Jerome Parisse's Blog, page 18

Gone, by Mo Hayder

I recently reviewed The Devil of Nanking, by Mo Hayder, which I loved. Gone is a bit different, it is part of a series featuring Jack Caffery, a murder detective; however it is great as a standalone book as well. I really liked it. Hayder is a great writer of thrillers. She keeps you on edge all the way, and you honestly don't know who's done it until the very end. Her books are scary. In Gone, a car is stolen with a girl sitting in the back. What initially looks like a car jacking turns out to be a kidnap… and this won't be the last one. As we witness another car jack and another kidnap, our hearts keep sinking. To be honest, it's hard to read the book without flinching. I liked the plot, it's clever, and it is a great page turner. What also makes it special is the back stories of the different characters, which are interwoven with the main plot. Unlike with some other crime novels, these back stories all sound true and fascinating – none of the characters is either black or white, and I liked that. Another interesting point is that in spite of Jack Caffery being the lead protagonist, he does not solve the riddle all by himself, there is a real team behind, and Jack is more like a music director. The victims also play a big role in the story, and I found that great. As for Hayder's writing, it's precise, evocative, and exactly what is needed for the story. It's truly good writing. If you're after a great thriller to keep you on your toes, this is the one!

My blogging friend Niki-Ann has written a great review of Gone as well. You can read it here.

Boracay, twenty years later

It's Tuesday and I'm back from Boracay, in the Philippines, where I spent Chinese New Year. The last time I was there was twenty years ago. At the time, the island was still pretty isolated with a small village and a few low-key, thatched-roof huts for the odd tourist who dared to venture there. Running water and electricity were still a luxury. You felt very far away from civilisation, in one of those few places where time stops. And of course the island was stunning, with one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Twenty years later, the beach is still as beautiful as ever – truly amazing. The water is crystal clear, and the coconut trees and the thick vegetation lining the shore make for a fantastic backdrop. However, a small airport has been built in Caticlan, on a nearby island, only ten minutes by boat from Boracay, and this has allowed the island to grow its tourist activity. In the past you had to fly to Kalibo and take a two-hour bus ride to Caticlan; you can still do it these days if you want a cheaper flight. But with an airport nearby, the influx of tourists has grown tremendously. There are now two or three luxury resorts at each end of the island, and at its centre, a string of tourist accommodation, bars and stores has developed. In fact I could hardly believe the number of people on the island! Luckily, they tend to stay near their hotel and the bars, so you can still escape the hustle-bustle. Boracay has lost some of its old charm, but it remains amazingly beautiful. It is cheap, and the Filipinos are as lovely as ever, a smile always crossing their face, eager to welcome visitors. Boracay has even become a kite-surfing mecca, and it hosts a series of competitions each year. The old Boracay is gone, but the new one is not bad. If you want to experience what the island was twenty years ago, there are a million other islands waiting to be discovered in the Philippines. At the moment, El Nido seems to be the place to go. Personally, my next trip will be to Donsol, near Legazpi, to swim with whale sharks…

Hereafter

I was looking forward to seeing Hereafter, by Director the screens a few days ago in Hong Kong. I liked the title, the topic and some of the actors, such as Matt Damon and Cecile de France. The story is about three people who have a keen interest on afterlife: an American psychic (Matt  Damon) whose life has been ruined because of his abilities, a British young boy (Frankie and George McLaren) who loses his twin brother, and a French journalist (Cecile de France) who has a near-death experience during a tsunami in Asia. During their individual search for "something", their lives will intersect and impact each other forever. It's a bit disappointing. The movie is slow – in fact, almost nothing happens - and it could have been half an hour shorter. You don't get answers, nor insights into the afterlife: the movie is about the lives of the three protagonists at a certain point in time. It's flat. Having said that, the first scene of the movie which shows the French journalist being taken away by the Tsunami while holidaying at a beach resort in Asia, is absolutely fantastic, and scary.

Speaking of which, I am off to the island paradise of Boracay (Philippines) for a few days to escape the Chinese New Year madness of Hong Kong, so you won't hear from me for a while. The last time I went to Boracay was more than twenty years ago; I have heard that it has developed a lot since. We'll see… I will make sure to let you know in a next post. It will be good though to find warm weather again. Of course, I am taking a few books with me, starting with Gone (Mo Hayder), Les yeux jaunes des crocodiles (Katherine Pancol), and The First Day (Marc Levy). Talk to you when I get back!

Two Brothers

I saw Two Brothers on the weekend, a lovely story about two tigers whose father gets killed and who are separated shortly after birth in Cambodia. They lead very different lives for about one year until they are reunited by chance and recognise each other. They will go back to the wild and find their mother. This is not a new film; it dates from 2004. What triggered my wanting to see it is that it was partly filmed in Beng Mealea, a temple that I visited a few months ago in Cambodia, a magical place. The movie is cute and the tigers are beautiful. And , who plays the role of an explorer, is very good as usual. In fact he is one of my favourite actors, and this has nothing to do with the fact that he is Australian. You may recall his stellar performances in Memento, L.A. Confidential or in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. He also starred recently in Animal Kingdom, which I highly recommend. Jean-Jacques directed Two Brothers.

Miserere by Jean-Christophe Grange

I've just finished Miserere, Jean-Christophe Grange's latest thriller. I don't think it's been translated into English yet (I read it in French) but I am sure it will soon – most of his other thrillers have been translated into many languages. This one's typical Grange: out there, weird, shocking, but lacking something. The story is about two cops (more exactly one cop and one ex-cop) who, when trying to solve the mystery surrounding a few shocking murders, discover a colony on the French territory, a State within the State where children are tortured to study their voice and screams, with the aim of creating the perfect weapon (Killing with the human voice). The plot isn't bad, you are dragged into the story and kept wondering where it will lead to. I found, however, that there were too many holes in the story – the ending for example is totally unsatisfying: very easy, not credible and disappointing. But Grange's tour-de-force in this novel is to create two main characters whom it is very hard to like; these cops have all the problems you could think of, and more; their lives have been destroyed in many ways; they are far from perfect, but without any redeeming features; they are rude, racist, homophobic and pathetic. I'm sorry, I may be old-fashioned but I need some connection with the main characters to enjoy a novel. There is also something that left me wondering in the first part of the book: the protagonists' homophobia is so strong – the choice of vocabulary for a start – that I couldn't help wonder if it was theirs of Grange's. To tell the truth I felt very uneasy about it and it irked me. Last, Grange's writing lacks subtlety. Two examples: his use of similes is often wrong. I have no doubt that he has learned his lesson well and that he tries to use similes to add colour and texture to his writing, but alas, they often don't work because he uses them in the wrong context. He sometimes uses positive comparisons in dark contexts and vice-versa.  Were it to create some kind of effect, I would have no problem with it, but I am pretty sure this is not the case here. Some of the similes are even so out of context that they attract attention to themselves and affect the reading. The second big problem with his writing, from my point of view, is the excessive use of short sentences without subject; in fact, these sentences are often just one word. On page 358 for example, he writes (my translation): "Universal Key. Stairs. Safety perimeter." And a few lines later: "They closed the door. Entered the music chamber. Locked the blinds and turned the lights on."Once again, this would be good if it were used sparsely, but not on every page. I had read other novels by Grange before, but this one's put me off for a while.

The Great Wall of China

I couldn't go on with my tour of China's interesting tourist spots without mentioning the Great Wall, of course. Many visitors to Beijing take the opportunity to spend a day visiting this amazing piece of human history. Most people go to the nearest sections of the Wall, which are also the most touristy and crowded: Badaling (70 km North-West of Beijing) and Mutianyu (90 km North-East of Beijing). These two parts of the Wall have been restored. I personally prefer parts of the Wall that are further from Beijing, such as Simatai and Jinshanling; in fact, I highly recommend the 10 km hike on the Wall from Jinshanling to Simatai (or vice versa). This walk is not for the faint-hearted, as you sometimes find yourself perched on steep passages or watchtowers, but the Wall has never been restored and its original appearance of more than 400 years old has been best preserved, so you get a real feeling of what it is like. Simatai is known for its steepness and authenticity; the main attraction points have fabulous names such as Stairway to Heaven, Fairy Tower, and Heaven Bridge. Simatai is divided into two sections (eastern and western) by a reservoir; a suspension bridge connects them and it's fun to cross it. The views from the top of the Wall are amazing, and you will not meet many people in those sections. Most visitors take about four hours for the hike. At the end, you can simply walk down or take a zip-line, which is fast and a lot of fun (if you trust the material…).

A few facts about the Great Wall of China:

stretching approximately 8,850 kilometers (5,500 miles) from east to west
construction lasted 2,000 years, from the Warring States Period (476 BC – 221 BC) to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) 
some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared; in some places you will see sheep and cattle grazing on the Wall
the sections we see today were mostly built during the Ming Dynasty
listed as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987

I have so many photos of the Wall that it made it hard to choose which ones to post. Here are a few.

Shanghai (the film)

In Japanese-occupied Shanghai, four months before Pearl Harbor, an American spy () returns to the city to find one of his good friends murdered. While trying to solve the mystery of his friend's death, he falls in love with a powerful Chinese woman and discovers secrets hidden by the US Government. This story is not particularly exciting, but I found the actors pretty good, especially and . I was also interested in the depiction of life in Shanghai in the forties, when it was still an international settlement with a fascinating mixture of Chinese, Japanese, British, Americans, French and Germans. While the film does not quite achieve its goal of giving a real impression of life in Shanghai at the time, there are beautiful impressions of the Bund and of other landmark buildings. It's all a bit black and white at times, but quite entertaining (if you manage to push aside the killings and the war, that is).

E-books for free until 6 February!

The following three e-books are offered for free on Smashwords until 6 February 2011! You just need to enter the following coupon codes on the purchase page, and you will be able to download the books for free (in various formats). Hurry-up though, they are only available until 6 February. If you like them, don't hesitate to post feedback on Amazon!

The Wings of Leo Spencer - Coupon code: DN99J

Body Swap - Coupon code: HJ39W

My Sister's Choice - Coupon code: WN47G

A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

I enjoyed reading "A Spot of Bother" by Mark Haddon, the author of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time". It is the story of a family getting ready for a wedding, but nothing goes as planned of course. George, the father, discovers a lesion on his hip and thinks the worst, starting to slowly lose his mind. His wife Jean is having an affair with an ex-colleague of his. His gay son Jamie is having relationship issues of his own; and his daughter Katie is having second thoughts about getting married… I won't say more as I don't want to spoil the book. Each character is well crafted and contributes to a funny, fast-paced story where something happens in every chapter. Haddon is a master of voices. He did it in "The Curious Incident…" and he's doing it again in this one. Haddon has managed to capture George's voice particularly well as he is sinking into depression and madness. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the main characters, and this is highly entertaining. This is an easy read, but probably not one that will stay with you forever: the messages may be important, but they are not unusual. At times the story feels even a little forced, almost turning into slap-stick comedy. But despite its flaws, I found it a good read, and you may agree with me as long as you don't come to it expecting another tour-de-force like "The Curious Incident…".

Her Name was Sarah (Sarah's Key)

I don't know what Tatiana de Rosnay's novel "Sarah's Key" is like, but I found the movie based on it, "Her name was Sarah", outstanding. This 2010 film was directed by  and stars , one of my favourite actresses. Scott Thomas is just perfect as Julia Jarmond, a journalist who is in charge of writing a story about Sarah, a ten year-old girl arrested with her family by the French police in Paris in July 1942, along many other Jewish people. Sarah locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment to make sure he does not get arrested and makes him promise to remain quiet until she comes back for him a few hours later. Unfortunately, she will be made prisoner in a camp outside Paris, waiting to be deported to a concentration camp in Germany or Poland. Jarmond will do everything she can to uncover the truth about what really happened to Sarah and her family, and this will drag her much further than she could ever have imagined when she started writing her article. This is a terrible story, but unfortunately the story of millions of Jews during the second World War. The film touches on the responsibility of the French in the event, it touches on what happened to some of the prisoners, on what happened to their houses, on what happened to their families… It is impossible not to feel for Sarah and her terrible fate – many people in the audience had tears in their eyes – but it is not another holocaust story. It is about Sarah, her life and her death – and what it means to be human. I loved it. Scott Thomas is bilingual, and she was perfect for the role. I'm going to watch it again.