1001 Books Challenge: White Teeth

Zadie Smith's 2000 novel, White Teeth, proved to be a gripping read. Spanning generations, continents and cultures, Smith explores how family history impacts the individual and the consequent ripple throughout society. White Teeth primarily follows two men, Archie and Samad, who met while fighting for England in WWII, and the families they sire. Both Archie and Samad grip to the past in their own ways that cloud their abilities to live in the present with their families, which then effects they people their children grow up to be and their subsequent impact on society. Because Archie is a native Englishman and Samad comes to England via Bengal and Archie marries a native Jamaican, Smith's novel is rife with the struggles and conflicts of race and religion for people who are just trying to get by. While Samad and Archie may think of themselves as war heroes, to their families, they are average men doing they best they can, which may not always be enough. Smith uses the ordinary to explore greater issues - cloning, genetics, religion - without alienating her audience. White Teeth is compelling because the characters are flawed like so many of us are. While the story ends after 448 pages, it is clear that there is always more to tell. Samad's sons will make choices that damage their children's lives and those children will rebel and never become the exact vision their parents had. Smith makes a point of presenting characters that never get it all right, because no one ever does. Additionally, some of her exploration of twins and their interconnectedness reminded me on a very surface level of Salman Rushdie's twins in The Ground Beneath Her Feet - possibly because both sets of twins come from Middle Eastern/Indian backgrounds and religions plays a large part in their paths to adulthood. I truly enjoyed White Teeth and I am pleased about having it kick of my 1001 Books Challenge!

- KER

Coming Soon

If you are looking for a new and exciting theatre experience, consider checking out Boston Lyric Opera's The Turn of the Screw this week. BLO sets Benjamin Britten's haunting opera in the Park Plaza Castle. The Castle itself offers an eerie vibe, particularly when the lights go down that compliments the spooky ambiguities of Britten's opera.


 

BLO built everything required to transform the open space inside the old armory into a performance area - the stage, dressing rooms, orchestra pit and even the seating. Director Sam Helfrich also includes live video feed from the dank, musty basement to offer opposing images of the characters - further emphasizing the unreliability of the narrators. With plenty of creepy components, this production should be surprising and exciting for the audiences.

Book Recommendation: Drawn From Life by Jonathan Strong

My fellow romper gave me Jonathan Strong's latest book, Drawn From Life as a holiday gift (of course we always trade books!) and because she's the best, had it signed. Naturally I couldn't wait to read it! I was not disappointed. Drawn From Life follows Pete, a man who grew up in the midwest, loving to draw and struggling with his sexuality. The novel traces Pete's life as a young boy on his grandmother's farm to an art student in Cambridge and back to his grandmother's farm in his middle age. Written in the third person, but exclusively from Pete's point of view, Drawn From Life is a novel about all our highs and lows as we work to understand ourselves and find happiness, or at least, an equilibrium. Because Pete realizes he is gay at a young age, he struggles to reconcile his desires with society's expectations and his own family's ready acceptance of Pete in any form. Pete remains detached from himself and finds release and exploration in his artwork, which always features others (people, cars, landscapes) and never himself. Due to Pete's detachment, the tone of the novel stays cool and even keel. What makes this tone resonant so well is Strong's technique of short, staccato chapters that in their brevity reflect Pete's efforts to capture moments of life in his drawings. From an early age Pete attempts to depict the movement of wind in the trees and later bodies moving in the darkness, which mirror the momentary glimpses each chapter provide into Pete's life. Told in chronological order and featuring a handful of consistent characters, Strong's novel very much presents life the way we remember it - specific moments and people in our lives that emerge as important, linked or memorable later. Each chapter works as its own drawing of Pete's life and coheres as a whole. Drawn From Life is an enjoyable read in a refreshing style.

- KER

Truly the 'Last Night in Twisted River'

I finished John Irving's Last Night in Twisted River the other night and while I enjoyed it, this novel is not among my favorite of Irving's work. While Last Night in Twisted River treads on familiar territory (see "recurring themes), it is different and more distant. For example, the primary character, Danny experiences his sexual awakening with an older woman in his early teen years, much like many young men in several of Irving's other works. However, in Last Night in Twisted River, Danny's experience is revealed dispassionately, much later in the novel, almost in passing. While the narration explains and details the relationship, there is very little exploration of this experience's impact on Danny's life. While most of the book follows Danny's view, it is written from a third person point of view and remains very detached. What I've always enjoyed about Irving's writing is that it makes the novel very visceral - I've always felt plunged into the story, unable to pull myself out and totally unwilling to do so. I first picked up A Widow for One Year in my high school library years ago because I found the cover intriguing and now that I'm examining the cover art for Last Night in Twisted River, the artwork falls into the same category as that for A Widow for One Year. What I like about both covers is that they each take one key image, yet not the focus and use it in a way that is ambiguous and clear. A Widow for One Year features an empty picture hook, which upon the conclusion of the novel I found it brilliant - it is symbolic without being heavy handed and yet before I read the novel I found it interesting. I did not think much about the cover art for Last Night in Twisted River until I looked for an image to post and found two. The blue background is the one I've seen everywhere, but the yellow background was new to me. After I saw the yellow version I realized the significance of the cover and while the book did not impact me as profoundly as A Widow for One Year, I appreciate the subtly and significance of the artwork. Last Night in Twisted River was not my favorite Irving, but solid fans should check it out - Irving knows how to write about Americans experiencing its history while muddling through their own lives.

- KER

Review: The Huntington's "All My Sons"

Last week I checked out The Huntington's latest in the 2009-2010 Season, Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons.' Completed at the conclusion of World War II, Miller explores the domestic implications of the war - loss of a son, corruption, wealth gained from the war, familial guilt and his all time favorite - the destruction of the American Dream. Miller brings us the Keller family comprised of Kate (mourning matriarch, unwilling to accept her son's death, clinging to the hope that missing for three years equals the possibility of life), Joe (patriarch with a criminal past all in the name of providing for his family), Chris (the surviving son, in love with his brother's girl, working in the family business) and the shadow of Larry (Chris' older brother who went missing during the war). In addition, Miller highlights the aforementioned girlfriend of Larry, Ann, who happens to the be the daughter of Joe's former business partner, who is now doing time for faulty airplane engines. Though Miller sets the scene in middle America with a seemingly average family and their neighbors in the background, these complex relationships rival 21st soap operas. In last week's review, The Boston Globe's Don Aucoin wrote, "Heaven knows Miller was allergic to subtlety, with a tendency to italicize his messages, but the man had few peers when it came to crafting high-stakes moral showdowns," which summarizes the tension of Miller's written word. However, at the Huntington, the performance fell flat. I think that individually, the actors were fine, certainly not stellar, but floundered under poor direction.

Miller's play is all about individual morals v. protecting and providing for the family v. nationalism. Essentially, Miller asks who is more important - the individual or the nation? At a time of war is it more important to profit from business or work to ensure the safety of the nation's troops. Joe Keller put his business profit before safety and suffered for it. Not only did his choice cause the death of several men in the war, but ruined his longtime business partner's life and subsequently caused so much disgust and guilt in his sons that his family fell apart - the very family for which he tried to provide with his business. The complex motivations for Joe's choices and the consequences make a fascinating story, but I felt none of that tension while sitting in the Huntington's theatre last week. I felt sleepy, a little bored and somewhat annoyed that the women seated behind me commented on each twist and revelation throughout the play. They also sounded like they were munching away on candy and opening cans of soup back there. Seriously, theatre manners are not hard - learn 'em, live 'em, love 'em and I will love you for it. My point is, I felt distracted because the story did not grip me. I did not feel glued to my seat, debating the morality of the play for myself, wondering if Chris could reconcile his father's acts with his brother's death and his own guilt. I wondered when the play would be over. Truthfully, I could not figure out what the BIG DEAL was until late in the second act. I think under different direction I would have felt very different.

However, I did not hate the production. There were moments I enjoyed and pushed me forward on my seat, like when Ann's brother George arrives. Overall, I found the production lacking, but if you want to see a beautiful set and cannot resist Arthur Miller - why not check it out? Though you might find a better interpretation reading 'All My Sons' to yourself. After all, it's Arthur Miller.

- KER

A few selections for the 1001 books reading challenge

I wanted to post a list from which I will probably select my choices for the current reading challenge (in no particular order):

The Wings of the Dove - Henry James

The Old Wives' Tale - Arnold Bennett

A Room with a View - E.M. Forster

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce

The Glimpses of the Moon - Edith Wharton

The Devil in the Flesh - Raymond Radiguet

Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie

Lady Chatterly's Lover - D.H. Lawrence (banned)

Miss Lonelyhearts - Nathanel West

Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Postman Always Rings Twice - James M. Cain

Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

The Victim - Saul Bellow

The Floating Opera - John Barth

The Once & Future King - T.H. White

Memento Mori - Muriel Spark

Rabbit, Run - John Updike (banned)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey (banned)

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Crash - J.G. Ballard

Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice

Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

Schindler's Ark - Thomas Keneally

White Noise - Don Delillo

American Psycho - Breat Easton Ellis

Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood

The Human Stain - Philip Roth

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

City of God - E.L. Doctorow

White Teeth - Zadie Smith

- KER

First Impressions: Last Night in Twisted River

John Irving's most recent novel, Last Night in Twisted River came out in the fall and naturally as a lifelong Irving fan, I was curious. The miracle of Christmas has placed a copy in my hot little hands and I'm approximately halfway through Irving's latest work. I am enjoying it as I find Irving's work totally absorbing. He manages to create a world in which I want to inhabit, at least, as a voyeur. Characteristic of his other novels, this book is primarily set in New England, at least one character is a wrestler, another character is a writer, there is a significance to the relationship between man and nature, there is a strange, sexual coming of age for a young man (usually at teenager) by an intriguing and inappropriate older woman. Additionally, Irving raises similar issues to his other works - a family effected through decades and generations by one tragic event, while simultaneously examining American history. Irving also focuses on our fears of the every day - how the dangers of life could change us in an instant. While all Irving's familiar characteristics are present, this book does not feel like recycled material. I think because Irving places the family history within the greater context of American history and how mundane fears can rule us each, his material is always fresh. Plus, he tells a great story.

- KER

WICKED - the musical

A few months ago I read Gregory Maguire's novel, Wicked and while it was certainly not my favorite novel, I did read it because I had started listening to the music from the 2004 musical and something about the story seemed appealing. When I had the chance to see the Broadway Across America production in Providence, I figured - why not? I attended the touring production this past weekend at the gorgeous Providence Performing Arts Center and I felt as underwhelmed by the performance as I did by the book. As I sat in the massive theatre with modern chandeliers and a seemingly neverending orchestra and mezzanine levels, I was reminded of the Citi Performing Arts Center's Wang Theatre when I first saw RENT in high school and felt too far away from the action.

For Saturday's performance of Wicked I sat halfway up the second mezzanine section off a center aisle. My overall view of the stage was great - I had a bird's eye view of the orchestra pit, stage and enormous dragon positioned about the stage. However, this distance meant that I never saw the facial expressions of the performers. They were simply too far away. Additionally, I found their voices weak. In a space as immense as the Providence Performing Arts Center, a singer's voice needs to reach the rafters every time for every audience member to experience the production. Even with amplification, the singing seemed hollow.

Like when I started Maguire's book, I wanted to enjoy Wicked. I knew the liberties the musical took with the novel's plot, which given how little I enjoyed the novel's contrived complexities, did not bother me in the least. However, the plot manages to be an oversimplification of the novel while simultaneously too complex for a light musical. The musical assumes too much about the audience's prior knowledge. Because of the novel, I knew about the dragon clocktower and its significance in Maguire's rendering of Oz and the Emerald City, but those who have not read the novel found the large dragon confusing and unnecessary. As a student my professors taught me that as a director you should not put a gun (or any other prop, set piece, etc), unless you are going to use it. The dragon above the stage did move, but remained unexplained and this flaw is indicative of the primary problem with Wicked. It is a production overflowing with lavish mechanics - a flashy set with many moving parts and vibrant costumes. While not necessarily bad features, I found these choices did not make the production more compelling.

This dilemma of flash v. focus in a production is something with which I struggle. I am interested in the problem of how much of the set, lights, costumes is too much if the performances fall flat? I am more drawn to productions with creative and careful design elements that do not overshadow the performances, but rather amplify the talents of the performers and directors. The other issue for me revolves around what I want from a musical. Do I want a meaningful story? Do I want the story to reflect some level of reality? If there is an interesting and complex issue at stake, how much focus does it receive in the storytelling? Do I want show stopping numbers? When I think about the musicals I have enjoyed I think it boils down to very strong performances and primarily in the strength of the performers voices. I go to a musical expecting to leave humming the tunes I heard on stage. I did not leave Wicked with those songs in my mind and on the tip of my tongue. I think my tendency to turn away from flashy musicals is that I want the focus to be on the amazing power of the singer's voice. Also, in the story of Wicked, there is a complex issue at stake - who is truly good? It seems no one is entirely good or bad and it's all in perception, but this issue receives very little attention. It lingers in the background of a highly mechanized production. Then again, performances with high production value get attention and often garner more ticket sales, and performing arts companies need the revenue. Like the wizard says when he first meets Glinda and Elphaba, "sorry for all this (gesturing to the giant talking head), some people need it." Maybe that was the point?

- KER

1001 Reading Challenge: Fanny Hill

For my first book in this challenge, I decided to read Fanny Hill because it was the oldest book that I placed on my list. I thought that it would be the most boring and therefore I wanted to get it over with. Boy was I wrong!!

Fanny Hill tells the story of a young orphan who is brought to the city by her parents' friend who drops her off and basically tells her to "be good". Fanny is extremely immature and naive and almost immediately, and unknowingly, becomes a woman of the night. She falls in love various times, only to be cast aside and return to her life as a prostitute. It is an old story that has been retold over the century. However, the original is always the best!

The most shocking aspect of the novel is that it is basically erotica. The sex scenes are even more graphic than those in some contemporary novels. In addition, Cleland describes heterosexual intercourse, homosexual intercourse as well as orgies and various other sexual relations. In fact, Fanny's first experience with sex is a learning experience with another woman who teaches her how to get pleasure from herself as well as from her partner. The explicit descriptions do not just end with the sexual acts but also include extremely realistic depictions of penises, the scrotum, and orgasms. This probably sounds like something from Howard Stern or out of Valley of the Dolls. Yet, this novel was written in 1748!!!! It is over 260 years old! This is the most startling (and possibly the most important) aspect of the book. It has officially been banned at various schools and libraries. Though I don't agree with banning books, I can completely understand why even modern audiences would find this novel to be too risque.

-DLP

Book Review: The Book of Joe

The Book of Joe is described by one reviewer as "a coming of year 34 year old tale" and I have to agree. However, this is not a bad thing! The story is about a man named Joe who writes a scathing book about the town in which he was raised. In his novel, he addresses how poorly everyone treated him and his friends. He also chronicles how the basketball team and its coach run the town while preaching conformity and intolerance. When Joe's father falls into a coma during a basketball alumni game, Joe is forced to return to this town that he left 17 years ago. Upon his return to Bush Falls, he suffers from various humiliating situations at the hands of the town including having milk shakes thrown in his face, copies of his book thrown on his front lawn, and is beaten up by the former captain of the basketball team. Yet none of these attacks hurt Joe as much as finding that his childhood best friend is suffering from a terminal disease and Joe's ex-girlfriend has had a troubled and violent past 17 years.

Though this novel had the potential to be cliched, it took the high and less jaded road. In fact, Tropper was able to take some previous lackluster plot turns and make them new again by tweaking certain outcomes. Still, the book is a bit of a tear-jerker but it is peppered with fantastic comic relief. The mixture created a novel that is sentimental and moving without being a sappy weep-fest; while also being humorous without making a mockery of the subject. The issues addressed in the book are heavy and deep but with enough wit to lighten the load and make the novel and exceptional read!!

-DLP

Book Review: Angelica

I finished this book about a month ago but I can't stop thinking about it. It has taken me this long to put my thoughts together to finally write this review. In many ways, Angelica reminded me of The Turn of the Screw in which a household seems to be plagued by a supposed ghost. Similar to the Turn of the Screw, Angelica is set in the 1800s and revolves around a deteriorating family. Constance and her husband, Joseph, are in a failing marriage which causes Constance to retreat into herself and her relationship with her daughter. She wins the affection of her daughter, Angelica, and uses this against Joseph. Previous to Angelica's birth, Constance suffered numerous failed pregnancies and was told that any pregnancy brought to term could kill her and the child. Angelica's birth almost killed both her and Constance and therefore Constance was told to stop any relations with her husband that could result in a pregnancy. However, Joseph still demands her physical attentions.

These hazardous personal relationships are the backdrop to the ghost story that begins when Constance believes that she sees a ghost. She believes the spirit to be malevolent and thinks that it plans to hurt Angelica. Joseph does not believe his wife's dramatics and, once again, Angelica is caught between her two parents. Constance seeks out spiritual help to cleanse the house while Joseph calls in the help of a psychiatrist for his wife. However, Angelica may not be the innocent child that both of her parents believe her to be. In fact, she might be just has conniving as they are.

Similar to The Turn of the Screw, Angelica is much more than just a ghost story. In fact, there may not even be a ghost at all! Phillips is extraordinary in exposing all sides of the story to the reader. The story is told in four sections that are each narrated by a different character. Still, it is extremely difficult to figure out which perspective is truthful because each narrator contradicts the previous ones.

Clearly, Angelica gives the reader much more than just the chills. It is a study in characters, relationships, and the results of being pushed to one's breaking point. In addition, it documents the historic clash between spiritualism/folklore and medicine/science. An excellent read that will have you thinking about the characters months after you finish!

-DLP

Book Review: The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster

I had no expectations when I picked up this book. I knew it was buried in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, but I started reading it because I had it at home, in paperback and I could fit it in my purse. In The New York Trilogy Auster presents three distinct stories, that may be ultimately intertwined. Auster employs techniques of dectective and mystery stories with complex psychological implications. Each story, "City of Glass," "Ghosts" and "The Locked Room" are compact, gripping narratives exploring a mysterious plot with clues, while also diving into the psychosis of the primary character. Each story has an element of banality, keeping it grounded in relative reality, but also employs the slightly surreal - like the sequence in "City of Glass" in which protagonist abandons his quiet life to pretend to be a private detective and lives in an alley to watch over his client. The relationship between the stories is undefined, but at the conclusion I felt like there were connections I missed. I found The New York Trilogy to be an intriguing, quick read, with an eerie feeling at the end. I liked the spooky side of the stories because they were suspenseful without being frightening. However, I finished "City of Glass" late at night, so I did read a few pages of Glamour to clear my mind. I liken magazines to cleansing the palate in between meals.

- KER

Book Review: Dirty Little Angels

I recently received the novel Dirty Little Angels through a reviewer website in which writers connect to readers and give copies of their novels to be reviewed. Though I was hesitant to sign up, fearing that I would be stuck reading someone's trashy novel, I bit the bullet and I am lucky that I did!

This new novel is about a dysfunctional family in New Orleans that is teetering on destruction. The main character, Hailey, is a high school girl who is trying to find her place in her own family as well is in the world. Her mother is a born-again Christian who has sunk into a great depression since her recent miscarriage and refuses to leave her bed. Hailey's father was laid off from work for over five months and spends his days at the pool hall and his unemployment checks at the horse races. Last, is Hailey's older brother who has been arrested multiple times and hangs out with a seedy gang. The only positive role model that Hailey has is an African-American woman that Hailey helps after school. Still, there is little that this woman can do to help Hailey and her sinking family.

Overall, the novel is a look at urban life which includes religion, drugs, sex, and violence. However, it never comes off as cliched. The writing is as gritty and raw as the characters and setting. The characters are tragic and the reader can feel that everything is barreling towards something terrible. Still, there are some flaws such as Hailey seems a bit immature for a high school student and the conclusion is a bit unpolished. However, these issues should not deter any readers. In fact, this novel can easily be read in one-sitting and (when done so) is even more powerful! Personally, I would recommend this book to any lover of novels set in New Orleans or stories about the rotting away of a family.

-DLP

A Graphic New Year!

In addition to the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (BYMRBYD) Challenge, I have decided to read two graphic novels each month. I was given a handful of graphic novels for Christmas and immediately ran out to buy 500 Essential Graphic Novels and see how many were listed. It then dawned on me that I should try to make a dent in this giant list! Therefore, I will be reading one book from 1001 Books You Must Read Before you Die and two graphic novels from this collection. My selections will range from non-fiction, to fiction, comic books, horror, science fiction, and everything else. If you have read this blog from the beginning, you will know that I have favorite genres and others that I try to steer clear of. Hopefully, these two challenges will force me to confront those "other genres". As all of you can probably tell, this is going to be a very literate year for the rompers and you will be hearing all about it. So let's go crack open a book!

-DLP

Joyce Carol Oates Challenge Wrap Up: Collector of Hearts

Though I fared a bit better than my fellow romper on this challenge, I too felt let down by my final choice of books. I chose Collector of Hearts which is another short story collection that centers around grotesque characters and plots. Despite the similarity with themes in Haunted, Collector of the Hearts pales in comparison. In fact, it seems as if Oates has ripped herself off with this collection by using almost the exact same techniques as she did in her previous collection (such as numbering certain segments and arranging the stories in three parts). Similar to Haunted, the stories in Collector of Hearts are almost entirely about family relationships that become violent with physically or sexually. However, they are far more weird and border on being science fiction.

I finished the collection but it took a great deal of motivation! I found some of the tales to be terrifying, but not in a "spooky ghost story". Instead, it was terrifying in a "how could someone think of anything this sick and twisted" way. Perhaps the best word to describe this collection is disturbing.

Overall, this challenge taught me a great deal about Joyce Carol Oates. The most important lesson is I learned is that I do not like Joyce Carol Oates. I found her writing to be disturbing and often borders on assaulting. I am aware that she has a large fan base but after this challenge I don't believe that I am part of that base!

-DLP

New Year - New Challenge

The Joyce Carol Oates challenge did not end for me as well as I'd hoped. I had planned on reading What I Lived For, but, like Blonde it is well over 600 pages and hardcover. After toting Blonde around for two weeks in a tote bag with my lunch, I wanted a book I could shove in my purse. So I read Penelope Ayers and I love You, Beth Cooper. I did start What I Lived For with ambitious intentions, but the book failed to hold my interest. Many critics discuss Oates' use of a male narrator, as it was new territory for her. From what I read, the narrator of What I Lived For was a rather despicable, pompous man who selfishly mistreated woman and let his anger get the best of him. He appears unsympathetic and mean, make 600 pages a long journey. Perhaps I will finish this novel at a later date, but right now it does not hold my interest. And is rather large to fit in my purse.

In the new year, us rompers hope to read at least one book a month from 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die throughout the year - most of which were published between 1900-present. We are also hoping to include some books that have historically been banned. We will complete this challenge along with other challenges, but our yearlong goal revolves around reading at least one book per month from the list.

It's tough to choose where to start, but some of my top choices include:
Lady Chatterly's Lover
The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
White Teeth
Alias Grace
Rabbit, Run
Midnight's Children
Interview with the Vampire

Part of what is exciting about this challenge for me is that I own several of the books mentioned in this tome because I thought they might be interesting and picked them up at a used book sale. Now I can raid my own library and motivate myself to read the books already sitting on my shelves. Though, those holiday gift cards to local bookstores won't stop me from adding my library!

Happy New Year!

- KER