Warning: Read in Daylight

I have always been a Stephen King fan, but I haven’t read much of his new material. I figured reading a short story collection would be a good way to get readjusted to the King of Horror before his newest novel 11/22/63 (which I am looking forward to) hits the shelves. I chose Full Dark, No Stars because several of my friends had recommended it, and I was not disappointed. It contains four stories, all of which deal with the exploration of what “normal” people do when faced with extraordinary (and terrifying) experiences. King delves deeply into the human psyche, dealing with themes of survival against all odds, the protection of priorities against outside threat, and the disruption of long-established family routine, but he does it in a way that includes flesh-eating rats, serial killers, and deals with the devil. His characters are relatable, even when making the decision to kill, which is what makes his writing so addicting, even while feeling revulsion. My only regret? Starting the first story at 11 P.M in the evening and not sleeping for several hours following!

Be Prepared for a Tear Jerker

I first read a review for the David Nicholls’ book One Day awhile ago, and the concept intrigued me at the time. When I heard that the book was being made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, I put it onto my summer reading list. The book is set in England (Nicholls is British) and it follows the lives of two protagonists, Emma and Dexter, as they graduate from college and begin to find their way as adults. The book starts on July 15, 1988 (St. Swithin’s Day) when the two college graduates have spent the evening in bed together. Emma, a studious young woman with aspirations to save as much of the world as she can, has had a crush on the handsome rogue Dexter for years, and the relationship between the two leaves the readers hoping that the two have more than a one night stand. Each chapter that follows progresses one year, and we learn of events that occurred in the time between in hints and snippets from Em and Dex. The two form an unlikely friendship as Dexter pursues a career in the “meeedia” (as Em refers to it) and Emma tries to figure out what she exactly wants to do with her education. I actually “read” this book through an audiobook, and I more than once found myself laughing out loud, covering my mouth in laughter, and spilling tears because of the frustrations I felt over the way their relationship came so close to being “more than friends” only to have life once again get in their way. Though the ending left me disappointed, I am looking forward to seeing how the book is portrayed on the big screen. If Sturgess and Hathaway can capture the personalities of Dex and Em, I know I will equally enjoy the movie!

A Uniquely Disappointing Circus

I chose to read Swamplandia, Karen Russell’s debut novel, mostly because of its very unique premise. The book is set in Florida, and its main protagonist is an young girl Ava, the youngest child of a family who owns an alligator theme park in the Everglades. The park’s main attraction is the show Ava’s mother performs, and when she dies of cancer, the park suffers financial ruin. Ava’s brother, Kiwi, leaves the park in order to join it’s biggest rival, World of Darkness, and save Swamplandia! in the process. He quickly learns that minimum wage with no education does not make much money, and I easily found him to be the most enjoyable character. Ava’s father also disappears from the park, leaving Ava and her older sister Ossie, who believes she dates the ghosts who inhabit the park,  alone to fend for themselves. When Ossie disappears, leaving a note explaining she has run away with her dead boyfriend, Ava procures the aid of a mysterious drifter she names The Birdman–a character who the reader immediately distrusts but whom Ava has no choice but to latch onto. The two set off in search of Ossie, presumably to “the Underworld.” The book is told in 13-year old Ava’s point of view, and though Russell’s plot was intriguing, I found myself bored at times with the backstory of the mistreatment of the Everglades by the government and the long descriptions of the glades. Though the story is probably not meant to be “realistic”, so to speak, I still found myself wishing I could be done with the book and move on to something faster. I do wonder if maybe in my early dislike of the book I missed something more profound as most of the book’s reviews have been glowing, but I like what I like…and I didn’t like this one!

Appalacian Epic

Inspired by a rave review in Entertainment Weekly, I recently picked up the audio version of a debut novel by Amy Greene–Bloodroot. The book follows four-generations of the Lamb family who have their “roots” in the Appalacian Mountains–specifically, from Bloodroot Mountain, named for a type of flower blanketing its sides. The novel is broken into three sections, each with two alternating narrators. All of these narrators have a connection to the book’s central figure, Myra Lamb. The book  tells Myra’s story in chunks; the first section is told by Myra’s grandmother, who has raised Myra, and by Doug Cotter, a neighbor boy who has loved Myra since their childhood. We learn that Myra is a wild and free child, filled with the spirit of the Tennessee mountain range and unwilling to be harnessed by any one person or building. We also learn that Myra may have made some poor choices in her young adulthood, but Greene leaves the details unclear as the book moves into the second section, told by Myra’s twin children, Laura and Johnny. Many years have past between these two sections, and readers are constantly trying to fill in the blanks of what happened to Myra in this “lost years.” We become more entangled in the poor web of Myra’s life, and at times, we almost don’t want to hear of what had to have happened in order for the twins’ lives to have ended up the way they have. The third section finally answers some of these questions as we finally hear from Myra herself, telling the tale of the missing years during the time of the twins’ childhoods. The epilogue adds the final answers to a tale that is both heart-breaking and compelling. I had to stop myself from fast-forwarding tracks–both to avoid the heartbreak I knew the CDs contained and in order to discover more of the WHYS that this book left me wondering outloud. I loved it!

Cupid Strikes

In my quest to spice up my literary life, I recently picked up a collection of short stories titled Where the God of Love Hangs Out. I had some moderately favorable reviews, and (I’ll admit it) the NEW section of the library was a bit barren.  When I recognized the title from my recent book review perusal, I figured it was an omen and I should pick it up. Though Amy Bloom’s writing did not capture my attention immediately (it took me a few days to get through the first story), I did eventually become interested in it.

The stories each revolve around, you guessed it, love. Every story presents characters of different ages, at different stages in their marriages or relationships, and all of them struggle to find happiness in the love they have. Some of the stories captured my attention; others were not as riveting. Overall, it was a collection of stories I could pick up and put down, leave or take.

Atwood Never Fails to Disappoint

I have read about five of Margaret Atwood’s novels, and I don’t think I ever have NOT liked one of her books. I might at times have wanted the narration to speed up or have been disturbed by an idea, but overall, I’ve always enjoyed her writing. I most recently finished The Blind Assassin, published in 2001 and winner of that year’s Booker Prize. The book is about two sisters, one of whom dies of ambiguous circumstances in the first pages of the book. The survivor, Iris Chase Griffen, seems to not have much reaction to the death and to be a bit heartless in response. The book then almost immediately switches narrations, diving into a book-within-the-book–The Blind Assassin. This novel, we discover, was published posthumously and had been written by Iris’ dead sister Laura. This novel follows two unnamed lovers, one a well-to-do married woman and the other a renegade fiction writer. The book then switches back to Iris, who we discover is elderly and desperately attempting to finish writing her life story as she remembers it. Flashbacks illuminate the Chase history and we learn of her family’s struggle to maintain their feeble hold on wealth as the country endured economic strife.The book continuously switches narratives and eras as it tells the story of the sisters’ childhood, their romances, and their tragedies. The book unravels a great mystery a little at a time, so slowly that at times I was frustrated enough to sneak a peek at the next section in the hopes that I would discover the answer the questions I had at the end of the previous narrative. Atwood cleverly weaves this tale, leaving the reader clueless as to the depths of the lies Iris had spent years concealing.  The energy in this book kept me reading WAY past my bedtime, and I would highly recommend it–but only if you are willing to be patient in the face of literary frustration!

On Beauty

I just finished a book by another author who I had heard much about from my “literary friends” as being one of contemporary fiction’s leading ladies: Zadie Smith. I was not disappointed. The back of the book hailed it as being “hilarious” and as “revealing the culture in which we live”, so when I opened it, I had high expectations. I might not have found myself so much as laughing out loud as I did chuckling at Smith’s clever way of revealing truth, which often times, can be entertaining for the outside observer. She tells a tale of class difference, but she does so with a perfect ear for street talk, academic posturing, and sassy kids–white and black.

The story revolves primarily around the Belsey family: middle-aged father Howard, a British academic who hasn’t published in years holding on to a nontenured teaching position at Wellington University; his wife Kiki, a large, proud black woman who is dealing with her husband’s recent infidelity; and their children, Jerome (a converted Christian), Zora (a student whose greatest gift is her persistence), and Levi (who tries to find his identity as a street “hood” and rebukes his family’s academic lifestyle). Smith’s portrayal of this family is spot-on; her creation of the characters is authentic and consistent, and reading their interaction with each other is like actually living with a family in this generation dealing with each other’s differences, faults, and failures, and trying to love and accept them because, after all, they’re family.

On the other side of the narrative is the Kipps family, a seemingly more perfect family–they, shocking to the Belsey’s, ENJOY being together, as evidenced by the fact that they actually eat meals with each other. Monty Kipps, the patriarch, is another academic who happens to have the exact opposite ideas of Howard, and who happens to be a much better public speaker and publisher. The two have deep resentment against the other, which is brought to a head when Monty is invited to come from England to serve as a guest lecturerer for a semester at Wellington. What results is life-changing for all members of both families, as many have to face the consequences of their actions and the children are made to see their parents for who they really are: people.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and look forward to reading another of Ms. Smith’s books, whether it be short stories, essays, or fiction. This is another novel I would recommend to someone looking for a “contemporary classic.”

Sweet…But Unsatisfying

Now listen up, everyone: Ms. D. loves her sweets. Period. I eat something sweet after EVERY meal. Sometimes FOR the meal. But this book, The Sweet In Between by Sheri Reynolds, left me ultimately…blah. I guess that is the best word for it, even if it is pretty nondescript. The book is about a girl named Kendra (she goes by Kenny) who lives with her father’s girlfriend and the children/grandchild of that girlfriend. Her father is in federal prison on drug charges. Kenny lives an unbalanced life–she is struggling coming to grips with what her father has done and where he is, trying to feel secure in the household where she does live by doing “extra” chores to make herself needed, and also coming to terms with her own sexuality. To top it off, at the beginning of the book, a girl is killed in the opposite side of the duplex in which Kenny lives by Kenny’s creepy neighbor because he thought she was breaking in when really she thought it was the duplex she and her friends had rented for a vacation.

The story is told in Kenny’s point of view, and it’s a fairly quick read because it is broken into short sections that don’t require intense concentration. Kenny’s voice feels authentic…most of the time. However, I was just generally unimpressed. It might be because this same author wrote The Rapture of Canaan, a book I much preferred over this one. I don’t know. It was a quick read; it covered some serious issues (Kenny is hiding some serious secrets from her early years of living with the family), but I’m not feeling the urge to pick up another of Reynolds’ books anytime soon.

Not Just Another Love Story

During the school year, I find that I religiously avoid thick books. I think it is because I don’t want to set myself up for failure. Or maybe it’s because when I find time to read for pleasure during the demands of September through June, I want to be able to finish a book quickly so I can then look at it and think, “I’ve accomplished something! Those essays may still be waiting…but LOOK! I finished a BOOK!” This thought process changes during the summer- or it at least evolves. From mid June through August, bring on the paperweights! During these months, I can look at the girth of my selections and feel EXTRA proud that I finished them.

Where is all this going, you may wonder: The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer. The book is primarily about protagonist Andras Levi and his complicated love affair with older woman Klara, but in the process of reading about their struggle to find happiness together, the reader also learns about the plight of Hungarian Jews during World War II. In the beginning of the book, Andras is fulfilling a life-long dream of becoming an architectural student in Paris, where he meets and falls in love with Klara, a Hungarian ballet teacher with a dark past. The impending war forces him to return to Hungary, where he is forced to enlist. The book truly creates these characters, making the reader emotionally connected to them and I found myself rooting for all of their survival, even while I knew it would not be possible. I will admit that at times, I found myself tempted to skim ahead, but it was because I wanted so desperately to know how it would turn out for these people Orringer had made me care about. When I finally closed the back cover, I was left very satisfied with how Orringer had looped the book from beginning to end, and I even learned a few things in the process.

Jump on the Swedish Bandwagon!

Hej! Jag ar skyldig.

(Translated: Hello! I am guilty.)

“Of what?” you may ask. Of jumping on the Swedish bandwagon. To literary geeks, Swedish is what French represents to couture fashion. How could that be possible? It is all thanks to one author, who unfortunately, died before his dream of literary success could be enjoyed: Stieg Larsson. If you haven’t heard of this man, or at least of his immensely popular trilogy, you may be living under a rock, or at least in the movie theaters (and after this summer’s lackluster blockbusters, that would be a sad place to be living…but that’s another blog all together).

Larsson’s first novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was published in 2008, and it met almost instantaneous success. The book is about Swedish journalist Mikael Blomkvist who has just met with professional meltdown. He has been found guilty of libel against a major powerhouse, and he takes a leave of absence from his magazine in order to avoid the bad press coming after it. He ends up helping an old man, henrik Vanger, in his 40-year old quest to find his long-lost niece, Harriet, who went missing from a family “board meeting” and hadn’t been heard of since. Unknown to Mikael, he is being closely watched by Lisbeth Salander, a young woman who is my FAVORITE heroine to come along in a long time. Lisbeth is, as Shrek would say, like an onion–she has many layers. None of which are very clearly revealed or explained in this book. We know she survived a very difficult childhood, but she didn’t escape unscathed–she carries heavy emotional trauma, as revealed in her inability to trust, love, or even really get close to any other person. She is brilliant (with a photographic memory), inventive, strong-willed, and a survivor…at any costs. Because of her difficult childhood, she has ended up a ward of the state and must report to a guardian (a man so repulsive we can’t help but root for Lisbeth when she finally gets her revenge against his sadism). Lisbeth works as a researcher for a securities company (did I mention she is also a computer hacker?), and she had been hired to research Mikael, and she never really stopped. So when she notices his recent activities on his laptop, Lisbeth’s attention is captured, and she teams up with Mikael to help solve the mystery.

This book then continues deftly into the second in the series with The Girl Who Played with Fire. I don’t feel like I can reveal as much about this second book with giving away the first, but let me assure you–both of these books are SO worth the read. So give up on Hollywood and give books another chance…or you can rent the Swedish movie version of the first book. I just watched it and really enjoyed it too. However, I always believe you should read the book first, and it won’t take you very long to do so because of how good it is!

You’re probably wondering…you said it’s a trilogy, what about the third book?! It’s entitled The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, and I still need to read it. I’m considering rereading the first two first. I liked them THAT much.