1q84

A central characteristic of Murakami's 1q84 lies in its place and time. The book begins with Aomame exiting 1984 Tokyo and entering 1q84 Tokyo, though she does not realize the transition immediately since the new universe is only infinitesimally different than the Japan of 1984. Aomame and Tengo alternately narrate each chapter and the connection between the two of them is gradually revealed.  Morality does not restrain Murakami characters. This is a mythic novel (as is Kafka on the Shore) in which nothing can be taken as first presented. Sex is not merely sex, but can serve other purposes, personally and in society. Family may or may not even be family.

Aomame does notice that police are wearing semi-automatic pistols instead of revolvers and thinks that she has simply missed the news. For the reader, this change signifies a more militaristic Japan than that in the world Aomame came from. Later, when Aomame acquires a gun, she is advised that "'According to Chekhov...once a gun appears in a story, it has to be fired.'" Interestingly Murakami does not obey this precept, which he puts into a character's mouth. Neither Aomame's gun, nor the police guns are used, which demonstrates that Chekhov is incorrect. Perhaps Murakami just wanted to demonstrate that Chekhov could be wrong, or perhaps show that reality is more complicated than a Chekhov play. Chekhov is mentioned prior to this, when an excerpt about the Gilyaks from Sakhalin Island is read aloud. It is an ethnographic description of a way of life, and Gilyak interaction with Russian explorers/colonizers. 

One note about the English translation - the title is 1Q84. When it would look better as a lower case q - 1q84. That looks more like 1984, which would be more fitting.

Who are the barbarians?

The Barbarians Are Coming, another sidewalk acquisition, has a surprising trajectory.

Sterling is a young and dedicated chef. Having graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) he is attempting to make his way in the world. Unfortunately, in his professional life it is assumed that since he is Chinese he should cook Chinese food. He does not like cooking Chinese food. When his parents surprise him with a mail-order bride he does not say thanks either. Instead he marries his Caucasian girlfriend, Bliss.

A significant section of the latter part of the book is narrated by Sterling's father, Genius. He reminisces about his arrival in New York and an affair that he had. This secret past, which occurred before his wife arrived at Ellis Island, haunts him.

The writing is quite amusing and provides caricatures of all characters. Only Sterling and Genius have any real spark of life though. The other characters, especially women, seem mysterious to them and also to the reader. The lack of depth creates bland characters and makes for a bland and predictable plot. 

Two stories unentwined

There is a lot of potential for In the Shadows of the Sun to be a great book. There are two narrative threads, unfortunately, which stay very separate and once they do join together they don't seem to really entwine.

The book begins with Jack's story. Jack is fighting in the Pacific theater and through his eyes is narrated the Bataan Death March, which he survives. The second narrative thread is the story of Jack's family in New Mexico. They are having their own interpersonal troubles. Additionally, the government appropriates their ranch land as a bombing range. Jack's family is misinformed that he has died, but then when he resurfaces he is welcomed home.

The problem with this book is that these two experiences the book describes never meld together. Only 35 pages of the 238 page book take place after Jack has returned to New Mexico. There is very little narration by Jack or resolution to the story. There is no integration between the brutality which Jack experienced and the changes that have occurred back home. Each story is interesting independently, but together they don't work. Perhaps there is no resolution that Parsons could see for Jack to reintegrate or continue in the civilian world.

Dysfunctional families and daughters

A Thousand Acres (Jane Smiley) and Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald) can be classified under the category of sexual abuse stories. Though this is reducing each to a simplistic definition it is the most descriptive heading for them. The (shocking) turning point of each book is the sexual abuse that occurred by the father with his daughters.

A Thousand Acres begins when the three daughters are grown up. The family patriarch is a horrible tyrant and not too surprisingly it turns out he molested his daughters when they were young. However, the youngest daughter was not molested which makes for yet more drama. What I enjoyed about this novel was that the point of view was that of the middle sister, Ginny, who sounded both genuine and provided excellent narration. For example,
"Ty and I didn't pursue our conversation, didn't thrash out what it was I had learned or what it meant. I acted more decisive and made rules. I sensed that Ty disapproved, but it was a touchy subject, and I was afraid to talk about it because I hated friction with Ty. It was easy to discount his unvoiced opinion, too." (pg. 155)
By giving Ginny a voice and letting her describe the events from her point of view our understanding of the situation is shaped by what she says and doesn't say. The reader may guess about what is happening, but since we only have her narration, and no one's reality is exactly right on, the plot is more interesting. Smiley got the narrative point of view right.

 Fall on Your Knees is set in an even harsher time and place - Cape Breton Island at the turn of the last century. It is a multigenerational saga focusing on James and Materia and their daughters. What makes the book somewhat interesting is that Materia's family is Lebanese. Why anyone accustomed to Lebanese weather would live in such a cold place is a mystery. This detail adds some realism to the book, as fact is often stranger than fiction. One wonders whether the book is based on real people from the historical record. If so, the rest of the story is sad. The father James is abusive of his wife, and his three daughters. Unlike A Thousand Acres the narration of the story switches between the many different characters. This allows for a much more nuanced understanding of the story, not to mention the longer historical period encompassed. However, this also makes the story seem to be less personal, and more historical. One never quite escapes from the historical detail as one can in A Thousand Acres. An example of this narration, "Mahmoud never wants to see Materia or her husband or her children or any evidence of them ever again. The only communication he's had with the Piper family for the past nineteen years has been the business arrangement with James, and they've both done well out of that while never once coming face to face. But that's over now." (pg. 159)
MacDonald's approach is, as illustrated by this excerpt, less personal. It makes for less interesting reading and the surprise ending is more surprising since information was withheld, rather than the reader having a narrator with a limited point of view. This method allows for wider scope though.

Both of these books showcase dysfunctional family dynamics. The relationships between family members are unhealthy and abusive. The sisters in both books are mean and cruel to each other over the course of their lives. Due to isolation and powerlessness they have no one else to be cruel and mean to. Would I read these books again? Probably not.

realism

Often, I will judge a book as good or bad by how convinced I am that the world portrayed is realistic. Sometimes books succeed in creating a realistic sense by focusing on the outer environment, sometimes on the inner lives of the characters. What distinguishes A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry is the melding of the outer world and inner lives.

The premise of the story is the intersection between a lower middle-class woman, a pair of low-caste migrant tailors, and an upper-caste college student. Or, between a middle-aged woman who has abandoned hope, two young men full of hope, and an older man who still harbors hope for his nephew, if not for himself. Hope can be defined in a variety of ways, and is by each of these individuals. But in each shape it is faith in the world and fellow humans.

Dina, in an effort to maintain financial independence from her overbearing brother, rents a room in her house to Maneck, who is a college student. Simultaneously, she advertises for tailors to work for her home-sewing business. As these individuals get to know each other and fill the roles that were previously empty the world(s) which each individual inhabits seem a little bit brighter and happier. Sadly, this hopeful mood wanes and by the end of the novel hope has shrunk back to the stingy thing it had been at the beginning.

I was very surprised by how sad and isolated each character had become by the end of the novel. It was worth  reading, but only if followed by reading more optimistic writing!

The best book ever - for the moment

Freedom, the newest novel from Jonathan Franzen is the book of the moment. It currently has 884 reviews on Amazon.com. The published reviews of the book are similarly numerous and listed on the Wikipedia page for Freedom. The question is what can I add to the critical reviews already available about the book?

Like any book that receives this much critical acclaim, Freedom, contains something that appeals to a wide and disparate group. It resembles Franzen's previous book, The Corrections, in its focus on a dysfunctional family. And when Franzen writes dysfunctional characters there is generally a sexual element to their relational issues. The dysfunction sexual relationships that are the centerpiece of Franzen's writing no doubt contributes to his popularity. Franzen almost had the dubious distinction of winning the Bad Sex in fiction prize for this choice passage.

A secondary element that makes the book popular, is its being held up as a model of "America," and the benefits and problems of unbridled freedom. It is claimed that it embodies some key American experiences, and to a certain extent this is true. However, due to the focus on a specific time and issues, the writing is limited and the book itself is not likely to be interesting to readers a decade from now.

One serious problem that I had with the book is Franzen's writing which leaves some characters one-dimensional, and gives the impression that they are only written in to move the plot along.

This is an interesting (mostly) readable book, but probably not a good representation of anything specifically "American." It is far more accurate to describe it as simply a flawed novel.

Fathers, sons, and paternity issues

Go Tell it on the Mountain (James Baldwin) and Call it Sleep (Henry Roth) are thematically very similar novels. Both are centered on young boys who must cope with difficult, abusive fathers and poverty.

Call It Sleep (CIS) was published in 1934, but begins in 1907, ending around 1917. The father of the family had immigrated from Germany and the novel opens with the arrival of his wife and son. The story is recounted through the boy, David's eyes. He is very impressionable and sensitive, and his father's animosity aggravates his sensitive nature. Adjusting to life in New York's slums is a challenge. Roth's writing was unique in its use of Yiddish and vernacular speech for dialogue and the scenes that are described are evocative.

David's father has a very belligerent character and doubts that David is actually his own son. Because of this doubt he treats his wife and son cruelly. His cruelty, Roth implies, pushes the mother and son to be unnaturally loving and close. Frequently David's love for his mother seems to cross over into a sexualized feeling. There are frequent references to his mother's bosom, jealousy of a family friend who attempts to seduce her, etc. For example, after an upsetting incident David says: "'Mama! Mama! Mama!' Only the sheltering valley between her breasts muffled his scream of fear to her heart."

Or earlier,
"With knees drawn up, David watched her wipe the linoleum beneath his chair. The shadow between her breasts, how deep! How far it - No! No! Luter! When he looked! That night! Mustn't! Mustn't! Look away! Quick!"

The relationship between David and his mother (who's name, Genya, is used rarely) appears to not be healthy, and until the end of the novel the reader wonders if David will end up having a mental breakdown as he does not seem functional. He also does not seem like a realistic 4-12 year old boy. However, not having been a boy perhaps I am not an authority on the subject.

Go Tell It On The Mountain starts with John, a 14 year old narrating his family story, living in Harlem. His parents had migrated North to New York as young adults and he is the first generation to grow up in the "liberal" North rather than in the "segregated" South.

In contrast to CIS, the narration switches between John, his aunt, his father, and finally his mother. Due to this multiplicity of perspectives the story is recounted in a more realistic way. John's father dislikes him, but the secret to his dislike is hidden from John. Just as David's father doubts his paternity, John's father also has paternity issues. With the four narrative voices of the story the reader understands better what has shaped the characters and life histories of the narrators. John has deep scars from his father's dislike though which emerge when he enters a trance-like religious state in church:

"Then his father was upon him; at his touch there was singing, and fire. John lay on his back in the narrow street, looking up at his father, that burning face beneath the burning towers.

'I'm going to beat it out of you. I'm going to beat it out.' His father raised his hand. The knife came down. John rolled away, down the white, descending street, screaming: 'Father! Father!'"

The father seems to symbolize both John's father and God who is invoked by each character as an overpowering presence who must by appeased, despite uncertainty as to what his wishes are. John's vision seems to be a way of reaching an understanding of his father and his relationship with him.

Both of these novels deal with similar issues of immigration, cultural assimilation, ethnicity, and father-son relationships. Both fathers are violent, rather hateful people, both mothers loving and virtuous. And both fathers hate their sons because they suspect or know that they are not genetically their own. Both sons grow up with a hatred of their "fathers" that is violent.

Walking on a wire

Let The Great World Spin is a novel which centers on Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers on August 7th, 1974. This single event has been taken as the starting point by Colum McCann from which the lives of a multitude of individuals are effected.

Each individual is given a chapter to delineate their world. There is the Irish priest and his brother working in the South Bronx and the prostitutes that the priest is attempting to help. Another story is added by a wealthy housewife whose son was killed in Vietnam. With each narrative strand added to the story it becomes clearer how all of their lives are intertwined. The final chapter is set in 2006 and brings the story to a satisfactory conclusion.

McCann's strategy in this novel allows in-depth views of his characters on the days before the tightrope walk, and the day of the walk. Notably absent are any details about Petit, but perhaps that is because he is a real person.

The Unreflecting

Rosie Carpe is a novel (by Marie NDiaye) that is supposed to be about the woman of that name – but in fact seems to recount her story in a distant and disconnected way. It could also be said to be about identity, maternal connections, or the lack thereof. Though all of these elements are present it is not easy to make a claim that the book is about any one of them.

Briefly, Rosie, who is in her mid-twenties, arrives in Guadaloupe with her five year old son, Titi, and pregnant with a second child, of unknown paternity. Lagrand, Lazare's purported friend, picks her up from the airport. From him, Rosie learns that much of what she believed concerning her brother and parents is false. Rosie attempts to shape a new identify for herself in Guadaloupe, separating herself from her impoverished, colorless, insensate existence in Paris. In this attempt she seems to fail.

The first two chapters of the novel are narrated by Rosie. The third is split between Lagrand and Rosie and the final chapter is narrated by Lagrand. Of the two narrators, Rosie is both less trustworthy and less sympathetic. The first chapter, 36 pages describing hours waiting in the airport and the car ride home, details Rosie's generalized uncertainty, self-pity, and distaste for her son. The sense that Rosie is either mentally unstable or deficient becomes increasingly clear. Throughout the internal recounting of her life, in the second chapter, Rosie appears to be dull, unreflective, and not a real champion when it comes to decision making. Halfway through the book the reader can not help but feel disconcerted by Rosie's neglect of Titi and fundamental instability.

When Lagrand takes over the narrative role it is a relief since he is not only the only moral character in the book, but also (seemingly) honest about events in the world. He feels drawn toward Rosie, seemingly inexplicably, desiring her company despite sensing that she is lacking in an ethical center.

That Lagrand is a black Guadaloupean, and the Carpe family are white is no doubt significant from the author's point of view. Lagrand, who's mother was institutionalized, grew up with his grandparents and reflects that perhaps he was better off for it. Titi, who is an adult by the conclusion of the book, is also raised by his grandparents, but turns out less well. Lagrand, who became motherless, was able to identify that Titi was in a precarious position with his mother and to rescue him. Perhaps it is because of his own mother's abandonment that he can forgive Rosie and still love her.

Other aspects of the book which seem portentous are the names, Lazare, who disappears and seems to rise from the dead throughout the book; Lagrand, who is a great person; Rose-Marie (Rosie), the sister of Lazare; the family name of Carpe, perhaps. Unfortunately, attempting to find clues justifying the plot of the novel is a futile activity. Perhaps it is an elaborate parable about motherhood, love, and redemption, but it is more likely just what it appears to be – an unhappy novel about pathetic people.

Passing

Caucasia is a book that traces the boundaries of race, even within families in America. The book is narrated through the eyes of Birdie, who is the daughter of an African American father and a white mother. She appears "white" while her older sister, Cole, appears "black." Caucasia opens in 1975 Boston when Birdie is seven years old and Cole is ten.

In the First section of the book, "Negritude for Beginners" Birdie describes her life living with her sister Cole and her parents in Boston. Both parents are involved in the Black Power movement. Dad is an academic, while mom is working in more informal channels. The breakup of Birdie's family along "racial" lines occurs as the Black Power movement seemingly becomes a more dangerous activity and as it becomes clear that a white wife and daughter are a liability for someone espousing Black Power philosophy. Mom also believes that the authorities are after her for her "revolutionary" activities. After the breakup of their parents, Birdie is taken by her mom and Cole is taken by her dad.

The next third of the book covers the period that Birdie spends with her mother living itinerantly in motels and communes. To protect her daughter and herself from the expected reaction to miscegenation in rural New England (and of course the Authorities), mom renames them both, coaching Birdie with the history of her father being a Jewish intellectual who has passed away. They settle in New Hampshire where Birdie attempts to fit into the white society. Being part black, without anyone knowing it, she finds the casual racism of those around her alienating. When her mother takes up with a local man who typifies the racist bumpkin, Birdie runs back to Boston.

By revisiting people who knew her family she hopes to figure out where her father and Cole have gone. Supposedly they had fled to Brazil to escape the authorities. Her efforts do pan out and she finds out her father was living in Oakland. So, visiting her estranged (and conveniently wealthy) maternal grandmother she gets money to buy a ticket for Oakland.

Reunited with her father and Cole Birdie realizes that her mother's fear of the FBI might have more to do with a persecution complex than reality. Hoping to come to terms with why and how her father abandoned her after promising to find her when it was safe, she realizes that his academic theories of race are separate from how he is able to function in the world. Though race does not exist he had chosen to divide his daughters according to where they fit into racial categories. Cole was equally disappointing in her explanation for why they had not sought out Birdie. Cole only wanted to know why her mother had not tried to find her. Birdie realizes, in the end, that the family members she had been separated from could not answer the questions she had about why she had not been wanted.

This is an excellent novel about coming to terms with family, race, and identity. It is sad that racial categories are so important as recently as 1975, but humans are fond of categorizing the world, including themselves.

Civil War in El Salvador

One Day of Life is told by the matriarch of a peasant family in El Salvador. Originally published in 1980 at the start of the civil war in El Salvador, it is an account of the persecution of one family by government-backed soldiers. Through flashbacks we learn that the son of the matriarch has already disappeared due to his "Communist sympathies."

Lupe, the matriarch, begins her day like any other. Her 14 year old granddaughter, Adolfina, goes out with her younger siblings to get tortillas in the village. By noon a group of soldiers arrive at the family home. They want to take Adolfina to see if she can identify a "wounded man." Since we know that the wounded man was "wounded" by these soldiers it is clear that their intentions are not good. Lupe refuses to let Adolfina go and eventually the soldiers bring the man, near death, to be identified. Only Lupe recognizes him, with grave consequences.

The tension of this story builds gradually throughout the day and the conclusion is unpredictable. As it is describing the tactics Salvadorean soldiers used to intimidate and torture their fellow peasants, all in the name of preventing communist tendencies, it is a story of the viciousness of humanity.

The author of this story, Manlio Arugeta, is better known as a poet in the Spanish-speaking world. He was exiled from El Salvador for nearly two decades, due to his political views. The Salvadorean Civil War lasted from 1980 until 1992. Much credit for the duration is attributable to the generous funding of U.S. administrations, especially Bush I. The UNHCR summarizes the Bush policy in El Salvador succinctly.

Joys

The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta is the story of Nnu Ego's life from conception to death. It is a novel rich in irony as the title suggests "the joys" are not realized, but instead the imagined joys that women are supposed to have according to cultural tradition.

When Nnu Ego marries for the first time she does not conceive and is put aside. When she marries a second time she has eight children. By having many children Nnu Ego should, culturally be considered a happy woman. Unfortunately, over the course of her lifetime culture has changed. Her husband fights for the British in WWII, which is impoverishing and does not result in more comfortable living for the family. Her eldest son does well in school and leaves Nigeria to study in the U.S.A. Nnu Ego hopes that he will come back and support her in her old age as was the cultural expectation that she grew up with.

This is an interesting novel both because of the familial relationships that are described and the shifting cultural environment that serves as a backdrop. The story is told exclusively in Nnu Ego's voice. I thought this book was engaging though it would have been interesting to get more of a sense of personality from Nnu Ego. She is rather archetypical.

The Shipping News

This 336 page novel by Annie Proulx is lengthy considering its content. Quoyle (like coil) the main character has reached his mid-thirties without having much of a direction, friends, or love in his life. When his father dies and his wife leaves him Quoyle finds himself at a loss about what to do. His aunt suggests returning to the family home in Newfoundland and he acquiesces.

In Newfoundland Quoyle builds a new life. Though stumbling through life as a not so successful newspaper man in New Jersey he finds that his skill is more than adequate at the small town paper in Newfoundland. He also finds love and friendship.

All in all, this is a pretty good story about a person returning to their roots and finding happiness. However, there is a lot of dark foreshadowing throughout the book which leads the reader to expect darker events which do not occur. Perhaps that is why the end was disappointing, or it might have been the Lazarus moment, but the ending is unexpectedly cheerful.

"Venetia"

This novel by Benjamin Disreali is surprisingly quite interesting. Admittedly I only downloaded it to my Kindle because it was free. I must confess that I was hazy about exactly who Disreali was. A philosopher? He was in fact a British Prime Minister for roughly seven years, and the only Jewish PM.

Apparently, he wrote novels to get himself out of debt. This must be a purely British idea. Charles Dickens also seemed to do well writing. Writing novels in the modern day seems unlikely to get one out of debt. I can imagine the disbelief of a credit card company if someone were to say "Just wait till my new novel comes out! I will earn so much I will be able to pay all my bills!"

The novel Venetia is not the most famous. According to the Wikipedia entry it is "a minor novel" which mangles the histories of both Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley However, I was surprised by how good the writing was. It describes the life history of Venetia from her isolated childhood to her introduction to the king and queen and beyond! Unlike most romantic stories about how young Victorian women end up getting married, it is her relationship with her mother which is most central (and her absent father). That relationship which often appears to be both unhealthy and controlling is very very well described. Venetia's descents into illness which are in direct response to the control exercised by her mother are also insightful. The relationship between Venetia and her childhood friend, Plantagenet provides the romance.

I almost quit reading near the end as I expected the ending to be predictable, but there is a twist at the end which makes this book hard to categorize as a romance.