Friday, January 24, 2020

TRUST EXERCISES by SUSAN CHOI (2019)

This is a very aptly named novel. On the surface level, the title refers to one of the teaching methods of a charismatic, and perhaps corrupt, teacher at a high school for the performing arts. On another level, it can be applied to the accounts provided by its three unreliable protagonists, none of which can be trusted to be entirely true. For me, at least, the title also describes the interaction between the novelist and the reader. One normally trusts that an author will supply the truth of his or her created situation, or at least strong hints that lead the reader to the truth. In this novel, that truth is not forthcoming. My trust was betrayed.

The first section of the novel is an account, later revealed to be part of a semi-autobiographical novel, of the failed high school romance of David and Sarah. Sarah's trauma is exacerbated by the classroom trust exercises of her drama teacher, who seems to be deriving his own satisfaction from her obvious discomfort. This section is very well done as it successfully mirrors the stormy and chaotic emotions of teenagers and their sexuality.

The next section centers on Karen, one of the secondary characters portrayed in the first account. Her response after reading the above-mentioned novel tells a markedly different version of the events. Choi skillfully changes her tone and word choices in this section to reflect Karen's mental and emotional state, which seems to be verging on the unhinged.

Then comes the surprising third section, which cannot be discussed without including spoilers. Suffice it to say, it provides doubts about the veracity of the previous two accounts.

This is a clever, clever book. It won this year's National Book Award. Nevertheless, I felt cheated when I finished. Perhaps my mind is too literal, but I prefer to feel that I know what really happened when I complete a book. With this one, I didn't know.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

THE NICKEL BOYS by COLSON WHITEHEAD (2019)

Those who read Colson Whitehead's 2016 Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning novel The Underground Railroad may expect, as I did, that this newest book would have a similar style and tone. Wrong. The Underground Railroad is a journey into the realm of magic realism, with a narrative rooted in metaphor. The Nickel Boys is ultra realistic, and is, in fact, based on a real situation and place, a juvenile reform school in Florida on which were discovered numerous bodies of young boys who had evidently been murdered and then listed in the records as run-aways. This is a fictionalized version of events which might have taken place at the school.

Elwood Curtis is a black high school student during the time of the beginning of the civil rights movement. He is inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King to consider himself "as good as anyone." Determined to make something of himself, he excels in school and follows a personal code of working hard and behaving right. But then he runs afoul of the law by just being in the wrong place at the wrong time and is sent to the Nickel Academy. What follows is a litany of abuses at the hands of the guards and teacher, including savage beatings, rapes, and even murders. Through it all Elwood tries to keep his positive attitude that the right will eventually prevail, while his new best friend and fellow inmate Turner maintains that the world is crooked and the only way to get ahead is to scheme to outsmart the other guy.

Books that feature a plot twist quite often seem too-clever and manipulative, but Whitehead's surprising ending resolves the philosophical conflict epitomized by the two boys and provides a satisfying ending to the story.

I highly recommend this novel.

















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Friday, January 3, 2020

THE DUTCH HOUSE by ANN PATCHETT (2019)

Thanks to Christmas gift certificates, I am able to buy newly published books rather than thriftily re-reading books from my shelves. This is from one of my favorite living authors; her previous novel Bel Canto is perfect, and this one is almost as good.

Patchett is a gifted storyteller who manages to make the characters central even over the dramatic plot developments. The drama in this novel comes when a stepmother evicts a brother and sister from their luxurious family home, the Dutch House, and deprives them of the riches to which they have long been accustomed. Danny and Maeve have thus lost their mother, who left them years ago to do good works in India, and their father, who failed to provide for them in his will, and have only each other left to depend upon. The narrative follows them through five decades, during which they attempt to deal with loss and find forgiveness and peace.

When so many of the currently published noteworthy novels deal with racial issues and other politically-charged subjects, it is refreshing to read a well-told narrative about problems common to all. We don't all have wicked stepmothers, certainly, but we all have family issues that tend to fester if unresolved. Patchett's writing is elegant and straightforward, giving her absorbing story great readability.

Highly recommended.

Monday, August 26, 2019

TEN SHORT REVIEWS

More short reviews of books read for the second or third time.


THE TIGER'S WIFE by TEA OBREHT (2011)
Second reading
Set in an unnamed war-torn Balkan country, combining the story of a young doctor's relationship to her grandfather with the tales he told her about the deathless man and a deaf-mute girl's relationship with a tiger which had escaped from a zoo. Including both magical realism taken from folk tales and a realistic portrait of a country haunted by war, Obreht manages to create a haunting novel which is well worth reading. It won Britain's Orange Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award.


THE LAST HARRAH by EDWIN O'CONNER (1956)
Second reading
An interesting novel in a historical sense; it's the story of a mayoral campaign in a large Eastern city by the last of the old-style "machine" politicians, one who garners votes by awarding favors, before the era of television ushered in the cult of personality. It is also interesting from the aspect of the current political climate, when the favors awarded are to major campaign donors. Though a student of politics would undoubtedly find this a rewarding read, it feels very dated as to style and is actually somewhat boring as to plot. I give it a C+.


HOWARDS END by E.M. FORSTER (1910)
Third reading
First, Howards End is the name of a house, not referring to a man named Howard. This is a very English novel, concerning three social classes -- rich capitalists, middle class cultured intellectuals, and the struggling uneducated poor. Forster highlights their prejudices and follies through a surprisingly dramatic story, which was risque' for its time, as it includes violent death and an out-of-wedlock child. Extremely well done, except that I felt the heroine was too tolerant and forgiving to seem real.


MISTER PIP by LLOYD JONES (2006)
Second reading
I love this novel about the power of literature to help a reader survive through strife and anguish. It revolves around the experience of a young girl during a time of war. With their whole world in disarray, the children are helped to retain some sense of normality by their teacher, who reads Great Expectations by Charles Dickens to them. The character Pip becomes the young girl's shelter from her otherwise harsh reality. The story is harsh, often brutal, and lovely at the same time. This was short-listed for England's Booker Prize.


THIRTEEN MOONS by CHARLES FRAZIER (2007)
Second reading
This is a novel by the author of Cold Mountain. an excellent book which won awards. Unhappily, this is much less impressive. It is a historic novel about a white man who fought in the Civil War, became a member of the Cherokee tribe, and was involved in an unsuccessful fight to keep the tribal lands. It's also a love story of sorts. All in all, Thirteen Moons was a disappointment.


THE FOURTEEN SISTERS OF EMELIO MONTEZ O'BRIEN by OSCAR HUELOS (1995)
Second reading
Huelos won the Pulitzer Prize in 1990 with his novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, about Cuban immigrant brothers and their adventures in music and in love. That was an excellent book. This one -- not so much. Actually, it is too much to be effective. It covers fifteen siblings, children of an Irish father and a Cuban mother, from the era of the Great Depression through the present (1990s). Huelos has no real focus, and some of the stories seem highly unlikely. I consider this a C effort.

GAP CREEK by ROBERT MORGAN (1999)
Second reading
I did not care for this book, although it was generally well regarded at the time of its publication. (It was one of Ohrah's Book Club picks). It tells the story of a strong young woman in the early 20th century who withstands the deaths of her father and brother, the immaturity of her young husband, and all sorts of disasters. And she endures. It is meant to be inspirational, I suppose. I find it to be hackneyed and forgettable.

THE BOSTONIANS by HENRY JAMES(1886)
Second reading
In contrast to many of James's later novels, this is actually very readable. However, it is difficult for me (and according to my research, problematic for professional critics) to quite discern his intent and message. On the surface, this seems to be about a young charismatic girl who is torn between becoming a leading speaker in the woman's movement or a traditional subservient wife. Underneath the surface, the conflict is between the girl's old-maid mentor, who hates all men, and the Southern man who is physically appealing to her. In other words, the whole novel appears to be about a conflict between lesbianism and heterosexual attraction. Interesting, considering the time when this was written. It seems to me that James did not perceive either alternative to be indicative of lasting happiness.


BARNABY RUDGE by CHARLES DICKENS (1841)
Second reading
The titular character, Barnaby, is actually peripheral to the plot of this early Dickens novel, which centers on the Gordon Riots of 1870 against those of Catholic faith. It actually tries to do too much, as it encompasses a mystery (easily guessed very early), two love affairs, and the effects of the riots on the characters. It does, however, contain several very memorable characters, as is typical of Dickens. Later Dickens novels are more focused. This is for hard-core Dickens fans.


THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY by EDITH WHARTON (1913)
Second reading
A drama about the lust for money and power. The protagonist, Undine Spragg, is one of the easiest to hate in literature, as she destroys man after man in her quest for social status and a lavish lifestyle. It becomes infuriating to the reader that she succeeds just because she is beautiful and knows how to flirt. Edith Wharton is a wonderful writer, with a great talent for revealing character motivations. Her Age of Innocence is one of my favorite novels.


Sunday, July 28, 2019

BECOMING by MICHELLE OBAMA (2018)

Several years ago, just after Barack Obama was elected president, a good friend of mine remarked to me, "Don't talk to me about Michelle Obama. I despise her." I was quite taken aback, both by the vehemence in her voice and the use of the word "despise." I don't believe many people feel that strongly about a First-Lady. Coward that I am (or peace keeper, to give it a more favorable slant) I backed away from the subject. I didn't ask her why she felt that way. I suspected we had voted for different candidates, and I didn't want politics to interfere in our friendship. I wish now I had asked, because our friendship died anyway.

At the time I knew little about Michelle Obama, certainly not enough to know if I liked or disliked her. I knew that she was a lawyer, that she was attractive, and that she had a certain air of dignity which seemed appropriate for a FLOTUS. As the years of the Obama administrations passed, I was aware of her efforts to promote good nutrition and to fight childhood obesity. I was aware that she was criticized by some because school children didn't like their newly revised meals. Well, kids don't like to study history or English as much as they like to play video games. It's logical that they wouldn't like carrot sticks as well as they like tater tots. It seemed to me that people were looking for reasons to criticize.

This autobiography informed me of the multitude of things I did not previously know about Michelle Obama. For example:
*She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, which is not an affluent neighborhood;
*Her parents were working-class, not professionals;
*She graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School;
*She held a prestigious position at a major law firm before resigning to accept more rewarding work for non-profit agencies;
*She apparently always put her children first when considering any career decision;
*She is 5'11" tall. (I am always fascinated by tall people.)

After reading this book, I would consider Michelle Obama as entirely admirable. Of course, an autobiography invariably presents a favorable impression. I would also consider this to be well written. Of course, famous people sometimes employ ghost writers, but her education would lead one to believe that she actually did the writing herself.

I have long believed that most of the criticism of the Obamas stemmed from closet racism. I may be wrong. I hope so.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by TAYARI JONES (2018)

This is the story of a marriage in trouble. It is not solely because of some of the more commonplace stressors that face young couples, such as a lack of honesty or a difference in life goals. This couple's seemingly upwardly mobile lives are interrupted by events beyond their control.

Roy and Celeste, a young black couple, have journeyed to Louisiana to visit his family when he briefly interacts with a fellow guest at the motel where the couple is staying. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, they are awakened by police who tell them that the guest has accused Roy of rape. When he is subsequently convicted, Roy and Celeste must each face life alone while struggling to maintain their marriage tie despite the obvious obstacles.

The novel in narrated mostly by Roy and Celeste in turn, allowing the reader to understand the background and state of mind of both. A friend to both of them, Andre, narrates briefly about his involvement in their lives.

The questions to be answered, by Celeste and, by extension, by the reader: what is the right thing to do when familial and societal expectations contrast with hopes and desires; is self-sacrifice a product of pity or love; what do you do when you love two people, in different ways?

An American Marriage is written in sparse and straight-forward prose which flows well. The situations are emotionally charged and the plot is suspenseful. However, it had minimal impact, for me, at least. For someone who reads many books a year, it was not a waste of time, but for anyone who reads a limited number of books a year, I believe many other 2018 books would be more enjoyable and/or worthwhile.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

WARLIGHT by MICHAEL ONDAATJE (2018)

This is yet another novel I bought because of the writer, not because I had read glowing reviews. Michael Ondaatje is the author of The English Patient, recipient of England's Booker Prize in 1992, an extraordinary novel of the aftermath of battle in World War II. Warlight returns to that time period to examine the effects of war on one family, effects which linger long after "peace" has been declared.

Nathaniel, as an adult, remembers the time in 1945 when his mother and father left him and his sister, ostensibly to go overseas for the father's work, in the care of the enigmatic man they called The Moth, As a teenager, he experiences a strange coming-of-age through the odd acquaintances of The Moth, who seemingly take him under their protection. When their mother returns following an episode when Nathaniel and his sister are kidnapped and then rescued, she offers no explanations for the absence of the father or for where she has been.

Nathaniel is recruited by the Foreign Office when he is in his 20s, and begins to research records to gain some sense of what his mother had been involved in during and after the war. Through actual records and his recollections, filled in by his imagination, he arrives at a semblance of the truth of his mother's double life.

This is a very low-key novel. Despite being beautifully written, its emotional impact is negligible. It is definitely a "head" novel, to be appreciated intellectually.