Book Reviews (Archived)
The 158-Pound Marriage by John Irving
This is the second book I’ve read by Irving, and I have to admit he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.
The book is about two married couples who meet well after they’ve each established a family and mode of life. Though neither couple seemingly would have considered such a thing before, they begin to swap partners without secrecy. It becomes a normal occurrence for them, and they even go so far as to vacation together.
One of the characters is a wrestling aficionado (not an uncommon occurrence in Irving’s writing) and thus you get the title and all sorts of easily accessible wrestling lingo. In fact, he dedicates a chapter to each character in the beginning of the book, establishing background, and he literally divides them by weight class.
Of course, such things as spouse swapping are bound to fall apart, and the reader experiences the full implosion as both couples must deal with their “break-up” and the new dynamic it introduces both into their own marriages and with each other as “friends.”
Though the story was a bit more sexually graphic than I’m accustomed to reading, Irving’s style captivates me. He is truly a master at craft, plot, and characterization. And best of all, his stories burrow into your being and you can’t help but become enthralled with his character’s lives.
I look forward to reading more of Irving’s work.
Amsterdam by Ian McEwan
Long ago I read a book by this author called The Cement Garden. While he was more than talented with mechanics and style, I found his content perverse and distasteful.
However, he is widely respected and so I thought it beneficial to give him another chance. I chose Amsterdam as my opportunity to get reacquainted with McEwan, mostly because it’s a very short read and I didn’t want to invest too much time with it.
Well, I was very pleased to see that The Cement Garden must have simply been the author pushing the limit and not necessarily his norm. I enjoyed Amsterdam, though I don’t think I would recommend it to the casual reader. The story, while not terribly captivating, was an interesting character study and, again, McEwan is very proficient with the written word. His style and structures are a joy to study.
No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
This was my first book by Cormac McCarthy, and I must admit he has won a reader for life.
No Country For Old Men explodes with subtly and simplicity as it offers us Moss, a man who finds a drug deal gone bad in the middle of nowhere along the Mexican border. Dead bodies are everywhere, and when he finds a case full of millions of dollars, he can’t help himself. As you can imagine, there are numerable parties who’d like that money back. And so the hunt for Moss begins.
Dialogue is terse, details are sparing, yet the story is absolutely riveting and I could not put it down. For some McCarthy’s violence and unapologetic disregard for his characters’ safety may be upsetting, but I loved his dedication to giving us the story as it could only unfold.
We tend to shower accolades upon authors who give us specific descriptions on every conceivable object within a story. I personally found McCarthy’s expertise with minimalism refreshing and quite admirable.
I completely recommend you read No Country For Old Men.
The Tamarisk Tree by Gloria Beanblossom
In The Tamarisk Tree, Gloria Beanblossom delivers an epic story accurately detailing the true complexities of love, religion, family, and human nature.
We all know what these things mean on the surface, but life experience tells us there are many gritty nuances to each of these, and Beanblossom does not hesitate to dive in to the murkiness that is real life.
However, just as she shows us the darker side of these things, she also shows us the power of hope when it comes to love, religion, family, and living as a human. Her characters are flawed, as are we all, but they also have hope, and through that hope they meet with victory, though they do suffer some losses along the way. Beanblossom understands how to create characters that are active participants in the human race.
Beanblossom has written a book that is very easy to get lost within. We follow an epic tale as her main characters, Abby and David, struggle to come to terms with the consequences of their past actions. Abby and David’s story is a complicated one, and Beanblossom gives them the time they deserve, which translates to a very long book. If you are one who enjoys settling in and joining in the lives of characters, watching them grow and meet the challenges without the author rushing things, then I believe The Tamarisk Tree is for you.
Be warned, however. Beanblossom pulls no punches. She is not afraid to display life as it truly occurs, and for some, this realistic depiction may be offensive. Beanblossom reminds us of the beauties of love, religion, and family, but she doesn’t shy away from the atrocities that can occur, either.
The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult
This is hard for me because as much as I loathed certain aspects of this book, I couldn’t put it down. Despite my best efforts, I got sucked in and had to know what happened next. That says something, doesn’t it?
Okay, the premise … turn on Lifetime or an after school special and you’ll get the same kind of story. I won’t spoil anything about the book, but Picoult managed to throw in every possible trauma a family could go through in an amazingly short span and then make sure we learned our lessons by practically beating us over the head. But, perhaps such escalation of eccentric plot devices was the point. The mother of her main character is a specialist in Dante’s Inferno, and so part of me wonders if this story is supposed to mirror the nine levels of hell, but if so, I think it was done rather melodramatically.
One interesting tool used in this book, however, is actual comic book pages “drawn” by the main character’s father who is a renowned comic book artist. Shocker, the comic book is called The Tenth Circle as well. At the end of each chapter are components that make up a larger comic book, which parallel the actual story and play off of Dante’s Inferno. I’ll admit, Picoult had some impressive concepts going in this book; I simply didn’t care for her style of execution.
Listen, I know a lot of people really like this book and love Jodi Picoult, and I can’t deny the fact that I could not stop reading. I slapped my forehead the whole way through as the plot got more and more outlandish, but I couldn’t stop reading. If an author can keep you going even when you don’t want to, they’re obviously doing something right.
If you’re into Picoult, you’ll probably dig this. As for me, as good as she was at hooking me, this’ll probably be the last book of hers I read. Just a tad too heavy on the family drama and forced “life lessons” for my tastes.
Heart Songs and Other Stories by Annie Proulx
One thing you must realize about Annie Proulx—she pulls no punches. Heart Songs and Other Stories is absolutely no exception to the rule.
In this collection of short stories, Proulx give us characters that are not terribly intelligent, sophisticated, attractive, or even likable. But, what they are is real. We’ve all met at least one of the characters in this book, and that’s the magic of Proulx’s writing. She’s not interested in creating a romantic hero; she’s interested in telling real stories about real people … who happen to be fictional. And, like so many of us, they have moments that aren’t exactly shining.
I’ve read quite a bit of Proulx, and this book is one of her earlier efforts. It’s not quite as stylistically refined as her later work, but it is still a magnificent read. The fact she is absolutely so willing to spit in beauty’s face makes her no-nonsense stories and rough and tumble characters all the more beautiful.
If you haven’t read any Proulx yet, you really should.
The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
I somehow missed the boat on this series that began in 1988. It ran through 1997, and some believe it is the greatest comic series to have ever existed. I finally—FINALLY—decided I needed to check it out.
Gaiman himself has admitted in the past that Preludes and Nocturnes was a bit of a rough start to a series that would later garner much acclimation, and he was correct. Don’t misunderstand though—I still thoroughly enjoyed it. If it is considered a rough start, then I’m greatly looking forward to the more “polished” volumes!
The character of Sandman has some sort of intangible appeal that I can’t put my finger on. For those who don’t know much about him, he is the God of Sleep, an entity who often takes the form of a tall, thin, nearly translucent-skinned man with black eyes and black, unruly hair. However, I absolutely understand what I like about his story potential. In the first volume alone, his story unfolds over decades, he visits Hell, he walks the Earth, he rules in his dream kingdom, and he even spends some time with his cheery, charismatic sister Death. The only thing about this first volume that struck me as almost too awkward was when Sandman interacted with the then-present incarnation of the Justice League. This was before the Vertigo imprint was born and Sandman was given his own universe to play in.
Sam Kieth was the original artist, but he left after only a few issues. Some people love his work, others don’t. Personally, I enjoyed Mike Dringenberg’s incarnation of Sandman much better. Also, keep in mind these stories were produced in the late eighties, so the coloring isn’t quite up to today’s technological standards.
However, it’s obvious this is a very smart series and I can’t wait to read the entire set. I only wish I hadn’t waited so long to give it a chance.
Preacher: Gone To Texas by Garth Ennis
This is the first volume in a nine volume series collecting the acclaimed Vertigo series. For those of you who don’t know, Vertigo is a division of DC Comics, those folks who bring you Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. However, Vertigo is certainly not for kids, typically dealing with very mature subject matter and adult language. Think of it as the HBO of the comic book world.
That said, I’ve been trying to catch up on those Vertigo titles that have won numerous awards. Preacher was a title I’d never read but kept hearing good things about, so I figured I should give it a try. It’s written by Garth Ennis and primarily drawn by Steve Dillon.
You know how you’ll be eating out with a friend and they’ll tell you their food tastes horrible, then ask you to taste it, and you actually do because you have a morbid curiosity as to how bad it actually tastes? That’s Preacher.
As far as I can gather from the first volume, Preacher focuses on a man of the cloth who is empowered with a force from Heaven. Unfortunately, this preacher was losing his faith and when he finds out that God has deserted his post, he means to confront the Big Man on the matter using the same power that escaped Heaven and made its home within the wayward preacher. Helping him with his quest are his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and an Irish vampire named Cassidy. How does an Irish vampire fit into all this? No idea.
I’m a little mixed-up with this series, because while I found it offensive on almost every conceivable level, I couldn’t put it down. I’m a big proponent of free speech, but literally almost every other word in this volume was profanity. It got kind of old. Also, the violence was rampant, and after several pages in a row of people having body parts blown off, I got feeling a little wearied. However, like a car wreck, I couldn’t look away.
So did I like it or not? I kind of liked it, but I’m ashamed to admit that. I don’t plan on reading it anymore, though, because I want to save my money and pick up other Vertigo titles that have a little more artistic integrity. I will grant Ennis this—he created some very memorable characters.
In the Country of Last Things by Paul Auster
Paul Auster presents us with yet another must-read. This novella takes place in an unnamed city that has suffered complete ruin. There is no consistent government to speak of and anarchy rules supreme. But, the fascinating premise is that this is not a world problem, this is a city problem. It is a land cutoff from the world, and the world seems to have forgotten about it. Sound familiar? (Keep in mind this book was first published in 1987.) However, newspapers are still trying to get the scoop on what’s going on, and so reporters are occasionally sent in, though most never return.
One such reporter who never returned left behind a younger sister who has traveled to the country of last things in order to find him. From a privileged family, it takes her a surprisingly short amount of time to adapt to the horrific conditions under which she must survive. She is primarily the narrator of her story, and we follow her as she experiences tragedy, death, suffering, but also, as impossible as it may seem, love and hope.
I’ve heard this book is about everything that can go wrong in a society and how it can leave the reader with a sense of despondency; however, I found the book to be a testament to the power of hope and love.
To touch upon Auster’s style: I’ve read many of Auster’s books, and while he explores similar themes, I’ve never read two books that were written in the same manner. Auster gives us something fresh and artistically progressive with each book he writes. In the Country of Last Things is virtually a how-to for any budding writer as it uses sparse detail and very limited dialogue to completely drive home the potency of the theme.
I’ve yet to read a book I did not like from Paul Auster, and In the Country of Last Things is certainly no exception.
Y: The Last Man: Motherland by Brian K. Vaughan
In case you’re not familiar with Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man, the premise is that a catastrophic plague has wiped every man on the planet but one, Yorick Brown. For an inexplicable reason, Yorick and his pet monkey, Ampersand, were spared. Now Yorick desperately wants to traverse a planet in chaos as women work to establish order once more so that he can reunite with his girlfriend. He travels with Agent 355, who has been charged with protecting Yorick, and the scientist Allison Mann, who tirelessly works to determine what made Yorick and Ampersand different from anything else with the Y chromosome.
Motherland is the ninth volume in this graphic novel series. When Y first started, it was unlike anything else I’d ever read in comic books. Action-packed with a real sense of plot and purpose, Vaughan broke barriers with every installment. However, on this volume, I feel things are starting to drag out a bit. Still an enjoyable read, but it’s definitely treading water compared to earlier volumes.
But, be that as it may, I have every faith in the world that Vaughan will regain steam as he comes to the conclusion of this series. It was understood from the get go that this was a finite title, and I really think it will be a joy to read from start to finish once it’s concluded.
For those of you unfamiliar with Brian K. Vaughan, he is a master storyteller in the world of comic books, but he’s also the guy they brought in to get the television show LOST back on track when it waned a bit last season. Did you notice a discernable improvement in LOST towards the end of last season? You can thank BKV for that.
Please realize that Y is not your mainstream comic book such as Superman or Batman. It is a comic book, yes, but it is more like the HBO of the comic book world. There is adult language at times and adult themes. However, if you’ve ever been interested in seeing sequential art at its best, give Y a try.
Super Flat Times by Matthew Derby
It is important in America literature that our writers constantly challenge themselves to write progressively and with innovation. While I whole-heartedly believe some literature is meant to be enjoyed by the masses, I also believe there is a niche in the world of literature where it is high art, and therefore unlikely to be enjoyed in the mainstream. That’s okay, because art ceases to be art the moment everyone can easily absorb it. It then becomes popular culture.
Super Flat Times is nothing if not original. With this collection of stories, Matthew Derby has proven he has a limitless imagination and absolutely no fear.
However, while I don’t require all literature to be easily digestible, I do require that it utilize some semblance of coherence. Super Flat Times does not. Derby has constructed a world throughout its various stages of history, yet he does not offer any consistencies with that world from story to story. Vagueness I can handle; flat out contradiction without purpose I cannot.
As I said, if you’d like a volume with a wild imagination and no restraints, you may enjoy Super Flat Times. But, if you demand some sort of organized plotline with at least a hint of uniformity throughout, I’d pass.
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
Okay, you’ve heard me say it before, so you can all say it with me now, “Michael Chabon is America’s greatest contemporary author.”
You should have that memorized pretty soon.
Funny story I have to share with you before I write this review. I found out that Chabon was visiting my neck of the woods in Chicago soon after this book was released. Well, there was no way I was going to let this opportunity pass me by. I made sure to get up there to see him after some finagling.
Because of this, I very much wanted to have the book done before I met him, just in case he wanted to invite my wife and me to coffee afterwards and discuss the merits of his work. That being said, I madly rushed to get through The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. In fact, I read the last third of the book so quickly that I don’t think I processed it very well.
So when I felt a bit disappointed by it, I knew it was probably my own fault for not giving it the time it deserved. More on that in a moment.
What? You wanted a review? Just humor me.
Chabon appeared at the Harold Washington in Chicago, and he could NOT have been a more down-to-earth, warm, funny, genuinely nice guy. So many times, people of Chabon’s stature can get a bit … haughty. Not him, though. In fact, once he gave his talk and started signing books, I surprisingly got as nervous as a dog in a hotdog factory. I had my favorite book of all time, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, ready for him to sign, and my wife had my copy of The Yiddish Policemen’s Union at the helm. I even went so far as to have a copy of my own book ready to hand to him for his entertainment. Unfortunately, once I stood before him I turned into a complete idiot, introducing my wife twice and praising him with the vocabulary of a two-year-old. He could not have been more polite, however, extending his hand without prompting and smiling the entire time. When I walked away, I lamented my unstable nerves to my wife and realized I forgot to give him a copy of Souls Triumphant, but we both agreed that this man deserved all the praise I’d given him to anyone who would listen. I feel very good about supporting both the man and his work.
But, because I knew I’d rushed through his book, I decided to do something I rarely do, and that’s immediately reread the novel.
I’m glad I did.
I have such a better understanding after digesting it slowly and giving it the time it deserved. Chabon crafted a book rife with characters that leap off the page, and possibly birthed one of my all-time favorite characters with his self-destructive detective, Meyer Landsman. Once Landsman’s ex-wife and new boss, Bina, enters the action, the book really takes on a life of its own. The witty, playful, tense, and strained banter between Meyer and Bina is worth the price of the book alone.
But, this book is about far more than the reintroduction of husband and wife. This book also imagines an alternative world where the Jews were allowed to move to Alaska, filling a land they call the Federal District of Sitka, shortly after 1948. However, their time is coming to an end as the land is about to revert back to the US and they are going to go … well, wherever they can find a spot. No one is outside of the district is real concerned about helping them out. This impending fact, coupled with the death of a man who is much more important than anyone in the police department initially thought, lays the groundwork of a story that is both fascinating and provoking.
I’m typically not one for a “mystery” story, and I’m not sure if this exactly qualifies as such, though I keep hearing people, including Chabon, refer to it as a “genre” piece. However, let me tell you that I enjoyed this book so much better after the second read once I knew the ending and what to look for throughout. There is a lot going on, and it is very much so deeply ingrained in the Jewish culture, so I was unknowingly lost the first time around. After a second read it all made so much more sense!
Chabon is an expert at bringing dynamic characters to life, and while The Yiddish Policemen’s Union requires close attention, it certainly keeps up Chabon’s excellent status quo.
Everyman by Philip Roth
I remember back when this book was first released, I simply could not fork over the hardcover price for something so thin. In retrospect, I’m glad I waited for the soft cover.
I can’t say I disliked Everyman, but I also can’t say I especially liked it. Roth is an expert wordsmith and his plot and characters are well conceived, and the actual structure of the timeline in this story is interestingly executed, but it’s ultimately a story that I simply did not care about. Perhaps it is geared towards an older crowed due to its dealings with elderly mortality, and, as a younger man, I had trouble relating.
That said, Roth is certainly deserving of all the accolades he’s collected over the years, but in the end, Everyman did not capture this reader’s imagination.
Oracle Night by Paul Auster
Stylistically somewhere between The New York Trilogy and The Brooklyn Follies, Oracle Night encompasses what I loved about both.
Auster gives us a bit of a plot, but there is also much experimentation in this rich novel as well. And, like with The New York Trilogy, if you are a fan of linear storytelling with a concrete introduction, body, and conclusion, Oracle Night may not be for you, though there are elements of all three.
That being said, Oracle Night was a captivating read with deeply charismatic characters who were not difficult to emotionally connect with at all. However, there are many (literal) footnotes and several asides, all of which I enjoyed immensely. Unfortunately, I’m not certain a casual reader would feel the same.
So, all in all, if you’re an Auster enthusiast, this is more greatness from a wonderful writer. If you’re unfamiliar with Auster but are open-minded and interested in trying out a mixture of traditional and experimental storytelling, I think you’d like Oracle Night. However, if you’re into more conventional storytelling, I recommend Auster’s Mr. Vertigo or The Brooklyn Follies.
In Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War by Tobias Wolff
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it—if you are not reading Tobias Wolff you are only cheating yourself. The man simply does not write anything less than absolutely mesmerizing. I assure you, that is not an exaggeration.
This latest work of Wolff’s I’ve read is called In Pharaoh’s Army. It is a memoir offering us what lead to his taking part in the Vietnam War, his actual tour, and then the aftermath. Now having read all of Wolff’s work, I purposefully saved this one for last because I mistakenly believed I’d like it the least.
I loved this book. Those of us born after the war have a notion of what Vietnam was like thanks to Hollywood movies, but Wolff gives us a totally different perspective, though no less horrific. Wolff’s memoir deals with the one thing nobody likes to talk about too much—fear. He was afraid to go. He was afraid while he was there. And when he got back, he was afraid of what he’d become. Wolff is not a weak man, you’ll gather that from his recounts, he simply does not bother to hide the fact that he was counting down the minutes until he got home, and he just wanted to stay alive.
Each of Wolff’s chapters are like mini-stories, and they each offer the hilarity, absurdity, and sometimes tragedy of his life during that time. I was surprised at how much of the book is spent leading up to his deployment and then his eventual return. I’d say only half of the book actually deals with his actual time in Vietnam.
As I’ve said, I’ve never experienced anything like this book and I completely recommend you read it if you are interested in either Wolff himself, the Vietnam War, or in the form and style of a masterly rendered memoir.
Please, do us both a favor—read something by Tobias Wolff.
How We Are Hungry by Dave Eggers
This short story collection by Dave Eggers was hit or miss for me. Never a traditionalist, Eggers makes sure that each and every one of his stories is original and unusual in some facet or another. At times, this method works brilliantly; however, sometimes it also gets irksome.
Don’t mistake me, I’m all for experimental writing. It’s just that story after story of it got old. I don’t blame the author for this. I was largely unfamiliar with Eggers’ work and wanted to give him a try. In my mind, he simply isn’t a writer to curl up with in order to relax, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
There were a few stories in this collection that I truly enjoyed and found masterful. “Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly” was one such story. Practically a novella, this story makes up the bulk of the collection and the price of the entire book is worth this one story alone.
All in all, if you’re looking for a page-turner to get lost in, this isn’t for you. But, if you’re looking to study the form and substance of a work of original literature, Eggers will please.
The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster
Every once in a while a book comes along that completely engrosses you both on an intellectual as well as an emotional level. The Brooklyn Follies is one such book.
I’ve read two Paul Auster books and found myself utterly impressed by both. The New York Trilogy astounded me because of its experimentalism and form. Mr. Vertigo forced me to fall in love with it because of its superb story and characterization. Because of these two drastically different styles by the same author, I wasn’t sure which was the true Paul Auster.
Simply put, they both are. Unlike so many authors, Auster is not a one-trick pony. From what I’ve seen, he can write anything about anything. Don’t get me wrong, he has his favorite themes and such, but he’s not one of these writers who essentially delivers the same story book after book after book.
The Brooklyn Follies offers a very complex story delivered in such a fashion that the reader doesn’t even realize the true complexity unfolding, which, of course, is the sign of a master writer. What would seem to be nothing more than coincidences are both a statement by the author about life as well as what I can only assume was the result of careful planning on Auster’s part.
But the characters! Few authors so perfectly convey the characters found within their work. I tell you, I completely became friends with the characters in this book and it saddens me that their story came to an end. I don’t mean that in the fatal sense, I literally mean I finished the book.
If you want a story that will truly be a joy to read, I urge you to try The Brooklyn Follies.
Among the Missing by Dan Chaon
This National Book Award finalist is a short story collection by an author I was not familiar with. As usual, my friend Tom, known for helping meet quality authors, brought him to my attention literally on my thirtieth birthday. I am so glad he did.
My initial reaction to the short stories in this novel was somewhat negative as I thought here we had yet another author working through his issues from childhood. However, while many of his stories still strike me as such, they really are pleasurable to read. I think the author’s technique is what I find so attractive about this work.
His stories are completely relatable. We’ve all felt, experienced, or imagined at least on a peripheral level the plights of his characters, and so it is not terribly difficult for us to become personally invested in them. And trust me, some of these stories we will be quite humiliated to find familiar.
Another talent the author has is the ability to make us feel as though we’ve gone on an epic voyage by the end of one of his short stories, yet we then realize it was only a few pages long! I think some writers have an intangible quality that sets them apart from other authors and Chaon’s is certainly the skill to give us a total and complete story without telling us hardly anything at all.
I really enjoyed this book and if you like reading short story collections I think Chaon will satisfy.
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
I truly enjoyed Haddon’s novel the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, so I had rather high hopes for his latest release.
While entertaining, A Spot of Bother cannot compare to the originality of Haddon’s previous work. With a curious incident of the dog in the night-time, Haddon gave me something I’d never seen before with his brilliantly rendered protagonist. A Spot of Bother, on the other hand, is essentially about a dysfunctional family’s attempts at dealing with a potential wedding.
While Haddon’s characters are completely flawed, they never become complex, and for me that proved disappointing. What I mean is, sure, the father is completely neurotic and perhaps even insane, but only in the stereotypical way we would imagine. From there we’ve got the proper mother who struggles with her illicit acts, a gay son who can’t commit, and a divorced daughter who is raising a child of her own while trying to maintain a relationship with a man she may or may not marry. Their plights are complex, but they are not.
I don’t want you to misunderstand—this book is totally readable. It never failed to capture my interest, it moved along quite rapidly, and, at moments, it was utterly hilarious. But, while my praise above is true, it never broke new ground. It would probably make a perfect mainstream movie, and that’s my biggest issue with it.
In summation, if you’d like to read about all the events that can go wrong leading up to, during, and after a wedding that may or may not ever actually take place, this is the book for you. If you’d like to read groundbreaking work with one of the most original characters I’ve ever come across, read Haddon’s other novel entitled the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.
That Old Ace In the Hole by Annie Proulx
Proulx has once again given us a captivating story about the most mundane and unexceptional set of circumstances imaginable.
In this story we have Bob Dollar, a young man who has lived much of his life without purpose, suddenly hired by Global Pork Rind to scout out possible hog farm locations in the Texas Panhandle. Though he doesn’t care one iota about the hog farming industry and he personally thinks that hog farms ruin the quality of life wherever they spring up, he is determined to complete his job because so many people in his past have left things unfinished. Little did he know that in investigating the lands and people he hopes will sell out, he would build relationships with both not easily set aside.
Though Proulx gives us a story devoid of any major action or catastrophe, she nails every aspect of what it means to be a human with inexplicable emotions and passions, and I can only imagine that if I were to visit the Texas Panhandle, the people from this novel would likely be who I would meet.
Her usual aptitude for ingenuous dialogue, wit, and charm exude from the pages of this work. Her characters, as easy to imagine as your next-door neighbor, grow on you despite all their quirks and shortcomings (perhaps also like your next-door neighbor). I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and suspect that you will as well.
Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
Stephen King once again offers us a story with a famous author, Scott Landon, as the protagonist, only this time he’s dead. His wife, Lisey, still struggles to deal with his passing even as she fights to help her troubled sister immersed in a crisis. To top it all off, a deranged fan stalks Lisey in order to take any unfinished works her husband may have left floating around, and the fan does this as a favor to a misguided scholar hoping to cash in on Landon’s popularity. Though dead, Scott, sensing trouble for his wife’s future, left behind a series of articles that will help Lisey to save her sister and defeat the fan. These objects, of course, lead to a supernatural land full of beauties and evils.
I’ve read many, many Stephen King books, and I am a huge fan of much of his work. However, Lisey’s Story is probably the most self-indulgent and poorly executed novel I’ve ever read by the man. What I found charming about him in the past, the silly words and the quirky asides, now simply annoy me. He has often used writers as his main characters, but never has he so blatantly modeled the writer after himself, and never has he so unapologetically set the author up as a saintly demigod.
King once said, and I’m paraphrasing at best, that to include anything in a novel that is not necessary is a grave travesty. I’m afraid that the first 200 pages of this novel were a travesty indeed. I truly struggled with every fiber of my being against putting this book down. The good news is that once we got past the 200 mark, things started picking up and the story really began rolling, but that first half was like walking through mud as it comprised of nothing more than flashback after flashback that served little to no purpose. King easily could have streamlined this 509 behemoth down to 250. Easily.
I know there are a great deal of rabid King fans out there, and, hey, like I said, I’m a big fan myself. But we have to face facts, people—King’s last two novels have been duds. The man’s written over forty of them! I think it’s time for him to go out on top rather than continuing to spew out works of mediocrity.
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
This novel won the Pulitzer Prize, so it was obviously held in high esteem by those far wiser than myself. And I have to admit that I enjoyed it very much.
Proulx’s a rather fascinating writer. I’ve read a few of her books now, and I have to say that no two of them struck me as the same. Her tones, her themes, even her style shifts depending on the subject. I find this quite commendable.
In The Shipping News, Proulx gives us a story about a suppressed man who moves to Newfoundland with his daughters and aunt. His lineage originates from that area, and so, in a sense, it was something of a homecoming for him. He would later find his name was not highly thought of, however. The story progresses as he deals with acclimating to his new home and job, getting to know his aunt and the indigenous people, and helping to start over with his daughters as they get over the tragedy (or blessing) that prompted them to seek a change in setting.
I suppose this book is an exploration of everyday life within a land that is rarely written about in fiction. Proulx herself spends much time in Newfoundland, so if anyone were to be an expert to write on it, it would certainly be her. There is no grand climax, no awe-inspiring resolution. However, her ending made me smile and instigated a sense of hope for both the people of her story and me. Perhaps that is the most striking way to conclude a story reflecting true life.
Much like the people found within her story, her style of writing is very direct, plain, and utterly potent. At times she drove me insane as she wrote fragment after fragment and ignored basic rules of grammar. But, the execution proved effective and, by the end of the novel, her style seemed completely appropriate.
I’m guessing it was her study on human emotions and life in Newfoundland, as well as her daringness with language, that brought her the honor of the Pulitzer Prize. If nothing else, though, I found it insightful and enjoyable, and you can’t ask for much more than that.
Night Shift by Stephen King
This collection of short stories by Stephen King encompasses all that is great about one of our most prolific and talented writers. I’ve given most of King’s latest work a hard time over the last few years, but only because I know how truly talented he can be. These stories, most of which are from the middle or late 70s, are absolutely entertaining. Creepy, engaging, perfectly paced, and utterly shocking, this is vintage King.
If you’re a King fan, this collection will remind you why you love him so much, despite his recent lackluster offerings. If you’re looking to get acquainted with King, maybe for the first time ever, Night Shift is as King as it gets. You will not be disappointed.
Toward the End Of Time by John Updike
John Updike’s Toward the End Of Time proved a bit of an enigma to me. At times I thoroughly enjoyed it and at other times I seriously thought about putting the book down, never to open its contents again.
In the novel our protagonist goes by the name of Ben Turnbull, a retired finance expert who now haunts his home in the country as his wife obsesses with the garden, her social circles, and a gift shop she helps run. The year is 2020, and a war with the Chinese has all but obliterated the United States as we currently know it. However, New England has been little affected and so life is fairly normal.
Perhaps that is Updike’s most astonishing talent. Amongst all the mundane aspects of his tale, he’ll sometimes throw in facts about the war, or briefly mention a new life form that has emerged as a result of the war, or slip into metaphysical dissertations about all aspects of science that will virtually boggle your mind. Along with that, at times Ben, our narrator, will slip into . . . something . . . where he is someone totally different living in ancient Egypt or soon after the death of Christ. Perhaps just as flummoxing is the disappearance and reemergence of major characters with little to no explanation.
Amidst all this, however, exist the story of a man aging, a man who feels useless to his wife and to himself more and more with each passing day. He is a man still hot with passion for life and for love, but he finds fulfillment for these passions in the most unusual and sometimes immoral of places.
While this novel presented itself as a constant frustration, one cannot ignore the sheer talent Updike has at imagery. Ben’s wife’s garden is described in the utmost detail, and there are many, many metaphors as the garden is constantly torn asunder and the local wildlife exterminated in favor of the garden’s survival for Ben’s slow but sure demise and for his strained relationship with his wife.
If you are a fan of Updike and want to explore more of his interesting styles and techniques, you would probably enjoy this work very much. However, if you are a casual reader looking for a new book, I don’t think you would enjoy this particular work.
Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque by Joyce Carole Oates
I really looked forward to reading this collection of short stories. I love well-crafted, gothic tales, and from what I’d heard, Oates, an author I’d never before read, is something of a master. Sadly, nothing about Haunted indicated as such.
First of all, I’m all for leaving a story off in such a manner that the reader has to work a bit to connect the dots. However, if the author does not give enough information for the reader to conceptualize a logical ending, well, what’s the point? Oates started each of her stories interestingly enough, but then they trailed off into oblivion with the ending coming abruptly and disappointingly.
Secondly, I found Oates’ style in this collection to be careless at best. Her sentences lacked punctuation to the point that they were sometimes indecipherable. There were moments when her sentences didn’t even make sense. While this sort of thing is common in experimental writing, Haunted did not strike me as hoping to achieve an experimental tag.
I will say that the most enjoyable aspect of the book for me was the afterword. Here Oates went on an impressive, fascinating, and well-written explanation of what gothic writing is, who its masters are, and what purpose it serves. Really, really good stuff.
Haunted has not turned me off from Oates. I’ve heard too many good things about her to avoid giving her a second chance. However, for me, she’s got a great deal of ground to make up.
The World According to Garp by John Irving
There are some books in existence that are simply must-reads. The World According to Garp is very much one of those books.
Irving has written a novel of such simple complexity that it astounds the reader time after time. With this novel the statement is conveyed that all the nuances of life are important; every minute of your day, no matter how mundane, is integral to your overall existence. You never know what seemingly insignificant instant will arise to change your life in ways unfathomable at the most unexpected of moments. This is something we’ve all probably thought about at some junction of our lives, but never have I seen it take place in a novel as seamlessly and expertly as in The World According to Garp.
We meet Garp long before he is born in this novel, and we follow his story long after he is gone. (This is ruining nothing of the plot, the chapters on the contents page tell you as such.) I’m not sure most of us would like Garp if we knew him in our regular lives, but he is a character of such complexity, of such “trueness,” that one can’t help but become enamored with him. His victories are our victories. His mistakes are our mistakes. His neuroses are our neuroses, and so on. You will see something of yourself in Garp, and it will probably be an aspect you are not particularly proud of.
This story is epic in plot, though you don’t realize it until you’ve finished reading. The sentences are expertly rendered, the characters are developed just enough without becoming superfluous; everything about this book works. In my mind, it is an instant classic, to be cherished and read by all.
Bad Dirt: Wyoming Stories 2 by Annie Proulx
Though this is only the second book I’ve read by Annie Proulx, I can tell that her style and voice will keep me coming back for more and more of her work. Proulx blends the utterly fantastic with the totally mundane so seamlessly that she can pass virtually anything off in her writing and you’ll accept it as commonplace.
Her characters seem completely well rounded in this collection, even when the stories are brief, and she compels you to care about them, though many of them are not what I would describe as “likable.”
Just as she describes the state, her stories seem to be about nothing particularly special, yet you find yourself drawn into them and fascinated by their potential. Proulx does not disappoint.
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon’s first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, proves an enticing read. As usual, Chabon’s characters practically jump off the page and his dialogue is both realistic and somehow magical. He captures a manner of speaking through his characters that many of us wish we employed in real life.
The plot, while tightly thought-out and concluded, seems scattershot and unpredictable throughout, which I loved. I think most of us can identify with Art Bechstein, the main character, as he faces his first summer after graduating from college. Like most of us, he gets more than he bargained for, but none of what he expected.
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh feels somehow fantastic while completely rooted in reality. The characters are amplified versions of people you probably know, and the situations Art finds himself in with these over-the-top characters, while not beyond the realm of possibility, are certainly unlikely, and that’s what makes this book so fun and, at times, so heartbreaking. You’ll be amazed at the inappropriate things you’ll find yourself laughing at while reading this work.
While The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is not as complete as Wonder Boys or The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, it is still a must read for any fan of Michael Chabon.
A Model World by Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon once again proves why I believe he is America’s premier living author. In this collection of short stories, he presents many normal circumstances, every day sorts of things, but he gives them to us with such captivating, realistic characters that you must turn the page to find out how everything ends. Now, this is not the stuff of thrillers, mind you, but rather, his collection is the stuff of life. These characters are your friends and family, and Chabon treats them with both reverence and brutality. Such is life.
Chabon’s writing is unassuming and wildly intelligent. There is much at the surface of his work, but it is also so pleasing to plunge into the depths of analysis if one feels so inclined. Just as I always have, I highly recommend you read Chabon’s work.
The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
This is probably one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. I don’t mean disturbing as in thought provoking and edgy, I mean disturbing as in tasteless and barbaric. I found nothing redeeming about this novel whatsoever. McEwan may be a fine writer, but his choice of subject matter and plot, in my eyes, leaves much to be desired.
In The Cement Garden, four children, a boy and two girls in their early and mid-teens, as well as one very young boy, lose their father and then, not much later, their mother as well. Faced with the prospect of what to do with their mother’s body, they make a very unusual decision and find themselves without any supervision at all. The novel describes in detail the slow descent these children experience as they do not employ any self-discipline or civility.
Our narrator, a young boy in his mid-teens, is truly one of the most despicable narrators I’ve ever come across. He is not evil, but he is the portrait of apathy. He refuses to keep himself clean, he is sexually perverse, he is mean-spirited, and he is lazy beyond words. I’m afraid the rest of the characters are not far behind him in likeability.
If McEwan wanted to present a story with completely unpleasant characters committing one odious act after another, well then, he succeeded unfalteringly. I did not enjoy this very brief novel in any way, shape, or form.
Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
I decided to check out Close Range: Wyoming Stories on the recommendation from Stephen King in his memoir, On Writing. Imagine my surprise when I saw that it included the (very) short story “Brokeback Mountain!” You know, the source material for the 2006 Academy Award Best Picture nominee. But, I’ll get more into that later.
I’d heard good things about the author, Annie Proulx, and wanted to read her work in order to better myself as a writer. I was totally unfamiliar with any of her writings, so I must say I was more than pleasantly surprised when I found myself absolutely riveted by her short stories.
I didn’t think I was a fan of stories about Wyoming and ranchers, but Proulx didn’t seem to care. Each and every story in this collection drew me in and fascinated me. As clichéd as it sounds, her characters are truly masterful. Like in the land of the living, they are all flawed; they made terrible mistakes, and then they had to learn to live (and die) with the repercussions. Her characters defy stereotyping, though they all had one thing in common—they were tough. Each and every one of them was a product of the land they lived on, and so they had to be tough if they were to survive. Some were tougher than others, and some survived better than others.
Close Range worked for me because it disturbed me. I don’t mean that in a negative way at all. I mean that these stories stayed with me long after I read them. They almost haunted me. They reminded me just how glorious and monstrous it is to be human, especially when you have to work yourself to the bone in order to endure.
Though Proulx has an unorthodox writing style that can sometimes be a little difficult to read, I find her completely in touch with what it is to be a human being and her realistic depiction of such, especially of those living on the ranches of Wyoming, is the work of a person who truly has an adroit grasp on her craft.
So it’s hard to write this review without acknowledging the short story found in this collection, “Brokeback Mountain.” I think it’s important to establish the fact that I am not an advocate of homosexuality; however, I also don’t believe homosexuality warrants discrimination and certainly not hate crimes. That being said, the short story, “Brokeback Mountain,” like all the other stories in Close Range, is truly a heartbreaking account about two human beings told in such a manner that it will resonate with you no matter what your personal beliefs. I’ll leave it up to you to determine if these men were in love with one another, but it is certainly a story of longing, confusion, denial, and terrible loss. In other words, it captures aspects of the emotional essence of the human condition, albeit in a controversial and unsettling fashion. That is the power of Proulx.
I look forward to reading more of her works.
Back in the World by Tobias Wolff
Are you reading Tobias Wolff yet? Are you? If not, you should be.
With Back in the World, Wolff gives us yet another outstanding compilation of short stories. As always, Wolff’s stories are brief and absolutely potent, offering all the complexities and awkwardness of the human condition in a direct and entrancing manner. His stories are so rooted in everyday life that when something unusual takes place it reminds us just how odd life can sometimes be in the middle of all the humdrum. Never does he take us beyond the possibilities of reality, however, and I believe that’s why I so remarkably relate to his work.
I unconditionally recommend all of Wolff’s writings, and Back in the World is certainly not to be excluded.
Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
I am a big C.S. Lewis fan. He won me over as a child with his Chronicle of Narnia books, but it was his thought-provoking and inspiring Mere Christianity that solidified his genius in my mind.
That being said, it is with great vacillation that I must reveal I did not care for his science fiction novel, Out of the Silent Planet, the first in the Space Trilogy series.
I did not like it for the reason I don’t care for much of the science fiction I read, and that is specifically the use of ridiculous words that are supposed to be the natural language of the foreign environment. I believe that doing this in abundance, as Lewis did, distracts from the overall story and breaks up the cohesion and fluidity.
Also, for me, Lewis really opened my eyes with Mere Christianity. He literally knocked me out with his elegance and ingenuity. But, most of what he talks about in Mere Christianity is employed as themes throughout Out of the Silent Planet. Ordinarily this would not be a bad thing, but it just didn’t work in my mind for this particular novel. I won’t ruin the plot for you if you choose to read it, but a man travels to a far off planet and there is life there that seems to represent everything we were meant to be. Where the story fell short was in the fact that Lewis spent so much time explaining everything, not very much actually happened.
Now, I’ve heard the second book in this series gets much better, and that the third is even better still. Based upon this news alone, I may try the second book. But, if I were to base my further reading of the Space Trilogy off of Out of the Silent Planet only, it would be the last.
Beck at Bay by John Updike
John Updike is one of those names I had always heard of but had never checked out. Finally, a few weeks ago, I decided that it was time for me to get acquainted with Mr. Updike. I must say that the first work I chose to read of his did not disappoint me.
Bech at Bay is the last in a series of books that feature Henry Beck, and aged writer who still manages to find himself in precarious adventures. Bech at Bay is a series of short stories that loosely make up a larger story. At times hilarious, at times insightful, and at times rather disturbing, I found myself quite pleased with Mr. Updike’s work. I look forward to reading more of it.
Falconer by John Cheever
John Cheever is very good at his craft. His main characters as well as his supporting characters are very well developed; he is an expert at description and dialogue; he knows the way the human minds works in all its logical and illogical glory. That being said, while I appreciate all of Cheever’s talents, I did not care for Falconer, my first Cheever novel.
Falconer simply did not interest me. Yes, all of the above qualities existed, but they weren’t enough to make me care about the main character or his plight. And if I don’t care about the story, no matter how talented the craft of the author, I simply cannot give it a stellar review.
If you want to study the work of a man who knows what he’s doing in regards to the art of writing, Falconer is for you. If you want to read about the plight of a man who is battling addiction and loneliness while incarcerated, Falconer is for you. But, this is not a page-turner, and it would be unfair of me to lead you to believe as such.
I also believe I should be up front and tell you that there is a great deal of homosexual behavior described between the prisoners in this novel. That may be important to you, it may not, but it’s there nonetheless.
The Night in Question by Tobias Wolff
Tobias Wolff has written yet another fantastic collection of short stories with The Night in Question. Wolff has yet to disappointment me with any of his writings thus far, and since I believe I’ve read all of his works but for one or two, it does not seem as though that may be a possibility. The Night in Question is a collection dealing with all too human aspects in a series of stories that are unlikely, but certainly not beyond the realm of possibility. The peculiarity is not the focus in Wolff’s stories; rather, it’s the human reaction to the peculiarities that make his writing rich and enlightening.
Once again, I recommend virtually any of Wolff’s work with supreme confidence, and The Night in Question is no exception. My particular favorites in this work were “Flyboys,” “The Life of the Body,” and one that was very unusual for Wolff, “Bullet in the Brain.”
Where I’m Calling From by Raymond Carver
Where I’m Calling From is a collected edition of Raymond Carver’s short stories. Carver died from lung cancer in 1988, but before doing so he was said to have been one of the writers responsible for bringing back the glory of the short story.
Where I’m Calling From is certainly the work of an expert. The stories are nothing particularly outlandish or special in terms of subject matter, but they most definitely cut to the heart of what it means to be human and to have relationships with other humans. Carver seemed especially intent upon giving us stories about married couples who are divorced, in the process of getting divorced, or are on their way to getting a divorce.
That’s not to say all of the stories found within this collection deal with such topics. Some of them deal with losing a child, some deal with reflecting on parents, and some deal with simple experiences one has in life. However, all of them are told in a concise and captivating manner where the reader can’t help but finish the story in one sitting.
I recommend reading Where I’m Calling From if you are interested in studying non-traditional short stories, especially if you’re a writer. I think his work may be a little too abrupt and unconventional for just the casual reader, though I feel everyone would benefit from reading this man who mastered his art.
To me, the most fascinating aspect of Raymond Carver is that as he neared his death, his stories actually got more positive. That says something.
The Barracks Thief by Tobias Wolff
Tobias Wolff has written a brief yet powerful tale concerning a young man awaiting deployment to Vietnam. During his wait at Fort Bragg, a thief emerges, stealing from his fellow troops. The tale goes on to offer reactions to the thefts, then, in true original Wolff style, switches perspective half way through to give insight into the motivations of the thief himself. Finally, the book finishes with its original perspective, offering a tight and satisfying conclusion.
Wolff is an expert at cutting to the heart of his characters, sometimes with very little narrative at all, but his stories always resonate with the reader far after the book has been finished. The Barracks Thief is no exception, and I believe it is a superb commentary on how most of us feel alone even when surrounded by throngs of people.
Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster
I have to tell you, I am more than impressed with Paul Auster. The only other work I’ve read of his is the collection The New York Trilogy, and I took him as essentially an experimental writer who deals more with theme than storyline.
Mr. Vertigo proved me wrong and then some. The plotline is preposterous, and every time I tell someone about the book they look at me like I’m nuts. That being said, Mr. Vertigo is about a young orphan from St. Louis who is recruited by the enigmatic Master Yehudi. Master Yehudi promises that he will teach the boy, named Walter Rawley, to walk on air. And, lo and behold, he does.
Crazy, I know.
But, Auster writes it in such a delightful, realistic fashion that never once do you doubt what you read. And his dialogue is pure joy. I love the speech patterns his characters employ.
Of course, there is much more to the novel than Walt simply learning to walk on air, but I won’t ruin it for you. Let me just tell you that as fanciful as this book sounds, there are some grim realities in it, some perhaps too potent for just the casual reader.
Remarkably, as the story begins in the late 1920s, Walt’s tale mirrors that of his native homeland, the USA. His ups and downs match America’s in such a way that a real study of theme could be employed just as with The New York Trilogy.
You will greatly enjoy this novel, and I daresay you’ll be stunned at how connected to the characters you will become.
This Boy’s Life: A Memoir by Tobias Wolff
This book proved a superb read. In all seriousness, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I do so because, beyond his instinctive narrative style that both captivates and delights, Wolff substantiates the hard and fast rule in life that no matter how difficult of a childhood, one can always improve upon oneself.
Wolff is currently a professor at Stanford (unless things have changed without my knowledge), earned his B.A. at Oxford and received his M.S. at Stanford as well. This is incredible considering the childhood he laid out in This Boy’s Life. Wolff was not a good little boy, to say the least. He was guilty of lying, stealing, cursing, fighting, forgery, and being rather unattached to anything or anyone but his mother. He spent several years with an abusive stepfather who, while never out-and-out beating him, put him through psychological trauma just as severe. It’s amazing this man has become one of America’s greatest writers, but I suppose all great talent was forged in blazing fires.
Wolff does not mince words and, while not a simple read, his memoir it moves very quickly. He did a masterful job of pacing the narrative so as to make things suspenseful without any truly dramatic plot twists. After all, this is his real life. Real life is something that happens, not something that follows a plot line. Wolff takes his real life and weaves it into a fascinating tale that I couldn’t put down.
Cell by Stephen King
Oh, Stephen, you make this so hard on me. I’m a big fan, a HUGE fan, but we have to face facts—you’re not the fiction writer you once were. Cell is just another recent Stephen King book. I compare it to kettle corn—taste great, really look forward to it and enjoy it immensely, but there isn’t a whole lot substance.
I’ll give you this: Cell started with a COMPLETELY original premise. This was it! This was a King book! Whoo-hoo! Sadly, however, it quickly dissipated into what I would call “zombie” standard fare. Even your characters, once rich and deep as an undiscovered chasm in the ocean depths, now simply skim the surface of who they are and what they stand for. In fact, that’s how I’d further describe your latest novel—skimming the surface.
Steve, I feel like such a jerk saying this to you. I mean, you are THE most successful American author of our time! Who am I to criticize you? I’m nobody; I know that. But, I’m just being honest. I know you appreciate honestly, so I’m trying to hold up my end of the bargain.
Here’s my advice, Stephen: You’ve finished the Dark Tower Series—some of your best work, might I add—how about you hold off on fiction for a time? I read you’re memoir On Writing, it was excellent! You’ve had such a full life, a near death experience, you’ve got loads the public would love to hear! To get to the point, I’m suggesting you move into primarily non-fiction. I think your accessible style and life stories would really invigorate both you and your readers. I’m concerned if you keep writing lackluster fiction like Cell and The Colorado Kid, you’re going to tarnish your impeccable reputation. Non-fiction is the key.
So, Stephen, I hope these words from a thirty-year-old high school English teacher and struggling author haven’t left too acrid of a taste in your mouth. Your worst work continues to outshine my best, so please bear in mind I’m holding you against your own standards, not the average writer’s. Thanks for listening.
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
I avoided this book like the plague for as long as I could until my brother-in-law bought it for me last Christmas. Many people told me I would love it because it was basically my life (without the illicit behavior, of course), which is why I tried to keep away. However, my loyalty to my wife’s brother dictated I make use of his gift, and so read it I did.
I’ve been teaching high school English for about six years now. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. I hoped McCourt’s memoir detailing his experiences as an English teacher for thirty years would serve inspirational and motivate me to press on. It didn’t.
I think it’s because of this that the book rather succeeds. He doesn’t pull any punches. He talks about how teaching can completely wear you away to a shadow of your former self, but he also talks about those triumphs that occasionally take place in the classroom. Best of all, he doesn’t give a fairy tale version of what teaching is like. He doesn’t pretend he was super-teacher with no personal problems of his own. In fact, he is quite candid in talking about affairs and other inappropriate behavior, both in and out of the classroom.
I know memoirs can be juiced up a bit, but I think this is about as true to life as a memoir can get for a retired teacher looking back over a thirty year career. I think everyone should read this book to, if nothing else, get some idea of what it’s like to be on the other side of the desk.
But, prepare yourself—McCourt candy coats nothing.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
I read this novel roughly six years ago, and found recently I couldn’t remember anything about it whatsoever. So, being the borderline compulsive reader I am, I instantly picked it up and read it again. I think perhaps the reason the story didn’t stick out to me much from those years ago is because there isn’t much of a story to speak of. I realize Hemingway is a master of American literature and is revered by legions, but I simply am not impressed with The Sun Also Rises. Our characters are disillusioned members of the Lost Generation, those people who experienced WWI, and residing as expatriates who enjoy the many lavishes of France and Spain. I admit, this could be quite an interesting premise, and although the bullfighting sequences are exciting near the end of the novel, the rest of it is not much more than a lot of arguing and drinking. They discuss, they drink, they eat, they argue, they move to another café, they drink, they eat. And so on.
I’ve studied Hemingway. I know the accolades he received for an evolving style and for changing the way many people look at prose. I understand he stripped away a great deal of fluff in order to get to the core of his subjects. I know all this. I’m afraid it does not change my opinion.
Jack Barnes, our narrator, and Brett Ashely, the lady friend he loves, simply did not illicit any sort of emotional response from me, nor did their story.
In the Garden of the North American Martyrs by Tobias Wolff
This short story collection from Tobias Wolff is truly just that. Each story gives you enough of the bare essentials to keep you informed and invested, but they never cross the line into anything remotely superfluous. Each story feels very much like you’ve entered right into the middle of things and you are there for the climax, but not necessarily the introduction or the conclusion.
While I found this book to be an effective exercise in the art of the short story, I was even more moved by the flaws each character in every story displayed. Wolff had grand success in getting down to the heart of who and what people are, and that is, in essence, good people that usually display less than admirable traits. We all have those idiosyncrasies that make us unique and often troubling to our friends and family, and Wolff captures perfectly normal, though certainly troublesome, eccentricities amongst his characters that give us all we need to know about their particular story.
This is a very fast and interesting read, and if you ever wanted to engage in a deep character study in the genre of the short story, this is the collection for you.
homerville by Ken Bradbury
Ever since I was a wee little boy, I’ve been listening to the good people associated with Triopia School District go on and on about a man they seem to consider a demigod. This man writes speeches performed by high school students all over the nation; he writes and directs the high school musicals yearly, which never fail to sell out and really are quite excellent, if you don’t mind me saying so; he writes a syndicated newspaper column; and he has even had a few books published. Impressive, yes, but is he truly worthy of the numerous praise he routinely garners?
Well, before I read his latest book, I honestly don’t know how I would have answered that having not been terribly familiar with his work myself. However, having read his recently released collection of short stories, homerville, well, let’s just say I may be the new president of his fan club.
His name is Ken Bradbury, and I can’t recommend homerville highly enough.
Bradbury does everything with his writing that I only wish I could do. He creates remarkably believable characters that are preternaturally quirky in ways that you can’t help but fall in love with, no matter how crude and unpleasant some of them may be. His plots are not pretentiously complex, but I dare you to resist their charm and surprise. Bradbury’s dialogue is spot on for his characters and he executes their speech patterns perfectly.
Now comes the inexplicable. Bradbury is one of those rare authors that gives us just enough. What I mean by that is, he gives just enough dialogue, just enough character background, just enough description, just enough asides, he gives us everything in just the right amount. This is a terrible predicament for most authors, myself most definitely included. We are so guilty of either giving too much of these things or not enough. It is terribly unusual to have a writer who instinctually knows how to get it just right, who knows how to straddle that line flawlessly. He also possesses a trait difficult to come by—he knows when to end the short story. As simple as that may sound, it is easier said than done, and it is yet another aspect that he pulls off magnificently.
homerville is an interconnected collection of short stories about life in small town found in Central Illinois. If you grew up in a small town, you will lavish in total understanding of the nuances of the simple life. If you’ve never grown up in a little community, this book will prove remarkably accurate in what it’s like to know that everyone around you knows everything about you and you know everything about them. The residents of Bradbury’s homerville are as varied and complex as they are familiar, and I challenge you to resist falling in love with each and every one of them.
My particular favorite from homerville is entitled “The Piano Teacher.”
The Final Solution by Michael Chabon
You don’t know how difficult this is for me, but I really and truly did not care for this book. You must keep in mind that I’m a big Michael Chabon fan, I’ve even gone so far as to say he IS America’s greatest contemporary author. But, The Final Solution simply did not ignite a spark for me on any level.
The Final Solution is a mystery story set in the United Kingdom during WWII, but I found the mystery about a missing parrot and a murdered traveler rather uninteresting and unimportant. Furthermore, Chabon’s characters, which usually jump off the pages at me and shake my hand, did not inspire a connection whatsoever. His two main characters, an old, retired detective, and a young, mute, boy who escaped the Nazi’s, while dynamic in concept, did not translate onto the paper like other Chabon characters have done in the past.
The Washington Post, New York magazine, and the New York Times all gushed over this novelette (among many, many more), but it didn’t do much for me. I didn’t even find myself interested in structure or style, which is usually something I can find redeeming in any work I read.
So, while I urge you to check out Michael Chabon if you have not done so already, I wouldn’t recommend starting with this book.
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
I picked this book up because I heard that Christopher Nolan, director of The Usual Suspects and Batman Begins, was going to direct a film adaptation. On top of that, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and David Bowie have all agreed to star in said film. I figured if talent of such high caliber saw something redeeming in this novel, I would as well. Thus, I picked it up at my local bookstore.
I was not too familiar with author Christopher Priest. I knew he was primarily a fantasy writer who occasionally dabbled in the world of comic books. I honestly wasn’t expecting much from The Prestige, but when I picked it up and saw that it had won a World Fantasy Award, well, it immediately seemed that Christopher Nolan and the previously mentioned actors knew exactly what they were doing.
The first three quarters of The Prestige are entertaining, but I would not necessarily say captivating. In fact, at times, I was quite unsure what the allure of this novel was. However, the last quarter of The Prestige was absolutely riveting and I could not put it down until I had finished.
The book is written from several different perspectives, mostly in a journal format. It spans several generations dealing with a feud that began in the late nineteenth century between two rival stage magicians. We’re not talking wizardry here—we’re talking good old craftsmen who were at the top of their profession of trickery and illusions through hard work and cunning.
However, early on in their lives they developed a dislike for one another and it continued between the families, even to this day.
What’s so interesting is getting both men’s perspective on why the feud began and why it continued for so long. Of course, both think they’re in the right, and neither seemed especially nefarious when reading their own thoughts.
The title deals with a facet of one of the magician’s tricks called “In a Flash.” He developed this trick after he saw his rival transport himself from one cabinet to another several feet apart within seconds. His rival called this “The New Transported Man.” Hoping to one up his competitor, he discovered means to transport himself even further with the aid of electricity.
Oh, this plot is so full of so many aspects, far too many to convey in such a short review. Let me just say that while this book seems utterly trivial for its first seventy-five percent, it all proves important in the last twenty-five. It will leave you breathless and stunned, I promise.
Here’s hoping the film will do it justice.
The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
This work is actually a collection of three different stories called “City of Glass,” “Ghosts,” and “The Locked Room.” However, upon finishing the work, it becomes rather obvious why they are all collected into one volume.
Let me say this from the outset: If you are a person who very much needs clear closure, this book is not for you. I don’t want to get too much into the nuances of the work for fear of spoiling certain elements for a first time reader, but let’s just say that this is as much an experimental exploration of theme as it is anything.
There were times when I was quite certain that Auster had absolutely no idea what he was doing and where he was going with these stories, and there were other times when I thought I must have been reading the work of a certifiable genius. I believe that was exactly Auster’s purpose after having finished reading The New York Trilogy.
What else can I say? If you’re a reader open to experimental craft, you will love this work; if you’re a reader who needs a definite A to Z plot, I’d pass on this if I were you. Frustrated as this book sometimes made me, it was never boring, and it made me think harder than many books I’ve read of late. I believe I’m a better writer (and reader) for having experienced it.
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Originally a series of talks given over the radio to the people of England during WWII, this collection of said dialogue explains in laymen’s terms what Christianity is and why C.S. Lewis, originally a non-believer, eventually came to Christ. It does not give his personal story, mind you, but rather is a mixture of philosophical lectures and entertaining anecdotes as to why Christianity is a valid belief.
Beware, this is not a light reading romp. I found myself concentrating diligently to follow his ideas and contemplations. In the end, I thought he did a superb job of explaining why he believes what he believes, and why everyone else should as well. Never does he take a condescending tone, and always he appeals to the heart as well as the intellect.
C.S. Lewis has long been considered one of the most highly respected Christian writers of the last few centuries and I’d have to agree. However, I have a great deal of trouble believing the “common man” followed his talks on an intellectual level during the time period it originated, but perhaps I’m looking at that from a 2005 perspective. Perhaps people were more willing to listen to complicated lectures then than they are now.
If you are a Christian needing a contemporary view on your beliefs to serve a purpose much needed, or if you are a non-Christian just wanting to know what it is all about but without the usual stories and Scripture, then I highly recommend this book. Put your thinking caps on though, ladies and gentlemen, this one requires intense focus.
Old School by Tobias Wolff
The most important thing to realize about this novel is that this is a story for people who either write themselves or have at least thought about writing at some moment in their life, which is fortunate because I don’t know many avid fiction readers who haven’t entertained such a notion at one point.
Point being, Tobias Wolff is a writer’s writer, as one of my friends put it. I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of this book about a young man sent to an all boys private school. He has many secrets he keeps, none of which are horrid to an adult but would perhaps be so to a child.
One of the great joys of attending this school is that several times throughout the year a major contemporary writer visits to take a private audience with the winner a short story competition. The writer chooses the winner himself or herself and all students are free to enter.
Our narrator, of course, desperately wants to meet Robert Frost, then Ayn Rand, and then, finally, his hero, Earnest Hemingway. I thoroughly enjoyed the characterization of these three writers as they made speaking appearances within the novel and all three grossly misunderstood an important aspect of the winning story. I won’t reveal whom our narrator gets to meet out of these three influential writers, but I will say that on his quest he finally discovers the most important aspect of any writer who amounts to anything, and that is to be true to yourself.
How he handles this insight is, of course, quite interesting to read and true to life for someone his age.
The only portion of the novel I found troubling was a hurried ending concerning our narrator and an oddly placed aside on a minor character that took nearly twenty pages. Again, however, since this is a book for writers that I believe teaches us many lessons on craft and introspection, I contemplated this aside and finally came to several conclusions that could serve as an explanation. I decided it was meant to illustrate that even the smallest of lines in a book can influence the entire plot. Either that, or Wolff was fighting tradition by placing the aside in a spot usually reserved for the main character, thus making us reconsider what we consider proper form and impact. Or, finally, Wolff simply wanted us to know the story on this particular character and stuck it in where it would be least distracting.
I literally had a great deal of trouble putting this book down when other duties arose and I can’t recommend it highly enough, especially if you are a writer fighting to find yourself.
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
I’ve become convinced that Michael Chabon is our greatest contemporary American author at the moment. It was his outstanding novel, The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay that planted such a seed in my mind, but it is his novel, Wonder Boys, that cements such a notion.
Wonder Boys is about a nearly over the hill author who’s been stuck on his novel of the same name for seven years. It’s become a behemoth of a novel, with no end in sight. His marriage is falling apart, just as several of his other’s did, and he is a habitual substance abuser. To make matters worse, the woman he’s having an affair with, who also happens to be his boss, more or less, at the college he teaches at has just alerted him that she’s pregnant.
Oh, but there’s so much more to talk about with this novel! His homosexual editor has come to town, demanding a finish to the epic novel, while an alienated student of his named James Leer has proven that he just may be the next big thing in the world of authors, if he doesn’t kill himself first.
As heavy as this sounds, this book actually has many, many funny moments.
This is the magic of Michael Chabon. When I read his works, I’m not conscience of reading, instead, it’s as though I’m peeking in on people’s lives as they actually unravel. Chabon is the master of blending plot with characterization, something that is much harder to do than it sounds.
Will our protagonist, Grady Tripp, finish his novel? Will he mend his marriage while somehow doing the right thing about his pregnant mistress? Will he ever kick his drug habits? Will he appease his editor and save both their careers? Will he nurture the student he doesn’t think much of at first, James Leer, into the next great American author? Well, there’s only one way to know, so I have to ask you to read the novel. But, let me ask you this question: What would the answer be to those questions in real life?
The Colorado Kid by Stephen King
This is a 178-page piece of pulp fiction written by arguably one of the greatest writers in American history. Say what you will about Stephen King, you must admit he is a master at his craft. That being said, when I finished this book and read his afterward (always a highlight of his books, in my opinion), he said that most people would either love this book or hate this book, with virtually no one taking the middle ground.
I’m one of those middle grounders.
This book was written for the Hard Case Crime imprint, a publisher dedicated to writing little paperback mystery/crime books that hearken back to the old days. There was a crime, yes; there were a great many clues to the crime, yes. However, this book focused more on three characters who happen to be interested in the crime than in the actual crime itself.
Now, ordinarily, this wouldn’t bother me in a King book at all. After all, King is a genius when it comes to characterization. I will always maintain that his Roland of Gilead is one of the most interesting characters created . . . ever. But, for an imprint called Hard Case Crime, I was expecting more noir and less conversation about the crime. And those characters he spotlights, while very charismatic, still seemed to be missing something to make them completely dynamic. The dialogue felt a bit too easy, and the characters a bit too obvious. I still loved them, nonetheless, but not as much as other King characters.
As always, his setting is expertly rendered, giving you just enough to see the water, smell the air, feel the chilly breeze, taste the fish and chips, and hear the voices. Less is more, and King has a firm grasp of this notion.
All in all, this was an entertaining read. Most of you folks could probably finish it in a day or two, and you’ll keep turning page after page. But, I think King is right, by the end of the book, you will either love it or hate it. Unless you’re like me, and see little things you both love and hate, appreciating the good and the bad. After all, few of us could ever entertain the notion of doing better than Stephen King at writing.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
It’s very hard for me to admit this, but I couldn’t finish this novel. This is a rare thing for me as a lover of literature and as a writer of fiction. I always try to learn as much from other authors as I possibly can. My apologies, Mr. Martel, I’m sure this was a wonderful book for someone interested in its premise, but I was not one of those people.
The book began rather captivating enough. In fact, I was quite delighted with it and thought I had discovered a gem. The contemplations upon differing religions and zoos invigorated my thoughts. However, the book quickly took a turn for the mundane and stayed uneventful for a long number of chapters. I would have loved to find out the ending of the story, but I can only read about the daily struggles of a boy trapped on a lifeboat for so long. Keep in mind this is coming from someone who takes pride in sticking novels out to the very end, no matter what.
All in all, if you liked the film Cast Away, you’d probably enjoy this novel. However, if you found yourself tapping your foot through said film, I’d pass on Life of Pi.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
It’s a rare thing when you come to the end of a book and you’re actually sorry that it’s almost over. You find yourself sorrowful that these characters are soon no longer going to be a part of your daily life.
That’s how I felt near the conclusion of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon. I actually finished this book last week, and I can’t find a book to read that I think will even come close to comparing to this title. It’s that good.
I’ll be honest, I picked this book up to begin with because the pitch on the back said it was about two young men, one of whom had escaped from Nazi-occupied Prague, who created comic books in the late 30’s, the golden-age of comics. Right there, I was hooked. When I saw that it had won a Pulitzer Prize on top of it all, I practically ran to the register.
This is one of those books that is impossible to summarize in just a few sentences. It spans decades worth of the lives of the main characters. It deals with every conceivable issue these men could have, and it resolves these issues realistically. This book is about SO much more than just a couple guys who wrote and drew comics. It’s about hurt, love, fear, pride, creativity, shame, bravery, passion, stupidity, cowardice, and hope. In other words, it’s about the things we go though while we live.
This sounds so cliché, but if you read one book this year, please, read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
I don’t really know why I picked up the book Fight Club a few weeks ago. I pretty much knew the major shocker of the story through word of mouth (it’s been out since 1996, after all). I guess I just wanted to see what all the talk was about. Gratuitous violence doesn’t do a whole lot for me anymore. Most people would have thought a book called Fight Club would be the last on my list of books to read. I’m going to be brutally honest, I figured that if Edward Norton and Brad Pitt were willing to do a film based off the book, the book must be decent. I was not disappointed.
The book’s style was utterly devoid of any unnecessary components, which, of course, sticks to the majority of the book’s theme. Very direct narrative, very short and simple dialogue. The story is told to us through the first person perspective of the main character, but his name is never revealed. This gives the book a sense of “everyman” that I believe forces, especially, male readers to identify.
Our main character is tired of life, tired of his job, tired of wanting to own things only to have those things own him. It’s only after he meets Tyler Durden that he experiences life the way he’s always wanted to. It begins with “Hit me as hard as you can,” and it ends with mayhem and destruction. We have men drawn to Tyler and his Fight Clubs because they have no sense of worth without their fights. It is only when they fight that they feel alive, and it is only through Tyler that they feel loved. Indeed, Tyler gains quite a cult following waiting on his every command, and our narrator is no different. Of course, the climax is when men start dying and our narrator decides enough is enough. He steps in to stop the very thing he’d created with Tyler, and that’s when things go downhill.
Although the story seems rather unsophisticated, it is anything but. It is the underlying message within this book that is fascinating. We do have an entire generation of men out there (perhaps several) who don’t know how to be men because they’ve had no father figure in their lives. They think to be a man means to fight and to destroy; they’ve never had someone show them a man doesn’t have to do these things to be “manly.” We have a whole generation of people who don’t know why they do what they do. Why do they work? Why do they buy? Why do they live?
This story is tragic, funny, and captivating. I was instantly engrossed with the characters and the plot. I highly recommend this book if, for no other reason, than to see an author write in an unconventional manner and prove highly successful.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
I like Neil Gaiman. I really do. I liked Neverwhere, and I loved American Gods, both Gaiman novels.
Stardust, however, is a completely different story. No pun intended.
I can’t believe this book is by the same author that I’ve read in the past. It seems so inadequate compared to his other works. It’s supposed to be in the spirit of fairy tales, but it came up woefully short.
Major issues I have with Stardust include the facts that it wasn’t consistent. I was a fourth of the way through the novel before I even had the main characters figured out. The plot was convoluted and didn’t become apparent until over halfway through. There was no sense of urgency, I didn’t care about anyone in the novel, and furthermore, it took every ounce of strength I had just to finish the dang thing. There are few novels that I had to work at finishing.
So, again, I like Neil Gaiman. I think he’s a brilliant writer, and the other novels I’ve read by him are fantastic. Stardust, in my opinion, simply did not deliver.
On a positive note, however, I will say that the last forty pages were much better than the previous ones.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
They say never to judge a book by its cover, but with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, that is exactly what I did. Sorry, folks, but I simply could not resist the orange cover with the cut out image of an upside-down dog. I thought to myself, “If that novel is anywhere near as interesting as the cover, I’ll have spent my money well.” Guess what? I did.
Simply reading the back cover of this book, I had a fairly good idea of what to expect, or so I thought. Well, my friends, I was wrong. Our protagonist, Christopher, according to the back of the book, decides to investigate the murder of a neighborhood dog. Oh, and he knows every country’s capital in the world and all the prime numbers up to 7, 057. Oh, and he hates anything involving the color yellow. Oh, and he can’t tolerate being physically touched. You would think I would have been smart enough to figure it out. I wasn’t. Christopher is autistic.
Suddenly, the book took on a whole new dimension. I don’t know anything about autism beyond what I learned in Rain Man, and no matter how much I love that movie, I know that Hoffman’s character was only a glimmer into the world of autism. I was very excited when I found out that the author, Mark Haddon, had worked with autistics quite a bit as a younger man. I really trusted him to give me an accurate depiction of this world I knew nothing about.
Well, I still don’t know how accurate his depiction was, but I do have to admit that it made for fascinating reading. While the murder of the neighborhood dog is an interesting concept, it was made even more so by using the unique perspective of Christopher. You must understand that Christopher doesn’t think the way that we think. Christopher doesn’t experience emotion the way we experience emotion. Having said this, however, this book proves that Christopher is not so different from us at all.
Christopher takes us for a very interesting journey as he deals with real life issues in a manner that we, surprisingly, can relate to quite easily. Granted, the specifics of how he deals with them are unusual; for instance, I don’t believe that most of us will run through all of the prime numbers we possibly can in order to calm ourselves, nor do I believe that most of us determine what sort of day we will have by the number of red cars we see in the morning. We all experience fear, loss, and disappointment, however, and those are some of the unifying experiences of being a human being. I’m really afraid I can’t tell you much more about the book without spoiling virtually everything, but you’ll have to take my word when I say there are some really interesting, and unexpected, developments.
Okay, so let’s talk about style. When you’re writing from the perspective of a character that is not likely to express emotion in a forthcoming manner, there tends to be a lack of emotional punch. Instead, the author presents his character in such a fashion that it is quite easy to empathize with his situation, if not with the character himself. Meaning, we may not understand his thought processes, but we certainly do understand how WE would feel if put in his situation. We think about how we would react, and then we read how he reacts.
There are many, many, many digressions as our protagonist stops to delve into all sorts of explanations on math problems, science lessons, as well as present many diagrams aiding in their depiction. Happily, these are not speed bumps in the story, although it may sound otherwise. Rather, as already stated, the whole book features the perspective of a boy who is autistic and the book must be true to that perspective at all times. The fact is—that is the way he thinks! To expect a tone other than what it being presented in the novel is quite unreasonable.
So, I would recommend that you read this novel. It is a captivating study in character and style, and also quite informative. It is atypical in almost every manner, and for me, that’s a great experience. And seriously, don’t you want to know who murdered the dog? It’s not who you would expect.
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
I’ve got to give it to Dan Brown, he’s discovered a formula that has taken America by storm. I think he happened across it with Angels and Demons. Take a gigantically important figure and make him/her the focus of the novel. Then, couple that with using as many facts as can be possibly found. Finally, use those facts to breed fiction that is logical, plausible, and wildly controversial.
Boom. You’ve got a hit.
I liked The Da Vinci Code, just like I enjoyed Angels and Demons. The book uses real locations and