Tournament of Books discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Tournament of Favorites
>
Tournament of Favorites: Zombies Part B
date
newest »
newest »
Ellen wrote: "Well, I'M happy with this judgment!"Same. I've said nothing about "HoaB" throughout this tournament because I know so many participants loved it. I thought it was ... fine, but it suffered for me by (probably unfair) comparison to "The Trees" -- a book that covered similar themes, and with some of the similar humor-plus-horror technique, but with superior execution (no pun intended).
Perhaps a small (admittedly petty) part of me was even miffed by the fact that HoaB won a major literary prize, while "The Trees" continued a frustrating "Close, But No Cigar" streak.
In any event, I found "Disappearing Earth" to be a truly impressive debut outing, and I'm glad it's moving on.
Here we are, talking to ourself as usual. That is, exactly, how I felt about The Trees. And Hell of a Book. And, of course, Disappearing Earth.
Okay, I'll be the dissenting voice. I was profoundly affected by HoaB, probably more than any book I read last year. I loved The Trees for so many reasons, but where I was struck by (and almost thrilled by) the rage alongside the humor in The Trees, in HoaB I was overwhelmed by the despair. It made me cry. And I'll choose a book that makes me cry for its characters over anything else.Gwen, thanks for taking this decision on, even if I would have gone the other way! (I do feel pretty sure that the kid and Soot were the author as a child.)
Thanks, Gwen, for your thoughtful consideration of these books. I loved both of them but haven’t reread either one, and I can’t say how I would have decided between them if I had. I heartily concur with the frustration over The Trees not earning All The Awards it should have. Also, Maggie, thanks for all your work to keep this project humming. Much appreciated!
Elizabeth wrote: "Okay, I'll be the dissenting voice. I was profoundly affected by HoaB, probably more than any book I read last year. I loved The Trees for so many reasons, but where I was struck by (and almost thr..."I think there are many of our compatriots who were as wowed by HoaB as you were, Elizabeth. I went into it with very high expectations (and the aforementioned, petty, "This better be GREAT if it won the NBA when The Trees didn't even make the longlist!" chip on my shoulder), that it didn't quite rise to meet. But I did think there were several beautiful, moving moments in it, and I can see why so many among us loved it.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful review and decision. While I would probably chosen HoaB, I can see why you decided as you did. The things that frustrated you about DE almost made me quit the read. As I've said before, perhaps I should reread it some day now that I know how it was constructed, which might increase my appreciation. At the time I just wanted to pitch it against the wall! I never felt that with HoaB, but maybe it was just my reading mood. Love hearing what others think, even when it differs from my own experience. And I second the thanks to Maggie for making this happen!
It was definitely a close decision and very difficult to make!
Late here, but I loved 'Hell of a Book' and would have chosen it between these two books. I have NOT had a chance to read 'The Trees' yet, despite it Almost Winning so many things, including the tournament last year. It's on the list! But I don't think that one book should make the other less important...
Agreed - I don’t think it makes another “less important”. But, when you read both in reasonably short order, and both touch on similar themes with some similarity of technique or approach, it’s natural to compare them. It might be “unfair”, but it can influence one’s reaction. That’s what happened for me, at least.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Judgement by Gwen
I’m both honored and terrified to be making a choice between these two books. I loved them both for very different reasons. Let’s dive in!
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips is one of those haunting books that stays with you. I first read this in 2019 and just re-read it for this tournament, and I continue to be impressed with this book’s architecture. Phillips has essentially written a short story collection, but she links the stories with a strong through-line involving the disappearance of two small girls. The first story/chapter starts with the girls. The other stories/chapters involve different characters and different themes, but the missing girls make an appearance in each story. This structure provides the cohesion that’s so often missing from short story collections and also maintains a sense of suspense and foreboding. The final story—both heartbreaking and hopeful—gives this book a powerful conclusion that most short story collections can’t deliver.
In addition to the structure, I loved the fully-realized setting of this book—the remote peninsula of Kamchatka in the Russian Far East. In many ways, Kamchatka is the main character in this book. I had no prior knowledge about this place, and I was fascinated to learn about a region with so much diversity that is also effectively shut off from the rest of the world. I particularly enjoyed reading about the various native groups in the region and the traditional herding/nomadic lifestyle. Several of the stories/chapters explore the tension between traditional and modern ways of living, and these were my favorites. Clearly, Phillips has done her research, but the narrative doesn’t feel weighed down by details. Instead, Phillips weaves just the right amount of detail into these stories to create an immersive reading experience.
Although I loved Disappearing Earth, the book wasn’t without some disappointments for me. Occasionally, the book felt a bit disjointed and confusing, and I had trouble following some of the connections between characters and had to flip back and forth to find my way. Also, the episodic nature of the stories made it difficult to feel deeply about any particular character before it was time to move on to the next story.
After finishing Disappearing Earth, I decided to take Hell of a Book on vacation with me to Rocky Mountain National Park. I was reading the book on a long van ride on the way to white water rafting when the nice retired couple sitting next to me told me they had just finished the book themselves. They liked the book but were unsure about the ending and eager to discuss it. Just what I needed!
Hell of a Book is the story of a Black author on a book tour promoting his bestselling novel. An imaginary Black boy (“The Kid”) accompanies the author on his book tour and pops in and out of his consciousness. The author’s story alternates with the story of a young Black boy (called “Soot” because of the darkness of his skin) who is grappling with an unjust world and its resulting traumas. These dual narratives and real and imaginary characters work together in complicated (and sometimes confusing) ways. Is The Kid perhaps related to Soot, or is he a manifestation of a “real” boy who was murdered by the police? Is Soot the same person as the author? I’m not sure. Hell of a Book is often contradictory and confusing, and the ending doesn’t clear anything up. I’m sure this is intentional by Mott, but it left me unsettled nonetheless.
Fortunately, I had my new river rafting friends to help me unravel this. As we wound our way through the national park and over the Continental Divide, we discussed our favorite passages and appreciated the novel’s abundant humor. As for how to pull it all together, the best we could come up with is that perhaps Mott is depicting a shared experience of injustice that these Black characters’ experience. Even if the author, The Kid, and Soot aren’t one and the same person, they are all exposed to similar injustices and must figure out how to live (or to die) with dignity and love, even when the world is trying to take that away from them. This idea of universality is what makes this novel so powerful for me.
How can I possibly choose between two masterful novels doing two very different things? For me, it comes down to the novel that frustrated me less as a reader and that delivered a near-perfect ending. Disappearing Earth takes the victory (though I’m still going to recommend Hell of a Book to all my friends).