Korean author Change-rae Lee, On Such A Full Sea

On SUCH a FULL SEA is a vast pool of story telling.  This is not necessarily praise for Korean author Change-rae Lee who has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.  The genre of FULL SEA is futuristic apocalyptic sic-fi combined with a haunting love story, a strong, independent heroine and a plethora of sinister people & plot twists.  The story is set in the not too distant future in a strange new world with hierarchies as in Orwell's ANIMAL FARM & oppressive mandates similar to Huxley's 1984.  The closet comparison is McCarthy's The ROAD where self-preservation is a daily peril with the terrifying unknown around every bend.  Change-rae Lee uses an unidentified narrator from her community "B-Morph" to tell the tale of young Fan who abandons the safety of "B-Morph" where she is sheltered from the apocalyptic chaos outside their borders.  There is an omnipresent fear of being ostracized and forced out to survive (highly unlikely) on her own.  Fan chooses to leave the mind-numbing life in "B-Morph" to find her lover Reg (& father of her unborn child.)  Reg simply vanished after having been called to meet with the Charters (the privileged class.)  We follow Fan's unpredictable & disturbing odyssey as she searches for Reg & an older brother.  Lee's writers gifts casts a fetching tale that lures the reader into caring for our heroine.  However, once caught in Lee's net, I felt I was  gasping for air.  On Such a Full Sea has a mesmerizing power but its appeal lies for those who find a dystopia exciting rather than disturbing.  

British author Julian Barnes' "Levels of Life" Gradations of Grief

British author Julian Barnes, is an acclaimed writer, (Sense of an Ending '11 - Man Booker Prize.)  He has also been shortlisted for this award for 3 of his other works.  Both "Levels of Life" & "Sense of an Ending" are explorations of love & grief and the mysterious, ephemeral memories that remain.  Barnes remarkable gifts as a writer are paramount in this memoir which is a triptych of historical fiction, lyrical fiction & personal lamentations on grieving since the death of his wife.  The historical fiction gives depth to the scientific inventions of airborne vessels & photography.  "Advances which allowed us to look at ourselves, better, with increasing truth."  Barnes also quotes Maj. Gen. Anders, on his Apollo 8 mission to the moon in 1968 "…we'd come 240,000 miles to see the Moon and it was the Earth that was really worth looking at."  The eloquent fiction mid-section of the triptych discusses the romantic liaison artists in the late 19thC between the bohemian actress Sarah Bernhardt  & British balloonist Burnaby as a paradigm for quantifying love.  "Together, in that 1st exaltation, that 1st roaring sense of uplift, they are greater than their 2 separate selves."  The poignant bookend to "The Sin of Height" is "The Loss of Depth."  It is here that Barnes, assembles his candid & poignant thoughts on love, grief, memory and meaning to life.  Barnes recalls his wife saying shortly before her death, "It's just the Universe doing its stuff."  He asks himself "what extent am I missing her, or missing the life we had together, or missing what it was in her that made me more myself, or missing simple companionship or (not so simple) love, or all or any overlapping bits of each?"  LEVELS of LIFE is a searing biopsy of the heart that focuses a lens into humanity.

Swiss Novelist, Dicker's "The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair" Truly a Major Event

Joel Dicker (b. Switzerland '85) has created a sensational, award winning novel with his 1st book.   The title is a mouthful & this clever novel is so full of surprising twists, pithy platitudes and poignancies it  seems incredulous such a young writer, in his 1st book, could have accomplished this amazing work.   Dicker won the Prix Coucourt des Lyceens voted on by French h.s. students from 2 French literary award lists.  The novel contains an illicit love affair between a 15 yr. old, Nola, & a writer 20 years her senior, Harry.  Marcus is the protagonist of this complex & compelling read that is equal parts a thriller, mystery, friendship, love, & coming-of-age story.  We meet Marcus as an egomaniacal  h.s. student, wanna-be writer.  He is a master manipulator who has fooled everyone to be dubbed "Marcus the Magnificent." Despite receiving acceptances to Harvard/Yale Marcus decides to attend Burrows Univ. in order to flourish at the top of his class.  It is at Burrows where he meets his mentor & friend, celebrated author, Prof. Harry Quebert.  Harry takes Marcus under his wing, teaches him how to box,  write & what are life's important lessons.  "The most important thing {in life} is knowing how to fall."  After college, Marcus' 1st novel is met with critical & financial success.  Following his success, he suffers writer's block.  When he learns Harry is arrested for the murder of Nola, Marcus rushes to be in Harry's corner & prove his innocence.  Nola's body is uncovered on Harry's property 30 yrs. after her disappearance.  The roller coaster investigation, quirky town's characters & convoluted relationships makes for a page turning novel (all 650 pages.)  Harry told Marcus that the mark of "A good book, is a book you are sorry has ended."  Finishing this book is a buzz kill.  I hope Dicker never suffer from writer's block.    

Summer Reading Had Me A Blast, I'll Tell You More...

Away from my beloved Big Apple, I found plenty of good summer reading.  "One is never bored with a book for company."  I hate trite platitudes, how about you?  Nevertheless, here are 10 recommendations to enjoy (in alphabetical order by author):

1.  Americanah by C. N. Adichie
     A insightful & entertaining perspective of black culture in the U.S. by a black, Nigerian woman.
2.  The Uncommon Reader by A. Bennett
     A delightful novella about the joys of reading from the Queen of England herself.
3.  Suspicion Nation by Lisa Bloom Non-F
     An intelligent dissection of the Trayvon Martin trial/verdict and pertinent social commentary.
4.  The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker
     A clever who done it unravelled by a young writer who seeks to prove his mentor's innocence.
5.  The Life of an Unknown Man
     An amazing life history of Russia's turbulent 20th C told by an unassuming elderly man.
6.  A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
     Five days in war torn Checnya that bind several live together under attack from Russia.
7.  Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oysyemi
     A lyrical twist on the Snow White fairy tale which sheds new light on racism within a family.
8.  The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur
     Powerful & stirring poetry by the late rapper.
9.  The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsioni
      A lovable, socially inept adult with Asperger's awkward search for companionship.
10. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
       Life settling the west at the end of the 19thC told by a direct descendent who has his own issues.
   

ME BEFORE YOU, British Romance/Euthanasia Novel

British author JoJo Moyes has been awarded the Romantic Novel award, twice.  ME BEFORE YOU could be classified a romance novel.   It is a blossoming/doomed romance between a quadriplegic determined to end his life and his quirky, garrulous care giver, Louisa Clark, equally determined to convince him of all that life has to offer; including her love for him.  Will Traynor is the handsome, athletic, wealthy, alpha male whose left a quadriplegic from a motorcycle accident.  Traynor's aristocratic family own the large castle in the small town where Louisa (Lou) lives with her struggling, working class family.  After the tea shop Lou worked at closes, she desperately seeks a source of income to support her dependent family.  Despite having no experience working with the disabled, Lou is surprised to be offered the job of caring for Will by his tyrannical mother.  Her increased salary is a source of great relief to her family.   However, Lou is ready to quit as soon as she is subjected to Will's belligerence & her own feelings of inadequacy.  The job is contracted only for the next 6 months.  Lou discerns Will's distressful agreement with his family.  They have submitted to his adamant decision to commit euthanasia in 6 months.  Where is the love, the comedy, the class distinctions, the irrepressible spirits?  They abound in an easily readable & enjoyable novel that makes you care for Lou & Will, root for their relationship awhile presenting intelligent, polarizing views on euthanasia.   There are 2 serious and poignant films on this subject that I recommend:  the Spanish film "The Sea Inside" with Javier Barden & the Italian film "Honey" ('14.)  I also recommend this surprisingly engaging novel that puts forth the much needed discussion on the legalization of euthanasia.