Reef -- Romesh Guneskera

G loved the almost poetic prose   , the rest were won over in discussion.   A reef as metaphor for Sri Lanka . Short and readable - , sense of place , but  the characters ...

Sourland -- Joyce Carol Oates

A collection of short stories . The doubters were largely won over having discussed it.  Ordinary people are powerless , memories can not be trusted , the strange and even macabre are part of everyday life.