An Instance of the Fingerpost

I began reading this novel for my book club, but was quickly disappointed in it. The idea was very intriguing, it is the story of a murder set in England during the 1600s and told from four different perspectives. The initial problem that I have with the novel is that the murder does not occur until after 100 pages into the novel and that the stories were told independently from one another. I was mildly interested in some of the medical and philosophical ideas discussed during the story, but not enough to be drawn into the actual action of the story. I finished the first section of the 700-page novel, but was not able to complete the second section because I was bored by the story, did not care about the characters, the murder and did not feel that the novel was worth the time or effort that it would have taken to complete the novel. I read nearly 250 pages before I abandoned it of other books. I cannot recommend this book to anyone because I found it dull and tedious.

The second issue I have with the novel is stylistically. Iain Pears is a contemporary novelist living in England and my issue is not only with his style, but the style of many contemporary English novelists. My of the them seem desperate to emulate the style of Charles Dickens which I find tedious. Anytime that an author is paid by the word the reader is punished by meandering narratives and the lack of concise descriptive writing. The real issue is that most living writers using this style to do have the talent to keep the reader engaged int he story. reading books written this way is like listening to the ramblings of a drunk, they are lacking in focus and plot. Unfortunately, this story falls into the category.

The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas

The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne is a young adult novel set during WWII. While I am not a fan of this genre, I read it with high hopes because it was recommended by my book club. I have to say that I was very disappointed. It is the story of a boy whose father is a high-ranking Nazi Officer and is reassigned to Auschwitz. The family is forced to leave Berlin and live on the grounds of the camp. The boy has no one to play with, so he meets a boy that “lives on the other side of the fence.” They become friends and spend several afternoons talking. The end of the novel takes an unfortunate turn that leaves the reader questioning the point of the entire book.

One of the many things that bothered me was the changing of names/people to child-speak. This would have been all right if the novel was narrated by the boy, but it was a third person narrator through out, so the changing of names made little sense to me. Auschwitz was changed to “Out With” and the Fuhrer was changed to the “Fury.” I did not see the point in this and it distracted me throughout the entire book. Unfortunately for Boyne, the novel also drew comparisons to Night, which no book that I have read about WWII can win that comparison. There were other problems too, some of the language in the book also seemed out of place and not very authentic to the time period.

On a positive note, the book was well paced and read very quickly. I was able to read it in a single day, which is nice because it provides a sense of accomplishment.

The Terror

The Terror by Dan Simmons is easily the most terrifying novel that I have read in years. I loved it. The story is rather simple, about a group of explorers searching for the Northwest Passage during the 1840s. It is based of the lost Franklin Expedition of 1845. The boats are trapped in the ice in the Artic for three years. The story documents the struggles of the various crewmembers during that time. Even more frightening that being trapped on a boat while the temperatures are usually near –100 degrees is the fact that most of their food stores are rotten and there is something on the ice hunting them. The story is not really clear until the very end about what is on the ice hunting them, but that is what makes id so horrifying. The book is told partially through journal entries and by various member of the expedition. It is a well-written historical horror story that left me wanting more even after 750 pages.

I began reading Stephen King novels in grammar school, so I am well versed in the horror genre. Salem’s Lot scared me so bad in 6th grade that I am not sure I was able to sleep for weeks, but The Terror was in many ways more horrifying, because of the weather, hardships of the crew, the mysterious esquimaux woman and the ‘thing’ out on the ice. At one point in the story, the Captain complains about the situation they are in and enviously tells them story of the whale ship Essex. This is the story that Moby Dick was based on, a whaleboat sunk by a whale and the crew forced to survive on the open ocean in rowboats with the only food being each other. Not only the book very well written, but also Simmons does an amazing job with the setting. I was actually cold while reading the book, and could easily “see” everything that was happening. The book was very long, coming in at over 750 pages, but it was well paced and very interesting so it never felt like a long read.

I loved this book and strongly recommend it to anyone that enjoyed the novels of Patrick O’Brian, or Stephen King, fans of horror stories, fans of historical fiction or any one that enjoyed Nathaniel Philbrick’s story of the Essex. I have to be honest and say it is along book, but it is worth the work to finish it. I think that this would be an amazing miniseries on the Sci-Fi network because it is a very visual and exciting novel.

The Thirteenth Tale

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a great book for anyone that loves books and reading. It is a complex story in the sense that the narrator, Margaret Lea, is almost a subplot of her own story. The plot focuses on a story that she is being told by Vida Winter, one of the great authors of her time. The story is supposed to be the story of Vida Winter’s life, but in this book as in life, the truth is ambiguous. Margaret is told a very convincing story that seems to be factual, but the reader can never be sure. The story is great and full of unexpected twists and turns. Some of the book is a little graphic and there are some rather depraved sexual relationships, but over all those things are secondary to the story.

I have read this book twice now, the first time back in 2006 when it was first released and again last month for my book club. I enjoyed it both times, but a couple of the people in my book club did not enjoy it. The characters are not very likable, but I am not sure the reader needs to like them to enjoy the story. It is a book that reminds us that a great story has real power, perhaps even more power or importance than the truth. I think that this is the underlying message of the novel. The book will definitely make you question what is true and what the truth means. Several of the characters struggle with the idea that maybe a great story is better than the truth. Is it better not to know the truth? That is an idea that comes up over and over in the novel.

Personally, I really enjoyed this book both times. I found it similar to The Shadow of the Wind (one of my favorite books of all time), and it brought to mind Life of Pi because that is another book where the reader needs to figure out what is true. It aloes reminded me that sometimes in life a great story at the right time is all we need. There is a difference between a great book and a great story and this is a great story.

The Historian

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is a beautifully written gothic thriller that is a must read for anyone that enjoyed The Da Vinci Code. Kostova’s brilliant novel has drawn many comparisons to Dan Brown’s novel, though it would be better suited by comparisons to the work of Edgar Allen Poe and to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with which it shares obvious themes and one central character. The sinister atmosphere is maintained throughout the story because Kostova understands one the most basic, but often overlooked, premises of the suspense/horror genre; that is if far scarier to see the results of the monster’s work than it is to see the monster itself. The anticipation of meeting Drakulya is one the best things about this novel, and it is done is such a way as to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up more than once.

The most remarkable thing about the story is that Kostova tells it through three separate narrators. Each separate story begins with a mysterious book, blank except for a center woodcut of a dragon, and several letters all beginning the same way, “to my dear and unfortunate successor.” The story is told to the reader through an unnamed girl asking her father about the book and letters that she finds while snooping through his personal files. Her father (Paul) proceeds to tell her the story of how the book found its way into his possession. While researching the book, Paul asks his mentor for help and is in turn told an amazing story of the hunt for the real Vlad Tepes, Count Drakulya, whom is apparently still among the living.

The story of Bartholomew Rossi is the real beginning of the story from a chronological perspective. The reader gets to follow his travels in his search for the secret resting place of Drakulya’s tomb. Kostova tells portions of the novel through letters and journals, which is a clever tribute to the original Dracula because that novel is told entirely in this method. Through the triple narration, we are able to follow the rise and fall of Tepes. Kostova does an excellent job of moving the story forward while giving the reader a tremendous amount of historical information. Rossi’s story seems to come to an abrupt end when he goes missing, and it is this event that begins Paul’s journey.

Paul’s story begins as a rescue mission to save his mentor and friend from the evil Drakulya, but evolves into something entirely different. As his daughter begins to do her own research, learn about Paul and his life. The girl unknowingly stumbles across the identity of her mother, Helen Rossi, and we see that the coincidences of the novel are not quite, what they seem. Through Paul’s journey he uncovers various conspiracies, some of them relating to the Christian faith, which is why many critics begin making comparisons to The Da Vinci Code. As the triple narrative continues, we follow the three heroes on their hunt for each other and the elusive Drakulya. As readers, we know the that the three narratives will have to come together before the end of the story, but it is still rather shocking, especially when Drakulya makes his appearance. The fantastic story that Drakulya tells is one the most interesting because it offers us a chance to see the world through a totally unique perspective, that of a monster.

Kostova’s novel is truly a unique reading experience; it offers intrigue, suspense, horror, history, romance, and fun. While the novel is 640 plus pages, it reads like a much shorter novel. It was one of those rare reading experiences that left this reader slightly disappointed that the journey had actually ended.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

There are many reasons to read or reread classic novels; the first is that many of us did not really read them the first time. Other reasons include: a significant amount of time has passed since we read them, we have forgotten what truly great books they are and sometimes we need to be reminded of the cultural importance of the novels and the themes expressed within. These books are classics for a reason; they contain many issues still relevant today even after many years have passed since their original publication. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a perfect example of this. Most adults, if they remember the book at all think of it as a simple story, a boy and a run away slave float down the Mississippi River together getting into various kinds of trouble. On one hand, this could not be further from the truth, yes, it is an adventure story as the title indicates, but it is also a scathing look at intolerance in our society.

The story follows Huck Finn, as his life seems to spiral out of control. Huck finds himself living with The Widow Douglas where he is being civilized against his will. Eventually Huck decides he has had enough and leaves. Unfortunately for him, he finds himself living with his drunk, abusive father. This is one the significant issues that Mark Twain was able to hit on well before his time. It is important to keep in mind that Huck is really a young adolescent, which adds to his credibility and wit. Huck devises a relatively brilliant plan to escape from his father, and finds himself living off the land on a deserted island. The true journey of the novel begins here when Huck meets up with Jim, a runaway slave. Developments in the town from which they are both hiding forces them on the run. This novel is probably solely responsible for the American road story, even though it is obviously influenced by The Odyssey.

As Jim and Huck flee down the river, Huck finds himself in a moral crisis. He knows that help Jim is against the law, yet he feels it is the right thing to do. Twain uses this to demonstrate to the reader that sometimes society is more flawed than the individual. As Americans, sometimes we need to step back and look that the ridiculous things that society tells us are right when we know deep down that they are in fact wrong. Twain stresses the importance of not only self-examination, but also collective examination. As the novel continues, Twain uses various other episodes to illustrate other significant points. The feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons is a perfect example. Twain gives a clever tip of the hat here to William Shakespeare and shows the foolishness of war. The feud has been going on so long, that no one is sure who started it or why. If we take a close look at our own world, we can find places that have been fighting for hundreds of years without any resolution in sight.

Another episode that rings with contemporary issues is the large portion of the novel that deals with the two conmen the King and the Dauphin. This entire sequence demonstrates how those in power (or those we think are in power) are able to manipulate the people around them. We see these two men commit one horrendous scam after another while Huck and Jim essentially do nothing to stop them because the are afraid of challenging those in power. The King and the Dauphin finally are brought to justice, but it is really through their own greed.

The end of the novel poses a problem for many people, including Twain, who took a ten-year hiatus from writing the novel. Near the end of the novel, Tom Sawyer is reintroduced, the smart but naïve idol of Huck. Tom concocts an absurd plan that seems cruel simply because it is more fun and in all honesty in laugh out loud funny. Many readers tend to overlook the fact the Huck Finn would give anything to be Tom. Therefore, Huck will do whatever Tom says no matter how foolish. If we look closely, we still see this behavior in every school across America. Every teenager in the world wants to fit in somewhere and be like someone else.

This is a book that should be read by every American several times to remind us that while we live in a great country, it is still not perfect. Great novels stand the test of time because they contain issues that will always be relevant. The book is the perfect tool for the evaluation of our society and ourselves.

The Soul Thief

The Soul Thief by Charles Baxter is a short, intellectual postmodern novel in the spirit of Donna Tartt’s Secret History. The novel came highly recommended to me, and as with most things that are highly praised, it did not live up to expectations. Part of that is my fault as I was unaware that the novel was a work of postmodern fiction and I always need to prepare for that ahead of time otherwise I fall victim to the disjointed narrative.

It is the story of a group of college students, but focuses on Nathaniel Mason (not his real name) and his nemesis Jerome Coolberg. The first part of the novel devotes itself to the life of these two men and the women that get caught in lives. There are a few brilliant scenes, the most memorable of which revolves around and attempted burglary that take s a very unusual turn. The narrative builds towards a seemingly disastrous climax, but then jumps several years without any real closure.

The second and third part of the novel deal with the protagonist and his rival as adults, that have not been in contact with each other for many years. Unfortunately, for me, the novel seems to fall apart here. The narrative becomes extremely disjointed and it is very distracting to the reader. The novel progresses in a way that is hard to follow unless you are paying very close attention. For me this was a nice change of pace from the other books I have recently read.

The Soul Thief is a very intellectual novel that makes full use of the author’s very impressive vocabulary, which can be distracting to the reader. I had to stop several times and pause as I tried to remember what certain words meant. I even considered reaching for a dictionary at one point. I would certainly recommend this novel to anyone that is a fan of postmodern fiction, especially those that prefer their stories a little dark and creepy. This is the story of an uber-stalker going to the extreme.