Reading 1001 discussion
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282. Waterland (Graham Swift) ****
Tom Crick, a high school history teacher, is being pushed into retirement, as his wife, Mary, goes nuts and kidnaps a baby in a nearby Safeways. But it is through their respective family's and the Fens' history that we can get a better understanding of why Tom and Mary's story got to where they are. Swift's writing is in some way reminiscent of Patrick Suskind's Perfume (compare, for example, the debauchery induced by the Coronation Ale to the orgy caused by the release of Grenouille's perfect perfume). Even though some passages might feel slow, just a slow river full of silt, this remains a very entertaining read. And, oh, I would love to put my hands on an Atkinson India Pale Ale or just have a sip of that Coronation Ale...
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283. Ulysses (James Joyce) ****
This was second attempt at reading this modernist masterpiece, and I made it through this time! My rating reflects my reading experience (a three-star) as well as the appreciation for Joyce's genius (definitely five-star). In short, we are following the tribulations of Stephen Dedalus and Leopold Bloom in Dublin on the 16th June 1904. The novel is divided in 18 episodes, which mirror the parts of Homer's Odysseus. If I can hazard a painting/photography comparison, it is almost as if you were visiting an exhibition assembling works of Dali, Picasso, Magritte, Bacon, Miro, Man Ray, all juxtaposed next to each other. You would need to spend some time to understand some of the meaning behind those works, while also trying to find links between these works, despite their various styles.
This is by no means an easy read. You must come prepared and with the expectation that it won't be easy. If you expect Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day or Mrs 'Arris goes to Paris, you shouldn't even start this book. The first three episodes, mostly through the stream-of-consciousness of Stephen Dedalus, are extremely hard, enough to make you give up altogether. But then Bloom is introduced, whose character is much more down-to-earth and easier to understand than the very cerebral and erudite Stephen. The following episodes, despite their various styles, are much easier to go through. There is another hurdle in The Oxen of the Sun, but after that, it becomes a much easier reading experience. The last three episodes were the most enjoyable to read, even Penelope through Molly's stream-of-consciousness, a 40-odd page marathon consisting of less than 10 sentences.
It is impossible to gain an understanding of everything that is going on in this novel, as there are so many jokes and references that probably only Joyce could understand. This being said, more can be gained by having access to a good reading guide (like Gifford's) or to the use of detailed explanatory notes (just like the edition I read, which uses a lot of material from Gifford). Also, this is a novel which should be re-read with the benefit of hindsight, in the sense that you would know how to prepare for it better for the next time.
Here's my piece of advice for those attempting this novel:
1- Preliminary reading: Homer's Odyssey is a must, this will enable you to understand some of the stylistic choices Joyce made for his episodes; all of Shakespeare, especially Hamlet, but also some of the lesser known plays; Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; the Bible; some Aristotle and Plato; some history of Ireland, focusing on the late 19th century/beginning of 20th century.
2- Get a good edition with explanatory notes and/or a good reading guide (like Gifford), otherwise you will be quite lost.
3- Read it in bite-size pieces. I tried to limit myself to 25 pages per sitting, and it seemed to work. If you go for longer, you will probably get bored/irritated/lost. If needed, keep some back-up reading material to relieve the possible frustration.
4- Expect not to understand everything (very important), but expect to laugh at times and enjoy the bits that are clearer to understand (Bloom contains a fair few of these moments).
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284. The Left-Handed Woman (Peter Handke) ***
A middle-aged woman decides all of a sudden, for no apparent sudden, to ask her husband to leave, so she can live on her own with her child. This main action of the novel promised at least an interesting plot or some development. But, no, this is Handke. True, we can see the woman (named Marianne by all characters, though the narrator persists in naming her "the woman") enjoying some freedom at first, then slowly falling into gradual solitude and depression. But the interactions between the characters are sometimes far-fetched, too cold and puzzling for normal human relationships, to be plausible. It seems that the end shows all characters getting on with their lives, as following an ineluctable path. The novel's title refers to a song listened to by the woman towards the end, but also alludes to the historical stigma attached to left-handed people, seen as different from the "more normal" right-handed people, and draws a parallel to Marianne's decision to do something that was rather left-field (no pun intended) in leaving her husband (it should be noted that there is no indication that Marianne is herself left-handed). Curious, but most accessible of Handke's novels, which still leaves you dumbfounded, asking yourself "why?".
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285. The Unnameable (Samuel Beckett) ***
The Unnameable is this omniscient narrator, this "I" or "me" who exists and does not exist. In this "novel", Beckett does away with most of the usual narrative tools (no defined time, no defined space, no defined plot) to provide us with a soliloquy from this omniscient narrator who has to speak but cannot speak, who is silent but yearns for silence, who is nowhere but is everywhere, who tells stories (including Mahood's and Worm's) but is not sure whether these are his own stories or others'. Not the easiest read, considering that it is all stream-of-consciousness (including a 133-page paragraph), but it's much easier (and at times more enjoyable) than Joyce.
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286. The Drowned World (J. G. Ballard) *** 1/2
In the dystopian, but somewhat prescient novel, we are in 2145, the ice caps have melted due to an over-abundance of solar flares; most of the world as we know is now submerged and has reverted to jungle-like Triassic conditions, the world's population having retreated beyond what was known has the Arctic Circle. Robert Kerans and a few other scientists are asked by the military to leave their testing station in the lagoons of what was known as London, as the climatic conditions have now become unbearable. In defiance but also under some primeval influence for the nature around them, Kerans, Dr Bodkin and Beatrice Dahl decide to remain at the station. Their decision backfires when a group of pirates accompanied with an army of alligators shows up to loot the remains of underwater London.
This was written in 1962, well before most of humanity became concerned with the impacts of man-made climate change. Hence, the label 'prescient' rather than 'prophetic' should be attached to this novel. What makes this piece of science-fiction even more compelling is that Ballard also focused on the possible impacts on human behaviour following these climate changes. And the whole is rendered quite plausible. I am usually not a huge fan of science-fiction, but this one got me. This is miles better than Heinlein or Lovecraft.
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287. Crash (J.G. Ballard) ***
As teenagers today would probably put it, Vaughan, Ballard and most of the other characters of this novel are "sick f**ks" who derive an unhealthy sexual obsession with cars and car crashes. This obsession is pushed to its ultimate limit when Vaughan fatally attempts in vain to create a (sexual) car crash with Elizabeth Taylor. This very graphic novel, almost on par on this level with American Psycho, deals with the conflict between humans and technology, and how the latter is affecting our lives in ways which could ultimately lead us to death. The writing style is quite similar to other of his works (well, at least The Drowned World), but some repetitive aspects (in words and in scenes) irritated me a bit, despite their use in highlighting the obsession driving (no pun intended) the characters. This is definitely not a joyride (no pun intended), but is nonetheless interestingly readable.
If Ballard were still alive (he died in 2009) and were to write a similar novel today, I think that it would center on the obsession with hand-held devices (smartphones, iPads and the like), which nowadays drive the lives of many people into a sort of virtual world, which at first focuses on the narcissistic self (and if sex was involved, he would talk not only about sexting, but about masturbation addictions), but ultimately leads to death (in this case, it would probably be a narcissistic and lonely death: suicide). How many times did we already hear stories of people addicted to gaming, who started to neglect themselves and others (I recall the story of couple in Japan/Korea who let their baby starve to death, as they were too busy gaming), and ultimately died in a gaming binge (this happened a fair few times in China)...
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288. Flaubert's Parrot (Julian Barnes) ***
I am not too sure about how to describe my appreciation for this book. It started well, with the story of the parrot and the first investigative steps taken by the narrator in order to establish the truth in this matter. But, by the time we reach the "Train-Spotter's Guide to Flaubert" chapter, I felt that the novel went off the tracks (no pun intended, maybe it is just coincidence or irony) and that we were going nowhere. True, all this investigative meandering and the different narrative techniques used were meant to show us that art can mimic life and that, if we sift through history's layers of dust (or the museum's forgotten stuffed parrots), we can never really find the truth; but the reading experience from that point on became a bit tedious, even though learning a bit more about Flaubert was a bonus. Nevertheless, if I were to compare between this novel and Byatt's Possession as examples of literary investigation, the former would win hands down.
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289. Professor Martens' Departure (Jaan Kross) *** 1/2
In this historical fiction, we follow the final journey of Friedrich Martens, Estonian international law specialist and diplomat of the late Czarist era, on the 7th June 1909 (Julian calendar) by train between Pärnu and St. Petersburg. He died suddenly at the Valga train station. During the trip from Pärnu to Valga, he reminisce about various events affecting his life, from his career successes and setbacks to his relationship with his wife, Kati, and his infidelities, also including the amazing parallels his life had with his other famous namesake, Georg Martens, who also made his name in the Napoleon era as a German international law specialist (many coincidental events happening 89 years apart). This memoir-like novel provides a fascinating view of international diplomacy at the turn of the centuries and a glimpse into the diminishing importance (and increasing impotence) of monarchies in the political landscape. It is a very interesting read for historical buffs, which also covers interesting aspects of human relationships (fidelity, envy, trust).
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290. Surfacing (Margaret Atwood) **
Late 60s/early 70s. The narrator and three of her friends drive to a remote location in Northern Quebec to try and find her missing dad. The further the search goes, the more her past surfaces, the more her lost identity is revealed. At the end, she went bonkers and on an accidental mushroom trip, and ran around naked hoping that fur would grow on her body.
This novel disappointed me on many levels. I wanted to give Atwood another chance after a so-so appreciation of her Blind Assassin. It failed; while the first part was somewhat enjoyable, as soon as they arrived at the island, I nearly lost interest. As I am parochial sucker, I was quite enthused by the fact that the novel takes place in a Northern Quebec region called Abitibi. Nice area to visit, if you like forests and taiga landscapes. But I get the feeling that Atwood has never set foot there, as she would have known the unfortunate implications of having sex in the woods or running stark naked near lakes and streams in that region: being devoured alive by bulldog flies and mosquitoes. Also, the strong brand of early 70s feminism pervades the novel, and I felt that my manly eyes were not welcomed over Atwood's text, as most men (if not all) in the novel (and out of it) are to various degrees chauvinistic pigs. Finally, the last few chapters where the narrator completely loses it and transitions to a near-animal state were probably a bit too far-fetched to be an interesting conclusion or a justified method to find oneself's identity. How many more Atwoods to read? Why do most Canadian authors on the List suck?
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291. Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) *** 1/2
In this novel, we follow the Ibo clan life of Okonkwo and his subsequent struggles arising from his banishment from the clan and from the effects of British colonization and the introduction of Christianism in what is now Nigeria today. Very good eye-opened on traditional African way of life and on the tensions arising from colonialism in Africa. Achebe writing style is simple, quite objective and rich of his culture as well as that of his ancestors. No wonder this has become a classic of African literature.
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292. Hyperion (Hölderlin) **
A classic from the German Romanticism period. Hyperion, a bit of an idealist, craves about Beauty, finds it in some of his friends and Diotima, wishes that Greece becomes an ideal of Beauty again, embarks himself with the Russians to chase the Turks away and liberate Greece, realizes that his Greek compatriots only think of destruction and don't give two hoots about Beauty, becomes disillusioned and wants to be killed in battle, lets Diotima know and causes her to despair, survives the battle and tries in vain to convince Diotima to exile, she chose to die (suicide or despair, no one is sure), Hyperion leaves Greece for Germany where he realizes how low the German people is compared to his ideal of Beauty. Well, that's how I understood it. It was painful and tedious to read. It felt like a bad mixture of Nietzsche and Gide, even though Hölderlin was definitely a predecessor. Nevertheless, it is good to know that he was mates with Hegel and Schelling, so that explains why it felt a bit idealist. From the same period, I definitely prefer to read Rousseau or Voltaire.
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293. Jakob the Liar (Jurek Becker) **** 1/2
In a Polish ghetto towards the end of WWII, Jakob accidentally comes across an uplifting piece of information: the Russian Army has progressed to within a few hundred kilometres from their town. Fearing that he wouldn't be believed when telling his Jewish neighbours and friends, he creates the first lie (he heard it from his radio set) which would lead to so many others, shielding them from the truth while providing them hope that better days are to come. Funny at times, tragic at others, this beautiful novel is expertly written in a somewhat derisive tone (this is (about) Jewish humour, after all). The story is highly reminiscent of some aspects of the movie Life is Beautiful, where Benigni's character explains to his son that life in the camp is just a huge game where prizes are to be won. The best read I have had in a long time (perhaps since Animal's People).
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294. Half of a Yellow Sun (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) ****
Until I read this book, the word "Biafra" had always conjured up memories of childhood threats invoked by my mum at dinner time; she was always berating me about finishing my plate and not to waste food, as I had to think about all the Biafrans who had nothing to eat. So, I only had the starvation part of the Biafran story...
This novel, through its five main characters (sisters Olanna and Kainene, Westernized academic Odenigbo, British expat and Biafran enthusiast Richard, and houseboy Ugwu), meanders through the Biafran civil war from its genesis to its conclusion, examining the period and its impacts on the protagonists. This is not only a novel about Biafra, but it is probably the closest thing to be Biafra. For such a young author, this book is literally a tour-de-force of maturity and understanding of human relationships. I realized that, even after reading Things Fall Apart by Achebe, I clearly had no real idea or understanding of the African reality and the African mind; now I see a bit better.
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295. A Suitable Boy (Vikram Seth) ****
This huge novel provides a panoramic view of the (mostly) middle class of Indian society a few years after Independence from the UK and Partition from Pakistan, through the peregrinations of four families with different backgrounds. While the main focus is on the quest of a suitable husband for Lata Mehra, the novel also explores the various aspects of relationships between Hindus and Muslims (Maan Kapoor vs Saeeda Bai; Maan vs Firoz Khan; Maan vs Rasheed; Mahesh Kapoor vs Nawab Sahib of Baitar; Lata vs Kabir Durrani; the Raja of Marh) and among Hindus (Arun Mehra and his cheating wife, Meenakshi Chatterji; the colorful Chatterji family; Haresh Khanna vs Kedarnath Tandon and Jagat Ram). It also offers a very good overview of the politics of the time, with the shaky Indian Congress, the Zamindari Acts and the policies which seemed to be detrimental to the Muslim minority still in India after the Partition. It is a definite page-turner, despite its length; nevertheless, there are two things that I did not thoroughly enjoyed throughout the book. First, I felt that chapters focusing on Maan's exile in Rudhia with Rasheed were probably not as enthralling. Second, at times, it really had the feeling of one of those Asian soaps produced in Taiwan or Korea, with some dramatic elements, but with a somewhat predictable good ending.
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296. Alamut (Vladimir Bartol) ****
This is a fictional account of the emergence of the Assassins or Hashshashin, an Ismailite sect lead by Hassan-i Sabbah from the fortress of Alamut in today's Iran. The tale follows very closely the controversial account of the group made by Marco Polo on his return from the Orient. Bartol wrote this story in 1938, a period during the Italian Fascists agitated in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and allegedly orchestrated the murder of King Alexander I. The novel, and its motto ("Nothing is real, all is permitted"), are absolutely relevant to our era, when one thinks of the recruitment techniques of ISIL and their deliberate use of social media to instill terror in Western governments and populations. Although the novel started fairly slowly, the pace and the meanders of the plot started to be more obvious from the fifth chapter onwards. This is compelling reading, highlighting the dangers of mass manipulation, whether from political powers or even the media.
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297. Death Sentence (Maurice Blanchot) **
The original French title of this novel, L'arrêt de mort, can bear two meanings: it is first a "death sentence", but it is also a "stay of execution". This ambiguity is apparently at the heart of this novel, with its two distinct parts and the constant complaints from the narrator about the relative impossibility of finding the words to describe what happens (happened). The first part covers the agony of J., suffering from an incurable disease, experiencing some sort of second wind, only to be killed by the narrator via drug overdose. The second part explores the narrator's relationships with three different women in Paris at the beginning of WWII. To be completely honest, I had to read the book's description in the 1001 List book in order to get a better understanding of what I had just read, because it felt like I had just read another book from Handke. After reading the first part, I thought the second would provide me some enlightenment. I was sorely bored and disappointed.
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298. Uncle Tom's Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe) *** 1/2
This novel is probably more famous for its impact on the debate about the abolition of slavery than for its literary qualities. True, the novel depicts the lives, trials and tribulations of almost stereotypical slaves trying to better their conditions, resorting, for example, to escape or to an absolute belief in God. It offers various arguments for and against the case of slavery, aimed at ultimately demonstrating that the practice is evil and must be stopped. However, the novel suffers from two major weaknesses (among others). First, the "happy" ending was probably too coincidental, too good-to-be-true and underdeveloped (and time proved that George made the wrong choice in ultimately settling in Liberia instead of "effeminate" Haiti or even going back to Montreal). Second, the presence of religion is way too strong, especially as the sole source of justification against the case of slavery; I agree that probably this was more fitting with the epoch at which the novel was written. However, for a modern reader, it is quite irritating.
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299. On the Black Hill (Bruce Chatwin) ****
The premise of the novel seems uninviting: charting the lives of twin brothers throughout the 20th century in the remote Welsh hills near the border with England. However, seemingly innocuous lifetimes can reveal rich (hi)stories, such as these ones. This novel is rich in laughter, in sadness and in colorful characters which seem to be leading nothing but a boring pastoral life. It is a novel about nothing and everything at the same time. It is also a novel about what it isn't.
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300. Pricksongs & Descants (Robert Coover) ****
In this collection of short stories, Coover revisits some of the old fairytales and biblical stories, as well offering more contemporary situations, in a deconstructive fictional style which challenges all the tenets of traditional fiction. Various perspectives, totally blown fictional segments and tidbits exploring various possibilities for a story, different narrative tones; you can't help thinking about Borges, Calvino and the authors of the Nouveau Roman when reading Coover. While some of the stories have more challenging themes (a fair bit of sex and violence in this), these stories are nevertheless exhilarating and place the reader in a more active role by allowing him/her to interpret or construct his/her own version of the story. I am so glad that this was my 300th book off the List!
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301. Falling Man (Don DeLillo) ***
The premise of this book (exploring how 9/11 has affected some of those who have survived it and those close to them) is interesting, but I had a hard time to connect with most of the characters. At times, especially in the first half of the book, I had a hard time in figuring out which character we were following or was talking. I had to kick myself through the pages at times. I am hoping that the other DeLillo books on the List are better. In terms of 9/11 fictions, I definitely prefer the more controversial Windows on the World from the French writer Frédéric Beigbeder.
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302. Nervous Conditions (Tsitsi Dangarembga) *** 1/2
This sort-of coming-of-age story tracks the hurdles that Tambu, a young Shona girl at the end of the 60s, has to overcome to obtain the education she is craving. Set in then-Rhodesia, the story highlights several prejudices existing within this section of the African society: against gender (men being masters of women); against race and culture (White vs Black); against poverty and social status; between tradition/superstition and religion/modernity. It is interesting look through issues which are probably still prevalent in modern-day Zimbabwe and, to a broader extent, in some parts of Africa.
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303. A Sentimental Journey (Laurence Sterne) ** 1/2
Probably the first travel blog in history, Sterne's unfinished novel traces the steps of Yorick as he undertakes some travels throughout France and Italy. Initially planned as a four-part book, the story ends at a somewhat crucial and potentially saucy point of the narration as Yorick was about to cross into Italy. While the narrator focuses more on describing the people he encounters than the places he visits, the writing style is heavily influenced by Don Quixote and Rabelais. However, this being: 1- British humour; and 2- in the eighteenth century, it pales in comparison to its influences. A resounding "meh"!
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304. Malone Dies (Samuel Beckett) ***
In the central work of his trilogy, Beckett depicts the long agony of Malone, who tries surreptitiously to create some fictions in a notebook he hides in his death bed. In this reflection of the act of writing and the relationships between the writer, his writing and his characters, fiction and reality become slightly blurred towards the end, leaving the reader to ponder whether Malone is also Macmann. The novel starts somewhat confusedly, going in several directions, until the story becomes clearer, mimicking to some extent the creative process of writing. Not as good as Molloy, but better (and easier) than the Unnameable.
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305. Nicholas Nickleby (Charles Dickens) **** 1/2
This is so far my favorite Dickens. It traces the struggles of Nicholas Nickleby who, having lost his bankrupt father, is trying to earn his and his family's living, despite the attempts of his uncle (Ralph Nickleby) to "help" them. Again, typical Dickens with his caricatured characters and twisted plots where good always triumphs in the end against evil and against all odds. Dickens explores a variety of social vignettes pertaining to the early Victorian era, such as the Yorkshire boys schools, travelling theater troupes and "phenomenons", dubious money-lending practices and debtors' prisons. Most of the subplots and characters (and there were many) could have been developed into novels of their own. A definite page-turner, even though it is quite lengthy.
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306. The Marriage Plot (Jeffrey Eugenides) ****
Confession: I am a sucker for novels that contain college life (I equally liked The Secret History by Donna Tartt). Put on top of that a meta-story about the end of the Marriage Plot in nineteen-century novels, a dark and tenebrous boyfriend struggling with manic-depression and a possibly better suitor who seeks to find himself in a spiritual trip to India. And the layering of narrative points of view which help you to understand why certain actions/decisions were made at prior times in the story. This all makes for entertaining reading and a severe dose of college nostalgia.
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307. Thais (Anatole France) ** 1/2
A fictionalized possible story of Saint Thais, a repentant prostitute from 4th-century Alexandria in Egypt. She had been spiritually saved by Paphnuce (who is, perhaps, Paphnutius of Thebes), who then succumbs to demons and visions while fighting his feeling of love for Thais. The ending is somewhat cathartic (not revealing it, it would be a spoiler) and casts some doubts on which side of the equation France is barracking for. However, the writing style and the story in itself are: not. my. cup. of. tea.
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308. If This is a Man (Primo Levi) **** 1/2
Probably the first literary account to be published about the Holocaust and life in the Nazi concentration camps, Levi guides us, "in a sense of urgency", through all the aspects of his survival journey in Auschwitz. The urgency is expressed by the manner through which Levi provides us his account, sometimes in a certain chronology, sometimes following certain themes, slightly chaotic, just as you would think are the thoughts of somebody caught in this situation. The tone of the narration is a blend of despair, resignation and sense of humour, which makes reading a bit lighter than expected for this subject matter (but not as light as Fatelessness by Kertesz). The chapter about the last ten days in the camp is harrowing and breathtaking. An essential read to understand the extreme brutality and inhumanity of the Nazi regime.
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309. Broken April (Ismail Kadare) *** 1/2
This book is literally Albanian Kanun 101, an exposé of the many rules underlying one of the oldest vendetta systems in the world. The action takes place in the 1930s, when Bessian Vorpsi decides to spend his honeymoon with his wife out of Tirana and into the Rrafsh plateau, where most aspects of life were regulated by the Kanun. The honeymoon takes a different turn when, for the fleeting space of an instant, his wife and a young mountain dweller who lives the last moments of his blood reprieve, Gjorg, exchange a gaze. Just like Spring Flowers, Spring Frost, the novel is a fascinating look into a very different way of life which seems barbaric at first. The only possible negative point about this novel is the slow pace of the narration, but perhaps this was also intended to provide in counterpoint some poetic texture to this brutal topic.
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310. Silence (Shusaku Endo) ****
The doomed story of a 17th century Portuguese missionary sailing to Japan in search of a lost missionary, after the Japanese prohibited the spread of Christianity on their lands. A very good read about the persistence of faith, even though I am no longer a believer. It should be read in parallel with The Heretic from Miguel Delibes to get a good understanding of how the Catholic viewed itself (most likely wrongly) back in that era.
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311. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip K. Dick) *** 1/2
Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter whose mission is to hunt down androids who have escaped their labor fields on Mars to go to Earth, where their presence is prohibited in the early 21st century, after a series of nuclear wars have devastated the planet. Usually, over-the-top sci-fi stories are not my sweetest cup of tea. Nevertheless, I thought that was quite interesting as a reflection on what it means to be human and how important various forms of life are important for humankind. It was interesting to see how some aspects of the novel have been quite prescient (the use of vidphone, for example).
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312. The French Lieutenant's Woman (John Fowles) ****
This story, set in the middle of the Victorian era, covers the outcomes of a love triangle for Charles, remnant of a somewhat aristocratic family, who decides to leave his betrothed Ernestina for an enigmatic governess, Sarah, whose dubious past attracted her nicknames such as 'Tragedy' and 'The French Lieutenant's Woman'. The novel was made a lot more interesting through various narrative techniques: collage of poetry, classical novel writing and author interventions as meta-narration. The offering of three alternate endings is also appealing and offers additional matter for reflection around the themes exploited by the novel.
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313. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz) ****
A rollicking novel which goes beyond describing the brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao: this also covers life in the Dominican Republic at various times in the last century and the plight and efforts of the Dominican migrants who chose to settle in New Jersey suburbs to get a second chance at life. At times, it felt almost like a literary Jersey Shore, with the language and raunchiness inherent to this show (I have only seen the ads, I could be wrong). Lots of funny/sad moments and a very good introduction to the history of the Dominican Republic. The use of various "points of view" threaded by a single narrator who is more formally introduced towards the middle of the novel is quite effective.
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314. The Shadow Lines (Amitav Ghosh) ** 1/2
I nearly threw this book away at around the 35th page mark: it was going nowhere and everywhere, the narration kept going back and forth through time and characters, it was extremely confusing. It then started to get a bit better and I could feel that it was somewhat getting somewhere. Nevertheless, even though the topics covered were meant to be interesting (post-colonial India, religious troubles after the Partition), I more than often had to drag through this relatively short novel. I feel maybe that I would have enjoyed it better had it been written/structured differently.
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315. The Museum of Unconditional Surrender (Dubravka Ugresic) *** 1/2
A novel about exile, its loneliness, its efforts to fit in a new world and the power of memories of long past days, seen through the experience of a mother who migrated from Bulgaria to Croatia after World War II and of her daughter, who migrated to Germany in the midst of the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Using various narrative techniques to create a mosaic of smaller stories, it felt like flicking a pile of old and recent photographs. It hit a special chord within me, as I myself am an exile of sorts, although in very different circumstances.
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316. 2666 (Roberto Bolano) ****
An excellent example of the aesthetic of maximalism, where more is more and digression and details reign. The novel centers around two poles (a string of murders against women in Northern Mexico and the enigmatic and reclusive life of author Benno von Archimboldi), developed into five narrative parts/paths, somewhat linked to each other and offering a slightly different perspective of the two main narrative poles. The number of themes explored is vast and providing some analysis about any of these would certainly require repeated readings of each of the parts. A few narrative techniques have been used, although at times it felt like reading a lengthy police or investigation report (especially the first and fourth parts). Each of the parts contain their own little intrigues or narrative paths, but most of them end up without any resolution; it feels as though one of the main messages from Bolano is that death is the only finality, everything else remains open-ended, without a clue or forewarning as to its (logical) end. This is definitely a book which will require a second and maybe a third visit to fully appreciate the themes/messages conveyed by the author.
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317. The Blind Owl (Sadegh Hedayat) ***
I actually read this novel from its first ever translated edition (French), which was condoned by the author. From what I can appreciate, it is a surrealist/allegorical story about a man and his relationship with his "whoring" wife, his childhood nurse and a junk dealer (and cucumber stalks). The whole text is in an almost dream-like/hallucinatory state, where clear time references are hard to establish. To some extent, this appears to be a criticism about the Iranian regime of the time, but some background reading would be required to start making sense of the whole. Definitely pessimistic and littered with relatively gory scenes, this is a tough one to read and to enjoy.
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318. The Bridge on the Drina (Ivo Andric) *** 1/2
This novel is rather a chronicle about the Mehmed Pasha Sokolovica bridge over the Drina in Vishegrad, Bosnia, since its construction in the 16th century until its partial destruction during World War I. The bridge, as main character on the book, becomes a witness of the evolution and history of this part of the world, while in the Ottoman Empire and during the Austro-Hungarian occupation. Through folk stories and the partial examination of the many characters from various backgrounds (Turks/Muslims, Serbs, Jews, etc.), we get a better understanding of the complexity inherent to the Balkans and its many, varied peoples. Had Andric lived beyond his centenary, he could have written a few more chapters to his chronicle, covering the second partial destruction of the bridge during WWII, the brutal Vishegrad massacre by the Bosnian Serbs during the Bosnian War in 1992 and, finally, the listing of the bridge on the UNESCO list in 2007 in more peaceful times. A bit long at times, but yet quite interesting.
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319. The House on the Borderland (William Hope Hodgson) ***
Oh, this was a weird one... Two dudes on a fishing trip in remote Ireland find the debris of an isolated house near a strange river that disappears into the earth. In the debris, they come across a manuscript written by the previous inhabitant of the house, who describes the strange supernatural things which happened to him in and around the house, involving Swine-things, a pit within a pit and some very freaky space/time travel. While the first part (with the Swine-things attacking the house) was interesting and credibly frightening, the second part, where the manuscript's author travel through time and space, was way out there, but too long and too boring; it felt like an opium-induced bad trip while listening to Pink Floyd's Astronomy Domine or Spiritualized's Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space on repeat. Not as bad or painful to read as Lovecraft, but could have done without the Great Suns...
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320. The Castle (Franz Kafka) *** 1/2
K. gets appointed for a surveying job at the Castle. On showing up to the neighboring village to take up his duties, he realizes quickly that it might be as easy as it seems to undertake his task. Of all the Kafka works I have read, I would say this one is the funniest, but I was not necessarily rolling myself on the floor; as with most of his works, his protagonist has to face circumstances which are beyond his control and authorities/institutions which make themselves inflexible and unattainable. This leads to a hopeless quest and struggle in order to achieve one's ends. In many ways, this could a parable about the impact of authoritarian bureaucracies on one's life; while this could have been a portrait of the dying Austro-Hungarian empire, this also foreshadows the advent of the Nazi regime and, more importantly, the Communist regimes which covered most of Eastern Europe for the rest of the 20th century. It is by no means an easy read, as its meaning(s) can be multiple, obscure and varied, but rich as food for thought.
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321. Measuring The World (Daniel Kehlmann) *** 1/2
A semi-fictional account of the respective lives of Carl Friedrich Gauss, of the normal/bell curve fame (among other mathematical "discoveries", and Alexander von Humboldt, explorer/geologist/naturalist of the Amazon and Central America, until their meeting in 1828. A must-read for nerds, like myself, but also to understand how these two men have contributed to the development of scientific knowledge. It is well written, without being swamped with technical terms, and very easy to read. The ending kind of disappointed me, I was probably expecting more to come out of their meeting (well, Eugene's arrest provided meat to the bones I guess).
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322. Garden, Ashes (Danilo Kis) ** 1/2
This novel was meant to describe, as a sort of autobiographical memoir, the escape from the Nazis of a Serb Jewish family. Some of their wanderings brought them to Hungary, where they were relatively safe(r). The narrator is a child in his early teens who has a very developed imagination and a tendency to lyrically romanticize. While there are beautiful poetical moments, the whole remains hard to read and to remain engaged; it also contains some confusing aspects. For example, while this is a Jewish family, the narrator kept making references to his attending the church (never was there a reference to a synagogue): was that meant to imply that church attendance would lead the authorities to believe that they were Christians and not Jews? This was never clarified. Anyway, I struggled through this one, but maybe a re-read at some point might be in order.
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323. The Summer Book (Tove Jansson) **
An insight on the relationship between a quirky grandmother and her slightly temperamental six-year old granddaughter during a summer spent in the picturesque islands off the southern coast of Finland. While the setting is appealing and the topic somewhat cute, I could not feel engaged and found the story dreadfully boring. It deserves an oft-repeated statement within this group: the single redeeming feature of this book is its brevity.
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324. A Dance to the Music of Time (Anthony Powell) ***
A panorama in 12 parts of the ups and downs of the well-connected mid-to-upper class in Great Britain from the aftermath of WWI to the late 60s, viewed through the somewhat blinkered lens of Nicholas Jenkins. I am glad that I had to read this novel slowly, in broken parts, instead of reading it in one go, continuously, otherwise my rating would probably have been lower. The story lines had ups and downs, probably more of the latter. I couldn't stand the coincidental nature of many of the incidents or turning points occurring in several of the books. Further, I was mostly irritated by the extremely reserved and detached nature of the narrator, of whose own story we ended up not knowing much about. I understand that the aim was to have a fairly objective narrator, focusing on the protagonists of the Dance, but to some extent, he was also a participant, yet little did he disclose of his own feelings or of his close environment. I was also frustrated because I didn't see enough of some of the characters I liked (Barnby, for example) and I saw too much of the characters I dislike (oh, Widmerpool). Nevertheless, it was probably a bit more enjoyable than its chronological predecessor, Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga.
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325. A Modest Proposal (Jonathan Swift) *****
This short satirical piece was meant to propose a remedy to the general impoverishment of the Irish nation: selling their young children as food to the richer population of the United Kingdom. The proposal, with its many advantages and avenues for solution to many "ills" of the time, was compared with other (dubious) schemes put forth in order to address some of the social issues of the time. Swift fires many bullets with this text, written with all the seriousness such a proposal would require. This is highly reminiscent of the grotesques tales of Rabelais. It probably made me laugh longer than it took me to read it. Brilliant!
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326. Paradise of the Blind (Duong Thu Huong) ****
This novel depicts the childhood and the coming-of-age a Vietnamese girl who grew up after the end of the Vietnam War and during the Communist regime that ensued. It focused mainly on the interactions of this girl with her mother and her aunt, and provides a very good overview of the Vietnamese traditions and of the flawed experiment of the Communist regime. Despite frequent jumps back and forth in the past and future, this was very agreeable to read and, in parts, mouth-watering with loads of food descriptions (I wonder how much of it we truly see in a Vietnamese restaurant...).
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327. The Yellow Wall-Paper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman) ****
This freakish short story revolves around a woman suffering from depression (or hysterics, as they would say back then) who is confined to her room by her "husband knows best", who happens to be a physician. She gradually becomes obsessed by the yellow wall-paper in the room and its changing patterns. The gradual progression of the story and its surprising finale are quite effective.
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Over the last 30 years, Scotland has produced several eclectic bands who have left some influential traces in the general evolution of rock music: The Jesus and Mary Chain; Primal Scream; Cocteau Twins; Belle and Sebastien; even Franz Ferdinand. When I first approached Banks with this novel, I wondered whether the same eclecticism existed in contemporary Scottish literature. I started to feel my ears (and eyes) pricking up when his main protagonist, Gonzo journalist Cameron Colley, used a Pixies tape in his car to keep him awake on a nightly drive home. Banks, in depicting Colley, lived up to the Gonzo ethics: very little objectivity, strong social critique, self-deprecating humor, constant reference to personal experiences (including illicit ones), first-person narration (except for the murderer, which is interestingly in the second person), frequent use of profanity. Without spoiling the story, I would say that the murder mystery plot was quite interesting, intricate but still linear, and that the character development was well executed. I have no issues with the language or the sexual content of the novel (it pales in comparison to American Psycho). Not a dull moment throughout the book. If this is apparently not his best novel, I look forward to reading some more Banks.
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This classic spy novel came with the usual trappings of the genre, with the addition of revealing more of the human side of the protagonists and how it affected their actions and plans. Through a changing of the guard in the British intelligence agency, the Circus, revelations come forth that a Soviet mole has been active in the highest echelons of the Circus hierarchy, forcing George Smiley out of his progressive path towards retirement. I struggled a little bit at first with all the spy lingo, but after a few chapters, felt comfortable with it and thought some of it quite clever. I am not sure that was as suspenseful as it should have been, but the plots and intrigues leading to the identity of the mole were quite interesting.
281. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (Winifred Watson) * 1/2
I hated this book. Sugar-coated Cinderella-type stories are not my cup of tea. I had a glimmer of hope for some action when, on page 22, Miss LaFosse produced a bag of cocaine for it, alas, to be sprinkled down the sink by Miss Pettigrew, just like icing sugar on a cake. A second glimmer of hope surfaced on page 102 when Miss LaFosse suggested that Miss Pettigrew must powder her nose again, but I remembered quickly that this novel was not set in the 80s. Thank heavens this was short. I now probably need some Beecham's powder...