Book Review: The Passages of Herman Melville by Jay Parini

Title: The Passages of Herman Melville
Author: Jay Parini
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 9781847679802
Genre: Literary Fiction
Pages: 454
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

If you haven’t read Moby-Dick ever in your life, then I suggest you read it at least once before you die. It is absolutely one of those books you must read. A slow read yes but something that you must experience for yourself. Moby-Dick is a vast read and full of adventure, pathos and life. The reason I mention it now is I have finished reading a wonderful book about Herman Melville (the author of Moby-Dick) and his life before he even wrote the classic.

“The Passages of Herman Melville” by Jay Parini is one of those literature historical fiction books that I would not have wanted to give a miss and thankfully did not. The year is 1841 and Herman Melville hasn’t written his masterpiece yet. He nonetheless sets out on a voyage aboard a whaling ship and what occurs on one trip will give him enough material to write his new book.

What Melville leaves out in the book are the darker incidents that took place while he was on ship and in port towns such as Calabooza Beretanee, one of the most idyllic prisons known to literature. The book also alternates between the chapters of Herman and his wife Lizzie – two different perspectives which make for a fantastic reading. I like how historical fiction can be made to seem real just by the writing style and strong research, which clearly has gone into this book.

There is depiction of Herman Melville being this egotistical character and quite believable too. He was like that to a very large extent and on the other hand there is Lizzie, who endures because that is what women did way back then. Lizzie comes off the page as I thought she would before reading the book, while remaining hidden in her husband’s famous shadow. The comparison of Melville’s youth and his unhappy old age is juxtaposed brilliantly in the book. For one, it doesn’t come across as being disjointed or disconnected and that is what makes the book what it is.

Parini’s writing is easy, though the book cannot be read in one sitting. Jay Parini brings every scene to life in his book and that is one of his accomplishments. One can almost taste the salty sea, social groups on-board, and the sexual frustration amongst men rising through the pages. There are a few literature historical fiction books that manage to keep you glued to them. Herman Melville’s life was not an easy one. One of the few American Literary Masters who was perceived as a drunk and a crumbling figure who was trying to come to terms with his existence. I love how Parini has brought about the inner conflict of writers and their loved ones’ emotions as well through this book. A must read. Also you don’t have to have read Moby-Dick to read this one.

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Book Review: Burning Bright by Ron Rash

Title: Burning Bright
Author: Ron Rash
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 9780857861153
Genre: Short Stories
Pages: 205
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Burning Bright by Ron Rash was the most surprising reads for me for the year 2011. Short story collections have always held that special place in my heart and always will. Ron Rash’s stories and novels have been compared to Steinbeck, Cormac McCarthy and Faulkner, which I am not at all surprised after reading the collection. He most certainly deserves praise and more.

Burning Bright is a marvellous collection of twelve stories that focus on the people of Appalachia who though go through a lot of hardships and troubles refuse to give up their pride and yet keep seeking happiness. The stories are dark and rural in nature and yet at the core of the darkness is the human spark that carries itself on regardless.

My favourite stories in this collection are, “The Ascent” – a story of a young boy who discovers two dead bodies frozen in the wreckage of a small aircraft in the Great Smokies. What happens afterward is the proverbial twist in the tale. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading, “Dead Confederates” – a story of what happens when a greedy fellow schemes with a desperate soul. “Burning Bright” on the other hand is all about love beyond any logic and beyond the right and the wrong.

The characters in themselves are not afraid of pain they might endure or a discovery if made will have its own share of consequences. Ron also ensures that some of the stories have that wry sense of humour attached to them, which is necessary when dank tales are told. The language is on the spot and almost every reader will fall in love with it. Here is one of my favourites:

“He imagined towns where hungry men hung on boxcars looking for work that couldn’t be found, shacks where families lived who didn’t even have one swaybacked milk cow. He imagined cities where blood stained the sidewalks beneath buildings tall as ridges. He tried to imagine a place worse than where he was.

For me Burning Bright was a revelation to a writer whose works I will read more of in the future. Ron Rash breathes humanity in every word. He makes words dance on the pages and the reader is left gasping for more amidst meth addicts, sheriffs and lost souls who have a long way to go. Read the stories for the sheer magic of Ron’s writing and be mesmerized by it.

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Book Review: Ragnarok: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt

Title: Ragnarok: The End of the Gods
Author: A.S. Byatt
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 978-1847670649
Genre: Mythology
Pages: 192
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

I have always loved reading A.S. Byatt’s works. From Elementals to Possession: A Romance to The Children’s Book, every book of hers has been unique and distinct. A.S. Byatt’s books at the same time tend to be long and pedantic. There have also been times when I have reached the middle of a book and thought of giving it up, however was glad enough that I did not.

A.S. Byatt’s new book, “Ragnarok: The End of the Gods” is centered on retelling the finale of the Norse Mythology. The story is about the destruction of life on this planet and the end of the gods themselves. As per the Norse Myth, the world will come to an end and there will be only two human survivors.

Byatt has added her own twist to the myth. Told through the eyes of a young girl in wartime Britain, who is known as the only thin child, Ragnarok sets off brilliantly. The thin gird chances upon a book entitled Asgard and the Gods and shares those myths with the reader. With her father fighting in the war, she reads the myths and waits for the end of the world to come around.

The book is a collection of myths leading to Ragnarok. The book made me aware of the Nordic myths which do to some extent resemble the myths of other cultures – so there is familiarity as well for the reader. At the same time, one can also read A.S. Byatt’s thoughts on myths, which are included in the book. I enjoyed the crispness of A.S. Byatt’s writing. No word or thought is out of place in the book and may be that is what leads to the book not getting boring or dull.

I read the book in one sitting and probably that’s the best way to read it. This book is a stepping stone to make the reader want to know more about Norse myths and traditions.

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Book Review: Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman

Title: Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
Author: David Eagleman
Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
ISBN: 978-1847679383
Genre: Non-Fiction
PP: 272 pages
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5

An unremarkable looking man is walking by a bakery, looks through the window, breaks it with his fist, and grabs a chocolate éclair. As the offending hand draws the stolen éclair towards the horrified man’s mouth, his other hand grabs the arm with the éclair grasping hand and tries to force it back. It’s a ridiculous scenario, a man fighting with himself on a public sidewalk, one arm struggling with the other as the poor man screams at the offending hand over which he seems to have no control. Something out of a Jim Carey movie? Perhaps. It could also be an actual manifestation of alien hand syndrome, a side effect of split brain surgery in which one hand has a mind of its own. Alien hand syndrome is one of many brain conditions detailed by David Eagleman in his heady book about the brain, Incognito.

This writer has no science or medical background yet even he could understand (mostly) Eagleman’s text about our most current understanding of the human brain, a marvel of the universe that has begrudgingly revealed some its secrets to investigators and kept hidden so many more.

Incognito is a book of answers and a book of questions. We learn that 15% of women have four color receptors, not three like the rest of us. These tetra chromatic women actually see colors that others can’t. Then again because of the variations in our individual brains, reality can be subjective. When we look at something red, are we seeing the same thing? Are our perceptions of size, color, and light universally the same? According to Eagleman our brain constructs our reality. We may think that we’ve just had a brilliant inspiration, but our subconscious had already come to the realization minutes before sharing it with our conscious mind.

I did enjoy reading Incognito and found it understandable and for the most part well paced. Eagleman introduces his chapter topic immediately, develops and elaborates it and then reviews it at chapter’s end while making connections to what has come before. He then foreshadows the next chapter’s topic while connecting it to the preceding topic.

The author presents some interesting and intriguing questions about the culpability of those with brain disorders or chemical imbalances. We are not all equal – our judgment influenced by experiences, toxins, or drug use by self or by one’s mother. A latter chapter about determining criminals’ punishment based on what we know about that person’ brain and degree of culpability becomes tedious at times and more about the criminal justice system than the brain.

A person interested in the workings of the brain should enjoy this book. Eagelman concludes that the brain is a perplexing masterpiece still full of mystery and magic for those seeking to unlock its secrets.

Book Review: The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber

Title: The Crimson Petal and the White
Author: Michel Faber
Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd
ISBN: 978-0857860019
Genre: Literary Fiction
PP: 824 pages
Price: £9.99
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Add me to the list of people who appreciate Faber’s vividly-detailed writing! The setting of this story is so well-described that, for a few nights, I actually dreamt that I was in London’s streets in 1875. Just that alone gets my 5 stars. This book also leaves a lasting impression of the three main characters, William, Sugar, and Agnes.

Sure, William Rackham is a pathetic man who weakly follows the tide, but I think that’s the point. At the beginning of the novel, he’s so overwhelmed by the pressure to become a great man that his life has become stagnant. Sugar’s fire is what pushes his life into fluidity. He discovers (too late) that he also needs his family to make him a great man. This dichotomy is what the title is all about, the crimson petal, of course, being Sugar and the white petal being Agnes. Both petals make a perfume that is just too dangerous of a mix to solve everything. I found it very interesting that Sugar hates roses and thinks that they stink. Could it be because she views HERSELF as a filthy person?

Sugar is especially captivating to follow because she FIGHTS for a better life rather than simply accepting the revolting career that she was cursed with at an early age. If she has to be a prostitute, she’ll be the most sought-after prostitute in the city damn it! She turns to her vengeful novel as an outlet because she knows that taking it out on her customers in real life will get her nowhere. It’s so admirable to see her go above and beyond her duties as a whore to make each disgusting man leave her room feeling special. This is a character with real hope.

And Agnes’ pristine spirit gives a nice balance to the story. *sigh* If only she had the capability to give William everything he needs. But then there wouldn’t be a story, now would there? Her limitations are what set the plot in motion. This woman is so naïve and optimistic that she thinks her competitor is an angel. A strange woman standing at her gate can’t possibly have an ulterior motive! Agnes is so raw that she’s not ready to be a mother to her own child.

But I must say that the book could have done without the characters of Henry Rackham and Emmeline Fox. The ONLY good thing Henry has to offer is his tragic, ironic death. Although I don’t think he committed suicide, I do think his death is the direct cause of his depressed carelessness over something he didn’t even need to worry about in the first place. This makes his death a delicious one. But, we don’t need to waste so much time getting to know Emmeline Fox. (I skipped the parts that were written from her point-of view.) Sure, there is the nice parallel that both she and her father, Doctor Curlew, are “healers” in this horrible world, but we really don’t need so many pages about her. Instead, I would have liked to see more of a presence from the Rescue Society as a whole. (In case you don’t know, their mission is to “save” prostitutes by introducing them into a workforce that is worse than where they were in the first place.) This would have given an interesting aspect to the story.

As far as the highly-criticized ending, my complaint isn’t the open-ended questions that leave the reader hanging. In fact, I revel in this. There’s a feeling of hope that Sugar and Sophie can start afresh and live nice, uncomplicated lives filled with the love that the rest of the world denied them. Adding to this “clean slate” feeling is the awesome part where Sugar’s and Agnes’ life testaments are spilled onto the street. Just as intriguing is the danger that either Sugar or Sophie just might submit to following in her mother’s footsteps to continue the ugly cycle.

Also, I can hardly call this an “abrupt” ending when it’s a small, three-act story in itself (Sugar receives the dismissal letter, she makes several attempts to appeal to William, she has to sacrifice her dignity to Cheesman to get through the gates….) No, my complaint is that nothing really fueled the ending to make it happen in the first place. If William had such admiration for Sugar that it carried us through a story 800+ pages long, how could he so easily dismiss her? Sure, he’s finding Lady Bridgelow attractive lately. Ok, so Sugar’s been tired lately and is losing her luster (this is another nice irony, by the way: she’s losing her “power” over him because of HIS baby). …And he does have that newfound sense of responsibility for getting a more-qualified governess for Sophie…..But to throw Sugar on the street? It just doesn’t fit! To fix this, my suggestion would be to develop more of an intimacy between William and Lady Bridgelow. Perhaps, if they had actually shared a few genuine moments, the ending might have been plausible.

At any rate, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves being transported to another world and time. Michael Faber is an absolute genius at accomplishing this. If that is what you love in a story, then you won’t regret picking up this “tome”.

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Book Review: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Title:The Gargoyle
Author: Andrew Davidson
Publisher: Canongate Books
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
ISBN: 978-1847671691
PP: 502 pages
Price: £7.99
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5

Read this book. Read it. Just shut up and read it, already. Are you reading it? Why not? I told you to read it!

“But it’s yucky!” you complain. “The narrator gets all burned and gross, and he’s mean, and what’s up with the crazy lady?”

All right, yes, I will grant you, the first few chapters are incredibly difficult to get through, particularly if you have a delicate stomach. The unnamed narrator does, indeed, get in a horrific car crash where he is terribly, almost fatally, burnt. What follows is a stomach-turningly graphic depiction of what goes on in a burn ward. Stephen King would probably turn green at some of these scenes. You will be tempted to set “The Gargoyle” down and walk away. But I’m begging you to come back. Your suffering will be rewarded.

This is what Marianne claims, as she enters the narrator’s life in the gown of a psychiatric patient at the hospital. She is jealous of his pain, as she believes that it means God has not forgotten him. Marianne is 700 years old, born in the year 1300 and raised in a convent. She is overjoyed when she meets the scarred narrator, as she believes that he is her long-dead lover returned to her. She then must set about convincing him of her story: of how the two fell in love all those years ago and how they were separated, about her divine mission to set her hearts free by carving huge gargoyles out of stone, and about the redemptive powers of love, suffering, and sacrifice.

So much happens in this book I don’t even know how to start describing it. Marianne takes the narrator in and begins telling him stories. Interspersed with the tale of her own past are four other short love stories, set in eras and locations as varied as feudal Japan, medieval Italy, Victorian England, and Viking Iceland. These stories weave in and out of the main one, forming tentative connections and complementing its themes. Literary classics are alluded to as well, most notably Dante’s Inferno. People suffer and die (or not), they sacrifice everything they have for love, they create powerful art and watch it destroyed, they journey to the underworld, and they approach God. And through it all are the two lynchpins of this book, love and pain, forever entwined, each intensifying the other, unwanted and unlooked for but present in every page.

This is quite simply one of the most powerful, intense, gripping, and captivating books I have read in a long time. Maybe it’s too intense for some readers; I can tell already from the reviews that many are put off by this love story between the disfigured misanthrope and the schizophrenic artist. But if you have the strength to shoulder the burdens Andrew Davidson places on the reader, I promise, your suffering will be rewarded.

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