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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

House of Sand and Fog




This book makes you rethink the merit of your values; the manner in which we see fit to gain an inch in our favor, or take advantage of an opportunity; the flip side of the coin when we're doing what is seemingly in our best interest, and fail to see how our actions might affect other parties.

Kathy owns a house which she inherited (along with her brother) from her father upon his passing away. She lives there with her husband. They are both recovering drug addicts. At some point he leaves her. Through a mix-up, the bank moves forth on some unanswered tax fraud charges and evicts Kathy, only to auction off her house on the following day. These charges were unwarranted but Kathy, after initially responding with an affidavit stating their innocence in the claims, trashed all the correspondence from the bank that followed. Enter Behrani, an exiled Iranian Colonel who has toiled as a garbage collector and convenience store clerk since arriving in the U.S. after fleeing Iran during the Islamic Revolution. He has been seeking just this opportunity and manages to purchase Kathy's property for about a quarter of its legitimate price. From his point of view, this is his chance to quit his subhuman jobs and go back to the style of living he and his family grew accustomed to while working for the Shah in Iran.

The story grips you from the start. The manner in which events line up to create the worst of all possible outcomes for Kathy and a dream come true for Behrani does not defy logic. It is all far too plausible, and consequently that much more frightening. Things progress, judgments fail and the actions that follow exceed the parameters of acceptable behavior. Chaos ensues, and the results are far from pretty.

Dubus manages to skip around from one character to another, switching the narrating duties back and forth. Everybody's voice reads distinctive and real. It is an admirable work of literature.

I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a good drama. It is a rewarding read.


Read from October 06 to 20, 2013

*****

Monday, August 19, 2013

Seeing



I've never thought highly of sequels, and this book certainly lived down to that tacit outlook. But I have to admit that I still maintained a cautiously high expectation when I chose to read Seeing, having been written by Saramago, currently on my Top Ten list of favorite authors. The pedigree of the author kept me reading to the end, hoping for some redeeming value to the long hours spent getting through this (hours I'll never get back), but I've been left with precious little positive to say.
This novel takes place in the unspecified capital of an unspecified Western country (Lisbon, Portugal), four years after the end of the blind plague, an event that Saramago so masterfully documented for us in the extraordinary Blindness. The problem afflicting this nation now is directed toward the government. An overwhelming majority of the population has seen fit to cast a "blank" vote during elections, and the officials in office find little recourse with which to fight back. This takes us through one unrealistic situation to another, where those in power seek to find ways to dispel phantom conspiracies by casting suspicion upon others.
As he did before in Blindness, the author manages to get through the entire book without mentioning anyone by name. People are most commonly referred to by their title or civil status (wife of, and such). I found that technique worked well in the former novel, but poorly in this one. He seemed to be dragging it out as much as possible; seeing how far he could take things. It felt like he was trying too hard.
But the biggest shortcoming this book has is its lack of story. There is simply nothing of interest going on. The people opted to cast blank votes. Great. So what? There is a sense that the blank voting is taking place due to apathy, but we never get to see that side of the coin, Only the government's take. This just drags on aimlessly until an ending is forcefully concocted and the book mercifully concludes.
The bottom line is that this was an unnecessary book, particularly for such an accomplished writer. I believe his name would have been better served had he not written it and I would have been better served not having read it.

Read from August 01 to 12, 2013

*****

Sunday, August 11, 2013

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius



This is a very entertaining book. In my twenties, this is likely the novel I would have liked to write. The breakneck speed at which Eggers' ideas appear on the pages before you is a little startling at first, but his thoughts and themes are expressed and examined with great clarity and plain language, making the book easy to follow.

From the beginning the theme of this novel is loss; "heartbreaking" loss, as it were. This theme sets the mood for the entire story. But Eggers lets the tale evolve into something more substantial, never allowing his loss to overwhelm him, or even bring him down. The theme eventually transitions into the overcoming of bad luck and negative situations, and the manner in which an extraordinary vision of life and the world we live in go hand in hand with youth and pretentiousness. Eggers' whimsical writing keeps the experience amusing and his self deprecating humor makes the material more lighthearted than it otherwise might be.

Only those who are capable of laughing at themselves will be able to enjoy this book. I certainly did. Everyone should.

Read from July 24 to August 05, 2013

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

And the Mountains Echoed





Khaled Hosseini is a master storyteller of enormous proportions, as those of us who've read any of his past novels already know. He spins a well crafted yarn that draws the reader in with ease, gently dropping one heart breaking tale after another, then leaving us with empty anticipation for neat, happy resolutions that never appear. And the Mountains Echoed does not disappoint. It reads pleasantly and with little effort, like honey dripping from a jar. Anybody looking for a long, enjoyable book that will keep them eager to read the next page will find this tome to be a solid choice.

The novel takes place in several places: Afghanistan, Greece, France and the United States. It also skips back and forth in time some, but the author is kind enough to point out the current year in each chapter's heading. Hosseini paints beautiful images wherever he takes us, and the details in the settings alone make this book worth the read. Every scene has its own ambience, with specific sounds and scents that conjure lovely or dismal stages. It takes very little imagination on the reader's part to feel and see his descriptions, they're so vivid and well thought out.

In an apparent effort to stray from the less than flattering image Afghanistan currently enjoys in the West, Hosseini mostly steers clear from talk of the Taliban He speaks very little of terrorism in general, for that matter. Yet a good portion of the novel takes place in post September 11 Afghanistan. The result is a less skewed view of a volatile region than the one we tend to get in the media, which is a refreshing change.

Despite all the violence that is taking place there, most Afghans continue to live their lives one day at a time, doing what they need to get by. It's fairly easy to lose sight of that when you're merely peeking in from the outside.

I enjoyed reading this book and I highly recommend it to others.


Read from July 21 to 24, 2013

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Monday, June 24, 2013

Women as Lovers by Elfriede Jelinek



This book will challenge your perception of how a novel must read. Jelinek's style is uncommon and thus hard to digest in the way we've been conditioned. But her point seems to come across.

The story contains the tales of two young ladies in the Austrian Alps: Brigitte and Paula. They have similar backgrounds; working class families, destined to struggle throughout their lives with menial jobs for unskilled laborers, and subject to society's double standard regarding men and women's sexual activities. Both girls take differing approaches to getting a man, though both ultimately seek the same thing: security.

There is quite a bit of male bashing going on. In fact, all men in this book are self centered oafs, looking for nothing in life beyond their personal satisfaction. But the women portrayed here are not much better, as they lie and scheme and go to extreme lengths to get their men.

I wouldn't completely exclude a certain degree of cynicism on Jelinek's part, but most of her portrayal rings true, even though hers is a culture that differs from mine and I'm definitely no expert in the social habits of Austrian villagers. There are universal truths in the basic premise of the human species' male/female interaction that can be found even in the remotest parts of the world. There is one dominant and one subservient gender in most households, although we may kid ourselves into believing that in our home power is distributed evenly. The balance is usually upset to one side or the other. In less cosmopolitan settings, the physically stronger party will most often take the dominant role.

As cumbersome as Jelinek's writing can be - she uses no capitals (not even for proper names), there is much repetition for the sake of stressing a point, her basic grammatical structure deviates from what we've come to expect, and the narrative is overflowing with negativity - this book reads in a fairly easy manner and is not entirely unpleasant. That and my admiration for her craftiness should explain my willingness to rate Women as Lovers four stars.

Not a book for everyone, but most should give it a try.

Read from June 11 to 21, 2013

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Monday, June 10, 2013

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann



History surrounds us, always taking form. Rarely are we those who take a part in its making; most us are nothing more than unwitting witnesses to events that will later be determined to have been meaningful.

In TransAtlantic, Colum McCann ties the tales of multiple historical figures with fictional everyday people, those that came and went leaving a less indelible footprint. The story takes place on two continents, Europe and North America, and spans a good many years. The narrative begins in 2012, moves to 1919, onto 1845, then moves back and forth some more. There is no seeming reason for the particular disarray of the chronological order, but with the passing of the pages we are gradually shown the connections between the characters, and with them, perhaps, the author's purpose for jumping around erratically in time.

Slices of the daily toil and routines abound throughout. It's as if McCann hopes to contrast the mundane details that our lives are made of, between those who've accomplished great things and those of us who've only just passed through life. To a certain degree, it is while those little moments happen that both paths cross, and the distinctive humanity displayed by the great ones during those menial tasks is what leaves the strongest impression upon those with fates of lesser historical impact.

There are moments of sheer beauty in this book, when you force yourself to read slower, that you might savor each passing reference and description a little more. His characters, even the non-fictional ones, are fully fleshed out and carefully drawn to show us every dimension of their beings, blemishes and all. It is an extraordinary achievement. The novel pushes you to turn each coming page, to keep reading until you're done. I highly recommend this book. McCann is spinning gold with his writing.


Read from June 05 to 10, 2013

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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Robert's Rules of Writing by Robert Masello



Loved it. Every writer, or prospective writer, should take a glance at it. Mr. Masello puts a lot of emphasis on dispelling writing myths and taboos in favor of clear and precise advice that will allow you to move past most of the issues modern fiction writers face at some time or another. The book reads easily and is laid out in a very simple format: each rule is its own chapter. You don't have to follow it in any particular order. Just open it up at any given page and read that rule. They're all written with clarity and injected with amusing anecdotes, so you'll have a hard time finding anything boring in there. I borrowed this copy from the library, but I'm thinking of purchasing my own just to have one to browse over when the mood strikes me or when I feel stuck during a writing project.


Read from May 15 to June 04, 2013

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Monday, June 3, 2013

Bestiario by Julio Cortázar




Not my style. Could not get into it. I read through four of the stories and found the subject matter wanting. I can see how many might find this appealing, but it simply did not work for me. I will revisit one or two of the remaining stories in the future to see if time and my mood alter my perception.


Read from June 02 to 03, 2013

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Sunday, June 2, 2013

The Poor Mouth by Flann O'Brien



A very humorous first person account of a young Gael's (Bonaparte O'Coonasa) life of squalor and misery in the village of Corkadoragha, Ireland. Originally written in Gaelic, translated to English in 1973, O'Brien masterfully uses satire to expose the lamentable existence and sorry conditions these people live in from their day of birth. It is a funny telling and very entertaining, though those of us not familiar with this particular life might find ourselves often shaking our heads in disbelief at the utter ignorance with which most situations are addressed. I've read some reviews by those that have had some connection to this land, and they all seem to find the events to ring outrageously true, albeit to the point of exaggeration. That being the case, and if they can laugh at it themselves, I encourage others to partake in the amusement.


Read from May 28 to June 02, 2013

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

East, West by Salman Rushdie



After years of side stepping his books, I finally settled on this short story collection to become better acquainted with Mr. Rushdie. Though very much aware of him since the eighties, I must admit that I have never had it clear in my mind if it was his notoriety or his status as an author that piqued my curiosity. I would rather think it was the latter, of course, and dismiss any notion that I am as easily swayed by the scandal press as any tabloid subscriber. Whatever the case may be, let me say in my defense that I only just purchased a couple of his books within the last year, so any case that may be made for my being influenced by a person's simple celebrity would be somewhat tempered by the fact that it's taken over two decades for said influence to have taken any marked effect over me.

East, West is a volume rich in color and filled with several tales on varied themes, some, I might add, quite unexpected. His writing style seems to fluctuate from one story to the next, going from plain storytelling with little embellishment - almost as plain as one might expect in a fable - to erudite analysis and speculation on popular legend. His prose is very elegant and flows gently, and he paints lovely portraits of his characters. At times I found him long winded though, and tiresome. There were a couple of stories that I considered skipping past at the halfway point, but I stuck it out due to their shortness in length. I wonder if perhaps those particular stories were intended for a purely scholarly audience, since their frame of reference seemed to require prior understanding and in depth knowledge of the matter at hand. Regardless, I have walked away with a pleasant impression of Mr. Rushdie and I look forward to reading one of his novels.


Read from May 23 to 28, 2013

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Swag by Elmore Leonard



An enjoyable read! Swag moves right along, never slowing its fast paced rhythm and never dwelling on boring details. Every so often I like to just dive into a book that has no pretensions or delusions of grandeur. With Elmore Leonard you get what you came for: a good crime novel.

My only caveat with this edition is the huge amount of typos. I could hardly get past a page without finding one or two. It's hard to believe a publishing house like Center Point would not do a better job of proofreading their works before going to print.

Regardless, this book was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to think too much and enjoys a little action.


Read from May 17 to 23, 2013

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Fatelessness by Imre Kertész





Fatelessness takes its readers on a devastating ride through the hell of life in Nazi death camps. The most intriguing aspect of this particular tale, in contrast to others before and after, is the chance to view such a miserable experience through the eyes of a fifteen year old boy. His understanding of the events as they unfold before him is painful to witness and is underscored by his innocence and youth.

The novel is masterfully written and reads like a report. There is little in the way of sentimentality and the narrative is hardly (if at all) slanted to arouse a visceral reaction from the reader. We are only offered descriptions of what the boy sees and feels. All conclusions are left to be arrived at on our own.

A fantastic read and one I highly recommend.







Read from April 30 to May 17, 2013

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Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra



An interesting book, if only because it deals with Kabul under Taliban rule. It's a sad tale, as one might expect, but somehow I feel it fails to reach its intended apex. The sense of suspense one would expect to find as the story approaches its announced climax was absent. Yet the novel contains lovely prose and descriptive narrative. The main characters come in differing degrees of interesting; some dull, others grotesque, and one of them startlingly fascinating. But the author fails to fully flesh them out. The same with the plot. It doesn't take off completely, and so falls short of fulfilling its promise.

My feelings regarding the author's intent may be that he was merely trying to offer the reader a slice of life in the Taliban's Afghanistan. That much was well managed. It's a short read, so if you are at all curious about life under Sharia law, I won't hesitate to recommend it.


Read from April 21 to 30, 2013


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Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee



A true page turner, Disgrace grabs you early on with an effortless narrative of unspectacular events, which eventually develop into more consequential moments. Coetzee's writing is magnificent. The words drip from his pen like so much honey; drawing images and scenarios with ease. Reading his text is magically unconstrained, but the subtext is rife with symbolism throughout.

Without divulging events that might spoil the read for others, certain incidents occur that turn the plot drastically in the direction of professional disgrace for the main character. This leads him down other paths and he ends up visiting his only daughter, who lives alone on a farms of sorts, out in the country. Certain matters converge and, this being South Africa in the early post-apartheid years, a series of unfortunate situations unfold that reflect the struggles for all involved when adapting to a new set of rules for cohabitation. Particularly the consideration of past harms done to a people and the inevitable resentment that persists within those generations that follow.

As the novel proceeds we can read into many events a reflective measure of David's (David Lourie, the novel's central character)past actions, and find the balancing act nature creates in our lives to carry a certain sense of inevitability. Others do unto us what we do unto others.

A wonderful read with much to tell us. It is a novel of devastating insight that poses many questions and offers few answers. As any good novel should do, it leaves the pondering to the reader.


Read from April 12 to 20, 2013


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Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson



This novel follows an interesting tale and it tells it in good enough fashion. A death at sea occurs, the evidence found indicates the possibility of foul play, a suspect is arrested and a courtroom drama unfolds. Beneath the surface though, there are prejudices and long standing feuds between several of the involved parties that make for a fascinating yarn. Particular attention is given to Japanese/American relations in the wake of World War II, and how this affected everyone's views in American communities with sizable colonies of Japanese immigrants. This is a very shameful episode in American history and it is handled deftly by the author.

The problem is that Guterson is horribly long winded. Too much time is spent on little daily details that don't add anything to the central narrative; they go well past the need for context, rendering the book tiresome at times. I found myself not looking forward to picking up my book, as I usually would, when my precious few moments for reading came up. This drew out the story even longer, and it was only my stubborn need to try and finish every book I start that forced me to read to the end. I wouldn't recommend it if asked.


Read from March 06 to April 12, 2013


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Blindness by José Saramago



Blindness takes you for a spellbinding ride from the first page all the way through the end. This book draws you into a possible reality where an epidemic of blindness quickly affects a city's population. A quarantine of those affected is imposed, but due to the astounding limitations of those inside absolute chaos soon ensues. The living conditions deteriorate at breakneck speed and food rationing gives way to organized bullying. It is a startling world Saramago imagines, but one we might all envision as all too probable.

The author uses no names, as if those who are blind needn't names to identify them. Thus they are referred to by their link to the story, or a remarkable feature they had when they first entered the picture, e.g. the Doctor, the first blind man, the girl with sunglasses. I don't believe I'd ever read a human tale that included no names before.

An excellent read. I highly recommend it!


Read from February 17 to March 06, 2013


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The Untouchable by John Banville



An intriguing account of the Cambridge spies. Interesting, amusing and somewhat impertinent, it makes the entire pre-World War II and Cold War era of intrigue seem little more than a playground for the privileged; spying as a cure for boredom and socialism as a lofty objective, albeit somewhere deep in the horizon and far from their extravagant lifestyles.

The narrative can be a little heavy at times, but overall a gratifying read.


Read from January 19 to February 03, 2013


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Everything Was Good-bye by Gurjinder Basran



Fascinating read and very engaging. It will draw you into a frustrating world of Indian culture in a western land, where those subject to its rules are enriched by its benefits yet crushed by its narrowness. 

Very well written and a definite harbinger of greater works ahead.


Read from December 21, 2012 to January 19, 2013


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Dolicocéfala Rubia by Pitigrilli



An interesting read. Not exactly what I expected, but then I'm not quite sure what it was I expected. The author has a cynical manner of narrating the events. Somewhat similar to Ayn Rand, in that sense. Events unfold and cause and consequence are exposed, but there is a dryness to the way in which we witness everything. I'm not sure I would read anymore of his books, but I don't regret having read this one.

The story revolves around the main character, Teodore Zweifel, and the family, associates and friends within his immediate circle. He is a petulant, self-absorbed non-conformist who is loathe to suffer fools - and we are all fools - but who finds himself under constant legal challenges (though they should by all means be of a civil nature, they appear to be criminal proceedings) to his trade, which is essentially the practice of alternative medicine. The novel covers ten years of his life, from forty through fifty years of age. The conclusion is puzzling and the ending unsatisfying, though I'm frankly at a loss imagining how it might have been done better.


Read from February 03 to 17, 2013


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