Novels Now

The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre, 399 pages

I only know Linden MacIntyre for his work as an investigative reporter on the CBC show the fifth estate, but he has a future as a novelist if this book is anything to go by. He writes a somewhat suspenseful tale of a lonely man, a priest facing a personal and spiritual crisis.

The long nights in the glebe give him too much time to think about his own troubled childhood, and to drink, and to think some more. (from the inside cover)

I enjoyed this memoir-ish novel of a priest looking back on his career. It wasn’t the usual parish priest experience however. Father Duncan MacTavish spent some time in Honduras, and as the Bishop’s investigator, was sent in to deal with local priests who had gotten in trouble. His job was to minimize trouble and appease the victim. The Bishop hated the word victim, and was all for hushing up events. Eventually, these situations collide with his memories after he is assigned to the parish he grew up in, and he begins to question his own faith, and the repercussions left in a community after the problem priest was dealt with.

I’m not from Cape Breton, but small towns on an island are probably pretty similar, so the Gaelic influence and reliance of the church in small communities was relate able. MacIntyre grew up on Cape Breton (his memoir is called Causeway: A Passage from Innocence) and he draws a picture of life on the beautiful island with descriptions of land and people.

The bay is flat, endless pewter beneath the rising moon. Hypnotic. (page 64)

The story is told in several strands, and the timeline isn’t completely linear, a reflection of how the present is coloured by past experiences. The first of the book is filled with foreshadowing and hints of things to come, which made me want to keep reading to find out what had happened, and then as events kept happening, I was turning faster and faster as Duncan’s crisis came to a head. I liked the portrayal of the priest as a real person, with struggles and demons, colliding with the expectations of his community. The hierarchy of the church, or maybe it was just his Bishop, looked more interested in power and protecting their position than in admitting what had happened. The topic of abuse within the church was very timely, and I thought it was a fair portrayal of how things were dealt, or not dealt, with.

I’m not sure what the RC church would think of the book, with its comments on celibacy and the discussion on abuse. They are certainly important ideas to be discussing. Interestingly, my parish has just ordained a rare married priest.

4/5 good solid read

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, 463 pages

published in ‘09

I looked up the meaning of Gothic literature at wikipedia, and would have to agree that this book is a classic Gothic novel. All the main characteristics are here: terror, mystery, ghosts, haunted houses, castles, decay, and madness. Waters has taken the time period, the 1940s post-war England, of her last novel The Night Watch, and used to to craft and suspenseful period piece which chronicles the changing of life in England, especially for the aristocracy.

The beauty of a suspenseful ghost story is having the story play out, with no awareness of what is to come. Any detail I give will lessen the experience for another reader, so not many details from me on that count. I liked the characters, and the life at Hundred’s Hall, home of the Ayres, was vividly brought to life. It represents a period of British history that changed so dramatically after World War II. I was on the edge of my chair as the plot slowly unfolded, and like most mysteries, my imagination was going in many different directions, wondering what could be happening, and was generally more vivid than reality. My scientific brain tried to analyse what was happening, much like the doctor narrator, and it conflicted with the evidence at hand. I was left a little confused at the ending, but this would make a terrific movie - picture Pemberley Estate for the setting.

If you like slow building suspense tales, British castles and Gothic romance perfectly described, this book should be great.

4/5 stars

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella, 435 pages

Kinsella is getting better and better. I enjoyed her Shopaholic series, but Becky could be a little ridiculous, amusing but silly. I’ve enjoyed her stand alones even more - Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me? and now Twenties Girl may be the best of them.

This is a ghost story of sorts, as Lara Lington discovers her 105 year old great-aunt Sadie appears to her at her funeral. Sadie wants to find her missing necklace before she will be at rest, and Lara must deal with Sadie and her demands. Lara is a twenty-something Londoner, in over her head with a fledgling business, started with her best mate who has taken off, leaving Lara to try and operate in the business world.

There are boys - good and bad, rich family members and a bit of a mystery with the necklace. I had a great romp with Lara as she learns to make friends with her great aunt, finds the right guy and rights a family wrong. Sadie was quite the chick, remembering her fun days as a girl in the 1920s and making Lara relive some of her glory days. Sadie provides some very funny situations, as only Lara can see and hear her and Sadie can be rather demanding at times. Sadie makes Lara ask out a guy so she can go dancing with him, then snuggles up, with Lara to the guy. There is great potential for a funny movie here.

I laughed out loud, I was touched by the bitter sweet ending, and was charmed by the love story. Kinsella is really hitting her stride as I find each new character a bit more realistic. The book is fun, and light, and predictable in the way that makes it fun to read, because I want it to turn out the way it does. I don’t read a lot of chick lit, but I have to think Kinsella is the master.

released July 21 in Canada

4.5/5

Map of the Invisible World by Tash Aw, 342 pages

I don’t know enough about the history in Indonesia to comment on what all happened in this book, but this book made me want to look up and read some other books about Indonesia in the 1960s. I know there was a movie called The Year of Living Dangerously, but I didn’t realize it was based on a book based on a speech by the president and I wasn’t aware that the Dutch ‘owned’ Indonesia before their independence. Indonesia in this tumultuous period is the setting for this novel, providing a backdrop for some broken lives.

Adam’s foster father Karl, has been taken into custody as a part of a repatriation program, and Adam hasn’t seen his brother since they were separated at the orphanage ten years earlier. He goes to Margaret, an American who has lived in Indonesia for most of her life and has a connection to Karl from her teenage years, for help in finding Karl. Margaret and her American contacts are in a bad spot as the climate between US and Indonesia are not good. Adam ends up meeting some students from Margaret’s university and gets caught up some revolutionary activities.

It sounds a bit complicated, but it is not. The book looks at the growing pains in Indonesia in 1960s through the lives a small number of people. Some interesting questions of what makes a person a citizen of a country - by birth or by choice, as well as families made by birth or by choice are raised. Margaret is white but has Indonesia in her heart and really understands the land, but is considered an outsider. Karl is Dutch by heritage, but has lived a quiet life on an outer island and not part of any ruling class except by his heritage. Adam is Indonesian but doesn’t feel like he belongs anywhere. His real brother, living a privileged life in Malaysia, is the biggest outsider within his adopted family.

All in all a good read. The setting and history in Indonesia were very good, and the main character of Margaret was independent and strong. Adam was a smaller character even though it is his life that is the center of the book. With the immigration of people all around the world, it is a good idea to think about what makes a person a citizen of a town or country, and it isn’t just being born there. It must get very complicated in countries that were colonies of the European nations, with generations that have lived in and grown up there, but are still considered outsiders.

rating: 4/5

Arctic Chill by Arnaldur Indridason, 344 pages
translated by Bernard Scudder and Victoria Cribb

continuing mystery series review questions:

Give a brief summary of the book:
A young Thai boy has been found stabbed on the playground. Erlunder, Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli investigate, looking into possible racial motives. Erlunder has another missing person investigation, his personal interest, he is also working on.

Likes?
The mystery was good. We really are a part of the detectives investigation in this book and only get to know what they know, making this a real police procedural. The story moves along pretty quickly as the police follow one clue after another. There was lots of discussion about immigration in Iceland and the attitudes and prejudices that can happen. I think in some ways I can identify with the Icelanders; living on an island really isolates a place and on Prince Edward Island we deal with some of the same type of issues in terms of culture and ‘the Island way of life.’  Also, the extreme weather can shape a people. I’m not saying that our weather is as bad but it helps to define culture and people. The weather and lack of sunlight is a real part of the atmosphere in these stories.

I really like the three main characters and their ongoing stories. I can’t say much about that, but Erlundur is slowly, oh so slowly, growing and becoming more socially aware of the people around him. There is more development in the possible mystery surrounding his brother’s death when they were children.

Dislikes?
Not much to add here. When you get a good mystery series going it’s like good times with old friends, so you don’t really notice any of their faults.
I dislike that there is only one more book, after Hypothermia which according to Wikipedia, will be published in 2009, left to be translated.

Additional Thoughts:
I noticed the dedication was to Bernard Scudder, the translator who died in 2008, hence the two names for translation. That’s really sad, because I would imagine the translator of a series greatly contributes to the atmosphere and tone and overall impression of the books. The fact that Indridason dedicated this newest translation speaks to the respect and appreciation that he must have felt to Scudder for his translations.

4/5

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell, 304 pages

What a hoot! From the opening mugging to the final, extremely unbelievable but exciting - I can’t believe he did that! scene, I grinned and turned page after page, very quickly. I read somewhere it was described as House meets The Sopranos and that is a pretty good description.

Short, snappy, violent and crude, Peter Brown, doctor at a Manhattan hospital and member of the Witness Protection Program may have been identified and spends the rest of the book trying to decide what he should do. I preferred the present day story to his remembrance of what got him into the WPP, but the back story was necessary to set up the ending.

Bazell is a medical doctor who had written his first book, so the experience of interns in a hospital rings true, but I wouldn’t want to be in that hospital! Footnotes appear now and then to elaborate on the medical information and was a neat addition and some might even be clues to future events in the story. I read through this quickly in one day and quite enjoyed it. If a book gets a good rating based on entertainment value, this gets full marks. Credulity and realism? Not so much, but loads of fun for people who don’t mind crude language and lots of violence and have faith that their doctor would never be like that.

I just read at IMDB that Leonardo diCaprio has optioned the book and may star in the movie version. Very interesting. Also, there is a website, http://www.beattehreaper.com/ that has a fun game of ‘play the intern and survive the day’. I didn’t do so well on my first try.

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy, 452 pages

Fiction or non-fiction? fiction

What led you to pick up this book? I love Maeve Binchy, and it is her newest release. A staff member at school brought it in and I scooped it right up.

Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending!
Following the lives and loves of the staff of a cardiac clinic in Dublin, Ireland.

What did you like most about the book? What did you like least?
I loved that characters from many of Binchy’s other books were in this one. It gives an update on some characters from Evening Class, Scarlett Feather, Quentins, Whitethorn Hills and Nights of Rain and Stars.
The characters are realistic, modern people that fight with their family, have good friends, and hope for a better life and love.
That was only a problem in that it has been many years since I’ve read some of the books. It isn’t necessary to know all the back story, but it provides a sense of remembrance. There are so many characters that if feels a bit like a series of short, interconnected stories. I would just get to know a character and then their part of the story was done.

Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books? I’ve read all of Binchy’s books, she’s one of my favorite authors.

What did you think of the main character? I guess Clare was the main character. She was strong in her job and inspired loyalty, but didn’t get along with her daughters. Fiona was also a main character and she was also a wonder woman type, everyone loved her and she knew how to deal with everyone, but was fighting some internal battles.

Any other particularly interesting characters?
The twins, Maud and Simon are quite amusing and I foresee a story of their own soon.

Share a favorite scene from the book. The wedding at the end, with all the characters.

What about the ending? Aw, wonderful ending all tied up with all the characters. You don’t read Maeve Binchy to have the characters end up unhappy.

Which of your readers are most likely to enjoy this book? Why?
If you haven’t read any Binchy, I wouldn’t start with this one. Evening Class, Whitethorn Hills and Nights of Rain and Stars are more stand-alone stories and would be what I would recommend. If you’ve read Binchy before, I don’t have to tell you to read this one. You’ve already got it.
I would recommend Binchy to fans of LM Montgomery. They both set a location and character so well, with star-crossed lovers, pride and honor getting in the way, and then pretty much perfect, idealized endings. I get the same sense of comfort reading both authors.

released in Canada in October, 2008

to be released in US in Feb, 2009

Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay, 404 pages

I love a good suspenseful thriller. I started this one yesterday, and since I had today off, I read all day. It was a real page turner, with twists and turns, some I could somewhat see or at least suspect, but still satisfying.

The prologue starts with Derek, the seventeen year old son of the narrator, sneaking into a neighbour’s house in upstate New York, and then being present but hidden while the family is massacred at gunpoint. The ensuing investigation unearths secrets of all the people connected with the family. Murder investigations often leave many people feeling exposed, and as unexpected details get discovered, more than a murderer can be the result.

It’s no fun to read a plot overview of a book that derives its pleasure from suspense, so there will be no incriminating details here. The characters were realistic, facing moral dilemmas and not always making the right choices. But overall, I thought Derek and his family were more like people caught in an unusual situation and making decisions based on protecting their family. There are some comments on politics, academia, and ambition, but mostly it’s a tight thriller that kept me entertained all day.

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson , 348 pages

Jackson Brodie, previous detective from Case Histories and One Good Turn, is back for Kate Atkinson’s newest novel. The title hints at the bad news following some characters that permeates this page turner. There are some desperately sad people in this book, and as several stories overlap and intersect they prove Jackson’s line near the end of the book,  ’A coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen.’

This story is more straight forward than One Good Turn. Atkinson takes some time to weave several characters and stories together, and then the twists started that had me rapidly turning the pages to see how it would end. Great characters and plot twists and humor and suspense.

Reggie Chase, sixteen but looks younger, is a nanny for Dr Joanne Hunter’s baby. Reggie spends her time avoiding her no good brother, trying to get her high school degree, and being followed by bad luck. I wanted to hug her and cheer her on the whole time.
Dr Hunter’s husband is having some business cash flow issues and then Dr Hunter herself goes missing.
Joanne Mason was six years old when her family was butchered by a serial killer, only she and her novelist father survived. The killer, Andrew Decker, is about to be released from prison after thirty years in jail.
Louise Monroe, Detective Chief Inspector in Scotland, has moved on from her attraction to Jackson in the last book, but hasn’t stopped thinking about him (who could?) She is still a strong protector of women and the baddest ass cop around.
Jackson Brodie, he used to be a policeman. He always has to look for a missing woman; he can’t turn that mystery down.

Once a train wreck is added to this assortment of characters, lives get intertwined and some blood is shed. I liked how so many nursery rhymes were woven into the writing, and pop references are flying everywhere. I’m sure I missed a lot, not being a British native, but I was able to identify many. The ending was a little vague but as hopeful as could be expected for these sad, sad people. Louise and Jackson are terrific characters, full of angst and both are the typical lone-wolf cop with commitment issues. Hopefully, they will be back to another book.

Exit Lines by Joan Barfoot

What will life be like when you are old(er)? This is the story of four very different old people, because even though we say old, everyone is very different. The stereotype of the little old lady is not possible because unless we are all the same now, there is no way we all turn into the same little old lady. We recently buried a 98 year old grand aunt who could only be described as ‘quite a lady’. I can only imagine what she must have been like as a young woman; her sharp tongue did not develop in her eighties when I first met her. In Exit Lines, Idyll Inn retirement home opens up, and four very different people meet and, against all logic, become friends. Then they undertake a risky mission.

Sylvia while independent now, was well off, and has an estranged daughter to whom she was never very maternal. She has always done what she wants, and knows how to talk to people to get her way or at the very least, intimidate them.

George was a shoe salesman, married, with a daughter who has moved away. His recent stroke has taken away his independence, and his wife, who has Alzheimer’s, is in another facility. Because his speech is very limited, he can’t talk about another resident with whom he shares a past.

Greta moved with Dolph from Germany after the war. They had three loving daughters before a tragic accident leaves Greta widowed. She manages to raise her family and work and learn English somewhat. Although she sounds like a fighter, she’s pretty bland.

Ruth was a child protection worker, and daughter of two Jews who survived the war. She found love late, and then is widowed as well.

There is a light, humorous tone to the book, but some serious issues of old age, including diseases, loneliness, family responsibilities, and death are dealt with. Each of the characters is nicely done with distinct traits and back story. The characters have some connections in their past and then in the present have to deal with a euthanasia dilemma. I found this a very interesting aspect of the book and liked how Barfoot showed the different sides and opinions. As we each get closer to old age, these questions are more likely to come up.

336 pages

4/5 stars

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I would guess that the Man Booker judges committee this year all like the same kind of book: wry commentary on society, first person narrative, confessional story, with lots of dark humor. The White Tiger had the same tone and feel to me as A Fraction of the Whole and A Case of Exploding Mangoes, and I haven’t completely decided if I like this type of novel. For all three, I enjoyed the story and the humor, but I didn’t care enough about the characters to want to keep reading. I continually checked to see how much farther I had to read, and I could put them down and not be interested in picking them back up, and yet, I did enjoy the books. I have learned that I prefer a more emotional book than an intellectual book. My favorite books of the summer were Crow Lake and Before Green Gables, books which focused more on personal relationships rather than social commentary.

Modern India gets the going over in The White Tiger. The caste system, the servants to the rich, the many ways the poor people are kept down, American outsourcing, the balance of the old ways with the Internet society, people with cell phones but no running water. The narrator, Balram Halwai, writes to the premier of China who is expected on a visit, telling of his entrepreneurial rise to success in India. If morals had to be slightly ignored for his success, well, too bad. He tells us from the beginning what the end will be, but the reader is kept in suspense as to how, and while I can’t condone murder, he makes his case that the least damage was done for him to break out of his life and to be a success. I kind of liked Balram in the end.

The first person confessional was reminscent of The Reluctant Fundamentalist from last year’s Booker shortlist, but the letter writing makes it more conventional. The writing was good, and the exposure to different cultures is always good. Adiga keeps the story moving along and it will be a good read for people who like social commentary with a dose of humor.

This book has been longlisted for the 2008 Man Booker.

Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson

I believe Anne fans have been somewhat leery of this book. To attempt to write the before story, based on the small tidbits of her past that Anne let slip, was a huge undertaking for Wilson. People who love Anne would want the story to be true to LM Montgomery’s unique character. When I heard Wilson speak last month, she said her task was to write the story that would have allowed Anne to become the girl she was: full of spirit, still optimistic despite having been an orphan and yet, essentially an indentured slave to families who agreed to take her in, the Thomas’ and the Hammonds. Wilson has succeeded beyond my wildest hopes.

I’ve heard that as long as a child has one person they can count on, who loves them, in the first few years of life, they will have a base for future relationships. Anne gets this in the form of Eliza, the sixteen year old daughter of Mrs Thomas. Eliza also told her the fantastic stories of princesses and knights and fairy tales that would sustain Anne in her wild imagination. Although Eliza leaves to get married when Anne is about four, she laid the foundation for the wonderful Anne we know and love.

I had to set rules for when I could read this book, because I was thrown in the depths of emotion as Anne is hurt and let down time and time again, and to be found sobbing in the car at a soccer game would draw too much attention. I think it was so emotional because you know where she will end up, in the loving home of Matthew and Marilla, but getting there, when there were opportunities for Anne to have a loving home along the way that kept getting thwarted, was a mix of emotion. Sad that Anne was hurt, but knowing that it had to happen to get her to PEI. Characters for the most part weren’t purposefully mean to her, life was pretty tough on them as well, like Mr Thomas and Mrs Hammond. And everywhere she went, peripheral people were drawn to the spindly, homely child with the bright red hair and so many freckles with the wild imagination and huge words. They managed to give Anne small doses of love and concern that she latched onto and held in her bosom heart. In the debate over nature/nurture, nature wins out for Anne, as her intelligence and optimism and love of beauty were inherited from her loving parents and could not be stomped out by the life she led.

Wilson included information that Montgomery let slip - the carpet bag, Anne’s fascination of puffed sleeves, and Katie Maurice. It all fit together perfectly for me, and my heart broke the whole time, waiting for Anne to get the train to Bright River, and finally get picked up by Matthew Cuthbert, whose name can also burst me spontaneously into tears. The style is not Montgomery but it was very readable and I wasn’t expecting the same writing as Montgomery. Wilson has provided Anne lovers with a new book to make us love Anne, and Matthew and Marilla, even more.

5/5

443 pages

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale

Summerscale has written a very interesting book about the history of detectives, real and fictional, as well as investigating a true murder that scandalized Victorian England in 1860. The subtitle is “A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victoria Detective.”

The murder was of three year old Saville Kent, killed during the night while he slept. The shocking part was that it had to be a member of the household who killed him. The great Victorian detective was Jack Whicher, one of the first members of London’s detective squad. The research in this book was amazing, although I read it straight through and did not refer to the copious notes at the back for the reference source. Because it was a scandalous murder in a time of increasing media, there was certainly a lot of material written about the murder and the characters for Summerscale to use. At the time, England was entranced with the details of the murder and trials in the newspapers. The telgraph made information more immediately available and the public could not get enough of the sordid details. The critics bemoaned the downfall of society and the general decline of morals. Sound familiar to today?

Throughout the book, the author parallels the development of detectives and the detective novel. I am anxious to read something by Wilkie Collins now, as his mystery novels were referenced the whole way through, as well as Charles Dickens, a friend of Whicher’s. It’s hard to imagine a time when Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot were new literary characters, but until Poe’s detective Auguste Dupin in 1841, the detective was not invented. The first real detectives weren’t hired in London until 1842, so they were still quite a new commodity at the time of the murder and conflicted with the idea of privacy in Victorian days as well as highlighting the class situations between middle, upper and working classes.

The time of the murder, 1860 is such a fascinating time. It is far enough away that it seems long ago, but recent enough that so much information is still available. One of the sisters of the murdered child lived to be 100, so it wasn’t until 1944 that she died. There are some great pictures and relics included in the book.

This would be a great book for people who like reading true crime mysteries, readers of detective novels, Victorian era fans, and well researched nonfiction books. I had originally planned to slowly pick away at the book, a little bit every day, but by page 100 I had to keep reading and find out the ending. Great suspense and pacing in the book to describe each of the characters and what happened to them after the murder.

300 pages, plus 50 pages of notes and bibliography

4/5

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

I first heard of this big ole book when bookfool mentioned it, then kookiejar loved it. It’s big in size (531 pages) and ambition. Toltz covers a lot of material here, and I’ll try to summarize a bit.

Jasper Dean is writing his family’s colourful history in Australia, focusing on his father Martin and uncle Terry. It’s about philosophy, fathers and sons, loneliness, hypocrisy, the media, and criminals, among other things, and it is told in a very funny manner. The one liners are thrown out in rapid succession at times. Martin’s part in the story is told in his point of view, and at times I had trouble keeping Jasper and Martin’s voices separate, but that is part of the story, how similar the two are, and when does the son become the father?

It is set in Australia, but not in a way that is stereotypical, i.e. no kangaroos or koalas, but modern life, and the outlaw history is commented on with all the criminal activity that Terry undertakes. The story starts in the outback, and scenes in front of the Sydney Opera House and activity of the parliament in Canberra are mentioned too, so we are certainly in Australia. The cynicism of the characters leads to their comedic lines and reminded me of Oscar Wilde’s type of commentary, or the absurdity of some of John Irving’s novels. Sometimes I had trouble reconciling the humorous lines with the situations and attitudes of the characters, but I kept reading. It was as if I wasn’t quite getting the tone of the novel. I also didn’t connect with the characters enough to race through the book. However, by two thirds of the way through, some great twists of plot started happening that I did not see coming and the book engaged me in other ways.

This book is getting great reviews at Amazon.com and has some great qualities. I didn’t love it enough to gush, but I did enjoy it by parts. (ha, A Fraction of the Whole book!) It was pretty funny by times, but also tragic, and some terrible things happen. The plot plodded along for a while, but then started twisting and twirling around in ways that made me want to keep going. There was a lot of philosophizing going on by Jasper and Martin, which is where a lot of the comedy was, but it went on a bit too much for me at times. So it’s a mixed review from me, but I think there are lots of readers who will love it.

Edit: July 29, this book has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

My son just said to me, “Didn’t you just start that book yesterday?” Always the sign of a good book, one that I just race through. I’ve been reading some good reviews of this one in the Southern Reading Challenge. It’s a classic southern novel, tackling racist life in Mississippi just after the second world war. Told from several different points of view, two families - one black and one white, living on the same farm, deal with a terrible tragedy. Several characters, all likable in their own ways, narrate the action.

There’s Laura. A city woman who married late, she loves her older husband, but with the return of Henry’s younger charming brother from the war, she is forced to examine the decisions she has made.

Henry has a strong sense of family obligation. He tries to do the right thing, but living in the Mississippi Delta, racist behaviour is ingrained. He takes his hateful father in to live with his wife and children, even though Pappy makes everyone miserable. Henry just wants to own land, and be a farmer, but loyalty and proper behaviour is important too.

Florence is the wife of Hap, the black tenant farmer. She’s a midwife who comes to help out Laura in the cabin. Her son Ronsel has just returned from the war, and he isn’t fitting in on the farm.

Ronsel was a decorated soldier in an all black battalion and is having a hard time adjusting to his subservient role in town after the freeing life he was able to live in Europe. He and Jamie bond over their war memories and are able to forget the race differences, much to the consternation of all the families.

And Jamie. He is really the catalyst for much of the tension - with his father, his brother, his sister-in-law, and with Ronsel. Pappy never narrates, but the level of hatred I felt as I read about him made him a character unable to narrate.

There is much tackled in this novel, but it all flows so seamlessly, that it wasn’t until I tried to write a summary that I realized how complex this was. Life in Mississippi before Dr King and the civil rights movement, the returning soldiers from war who are unable to fit back into their former life, and the different types of love within a family are the main ideas I noticed.

A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif

In 1988, a plane carrying the President of Pakistan crashed, killing the President - military dictator General Zia, some generals, and the American Ambassador, Arnold Raphel. This book looks at what may have caused the crash and the death of the General Zia.

I had to look up at wikipedia to see how much was true. And when I saw this picture of General Zia-ul-Haq, I can see where this story came from, because doesn’t this face belong in an amusing story? The crash of the plane was never explained, so Hanif writes this amusing look at army double-crossing and plots from an assortment of people with motive to assassinate the leader. I imagine leading a military coup and killing your predecessor is somewhat like marrying the man who cheated on his wife with you: eventually it will happen the other way. Cheaters cheat again, and someone will try to assassinate you.

There are many plot threads and characters and as usual I found it somewhat difficult to follow all that wasn’t explicitly stated. Espionage stories can be tricky for me - I am that person in the theatre asking ‘Who was that? Was that the husband? What just happened?’ It doesn’t lessen my enjoyment though. I just have a hard time keeping track of characters. It’s probably not that confusing.

The setting of 1988 means the Afghan-Soviet war is still going on. The roles of the Pakistanis and Americans and the CIA are noted here, and OBL makes a cameo appearance at a party. Nice touch and a part of the absurdity present in the book.

This was a good book to use for the Orbis Terrarum challenge because I feel I have a greater understanding of Pakistan. It was amusing, but when a book is described as ‘very funny’ it sets up a lot of expectations for the reader. It takes a while for the author to set up all the possible causes of the death, but by the end, it all comes together nicely. The book is mostly narrated by a young soldier, junior officer Shigri, intent on revenge for the death of his father.

(I’m not very good at summaries; my reviews are more impressions. Here’s a summary if you like that sort of thing)

2008, 323 pp.
Rating: 4/5

Edit: July 29, this book has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize

The Cellist of Sarajevo paints a grim picture of what life is like for citizens of a city living during a war siege.

Steven Galloway takes a true event, a cellist who decides to play everyday on the site of a bombing and fashions a war story I won’t soon forget. Twenty-two people were killed while waiting in line for bread and the cellist decided to play for them. He wanted to do a little thing, for their memory, and for his sanity. Galloway takes three fictional characters and follows them during the weeks the cellist plays. Arrow, a sniper who is the best at her job, is assigned to protect the cellist from enemies. Dragan, an older gentlemen who has sent his wife and son to Italy for safety, but can’t bring himself to leave his beloved city. Kenan, a younger man who spends days at a time risking his life to get a water supply for his family.

This book scared me and moved me. How do people change in a situation like that? The hatred that develops, the change in character of the citizens as each person tries to survive in their own way. Some people run away, some stay and pretend it isn’t going on, and some fight back. How did the rest of the world allow this to happen: for almost 4 years the former Olympic city was under siege and electricity, food, jobs, and money were all scarce. Galloway does a wonderful job of bringing the reader into the mind and life of a citizen in the city.

This book is particularly interesting to me because I know a teacher that came from Yugoslavia. I haven’t talked to him about the specifics, but he came to Canada in the 1990s and I was thinking of him and his family while I read this book. I want to tell him about this book, but it might be too close for him to read about. For everyone else, this is a beautiful book that I think most people would like. It’s not violently graphic but you will feel what it is like to live in a European city during a war. Not that you want to experience that, but I know that the next time I hear about a country under attack, I’ll think differently.

2008, 258 pp.
Rating: 4.5/5

Outcast by Sadie Jones 

The novel opens in 1957 with Lewis’ return home after a stay in prison. We quickly flashback to when he was ten and his father was returning from the war, 1945 , to the small village outside London and follow poor Lewis’s life up until his incarceration. The last third of the book rejoins the story after his release after prison. Interestingly, his years in prison seemed the most peaceful and safe.

Lewis and his mother would be described as a little odd, happy with themselves. They lived together while Gilbert was off in the war. His return is quite an upheaval, as returns from war can be. At ten, Lewis and his mother go for a picnic in the woods, but his mother doesn’t return alive. This pivotal event changes Lewis, as in my opinion, no person cared for him or showed any affection. This loss of affection was particularly painful after the closeness to his mother. Gilbert quickly remarries a younger woman, Alice, and the neighbourly Carmichael’s, including daughters Tamsin and Kit are entwined with Lewis and Gilbert, as well as the violent Dickie Carmichael, who is also Gilbert’s boss. Drinking, abuse, and self-mutilation are all pushed under the rug, stiff upper lip, and then the requisite sending ‘difficult’ children away to boarding school.

So much happens here, an intrusive peek into the lives of upper middle class people in England, but also everyone as everyone has secrets and how well we hide them or deal with them can determine how functional our life appears. Lewis is a particularly sad case of a child shown no compassion. I was so frustrated at the way everyone dealt with him as if he were just a bother, or worse. Granted, he makes some bad decisions, but if ever there were a character who was given every bad break, it was him. I got very caught up in the emotions of the book and Lewis, and my heart just ached for him. A scene late in the book, with the village doctor who talks about Lewis’ mother and then simply adds, ‘I always liked you’ was such a touching moment, one of the few people in the village to acknowledge him in any way. I read this very late into the night, because I had to finish it and see how it could end.

There is some buzz about this book; it’s shortlisted  for an Orange Prize and I found it to be an engrossing read. There are some disturbing aspects to the novel, the secrets that are kept, but the overall neglect of Lewis and his emotional growth is what will stay with me.

published March 11, 2008

Paul Quarrington has been in the news lately (in Canada) as the author of the winning Canada Reads book, King Leary. I haven’t read it yet, but when I got the opportunity to read his latest book, released March 11, 2008, I jumped.

And then I laughed my way through this book. Phil McQuigge is a fifty year old alcoholic, who has recently lost his wife and his job. Things aren’t looking so great for Phil. Interestingly, Quarrington describes the book as semi-autobiographical. Phil decides that much of his crappy life relates back to an incident in ‘the ravine’ when he and a friend and his brother met up with some mean teenagers one day. Phil decides to write a novel based on the incident, if only he could remember exactly what happened.

I’m sure this doesn’t sound like a funny book from my description, but Quarrington is very humorous, with irony and black comedy and straight-out funny lines. Phil’s brother Jay, who also made a mess of his life, is around if somewhat estranged, and continually refutes the details of Phil’s memories. I found this a rather timely discussion of memory, as there have been some recent news events with misplaced memories, and it is an area I find very interesting. Phil was also a teevee writer, and his famous television show (famous in Canada for 156 episode, it only played two episode in the States) is based on a movie he saw as a child (memories again.) Then you begin to question the narrator because if he doesn’t remember, how reliable is anything he tells us?

So, the book is a novel being written by the main character about his life, which is semi-autobiographical. If I thought about it I got confused, so instead I just sat back and enjoyed the self-deprecating humour. The ending was a little weird and I’m not exactly sure what to make of it, but it was worth the read to get to the end. I must look for King Leary now.

2008, 291 pages

Rating: 4/5

The End of East by Jen Sookfong Lee

Vancouver’s Chinatown is the setting of this family history chronicling Sammy Chan’s ancestors. The novel starts with Sammy’s return to her mother’s house, but the family’s story begins with the immigration of Seid Quan from China. I don’t think Canada has much to be proud about for its treatment of Chinese immigrants in the beginning of this century. Shew Lin becomes his wife, but stays in China with their children. Seid Quan works and works at a job he hates to send money to his family in China. He eventually saves enough to bring his son, Pon Man, and very eventually, his wife. Pon Man gets a wife from China, Siu Sang, and they have five girls, one of whom is Sammy.

The struggle of immigrants to build a new life, but still wanting their old life results in this family being very unhappy. Shew Lin and Siu Sang in particular, seemed very, very unhappy. Or at least, only happy when they were making others miserable around them. The family dynamics were complex, but no one is fulfilled or content, everyone worried what the others think. The novel follows the story of this family, but not told chronologically. It’s a quiet novel, a character study, that was interesting, full of life, death, and all the interactions in between. It let me see a culture and experience that I am not at all familiar with. The Chinese culture is not very large in PEI, present, but not hugely.

I liked how the book was structured, each character leading a narrative, but we never really get into any particular character’s emotions and thoughts, at least not for long. I didn’t have a character I rooted for, except maybe Pon Man, who was caught in the classic conflict between his wife and mother, but he was detached from his father and there was much disappointment between them as well. This was a book about relationships and families, and while told from the experience in Chinatown, has parallels everywhere.