Her Say For Heresy

Thy Flower!

Over time in the book world sub-genres begin, flourish and die away. The contemporary romance novel is a Mama genre but within that there are things like time travel romance novels. Books like the Gabaldon Outlander novels and The Time Traveler's Wife. Following the nothing succeeds like success motto publishers have put out countless books that have romantic time travel themes for the fans of these two super popular authors to enjoy. It happens all the time. Tom Clancy spawned a men's adventure techo thriller sub genre in the 80's that still thrives. I have no problem with this. I am all for people buying books and reading and whatever their tastes are is fine by me.


One of the newest and most popular of the baby genres comes out of the Thriller. It's the religious thriller. It comes in two main varieties. There is the contemporary search for the lost artifact theme and the historical persecution of religious truth with a dollop of lost artifacts and thumbscrews. I'm not a reader of the contemporary search novels but given my love of historical fiction the latter are right up my alley. I need to thank Dan Brown (and let's face it Umberto Eco is really the Papa of it all) for the proliferation of both varieties. How many times have I sat down with a salesman over the last few years and heard a book described as "Dan Brown meets John LeCarre", or been told to "think of this as a smart Dan Brown". I mean no offense to Dan Brown but these are the kinds of things you are told when an author has dominated sales. As a buyer you tend to disregard descriptions like those. You know from experience that the next Da Vinci Code will turn out to be a novel that only has sales figures in common with Da Vinci not plot.

The newest novel by S.J. Parris (a pseudonym for writer Stephanie Merritt) is a religious thriller of the historical variety called Heresy. It's 1576 and a monk named Giordano Bruno is exercising unauthorized freedoms by reading Erasmus in the privy. About to be caught and punished in many un-Godly ways, Bruni makes a run for it. So far so real. The real monk, philosopher, Galileo-ist scientist and poet Bruno made his way to England, after securing the friendship of a few important men, where he hoped to obtain a teaching position. Novelistic-ally Bruno does all that and gets caught up in a murder and Catholic (ever the Nazi's of the religious thriller) based treason threat against Queen Elizabeth I.

I wanted to read Heresy because of my interest in English history in general and this time period in particular. On those counts Heresy does not disappoint. The history is there in all it's satisfyingly chewy detail. Thriller-wise? Well there is nothing new in the premise but Parris has concocted a complex and intriguing enough plotline and likable enough characters to move the suspense along at a steady pace. My one complaint is that the dialog doesn't always stay true to the 16th century but that did not take away from my enjoyment of Heresy.

Happy

P.S. Why the pseudonym? I've heard writers say that they use the fake name so as not to confuse the fans of their 'other' books. Is that the case here? I'm not sure but Merritt does publish novels her real name. If that is her real name...

The Earth Hums In B Flat

Flower! Good Morning!

I am suspicious of adult novels told in the first person from a child's point of view. The child is never really a child. It's always a quirky little prophet machine. It's innocence a mask in place to reveal the hypocrisy of adults. This doesn't mean that there haven't been many novels like this that I have enjoyed. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Sweetnees at the Bottom of the Pie come to mind.


Another book to add to this list is The Earth Hums In B Flat by Mari Stranchan. Growing up in the 1950's in a small Welsh village twelve year old Gwennie is the 'odd' child of the community, not that she thinks of herself as that way. She sees herself as gifted: She flies in her sleep, has visions and takes questions from the Toby mugs in the kitchen. Is it that she has a good imagination? At home she must very carefully navigate her Mother's mental instability and her peacemaker Fathers' enabling.

When the husband of a supportive teacher is found dead Gwennie takes the case. Her investigation unwittingly reveals the kinds of secrets that change lives but the real tension here is a more unexpected type than catching a murderer. As you read Earth and succumb to Gwennie's considerable charms there is a palpable suspense in what exactly Gwennie's mental state is. Is she a young eccentric who will find her way or are the same seeds that torment her Mother already planted in Gwennie?

Given my suspicions I didn't expect to think much of The Earth Hums In B Flat. I read it because my friend Sasha encouraged/nagged me to read it. Well don't I have good friends? She was right. This is an outstanding novel. I was surprised the directions the story took. The impressive Gwennie is a wholly realized creation. Stranchan's development of her characters is more accomplished than most established authors can muster let alone a first timer like herself.

Earth would make a discussion filled book club choice. The family dynamics, where do individuals fit into society, what's changed since 1950, the mysteries, Gwennie's fate, etc would all be excellent talking points. It would also be a good book choice for more mature fourteen year old (and up) that are ready for more adult novels than are geared for their age group---and that is not to say at all that The Earth Hums In B Flat is a YA (young adult level reader) masquerading as a grown-up book....as so many others do.

Happy

We, The Drowned

Flower!

I wish I could remember where it was that I first heard of We,The Drowned by Carsten Jansen. I can't help thinking that where ever it was must have recommendations for other books and since Drowned is so very, very good I would like to know all the other books they liked. It had to be somewhere on the internet of course and it was made the book sound so intriguing that I wrote down the title. I wanted to keep a record of it so that when it became available I could get it. Availability was an issue because this novel was originally published in Denmark in 2007. Not only was I going to have to wait for an English language publisher to buy the novel but I was also going to have to wait for it to be translated. ~~sigh~~

Fast forward to April 2010 and voila We, The Drowned makes it's English language debut, but in the U.K. not the states. Oh well. Luckily for me I have an extraordinary friend who lives in London and will send me whatever books I ask for. He's my own private little crack dealer.

The book is divided into 3 parts: local legend Laudris Masden's incredible story, the attempts of his son Albert to find his missing Father and decades later young mother Klara Erik desperate to keep the sons of Marstal, the hometown of the novel, from the sea. When the novel begins in the 1840's the citizens of Marstal are about to be conscripted by the Danish Navy into service in their war with Germany. The novel continues for the next hundred years until the final days of the second World War.

The novel is told by an invisible Greek chorus (the drowned of the title) that seems to be made up of the townspeople of Masden both living and deceased. They move you forward and backward through the characters lives and through the history of the town. After their impressment the first battles that Laudris Masden and his friends find themselves struggling to out last are horrific. Suddenly the book moves from away from the beguiling tall tales and the depth of the novel is revealed. This sets the style for the book. The juxtaposition of the warm, conversational feeling of stories handed down and folk tales treasured with the hard edged, painful experiences of the characters trying to survive life on the sea and the women and children trying to live their lives not knowing if the men will ever return is powerful and affecting.

There is something otherworldly about the sea. It's just outside your door but it has all the strangeness of a fantasy novel. It's a place where nothing is under your control. The rules that govern the rest of us don't apply out there. It takes a writer with a big vision and even bigger skills to capture the fear and it allure of it  while still entertaining and enlightening us. We, The Drowned is enthralling and masterful. Jensen has written one of the best books of the year. You will enter Drowned exactly like you are today and you will leave it knowing about a world that you didn't know existed and with a new understanding of great writing.

I am curious to see how well the publisher sells this book over here. It's coming from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in February 2011. HMH isn't known for aggressive marketing or really any marketing as evidenced by their craptastic website. They do publish a large number of literary authors so they have experience with titles outside of the usual bestsellers. Among others they publish: Philip Roth, Cynthis Ozick, Edna O'Brien and Jose Saramago.

There is a huge interest in Scandinavian mysteries right now and no publisher has yet tapped into any other genres by Scandinavian authors and brought them to the U.S. We, The Drowned did win numerous prizes when originally published including the Danske Banks Litteraturpris the Danish equivalent of the Man Booker. So we shall see!

We, The Drowned does further my theory that books that begin with maps and/or a list of characters and/or where the author has named the chapters are destined to be greatly enjoyed. There's a map right there on the page before the chapter titles page! Maybe HMH can use that in their marketing.

If you are interested to know what nautical stories Carsten Jensen considers the best of the best here is a list he made for The Guardian. Warning--looking at this list might increase your own reading list.

Happy

P.S. The British edition of Drowned was beautifully translated by Charlotte Barslund and Emma Ryder.

July 4th Eve

Flower my fellow citizen,

It's the 4th of July Eve. Time to acknowledge how grateful I am to be an American and how much I love the U.S. Why do I feel the need to add a caveat to my love? To point out that I recognize there are problems in the U.S. and many things I don't like about it but that I love it Overall. Is that because of who I am or because The Media and/or other people make me feel like I'm some sort of a dolt if I don't publically admit to my homeland being imperfect when I publically admit to loving it? Loving your country of origin, if you're American, is totally uncool. Well I'm uncool in a lot more ways that just this one. So bring it on.


I have traveled outside of the U.S. a lot. I have seen gorgeous vistas, gasped in awe at buildings and art, met interesting and wonderful people, eaten food both yum-tastic and scary and bought books and yarn on four continents. Traveling is exciting. It is something that I never want to stop doing. It doesn't matter where I go everything seems exotic when at the end of the day I am not going to sleep on my own pillow. Seeing what I have of the world has made me love my own country more. It's created a sizable chunk of gratitude in my heart that will never diminish. I have learned that there really is no place like home.

I am a free person because of where I was lucky enough to be born. The only thing I have ever done to earn that freedom is to vote and how difficult is that? I'm from a country with a stable government, opportunities, optimism and freedom and that makes me exceptionally lucky.

There is one little thing. It's hardly worth mentioning except that it bothers me. It's come closer to keeping me awake at night than any other thought ever has. ...Why has there never been a really good or even just ok movie about The Revolutionary War? Civil War? Check. WWI ? Check. All other wars with the exception of The War of 1812? Check. Nothing worth watching about the start of U.S.? Isn't that odd? Is this some sort of conspiracy? It's not as if war movies were so rarely made during Hollywood's golden age.

The only movies I can think of is  Revolution ,The Patriot and Johnny Tremain. Revolution is as God-awful as any movie ever gets, Patriot and Johnny are ok but is that the best that can be done?

Happy

I'll Have The Frozen Rabbi Please

Flower!

The oldest thing I have in my freezer right now is a 48 count pack of fish sticks I bought in 2007. In the intervening 3 years I have purchased and consumed other fish sticks. I'm not sure why the catch of whatever day it was in 2007 is still in my freezer awaiting an archaeological expedition to make it to the oven. Maybe I just like knowing they are there at the ready? They have survived numerous minor power outages and 2 outages that lasted more than 3 hours. I have to say I'm a little proud of them.


However, I would trade them in for one Frozen Rabbi. It sounds like a drink doesn't it? "I'll have the Frozen Rabbi, shaken not stirred" and nice as that might be a Frozen Rabbi also makes a terrific novel. Ask for a Frozen Rabbi at your local independent bookstore and you will get a novel that you will love not the do-you-have-Prince-Albert-in-a-can kind of response that you might expect thanks to author Steve Stern.

Fifteen year old Bernie Karp lives with his family in Memphis Tennessee. Everything is all pretty typical. Then one day when Bernie's looking for some food out from the fridge comes a frozen old dude. Go figure. Young Bernie Karp finds the frozen Rabbi in his parents' basement freezer. The Ice Age began generations ago for Rabbi Eliezer ben Zephyr when he was accidentally frozen while meditating and was presumed dead by his colleauges. Later he was found in-cased in a block of ice by a Polish laborer and has been in that family's care ever since. Their own lost Ark of the Covenant to keep and preserve. The Rab-sicle has been a deaf, dumb and blind family burden through the worst the 20th century had to offer for Jews. He has been protected by the family until he defrosts one day in Memphis in 1999.

The big thaw makes young Bernie a bit of a mystic. He has out of body experiences, becomes a seeker of knowledge and has hundreds of questions for the Rabbi. The Rabbi on the other hand becomes more secular and more convinced that America is a paradise every day. The Rabbi bites into every indulgence that contemporary life has to offer. Of course he attracts flocks of followers and his New House of Enlightenment is an immediate successful.

Telling me that a book is funny is the kiss of death. There have been amusing moments in many novels I have read but I have always found that the phrase 'comic novel' is an oxymoron. I have been proved wrong. Steve Stern can write funny. There is funny end to end in The Frozen Rabbi. Everything from slapstick to sarcasm. There is also an outstanding novel in there. From the historical elements surrounding the Rabbi's travels in his ice cube disguise to Stern's dovetailing Bernie's new spirituality into the Rabbi's hedonism. The Frozen Rabbi is waiting to make you laugh so stop waisting time and go get him already.

It all makes me wonder what Walt Disney will do when he gets thawed out.
Happy

P.S. I think the cover on The Frozen Rabbi is excellent--very appealing. It reminds me slightly of the jacket of a very different novel Free Food For Millionaires. I know. It's the top hat. This is the cover on the hardcover edition and it is much nicer than the paperback cover.
Millionaires is a wonderful debut novel about the daughter of Korean immigrants finding her own way in the world. The daughter, Casey, is just one of many fabulous characters  throughout the book. Millionaires was a big, lovely surprise for me. I am looking forward to the authors next book. So I wishe she would hurry up.

The Imperfectionists Lied To Me

Flower, as we know...


Short story collections equal small sales. If I could explain the whys and wherefores of this I would be a hugely well paid executive who takes Fridays off. Having worked in the retail end of the book business for 20+ years I can tell you that it is a go-tell-it-on-the-mountain-carved-in-stone-cold fact. Perhaps this is why the author and publisher of The Imperfections claim it is a novel. To let the world know right on the cover of the book that it is a short story collection would be the croak of death to sales. However as you cannot be sort of pregnant so a novel cannot be short stories. A work of fiction can be a novel or it can be short stories. There is no such thing as a novel in stories because that isn't a novel it's a short story collection. Got it? Good. Now on to my reading of The Imperfectionists a short story collection by Tom Rachman. I have not read what the cover of this book proclaims it's self to be; The Imperfections a novel by Tom Rachman.

After this lie can I rebuild my trust, move on and like The Imperfectionists? Why yes I can. How very big of Me.

There is a great deal of charm in The Imperfectionists. The stories are about very likable people living in a glamorous and exotic (to me the outsider) city who all in some way, for good or bad get shaken out of the limbo land in which they have been living. They have to face up to how they wound up with these lives and that their lives are changing. The characters work for an American owned, English language newspaper in Rome. If there were days of heady success for this paper they ended a while ago. Now the newspaper is struggling to survive for the obvious reasons: the internet and money. The history of the newspaper is given away bit by bit in the stories.

Once the pattern of the stories is set it's easy to anticipate what is going to happen to the characters. It's a testament to Rachman's writing that it doesn't matter. He is a fine writer and has no trouble keeping a reader interested. Rachman's straight forward style of writing might be a play on newspaper reporting it's self. It certainly adds a level of authority and realism to the storytelling and to the foibles of his characters. It's a sort of marriage between the delightful, heartfelt adventure of Roman Holiday and the bullet point facts of a resume. How could that be easy to capture?

I have to assume that since this book is labeled as a novel (Yes, I am continuing to beat that horse.) that the stories are meant to come together as a convincing whole, that doesn't happen. The characters make special guest star appearances in each others tales and they all seem to have their epiphany moments but you could start this book on any "chapter" or read it in any order because it doesn't matter. You don't glean any new insight by reading the book from page 1 to page 269 either. Does that make the book innovative? No it makes it a short story collection--that is both available and worth buying at any independent bookstore.

Ok. I really am over the whole short story thing.

Happy.

P.S. The Brit cover? It's not working for me. It makes the book look like a mod, cafe society novel. Why look young Gertrude Stein spotted a tourist.
Although I am forced to say that this cover makes no written claims either way about what is inside.

How Did You Get This Number

Flower do you need a laugh?


I can help with that. Read How Did You Get This Number. You will laugh my friend. There the problem is solved. What a nice friend I am. Anything else I can do for you? Want me to explain nuclear fission? Why my sister cannot apologize? Finish up a few lingering trigonometry problems?

Laughing through author Sloane Crosley's embarrassments, adventures and complaints is such a load off for the rest of us. Now we can relax about public mishaps, venting inappropriately about friends and family, our wondering at the strangeness of the world and the general humiliations of life. Crosley has surveyed/survived the territory and has taken it all on the chin for you and me. She has taken the pressure off. What a pal.

Crosley's previous collection of essays, I Was Told There Would Be Cake is a tough act to follow but How Did You Get This Number does the job. I don't usually read books that people tell me will make me laugh because in my experience they almost never make me smile let alone laugh. No so with both of these collections. Not only is Crosley funny and a good writer but she's friendly too. There are no snotty pretensions here. She isn't looking at the world from a self centered hipster view point. Reading Number was like getting to be Rhoda while Mary tells you about her day. There is a chunk and a half of things you are going to laugh at and some sweetness and understanding that you will savor.

One more thing. Often you see the word 'wry' flung about when essays are described with the same abandon that the word 'multi-layered' is used when describing a novel you can read either (but I hope both) of Crosley's books with out fear of wry.

Happier.