Midnight's Children

by Salman Rushdie

I read Salmon Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children (Random, $16, 2009), the “Booker of Bookers” with the Village Books Book Club led by the amazing and wonderful Kathy Jackson.  A rich, complex and magical family saga about both India (and Pakistan) and the life and family of Saleem Sinai.  All I can say is take your time and read this.

(Note: The next Village Books Book Club, facilitated by Kathy Jackson and open to the public is coming up on April 11 at 6:00 PM. We will read and discuss The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, her first novel in nine years (since The Poisonwood Bible). The Lacuna focuses on Harrison William Shepherd, the product of a divorced American father and a Mexican mother. After getting kicked out of his American military academy, Harrison spends his formative years in Mexico in the 1930s in the household of Diego Rivera; his wife, Frida Kahlo; and their houseguest, Leon Trotsky, who is hiding from Soviet assassins. RSVP to Village Books by email, fax or phone to reserve your spot and enjoy a 15% discount off the price of the book. There is a $10 facilitator's fee to attend the discussion.

The Lacuna

by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver’s newest, The Lacuna (Harper, $26.99, 2009) is wonderful historical fiction told primarily through the diary entries of fictional character Harrison Shepherd, who is half American and half Mexican.  He spends his formative years in Mexico and enters the household of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo and their houseguest, Leon Trotsy.  He eventually returns to the U.S. and is drawn into the House Un-American Activities Committee.  I thought I would be put off by the diary format, but ended up loving it and feeling like Harrison was a real person.  Plus I loved the interspersed commentary from his loving stenographer and archivist. A powerful and moving book.

PLUS, On Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 6 :00 PM Village Books is proud to host a book club discussion of The Lacuna, facilitated by Kathy Jackson, Ph.D.  RSVP by email, fax or phone to reserve your place - space is limited - and enjoy a 15% off the price of the book. There is a $10 facilators fee to attend the book club discussion, which is open to all!

Invisible

by Paul Auster

Paul Auster was really slammed by James Wood in The New Yorker (Nov. 30, 2009), both generally and specifically for his latest novel Invisible (Holt, $25, 2009).  I appreciated his opinion, but I really enjoy Auster’s books.  He is such a storyteller… plus I feel his mind works a little like mine, as in I will be on one track and can easily get sidetracked to another story, and if you aren’t used to talking to me, you can get confused (but if you are used to me, you know that the threads all tie together somehow PLUS you get to hear a bunch of stories!).  Anyway, this wasn’t my favorite Auster, but I still loved it (except for the brother/sister sex – as my friend Alan said “Gives a whole new meaning to ‘Kids, go to your room!’).  So if you are up for a fun and funky ride, this is it!

Inherent Vice

by Thomas Pynchon

This was surprisingly accessible (and a little bit goofy!).  A great portrayal of hippie era Los Angeles.  “Doc” Sportello is a dope smoking private detective (probably not the best way to hone your deductive abilites!) out to help his ex (and still beloved) girlfriend, Shasta, who has been associating with big real estate developer Mickey Wolfmann. The story is a little convoluted/confusing, but who cares!  As Kirkus Review said “For better or worse, this is the closet Pynchon is likely to come to a beach book.” (7/01/09).

Last Night in Twisted River

by John Irving

This is a wonderful John Irving-like yarn – oh yeah!  It is by John Irving!  The story opens in 1954 in a New Hampshire backwoods logging camp and tells the story of Dominic Cookie Baciagalupo and his beloved son Danny.  We follow father and son and their “colorful” friend Ketchum over a fifty year span.  Dad takes his culinary skills from Boston to Iowa City and Toronto, while Danny becomes a famous writer.  The book was a little too long – there was a point where I thought it should have ended and was antsy getting to the end, only to find myself lost and lonesome without the comfort of spending time with Cookie, Danny and Ketchum.

Her Fearful Symmetry

by Audrey Niffenegger

I indulged in the delicious world of English ghosts in several wonderful new books.  Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger (author of The Time Travelers Wife) (Scribner, $26.99, 2009) is a wonderful story of two sets of twins (how perfectly gothic!).  Mirror twins Valentina and Julia, are the American daughters of twin sister Edie (or are they?!?) who inherit their Aunt Elspeth’s flat in London, along with the interesting characters who live in her building (including Elspeth’s ghost!) which happens to be located next to Highgate Cemetery.  The story can get a little confusing and I wasn’t satisfied with the ending, but that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying the tale, especially its portrayal of the afterlife.  The British fascination with ghosts must come from their storytelling culture as well as the ancient land and culture.  Little Stranger, reviewed previously, as well as Drood,  Angelica, and The 13th Tale  are all great examples.  Last year’s Newbery winner, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins, $17.99, 2008), tells the imaginative story of the only living resident in an old London graveyard.  I wish the opening of the story wasn’t so totally terrifying – as a child, I had an unreasonable fear that my family would be murdered, and I would have gone round the bend if I read this as a child, and I imagine it would be too much for some kids - but once you get past the beginning, it’s the wonderful story of Bod, who arrives in a graveyard as a baby after the horrendous murder of his family, and his newly found ghost family and friends who raise him in the cemetery.  It also offers an interesting picture of the afterlife.  I just thought of another one – Daniel Handler’s (aka Lemony Snickett) only novel (so far) for adults written under his own name, Adverbs, has a hilarious vision of a newly dead person who describes it as similar to your first day on a new job… what time is lunch and where do you eat?  And not to digress, but I forgot to mention the wonderful character Martin in Her Fearful Symmetry who suffers from a serious case of OCD.  Steve Martin also did a great job of portraying the effects of this illness in his novel, The Pleasure of My Company.

Shanghai Girls

by Lisa See

I particularly enjoyed Lisa See’s latest, Shanghai Girls, because of the interesting history of L.A.’s own Chinatown.  The story opens in 1930’s Shanghai, a fascinating place by any description.  We meet sisters Pearl and May who seem a bit like today’s Paris and Nikki (Hilton), but are quickly sobered up when the Japanese invade.  After many arduous adventures, the sisters end up in L.A. and we get a glimpse of our own city, and the prejudice and fear incited by the 1950’s Red Scare on Chinese Americans.  It is a riveting story of sisterhood, survival, and choices, and I hope the ending was hinting at a sequel. If you are interested in the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, I would also recommend Distant Land of My Father, by Bo Caldwell and When We Were Orphans, by Kazuo Ishiguro.

The Women

by T.C. Boyle

Many of you read and loved Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan, which told the story of the love affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and  Mamah Borthwick Cheney.  I am a fan of that book, but frankly (haha!!) I enjoyed The Women even more! Boyle is such an interesting and inventive writer and his talents are really showcased here.  The story is told by one of Wright’s disciples, Tadashi Sato, whose Japanese heritage brings the theme of racism into the story (a theme that reaches tragic proportions in Mamah’s death).  Sato’s footnotes bring a wonderful perspective and voice to the story. The narrative moves backwards in time through the accounts of Wright’s four women: Olgivanna, the dancer from Montenegro; Miriam, the drug-addled narcissist from the South (and oh, what a character!); Kitty, the devoted first wife; and Mamah, the beloved soul mate and intellectual companion.  I loved the backwards time frame – you see the end of one relationship and the beginning of another so you almost have the benefit of hindsight about each relationship.  Don’t think you know the story because you read Loving Frank – this is a rich, full account of Wright, the women in his life, artistic conviction, moral failings and much more!