Jul-Aug 2015 Group Read

[Dan]

The results of our first poll (https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...) for the New Weird Group Read are in! We will be reading Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link, a short story collection. One of the stories apparently is about a house that gets haunted by having a horde of bunnies appear on the front lawn. Sounds original, doesn't it?

If this book interests you as well, please feel free to share your observations here as you start to read it. I propose a ground rule for our group reads. Since they are going to be bi-monthly (for now), let's agree that posts made in the first month (July) can not contain spoilers. However, posts made the second month (August) can contain spoilers. Therefore, if you have not read the book by August 1, and want to avoid spoilers, don't look at comments in this topic starting August 1.

Cool! Who else is looking forward to reading this book? What do you think of the cover?

[Dan]

My copy of the book arrived today. I ordered it used for less than $4 including shipping from www.bookfinder.com and noticed more copies were for sale at that price. I was expecting a pink book, but my copy was the white cover one. The white makes the interesting portrait painting stand out well.

I read the first story, "The Faery Handbag" and liked it! It's not great literature. You won't find me gushing in praise for the writing itself. Kelly Link is no Angela Carter. Her command of craft and word choice is not consummate. Nevertheless, the first story is just a solid introductory story to a promising collection. There is a word flourish every once in a while, just when you think Link doesn't have it in her, and I appreciate that. It keeps this reader intrigued and on his toes.

When I finished the story, I wondered at first is this really "New Weird"? There's nothing all that horrifying going on. In fact, the story strongly resembles a typical fantasy story. Just as in so many fantasy stories, a main feature of this one is the transition from this world into the fantastic world where the rules change. How this transition gets made is an aspect of their story fantasy writers give much thought. In C. S. Lewis's Narnia series, for example, the transition point is the wardrobe. For Harry Potter it's the train from station nine and a half. The transition gate really helps set the tone.

Kelly Link does something very interesting with the transition gate in this first story. She makes it the entire story! This is weird, really weird, even . . . dare I say it? . . . new weird. What happens after the transition is of no consequence. We aren't even informed of what takes place in the other world the minor characters go to, only that time runs differently, just as you would expect it to.

This is a transition as story. What a concept! How can a story be about only the transition? The transition as described by Link is not in the least exceptional, though the handbag as gate is original. The rather generic characters of the story treat it as something fairly commonplace to the extent they think of it at all. How can a story about an unexceptional transition gate sustain a reader's interest? If you're curious, read the story and give me your take. Does a story about the process and not the result work for you as well?

[Dan]

I was disappointed in this book. I gave it two stars because I reserve my one-star rating for truly offensive trash written by an incompetent hack. This book isn't that. Kelly Link has writing ability and I believe the book can appeal to certain types of readers who bring different expectations than I do, readers who for example can appreciate most post-modern literature. That's not me. Here's my review:

If you are a person who reads stories and likes characters to have clear motivations, likes plots in which protagonists are trying to overcome obstacles for a meaningful reason, obstacles set up by antagonists who operate from their own explicit motivations, then Kelly Link's stories are not for you. I prefer stories of the kind just described. They are part of my expectations when I read a story. If I give those expectations up to read a Kelly Link story, I don't enjoy myself. Therefore, I stopped reading Link's book after page 70 or so when it became clear to me these the only kinds of story Kelly Link tells are ones where mood, atmosphere, and character mean more than plot, climax, or thematic point. I can't appreciate Kelly Link's work.

[Dan]

Are most of the books on the New Weird list equally devoid of plot?