantly reaching towards to future; to accepting life for what it is instead of constantly reaching for something bigger, brighter; to understanding that the inability to reach a goal doesn't necessarily mean failure, but more so a change of direction and plans.
Given that these are all thoughts and ideas that I've been considering in my personal life, it is no surprise that these themes were the one's that stuck out most to me, the one's I resonated with most, and the reason why I am left with a deep appreciation for this novel.
Chrissy Kolaya is a professor at my alma mater; I took a class with her in my sophomore year of college and she was also a reader for my Honors Capstone Project. When I found out she would be publishing her first novel, I absolutely had to get my hands on it. The book does not disappoint. Thoroughly and painstakingly researched (physics is thoroughly complicated stuff, you know) with delightful and very human characters, Charmed Particles is smart, at times funny, and very real. It deals with conflicts both within us and around us and how those conflicts affect us, shape us, and inspire us. It is a novel that was very clearly written by an academic, yet it remains entirely accessible to all different types of readers. It deals with serious themes (e.g. immigration, cultural differences and adjustment, loss, and strained relationships), while remaining a very readable and engaging story.
Charmed Particles reads easily as a delightful story about two families in a small Midwestern town--yet it is so much more than that. It is thought-provoking, insightful, and smart; a beautiful debut novel.
For me, Charmed Particles was largely about finding happiness in the present instead of constantly reaching towards to future; to accepting life for what it is instead of constantly reaching for something bigger, brighter; to understanding that the inability to reach a goal doesn't necessarily mean failure, but more so a change of direction and plans.
Given that these are all thoughts and ideas that I've been considering in my personal life, it is no surprise that these themes were the one's that stuck out most to me, the one's I resonated with most, and the reason why I am left with a deep appreciation for this novel.
Chrissy Kolaya is a professor at my alma mater; I took a class with her in my sophomore year of college and she was also a reader for my Honors Capstone Project. When I found out she would be publishing her first novel, I absolutely had to get my hands on it. The book does not disappoint. Thoroughly and painstakingly researched (physics is thoroughly complicated stuff, you know) with delightful and very human characters, Charmed Particles is smart, at times funny, and very real. It deals with conflicts both within us and around us and how those conflicts affect us, shape us, and inspire us. It is a novel that was very clearly written by an academic, yet it remains entirely accessible to all different types of readers. It deals with serious themes (e.g. immigration, cultural differences and adjustment, loss, and strained relationships), while remaining a very readable and engaging story.
Charmed Particles reads easily as a delightful story about two families in a small Midwestern town--yet it is so much more than that. It is thought-provoking, insightful, and smart; a beautiful debut novel.
June 6, 2016
The characters had the potential to be dynamic and vivid, but instead were flat and uninteresting. The setting never came alive and remained nothing more than a two dimensional bland place that I couldn't have cared less about. The plot was dull. When I read the synopsis of the book I thought it was a solid enough idea to build a story around. In the end I was proved wrong; the book was a chore to read.
I could go on but I think it is enough to say that the author's writing style is not for me. Many other readers enjoyed this novel and, I assume, find the author's style appealing. Unfortunately, for me the writing came across as stilted and unnatural, and kept me from engaging with anything the novel proffered.
The author over-explained everything. She was constantly reminding me of each character's qualities and personality and reiterating over and over again how each character viewed the world and why he or she viewed it that way. The same treatment was given to the relationships between the characters. It was laborious reading. A character would act or be in a situation or have a conversation with another character, and it would be clear from the actions and dialogue what was going on but, just in case I'm a complete dolt, the author spelled it out for me by saying "for so-and-so this meant X" and "for so-and so #2 this meant Y."
It took me much too long to get through this book. I put it down to read other things time and time again and I'm not sure why I picked it back up.
On a positive note, I love the cover and book design. I also think the idea behind the title, as well as the names of the chapters, is original and very cool.
I could go on but I think it is enough to say that the author's writing style is not for me. Many other readers enjoyed this novel and, I assume, find the author's style appealing. Unfortunately, for me the writing came across as stilted and unnatural, and kept me from engaging with anything the novel proffered.
The author over-explained everything. She was constantly reminding me of each character's qualities and personality and reiterating over and over again how each character viewed the world and why he or she viewed it that way. The same treatment was given to the relationships between the characters. It was laborious reading. A character would act or be in a situation or have a conversation with another character, and it would be clear from the actions and dialogue what was going on but, just in case I'm a complete dolt, the author spelled it out for me by saying "for so-and-so this meant X" and "for so-and so #2 this meant Y."
It took me much too long to get through this book. I put it down to read other things time and time again and I'm not sure why I picked it back up.
On a positive note, I love the cover and book design. I also think the idea behind the title, as well as the names of the chapters, is original and very cool.
September 22, 2015
For all of my friends who were in high school in the early 90s, this is an entertaining read, and I highly recommend it!
The story follows two girls and their respective families as they navigate growing up on the nerdier side of suburbia. One girl's parents are from India, and the descriptions of their assimilation to the U.S. are touching and well-crafted. Throw in heated local politics involving a proposed new scientific facility, Mary Kay ladies, and a gentleman explorer - it is thoroughly entertaining.
I love that it takes place just outside of Chicago and includes accurate local references (like waiting in line at "the Jewel"). The research and accuracy of the scientific debate about the proposed facility is also very impressive (and detailed in the notes at the end).
This was such a charming story (I couldn't resist - the title is so appropriate)! The characters are so well-developed that by the end, I felt like I wanted to meet them and taken them out to lunch. Although it was the kind of book that I did not want to end, all of the story lines come together in an elegant and satisfying conclusion.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me an advance copy!
The story follows two girls and their respective families as they navigate growing up on the nerdier side of suburbia. One girl's parents are from India, and the descriptions of their assimilation to the U.S. are touching and well-crafted. Throw in heated local politics involving a proposed new scientific facility, Mary Kay ladies, and a gentleman explorer - it is thoroughly entertaining.
I love that it takes place just outside of Chicago and includes accurate local references (like waiting in line at "the Jewel"). The research and accuracy of the scientific debate about the proposed facility is also very impressive (and detailed in the notes at the end).
This was such a charming story (I couldn't resist - the title is so appropriate)! The characters are so well-developed that by the end, I felt like I wanted to meet them and taken them out to lunch. Although it was the kind of book that I did not want to end, all of the story lines come together in an elegant and satisfying conclusion.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me an advance copy!
October 20, 2016
This novel caught my eye because it is about our own neighborhood. Anyone living in Illinois' Fox Valley area will be familiar with Fermi-Lab in Batavia and the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora. Though the site names are changed, locals will clearly recognize the references.
The 1970s story centers around several related themes: the transformation of precious Illinois farmland to unknown and possibly dangerous science research, the beginning age of special education for gifted students, and the integration of foreign-born scientists into small-town America.
Kolaya presents the story well overall, but it is not exactly absorbing. Strengths lie more in presenting how scientists think, situations people have to deal with when they are not familiar with America's ways, differing ways to think about marriage and especially education. Good book for the curious.
The 1970s story centers around several related themes: the transformation of precious Illinois farmland to unknown and possibly dangerous science research, the beginning age of special education for gifted students, and the integration of foreign-born scientists into small-town America.
Kolaya presents the story well overall, but it is not exactly absorbing. Strengths lie more in presenting how scientists think, situations people have to deal with when they are not familiar with America's ways, differing ways to think about marriage and especially education. Good book for the curious.
March 23, 2016
This book was a very refreshing read. I read this coming off of a very dense novel that also incorporated unique clippings from other mediums to tell the story, and I must say that Charmed Particles did it better! The letters to the editor, recipes, and letters that were sprinkled throughout the novel added a special depth to the characters and their world. Having spent time writing for a small town newspaper and fielding controversial letters to the editor, as well as now living in a suburb of Chicago, and being a consultant for a direct sales company...this book spoke to me on so many levels! It was clear and charming writing and exactly what I needed to read to feel at home in this new place with new histories all around me. I will definitely recommend this book to many.
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