What I'm Reading: January 2009

This month I read a horror graphic novel, a title by a favorite literary fiction author, and a novel that disappointed me a bit.

I will begin with Joe Hill's newest work, Locke & Key: Welcome to Love Craft a horror graphic novel, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez. This is the first of a planned series following the Locke family's return to their ancestral home in New England after the murder of their father. This is no ordinary home, however. There are doors that when opened have you drop dead and turn into a ghost (you don't stay dead) and a demon itching to be set free in an abandoned well. The illustrations are beautiful, but graphic. Hill's story mostly follows the 3 Locke children (a grade school boy and teen aged boy and girl). Thus, the story is both about the children's grief, coming-of-age issues and the evil force stalking the entire family. In true horror fashion, the conflict is resolved, but the evil lives on, in this case taking the form of a teenage boy who has befriended the Locke kids. This is a satisfyingly creepy read.

For readalikes, you could try the graphic novel versions of Hill's Dad's (Stephen King) Dark Tower series. Neil Gaiman's Sandman series of graphic novels would also be a good choice here. In terms of novels, Gaiman's The Graveyard Book or Neverwhere, both combine the supernatural evil element with a coming-of-age story much like Locke & Key. The works of Bentley Little are also a good bet for those who enjoy the popular "small town horror" subgenre. For those interested in horror in general, here is a link to my previous posts on what is new in the world of horror.

I have had Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs loaded on my computer awaiting listening for about a year now, but I was daunted by its length. However, once I started listening, I was hooked. I should warn you that Russo is one of my favorite authors to begin with though. Bridge of Sighs recounts the life of Lou C. Lynch (known as "Lucy") in Thomaston, NY. Thomaston, like many Russo settings, is a former manufacturing town, looking at hard times, in upstate NY. The novel follows the stories of Lucy, his wife Sarah, and his best friend Bobby beginning in the present and weaving in and out of the past, recounting their stories from childhood to middle age. It is the story of a town, of family, of friendship, of art (Sarah and Bobby both become artists, although with completely different trajectories) and the meaning of each of these things. Like all Russo novels, Bridge of Sighs seems like a simple novel recounting the life of a few characters, but when it is all said and done, you have learned a lot about all people and yourself throughout the course of the novel.

Authors who are similar to the award winning Russo are Richard Ford, especially his Frank Bascombe trilogy, Anne Tyler, and Michael Chabon (try Wonder Boys). Each of these authors uses their novels to examine the human condition and a specific town much like Russo. Those also interested in Venice (where Bobby lives as an adult and where the Bridge of Sighs is) can click on the link for reading suggestions.

Finally, I want to share a more disappointing reading experience. For a few months I have had Beginners Greek by James Collins on my to-read list based on its glowing reviews. It was touted as using all of the chick-lit conventions only in a "unique" way. Well, I finally read it, and I disagree. I think this book was seen as "unique" only because a man wrote what is normally seen as a women's book. The whole story revolves around a couple that keeps missing each other; every time they should get together, something else stands in their way. There are many side plots about the other characters and their love lives. Everything ties up way too neatly and the foreshadowing is too blatant.


If you want to read some good chick-lit, try The Time of My Life (scroll down the post to read about what I thought about it) by Allison Winn Scotch, the novels of Jennifer Weiner or Sarah Bird. Also, Kristin Gore's political, chick-lit is unique and well written. I wish some of these good female writers of stories of women's lives and relationships would get as good reviews as this weak offering by a man.

Enough ranting, that's the month that was.

What I'm Reading: Aloft

Recently, I finished listening to Chang-rae Lee's Aloft. Lee, known for his depictions of Korean Americans, has an interesting protagonist here, an Italian-American, retired landscape company owning, Long Islander named Jerry Battle. Jerry is the patriarch of a family that includes his elderly father and his children from his marriage to a Korean woman (now deceased) named Daisy, Jack, who is slowly running the family business into the ground and Theresa, a graduate student about to marry an Asian American writer. Also playing a big role in the family is Jerry's long-time girlfriend, Rita a Puerto Rican nurse.

Jerry is retired from Battle Brothers landscaping and spends his time working part-time at the local travel agency and flying in his private plane. But Jerry is not a model father, husband, or boyfriend. He is not terrible either. Actually, this is the main problem in Jerry's life and the source of all of the problems plaguing his relationships with family and friends. Jerry has always avoided confrontations and hides his true feelings. At 59 he is in danger of drifting away from everyone and everything that has meaning in his life.

And then, tough circumstances bring his daughter and her fiance back East to live at home. And so the catalyst is introduced to this equation and Jerry's life begins to move forward for the first time in years, but not without problems, setbacks, and heartache. Jerry is forced to deal with life and all of its problems head on, but he is also able to reap the rewards of a life fully lived with feet firmly on the ground.

The appeal of this book lies in a few distinct area. First, there is no question that Lee is a fantastic writer. This book moves fluidly along. It has graceful and moving passages, it has times of reflection, it has action scenes, and Lee easily holds it all together in a moving and steadily building story. Just when the plot could drag, Lee introduces enough drama to keep you turning the pages, or in my case, listening to a few more tracks.

This is also a book for people who like a domestic-centered, character driven story. Here our main character is a complex, middle aged man sandwiched between his elderly father and his grown kids. He is having a minor mid-life crisis, but handling everything as it comes at him. Although he has made his share of missteps and his life is not without tragedy, he comes out the other side of the novel on the upswing; which in and of itself is refreshing for serious literary fiction.   The ending is not all happy, I should warn you though, but it is a classic example of bittersweet.

There are also some great secondary characters like Jerry's powerful lawyer friend, the elderly Battle Brothers accountant, Jerry's cranky dad, Jerry's travel agent office mates, and Paul, Theresa's fiance, to name only a few.

Finally, you cannot overlook the appeal of the main theme of Aloft, which is interracial families and the multicultural blending of modern Americans. Jerry is the patriarch of an Italian-Korean-American family with a Puerto Rican girlfriend. Lee has Jerry ponder how he got to be the head of such a blended family and what it all means, if anything at all.

Three Words That Describe This Book: character-driven, compelling, interracial families

Readalikes: Showing its age, the reviews of this 2004 novel mention it as a readalike to the then popular, but now not so much, About Schmidt by Louis Begley.  Begley's novel is worth a look for fans of Aloft who missed About Schmidt the first time around (or vice versa). John Updike's Rabbit novels were also mentioned by reviewers. Although I agree, I kept thinking more of Richard Ford's Bascombe trilogy and the novels of Richard Russo.

Specifically for Russo, I found Aloft very similar to Bridge of Sighs on many different levels. Click here to see what I said about Bridge of Sighs when I read it. I also listened to both novels and am pretty sure that they share the same reader, which may be influencing my suggestion here.

For a book with very similar themes but with younger protagonists, try The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Nonfiction about suburban sprawl (there is a lot about the history of the migration to the LI suburbs here), aviation, and interracial families (use the link to see suggestions of other titles too) could all be of interest to fans of Aloft.

What I'm Reading: That Old Cape Magic

I read the newest Richard Russo, That Old Cape Magic, on the beach; it wasn't the Cape Cod or Maine beaches mentioned in the novel, but rather, my homeland, the Jersey Shore, specifically Wildwood Crest.

Here's the basics on plot. Griffin is a college professor of screen-writing at a MA college where his wife works in admissions. Griffin is on his way to his daughter's, best friend's wedding on Cape Cod. He has been driving with the ashes of his dead father in his trunk for about 9 months. He tells himself he was waiting to deposit the ashes in the waters off of Cape Cod, where his parents took him every summer for vacation.

Griffin cannot get himself to dispose of the ashes. He is also haunted by the memories of his childhood. To put it mildly, his parents were very messed up, and he has spent his entire adult life trying to not be like them. However, his marriage is currently suffering due to his inability to see he has actually become them.

After the first wedding, the story fast-forwards a year to another wedding. This time it is Griffin's own daughter and it is in Maine. Over that year, Griffin and his wife have lived on opposite coasts and are considering divorce. Also, Griffin's mother has now passed on, so he is riding around with both of his parents' ashes in his trunk.

In true Russo protagonist style, Griffin is extremely ineffectual, to the point of self destructive; however, despite the chaos, after this second wedding, Griffin is able to see his life clearly, possibly for the first time, and he manages to make steps toward fixing his life.

That Old Cape Magic is a story like most Russo tales in that it involves a middle aged man going through some kind of mid-life crisis. I don't mean to belittle Russo's work; in fact, I am a huge fan of his. Russo is able to capture the relationships between people in such a realistic way that I feel it is, at times, clearer than reality. What I mean by this is that Russo is able to inhabit his narrators and tell us what they are thinking; explaining their inner thoughts so well that the reader can understand why they act so stupidly. We root for them to figure it out, even as we cringe at their choices along the way.

The other thing this talented Pulitzer Prize winning author is so well known for is his descriptions of the demise of working class towns in the upper North East. He describes what happens to once prosperous middle class communities and their citizen once the mill or factory in said community is shut down. Click here to see an example when I read Bridge of Sighs.

That Old Cape Magic has been getting mixed reviews though, and I think I understand why. It is missing that working class motif. In fact, it is only about privileged and well connected people which made for a different, yet still entertaining novel.

Readalikes: I enjoy Russo quite a bit, as a result, I have considered his readalike options frequently. I would suggest Richard Ford (specifically the Bascombe Triliogy), Tom Perrotta, Pete Hamill, Anne Tyler, Barbara Kingsolver and Michael Chabon.

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen and Olive Kittridge by Elizabeth Strout are also readalikes for That Old Cape Magic specifically.

Readers may also be interested in books about Cape Cod after reading this novel.

Arty Fiction

Later today, my husband and I are going to our son's first grade class room for art appreciation.  We are going to teach the kids about Norman Rockwell (pre-chosen topic).  So I have had artists on the brain.

It got me thinking about all of the great novels which feature art and artists prominently.  Two of the most obvious are the literary and often historical novels of Tracy Chevalier and Susan Vreeland.  Both women tell stories about artists, the creation of art, and how art affects people generally from the female perspective.

But there are also men out there who regularly incorporate art into their stories.  Take bestseller espionage thriller writer Daniel Silva.  His hero, Gabriel Allon is a Mossad agent and art restorer.  These action packed spy novels are filled with danger, terrorists, and lots of details about art.

Here are a few art focused titles by other authors that I would highly suggest:

• The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte: this novel has 2 story lines, both revolving around the aforementioned panel, one in the present and one in the past.  Expect romance, intrigue and murder.
• Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo features an artist.  Read more here.
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon is one of my favorite books ever and it is about comics; therefore it is all about art, artists, and the creative process.  But it is also about mid-20th Century America.
• Nora Roberts is an amazing storyteller.  Look, I don't like Romance much and even I can admit that that woman can tell a great story.  I have men and women coming in to read her books.  One of the reasons Roberts is so popular is the details she adds to her stpries.  It is not uncommon for either her hero or heroine to be involved in an art form.  A good example is Chesapeake Blue.
• We read The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama in book club last year.  The narrator is a young painter who encounters a Japanese gardener whose work with plants is also a form of art.  This is a novel which has stayed with me, and I often find myself thinking about it 13 months later.

This is just a sampling of the numerous offering out there.  Art and artists have obviously been quite an inspiration to their prose creating cousins the fiction writers.  For more ideas, check out this list from 2008 compiled by the contributors to Fiction-L a RA list serv.  Feel free to leave your own suggestion in the comments.