Mark Reece's Blog, page 12

Review- Spring Snow

Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A sumptuously elegant and beautiful book, Spring Snow is the first novel of the 'Sea of Fertility' tetralogy. The novel tells the story of Kiyoaki Matsugae, a young man who is part of a family that is rising in wealth and power. Kiyoaki's father allowed him to be raised by the Ayakuras, who are an ancient, aristocratic family. Kiyoaki's relationship with the enigmatic Satoko Ayakura is central to the story.

The world in which Kiyoaki and Satoko live is one in which fine distinctions of etiquette are followed at all times. This creates considerable background tension, as scandal can be threatened by a glance that lingers too long, or a woman seeming of sorts after agreeing to a marriage. The writing expresses this sense brilliantly. There are highly memorable moments that would be mere anecdotes in the hands of lesser writers, such as when the families are embarrassed when a dead dog blocks a waterfall in a garden.

Another source is conflict is Kiyoaki's character. He is louche, lazy and changeable, although also widely considered handsome and elegant. He forms a strong contrast to his much more responsible friend Honda, who has less social status and thus largely bows to his wishes. Honda is training to be a lawyer, and his family also appears to be growing in influence, although in a less dramatic fashion to that of the Matsugaes. The novel is set in the 1910s, and the specter of imperial Japan looms in the background. Nationalists are emboldened enough to write articles criticizing the decadence of the old aristocracy, and it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Kiyoaki is an example of them, the trivialities of his character becoming more pronounced when set against the coming wars.

Aside from the intricate characterization, the beauty of the language elevates the novel to one of artwork. The passages focused on Kiyoaki are dreamy and elegant, whereas those focusing on Honda and the more practical members of the Matsugae family are brisk and precise. There are also some very funny scenes featuring Ayakura's father, the count, who is so elegant that he thinks it vulgar to take any action in a crisis, an attitude that infuriates everyone around him.

Spring Snow is a wonderful book, surely one of the finest works of the twentieth century.



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Review- By the sea

By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This protagonist of By The Sea, Saleh Omar, is a refugee, who arrives in the UK from Zanzibar. After pretending not to be able to speak English, the immigration authorities contact an 'expert in the area'- Latif Mahmud, to try to communicate with Omar. However, when hearing the name, Mahmud realizes that he is connected with Omar in a intricate way.

The book is highly discursive- it concerns the stories the characters tell each other and themselves. It seems that most, if not all the characters are unreliable in one way or another, or at least have not fully examined their past. There is a dreamy character to much of the novel as the characters seem to be mythologizing themselves, turning disputes and grievances from their past into epic tales.

The more concrete part of the work concerns the brusque, off-hand manner in which Omar is treated by the immigration authorities, who, in one unpleasant episode, steal some rare incense that he brought with him as the only item remaining of a despoiled fortune. Unfortunately, these sections have more than a ring of truth.

A fine, elegant novel.



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Review- Make Room! Make Room!

Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Make Room! Make Room! is set in a version of 1999 New York where the population has expanded beyond the city's ability to comfortably feed and home the populace. As such, most people live in degrading squalor. Although the perspective switches between a number of different characters, the main protagonist is Andrew Rusch, a detective in an extremely overworked police force, where the majority of crimes are barely investigated. Other significant characters include Billy, a Chinese boy looking for new ways to survive, and Shirl, a woman Rusch starts a relationship with after they meet during one of his cases.

The main strength of the book is the description of the created world. The surroundings are suitably grey and despoiled. Despite being poor himself, Rusch uncritically accepts the world around him, and is harshly critical of those trying to change it, in a way that feels very realistic. The book also feels well paced; it is the type of novel that can be read quickly.

There are flaws, however, that make both the plot and setup feel not fully realized. Firstly, the novel has only a single idea, which is harped on about repeatedly, that over-population is the source of all problems, and would be solved by birth control. There is no discussion of the inequality of power within the society, or why people need to have lots of children. It is also strange that no effort seems to have been made in this world to find alternative energy sources, or, in fact, to do anything to solve any of the problems. The world doesn't quite make sense; perhaps it would have benefited from a character who was in a more powerful social position, and so would be able to provide context for what had occurred.

Next, the characterization, and hence the plot, are ultimately unsatisfying. The central conflict of the story is between Rusch and Billy, but the significance of that conflict simply disappears part way through the book, meaning that its resolution is very low key. Also, the motivation of many of the secondary characters is unrealized. Shirl's bodyguard is very loyal for some reason; Shirl attaches herself to powerful men to survive, then doesn't, then does. These factors combine to make the book feel ultimately lightweight.

Make Room! Make Room! is an enjoyable, although ultimately shallow read; one feels that the main theme could have been tackled with more energy and sophistication.



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Story published

One of my short stories, 'One Day', was recently published in 'The Spectrum' magazine. It can be viewed on the following link:

https://s4.chorus-mk.thirdlight.com/f...

Review- The leaftcutter ants

The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct by Bert Hölldobler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A wonderful book by two eminent scientists, who possess the two gifts needed for popular science writing: the ability to condense research without simplifying it too far, and good writing. The book is an expansion of a chapter from The Superorganism by the same authors, where they introduce the concept of eusociality, which they define as:

1) Cooperative care for immature individuals.
2) Overlap of at least two generations in the same society.
3) The coexistence of reproductive and non-reproductive members.

This book examines the atta genera as an exemplary case of eusociality, given the intricate caste system that pertains within those species of ants. The head width of the leaf cutter workers varies from between 0.7 to 5 millimeters, with the interactions between them described as a production line, consisting of the workers of different sizes carrying out a variety of tasks, including cutting leaves from plants, breaking them into smaller parts, carrying them to the nest, then carrying out the variety of tasks necessary to incorporate them into the colony's fungal garden.

The book has a series of wonderful pictures, many of which were taken by Holldobler, which are not only beautiful, but add a lot to the text. This include pictures of ants themselves, and also excavations of nests (which made me a little sad, given the descriptions of the work that were put into building them).

The skill of the experiments conducted by myrmecologists to discover many different aspects of ant societies are incredible. There are many wonderful details in the book about, amongst other things, the manner in which leaf cutters use their mandibles to cut leaves, the nature of the biochemistry that ants use to communicate, and the incredible synergy between ants and fungus, which enables them, in combination, to lower the level of carbon dioxide in a nest to safe levels.

This is a short book, but a delightful one. It is science as a joyful thing.



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Review- The Snowman

The Snowman was recently playing at the Birmingham REP- slightly odd timing after Christmas, perhaps, but a fun performance nevertheless.

Ethan Sokontwe put in a boisterous, energetic performance as The Boy, and there was a good energy and pace to the show overall, with sufficient surprises, sets, and occasional bang to keep younger audience members entertained, if the laughter and occasional tears were anything to go by.

Sam Rodulfo also played a fun and skillful part as The Music Box Ballerina. It cannot have been easy to dance with partners who were wearing Snowman costumes!

Overall, a good showing of the story.

Review- The end of everything

The End of Everything by Katie Mack

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In this book, the astrophysicist Katie Mack discusses current understandings of how the universe might end. Although an interesting topic in itself, she also uses it as an introduction to current research interests in physics, such as the attempt to create a 'theory of everything' that would explain the commonalities between different physical forces (Mack describes how there are presently difficulties in explaining how gravity operates on a very small scale, for example).

The author adopts a good balance between explaining very complicated concepts in a way that is accessible to the general reader without simplifying them too far. In fact, a large proportion of the book is taken up with explanations, meaning that it also serves as a general introduction to physics. I would have liked to have seen a hint of the mathematics behind the models being presented, although that may have been impossible in a book written at the 'popular science' level. As it is, the book provides a narrative of the findings of contemporary physics without the workings out.

Mack also discusses large science projects, such as the Large Hydron Collidor (LHC), and the James Watt telescope, and how the data they will gather relate to the various unsolved problems physicists are trying to resolve. For example, Mack explains how the LHC aims (amongst other things) to determine how the rules of quantum mechanics interact with other physical laws. I found this very useful, as it is often difficult to understand news reports of such projects that explain that scientists value them highly, without the wider context.

Like the best popular science books, Mack has an obvious enthusiasm about the topic, and is a good writer. Combining these features with the inherent interest of the subject creates a winning combination.



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Review- Lolita

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I didn't enjoy this. The plot and themes are well enough known not to need repeating, but unpleasant though they are, the major problem for me was the shallowness of the narrator, Humbert. In many of the write ups, he is said to be romantic and intellectual, but I found him to be unbearably pretentious and dull. Given that the novel entirely revolves around him, his lack of depth soon became tedious.

It's not obvious the extent to which Humbert is intended to be an unreliable narrator. In some ways, it seems that he must be, as his impression of Lolita seems implausible. Also, his interpretation of events often feels fantastic. On the other hand, he seems to be honest sometimes, calling himself a monster and a rapist. Ultimately, however, I don't care much.



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Review- The Trial

The Trial by Franz Kafka

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A fantastic book, one of the outstanding novels of the twentieth century, The Trial is said to be unfinished, but feels in many ways as finished as it could ever be.

It begins with the protagonist, Josef K, being arrested on a mysterious charge that no one can explain, after which, he is permanently on trial for his life in a prosecution that appears to run parallel to the official justice system. It is a system that has all the hallmarks of a real court- officials, judges, courtrooms, but that has no rules amenable to outsiders, and from which no ultimate escape is possible. It is located in the attics of residential houses and has officials acting in numerous unofficial capacities, including lawyers, torturers, and even painters. The trial has often been said to anticipate totalitarian rule, but perhaps reflects a wider tendency towards authoritarianism in all modern societies.

K is often the only part of the narrative that feels definitively real, and he is passive and rebellious by turn, although his resistance, when it occurs, always has definitive limits. For example, he never considers violently resisting arrest or running away to start a new life. Whilst being investigated for his life, he is still concerned about maintaining the proprieties of his job as a senior clerk in a bank, even as he discovers that the secret court has torture chambers built into the building. He never tries to publicize his position, or seek help beyond the contacts of his family and business associates. In this, he is distinctively lower middle class, but his respectable outlook and reserved manner ultimately do not help him.

The novel contains long passage in which the lore and mythology of the secret court are given, including a parable of a man who waits his entire life to enter the court, only to die in the attempt. A series of explanations are given by the priest who tell K the story, each as dense of medieval theology. In the hands of a less skilled author, or a less accomplished book, this slowing of the pace might have been jarring. However, in The Trial, it feels entirely apposite, and as real as any of the action sequences.

For such a personal, and painful vision, The Trial feels so fresh and vibrant today. It is a great novel of tremendous influence that feels as if it could have been written either yesterday or transported here from five hundred years in the future.



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Review- The prime of miss Jean Brodie

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a very intriguing book that feels more mysterious than its plain language might at first suggest. The miss Jean Brodie of the title is a charismatic, whimsical, and eccentric school mistress, who picks a 'set'- a group of school girls she will confide in and single out for special attention. Brodie is also a rebel against the school hierarchy- abandoning the curriculum and teaching 'her girls' things of personal interest instead- including the story of how her past lover died in world war one (in circumstances that feel highly idealized).

Although the story is told through the perspective of various members of the Brodie set, Jean Brodie herself dominates the narrative in the same way that she dominates the lives of her favourites. At first, she is unmistakably likeable, in the way that charismatic, cultured people are, and the reader is on her side as she battles against Miss Mackay, the dour head teacher who schemes to dismiss her and encourages her to apply to a progressive school. However, as time goes on, this picture becomes complex, as Brody describes her admiration for fascism and Nazism, and her trivial nature becomes more apparent. She describes that one painter is better than another because 'they are my favourite'; after the second world war, she declares that 'Hitler was a bit naughty'.

Furthermore, in retrospect, the fact that she constantly invites selected young students out to dine at her home seems sinister. This becomes more pronounced as time passes, when Brody tries to manipulate one member of her set- Rose- to have an affair with Terry Lloyd, the art master. Brody's influence reaches a terrible peak when she persuades another girl who was excluded from her set to go to fight for Franco, where she dies. It is testament to the skill of the writing that Brody still seems so attractive, which perhaps also serves as a warning against charisma.

The book skips around in time, with the fate of several of the girls of the Brody set told in advance, briskly and off hand, such as Mary Macgregor, who dies young in a hotel fire. The definitive although vague descriptions are reminiscent of the way that Brody herself talks. They are also willful and very funny, which is what makes this book so fun to read. And also, perhaps, why Jean Brody is not a definitive villain, despite her terrible shortcomings.

I really enjoyed this short novel, which I read in two days and am destined to re-read. It is a wonderfully skillful and archly written book.



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