From Elaine Pasquali
Title: Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel
Author: Anya Ulinich
Ever since reading Maus, I have appreciated graphic novels. This graphic novel tells the story of Lena Finkle’s life following the end of her fifteen year marriage. Caught between two cultures, Russian and American, Lena enters the world of online dating and experiences love, sex and loss. Her present day dating is juxtaposed against previous romantic/sexual experiences. At the same time she is raising two teenage daughters and juggling a writing career. While this novel has the sincerity and angst of Maus, it doesn’t have Maus’ symbolic quality. An interesting, engrossing, and engaging social commentary about women and divorce.