Dame Penelope Lively's "How it all Began" Narcissistic Fatalistic Conventions

Dame Penelope Lively (b 1933) has received the Booker Prize (Moon Tiger), 2 other Booker Prize nominations along with being name and Officer of the British Empire.  I was ready to pan "How it all Began" as rubbish as being a melodramatic soap opera that delves into the lives of the British working class, its snobbish, aristocratic & arcane academia and adulterous affairs that can be so tedious.  Needless to say, there is much more substance beneath the facade of British propriety, social standing and debate over fate taking precedence.  The novel starts with a mugging of 70 something Charlotte.  Charlotte needs hip surgery and against her will must succumb to moving in with her daughter Rose & her dull husband.  The other characters are connected & affected by this arbitrary act of barbarity.  Rose is an admin. assistant to Prof. Henry Peters (a pompous Henry Higgins figure).  The Prof. is an interminable bore and narcissist working on his endless memoirs for which nobody cares.   Charlotte now waylaid from her home & routine which included literacy tutoring to adults is assigned Anon, a recent Central European immigrant to come to Rose's home.  The mugging causes Rose to miss work with Henry whose dependent on someone when traveling to lecture.  Marion, Henry's niece is called in to help though she has little tolerance for him.  Marion would rather be anywhere else, especially working on her decorating business or with her illicit lover Jeremy.  Jeremy  is consummately in love with himself.  While Charlotte is tutoring Anon to read English so he can seek better employment, Rose and Anon develop a relationship that blossoms into romance.  Lively's construct shows the happenstance ripple in people's orbits spinning out towards new trajectories.  Her cleverness lies not in the stars or the fates but in characters we love to hate.  "How it All Began" seemed a little stuffy & predictable to start, but therein lies more to ponder from Penelope when considering one's choice in their own destiny.  Lively is a bibliophile who could turn anyone into a reader in one genre or another.

"There, There" Short-Listed for Pulitzer Prize '19 Fiction - Native Amer. Lives Now Now

Tommy Orange's debut novel is a rare work of literary genius that garners critical acclaim & major writing awards and puts the reader to shame for ignoring the impoverished cycle of Native Americans that have continuously been brutalized, oppressed and left to fend for themselves.  Orange's prologue is a piercing essay dating back to 1621 outlining the genocides and barbarity thrust upon Native Americans by the encroaching white populations who stopped at nothing to eliminate an unwanted indigenous population who inhabited very much wanted land.  Orange's blazing debut novel is set in contemporary Oakland, CA where "Getting us to cities was supposed to be the final, necessary step in our assimilation, absorption, erasure, the completion of a 500 year old genocidal campaign."  The novel's title is appropriated from Gertrude Stein's poem referencing the return to her hometown of Oakland "There is no there, there."  The novel coalesces the lives of a dozen Native Americans living in Oakland which intersect and combust in a Native Pow-wow at the local coliseum.  An armed robbery planned & perpetrated by dissociated youths of Native American ancestry to steel the prize money awarded turns into a deadly melee.  The heart-wrenching irony is compounded knowing the opportunities to break the cycle of poverty, substance abuse and inertia at the root of the distressing problems fires back, blaming its own community of Native Americans.  Lonny is a child of fetal, alcohol syndrome fully aware of his distorted face & learning disabilities.  Jacqui Red Feather is raising her sister's grandsons while she struggles with her own sobriety working as a substance abuse counselor.  And, Calvin is a youth at odds with his disconnection from his ancestral history and mired in inertia sorting how to manage in today's society are several of the novel's glaring characters weaved within a novel of startling grace and utter dismay.  Jacquie Red Feather explains "its that you get stuck, and then the more stuck you get, the more stuck you get."  Dene, also a Native Amer.  from Oakland receives a grant to capture stories of tribal members.  Dene realizes for "Native people in this country, all over the Americas, it's been developed over, buried ancestral land, glass and concrete and wire and steel, un-returnable memory.  There is no there there."  Orange's glorious novel is potent  yet cognizant of the futility for redemption.  "Remembering itself is becoming old fashioned."

Lauren Groff's THE MONSTERS of TEMPLETON Stumbles in Complicated Storytelling

Lauren Groff's novel "The Monsters of Templeton" was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and named as one of the best books of the year by Amazon in 2008.  Groff's writing style is mythical and poetic. Her story is a compilation of contemporary drama, historical fiction and fantasy.  Wilhemina "Willi" Upton is a Stanford grad student in anthropology.  She's selected by her professor to take part in a dig in Alaska.  Alas, she & her prof. do most of their research under the sheets until his jealous wife arrives and slaps Willi silly.  Enraged Willi seeks revenge against her rival by attempting to mow her down with the small plane the bitch just flew in on.  Facing possible criminal charges and expulsion Willi retreats back to her hometown, Cooperstown home to the Baseball Hall of Fame in defeat.  An only child, Willi leans on her mom, Vi, to mend her wounds while pining for her professor.  To complicate matters, Willi believes herself pregnant, unsure what to do with her "lump" and her life.  What she does to get her mind off her own woes is to research the history of her hometown, now overrun by tourists, and solve the mystery of who her father is.  Miraculously, Willi's return home coincides with the discovery of a 50' corpse of a monster in Lake Glimmerglass.  The Lake borders Willi's home and it's not long before the media circus arrives.  Groff's novel is bookended by this magical creature that's inhabited the lake for eons.  The day the monster surfaced Willi senses her mother's hatred of her for returning in disgrace, lopping off mom's own ambitions, yet again and portending everything disintegrating to ashes.  To keep herself distracted, Willi's research of her family tree, the town's history and thus the quest to uncover her father (rather than just asking her mother) takes the reader through a labyrinth of local lore & history unveiling insidious characters and unscrupulous dealings. The true monsters of the town arise from the Templeton family members and their dastardly deeds.  Meantime Willi contends with locals from her past & her mother's love life. The story undulates between Willi's forlorn situation, unforeseen future and the town's convoluted history.  Groff's writing is complicated and oftentimes confusing.  But there are astute observations that resonate so vividly they vibrate like flicked crystal.  Groff concedes herself a rococo storyteller; inherently confusing.   Hazel, the town's librarian & historian discredits Willi's findings. "The story's all fabrication, in a way wish fulfillment." An optimistic ending coincides with the discovery of a young sea monster in Lake Glimmerglass that parallels new beginnings & opportunities.  "The more frightening the future is, the more complicated it seems to be the more we steady ourselves with the past."  Brilliantly written, complex yet oftentimes overwrought, THE MONSTERS of TEMPLETON will tow the reader down through multitudinous layers of reef.

Irish Author Anna Burns' THE MILKMAN Wins the 2018 Man Booker for Fiction

The brilliant, witty but mostly off-putting THE MILKMAN is shrouded in obtuse ambiguity.  None of the characters are named other than dubbed with vague identities.  The location for the story is set somewhere "over the waters."  I praise the author Anna Burns (b. Belfast 1962) unique and immutable style which taunts the reader into making suppositions as to when/where the story take place.  A good bet would be during the 1970s bloody Belfast years when distrust, prejudice, fanaticism and rampant violence destroyed countless lives and divided a country into warring factions.  "There's tribalism and there's bigotry" and Burns' enigmatic prose makes it clear that there are political, religious and social proprieties that are judged and judged harshly.  The demands on one's loyalties cannot be abridged in the set "psycho-political atmosphere, with its rules of allegiance of tribal identification, of what was allowed and not allowed."  The novel is haunting and poetic; harsh and comical.  "The tea of allegiance.  The tea of betrayal.  There were 'our shops' and 'their shops."  "To come from this side of the road-our side - and to bring that flag in then, was divisive, indicative too, of a traitorous kowtowing and a betrayal most monstrous."  The first sentence sets the cantameter for this chilling, complex and oftentimes confusing work of fiction that bears comparison to Faulkner and Joyce.  Burns ambiguities imbue the novel with relevance in today's xenophobic and bigoted world.  Intolerance for those deemed heretics or outsiders is far too perilous in today's volatile climate.  THE MILKMAN may not appeal to the masses as this novel demands much of its reader.  Anna Burn may burn bridges appealing to the mass majority of readers but for those who venture to take on this odyssey, there is more to be redeemed than a Golden Fleece.  

The Editor - Struggling Writer with Mom Issues Winds up with Jackie Onassis as His Editor

Steven Rowley received the Goodreads Choice Award (Lily and the Octopus) but this sniveling novel has nothing to recommend except for excerpts that include the illusive and iconic Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (JKO).  James Smale is a struggling writer in the 1990's who somehow manages to grab the attention of JKO when she was an editor at Doubleday during the '90s.  While this miraculous feat is hard to accept, James too is stupefied by his incredulous advocate for his book.  James has never been published.  His manuscript remains uncovered to the reader.  It's known the novel is about family dynamics with an enigmatic & heroic mother at its core.  Still, Mrs. Onassis (JKO) wants more from James' novel, specifically a cogent ending for the book regarding the mother/son relationship.  James and his mother are not quite on speaking terms and the reasons for the strain are laborious to decipher.  At JKO's urging to which James is obsequious, he attempts to reconnect and understand his mother.  Mainly this is done to supplicate JKO's favor.  The intrigue that is interspersed parsimoniously all pertain to JKO's and James' time together in her office, NYC apartment and home on Martha's Vineyard.  The fascination with the former First Lady perpetuates.  Irritating, whiney and self-involved describes James as he sloughs through his writing, deceives his partner and does soul searching.  In James' defense, writing is a solitary isolating endeavor.  In one of James' more intimate encounters with JKO he bemoans how arduous he finds writing.  Her reply "Hard truths can drive people apart. But great art can bring them back together."  THE EDITOR is far from earning accolades as art.  In short there's simply not any congenial plot but for a few glimpse at Camelot.

THIS IS the WAY it ALWAYS IS by Laurie Frankel

Laurie Frankel's novel put simply is about a couple with 5 sons and the youngest son is transgender.  However, there's nothing simple about this novel that is a caldron of unconditional love, the mysterious eternal evolution of life, wisdom and betwixt; magic.  Rosie and Penn meet while Rosie is doing her medical residency and Penn working on his MFA in writing on the campus of Madison, WI.  Their endearing relationship leads to marriage and the birth of 5 sons.  Two of the boys are twins and the youngest, Claude, is transgender.  Claude makes it clear prior to starting kindergarden to his parents and siblings that he - identifies as a she; Poppy.  Poppy is at the heart of this story but the goodwill & fortitude emanates plentifold from parenting, sibling hood, relationships, friendships and the acknowledgement life is forever about change.  Every child, every person is unique and non-conforming in their own way.  Even the unconditional love parents have for their children is constantly evolving and building in surprising ways.  Rosie, Penn and their 4 oldest boys all provide unconditional love & support.  However, the foundation on which familial love is based is also constantly shifting and morphing.  Support & compassion for loved one is based on thoughtful ways to be supportive.  There are hard decisions to be made by Poppy and her parents.  Happy is harder than it sounds but sad is okay.   What Frankel's sensitive & contemplative novel exudes is empathy,  humanity and acceptance.  Twins are partnered at birth but perceived unique individuals.  Penn's storytelling to his sons is a perpetuating fairytale saga of princesses, witches, knights and dueling opposites.  Penn's spontaneous tale is a vehicle for inclusiveness and understanding.  The family dynamics continue to change with time but the love for one another remains steadfast.   The story's virtuous fables deliver love & support for one another, acceptance of ourselves and others.  Another lesson gleaned is secrets kept alone breed fear while secrets shared sprout magic.

Where the Crawdads Sing - Not Much to Crow About

Delia Owens' "Where the Crawdads Sing" won the Edgar Award for Best Debut Novel by an American author but I found this coming-of-age love story that spawns a murder mystery predictable, melodramatic dribble.  Owens is the author of 3 international best selling non-fiction works that describe her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa.  "Where the Crawdads Sing" is set in the marshlands of NC.  The natural inhabitants of the marshlands become central & to the story of a young girl, Kya, abandoned by her family and left to fend for herself outside the fringes of civilization in the late 60s.   The narrative beauty of living among the marshes is compelling as Owens herself is an established naturalist writer.  However, the credibility of a 7 yr. fending for herself like Mowgli in the "Jungle Book" is rickety.  It romanticizes Kya's neglect, isolation and self-reliance like a B-movie script.  Kya  fends off the land which nutures, mentors and protects her when almost no one else would. Kya does receives the loving care of a black couple Jumpin & Mabel also forced to live apart from the town's white community and Tate who shares her fascination of the indigenous splendors of the marsh lands.  Kya is disregarded by the towns people and known as "the marsh girl." Kya's loneliness was a feeling so vast it echoed.  She watched from the shadows her peers imagining a joy that was almost tangible.  Tate became her first friend, first love & first heartbreak.  Even when love fails it connects you to others and connections are all that matter in life.  Kya's urge towards more in life make her vulnerable to the cunning charms of Chase.  When Chase's corpse is discovered a mystery unravels and the novel becomes a mawkish mocking of "To Kill a Mockingbird."  Kya remembers her mother telling her to venture where the crawdads sing meaning where critters are wild and still behaving like critters.  Owens' overly ambitious attempt at amalgamating biological tendencies, poetry and a murder mystery fritters away and instinctive storytelling doesn't survive.