Category: Fiction

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Book Reviews Fiction

The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho – A Dark Piece Of Work That Inspires, Not Entertains

Paulo Coelho's New Novel

I have read almost all of Paulo Coelho‘s English translated novels (except “Like the Flowing River”).  “Winner”, to me, is by far his darkest piece of work.  Still inspirational, like all his previous works.  But it delivers blow after blow to the readers and make us think: What have we been doing to our lives?

The story centers around a Russian millionaire who believes in killing is acceptable if for a good course, his ex-wife, and her current husband who is a fashion magnate.  Upfront, at the preface, Paulo Coelho has already warned the readers that “this is not a thriller, but a stark portrait of where we are now.”  To read “Winner” as a thriller is certainly not the right way.  This novel – more so than others – has a concocted tone of sharing facts and insights mixed with his personal opinions (which can at times be eye-opening), long dialogues from one character or multiple characters that sound like coming from the same person (which is least of my favorite although they can be inspirational), parables and inspirational quotes (which I love), and story development.  I admit that at times, the tone is not as cohesive as I wish to be.  However, if indeed not reading “Winner” as a thriller, there are tons of inspirational messages and truth to chew onto.

Paulo Coelho, in his new book, shares details of the fashion and filming industries and the associated celebrity businesses.  Some are rather repulsive to read, especially when he illustrates how much we are into vanity these days.  Such as “A diamond is the supreme manifestation of human vanity” accompanied with pages of write-up on the diamond industry – from the violence it causes to a piece of jewelery we wear.  Most observations are not new to us.  Just that we don’t often articulate them that way.  Like film scripts to him are mostly man loves woman, man loses woman, and man gets woman back.  If the script is anything but, make sure there is enough violence or special effect to make up for it.  And his list of 46 random items on what ‘being normal’ means also got me thinking on how we accept the our environment or behavior as normal, in which if you think deeper, you may question why.  Such as criticizing anyone who tries to be different, swearing in heavy traffic, or studying at an university for years only finds that you’re unemployable at the end of it, and more.

These are just warm up items.  There are harder messages he delivers.  In the old days, we make pilgrimages to be close to something spiritual that is unattainable and mysterious that can bring blessings.   These days, people visit pop concerts more than religious meetings and we worship celebrities in different ways.  He also talks about the celebrity syndrome some may have – abandoning what we believe in for fame, ego, and money.  We are suffocated by lies, encouraged to put our faith in science instead of spiritual values, and we feed our souls with what society tells us are important.  As a result, we are unable to give up all these for true happiness – that is family, nature, and love.

You really could feel a bit depressed by self-reflecting on what he says.  Fortunately, there are interesting observations he shares as well as what we could do better.  For example, the author mentioned that there are four forces that guide us to purify our souls: love, death, power, and time.  In short, we must love because we are loved by God while conscious of death, struggle to grow but not trapped by the power gained.   And our soul is bounded by the web of time with all opportunities as well as limitations.  On our current environmental crisis, he highlights that we are not saving the planet, but rather, saving ourselves from not being destroyed by the planet.  Because the planet is stronger than us.  He also raises my doubt on our “fittest survives” mentality in our day-to-day life when we, human beings, need care and protection especially from young as compared to other species (and hence, I gather, we shall continue to do so in our daily life).

The author also touches onto the topic of workaholic that I enjoy reading as I am a firm believer of the need of work life balance.  First he says all workaholics think they are happy doing what they are doing.  And it is not something society wants to fix because it helps human progression in the expense of the obvious.  Total power – as you advance in career – means total slavery.  You find it harder to let go as you gain power and you can’t even do the simple things in life.  To combat it, use work as a source of happiness but not compulsion.  I guess what he says (and what I practice) is by all means, be happy with work but know when to let go and enjoy the simple things in life.  Seek for true happiness in family, nature, and love – something work does not provide you with.

There is one parable that I very much enjoy reading, got me into thinking.  This is what I have internalized: One day a sea gull saw a mouse on the ground.  Not able to communicate as they spoke in different languages, the sea gull took pity on the creature that has lost its wings.  So the sea gull took the mouse onto its back, took flight to the sky thinking that the mouse must have been missing what it was like flying in the air.  The mouse had a time of its life and when it was brought back to the ground, as it saw the sea gull took off and disappeared, the mouse began to feel sad, not to be able to experienced that form of freedom again.  As days went by, the mouse looked into this miracle thinking that it was just a dream instead.

I think, we often fail to acknowledge the little miracles in life.  I can relate to that parable.

To round up this book summary without giving out the plot, there is one constant theme that appears as I read the book.  It is the voice of the Devil.  In our daily lives, we have encountered many decision points.  And at each juncture, there is a little voice in our head to help us decide.  Is that the voice of the Angel?  Or indeed the voice of the Devil that conditions us in believing that all that we do is for the better even if it comes with a price, knowing something is wrong but yet we create justifications, and failing to see through the obvious or normalcy when everyone is doing it.

You won’t like it when you read “The Winner Stands Alone”.  But you will certainly benefit from it and may become or wanting to become a better person.  That’s what an inspiration book, not a thriller, is for – for “Winner” does not entertain.  Be warned.

PS. Finished this book on a plane heading to Barcelona.

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Book Reviews Fiction

After Dark by Haruki Murakami – A Dark Beauty of Novelette Filled With Dualism

After reading the short story collection of “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman“, I was left with the feeling of wanting more.  The synopsis of “After Dark” (paperback 201 pages) intrigues me.  It is midnight hour when Mari sips coffee, a young musician walks in, and they have a conversation.  Later, as Mari is alone again, a girl from a love hotel walks in, and they both head to the hotel.  A Chinese prostitute is hurt badly by her client.  Meanwhile, parallel to the main story, Mari’s sister Eri is at home, sleeping so perfectly pure.  Something is subtly wrong with this picture.  The world of imagery meets with the world of reality and how these two concepts morph into something so beautifully, something so surreal, and something so dark in the ending chapter.

Each chapter begins with a clock that tells the time spinning a story that lasts from 11:56pm to 6:52am.  The main story of Mari is engaging and the side story of Eri is surreal.  I mention dualism because if carefully observed, most characters have a two-side.  The story has the light and the dark running side by side too.  The dialogues are lively and when it comes to words that describe the vision.  They are beautiful.  An excerpt as follows (the beginning chapter).

Eyes mark the shape of the city.

Through the eyes of a high-flying night bird, we take in the scene from midair.  In our broad sweep, the city looks like a single gigantic creature – or more like a single collective entity created by many intertwining organisms.  Countless arteries stretch to the ends of its elusive body, circulating a continuous supply of fresh blood cells, sending out new data and collecting the old, sending out new consumables and collecting the old, sending out new contradictions and collecting the old.  To the rhythm of its pulsing, all parts of the body flicker and flare up and squirm.  Midnight is approaching, and while the peak of the activity has passed, the basal metabolism that maintains life continues undiminished, producing the basso continuo of the city’s moan, a monotonous sound that neither rises nor falls but is pregnant with foreboding.

The influence of the Western culture, particularly Western music and literature, continues to exhibit in Haruki Murakami’s work.  It is full of vision and sound and a worthwhile book to read if you enjoy stories that are dark and artistic.  At times, you will find yourself living inside the story, short of interacting with the characters.  Almost read like watching a short film.  For best result, start reading “After Dark” at 11:56pm – the exact time when the story begins.

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Book Reviews Fiction

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami – Surreal and Beautifully Written Short Stories

I would be lying to say that I wasn’t stopped by this rather sexy book cover (which later found out that it is rather relevant to the leading story).  But there are plenty of sexy book covers out there to grab attention.  I liked the book title but was not familiar with the author’s name.  I am naturally attracted to foreign writers but shall I invest my time to read an unfamiliar author’s work and to broaden my exposure when my personal reading preference flavors depth than breadth?  I flipped the book open and started reading it, inside a library.

“To put it in the simplest possible terms, I find writing novels a challenge, writing short stories a joy.  If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.  The two processes complement each other, creating a complete landscape that I treasure.  The green foliage of the trees casts a pleasant shade over the earth, and the wind rustles the leaves, which are sometimes dyed a brilliant gold.  Meanwhile, in the garden, buds appear on flowers, and colourful petals attract bees and butterflies, reminding us of the subtle transition from one season to the next.” – Haruki Murakami, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, vii.

I love to write and I couldn’t agree with him more.  I have attempted to write both novels and short stories and I often find myself torn between the two.  Why?  Haruki Murakami couldn’t have said it better.

I personally enjoy reading short stories; not used to in the beginning but I have grown accustomed to, and now fall in love with.  On that count, I simply cannot, for instance, get enough of Italo Calvino’s work – an Italian author who wrote lots of great short stories.

“Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” is a collection of short stories written in the period of 1981 to 2005.  And they are translated from Japanese by Philip Gabriel and Jay Rubin.  I can’t really pinpoint a common theme across all these 25 stories (334 pages, hardcover).  All I can say is that Haruki Murakami has a keen sense of observation at the most minute detail.  You can actually see the story as you read it.  And Haruki Murakami’s stories are mostly surreal, at times metaphoric.  I sense that some stories are inspired by certain bizarre news that most people disregard.  Some stories are written using himself as the main character so I gather that these stories relate to people in his real life and are told with a certain dose of imagination.  Some supposedly fictional characters read almost like the author himself with a changed name.  Some fictional characters are, I believe, purely fictional.

In short, there are no ordinary stories when told by Haruki Murakami, even those with plots that do not resolve into any dramatic ending.

Out of these 25 stories, some leave a deeper impression than others.  The four and a half pages long short story “A Perfect Day for Kangaroos”, for instance, is one of my favorites.  The author wrote about a man bringing his girlfriend who wanted to see a baby kangaroo to visit a zoo.  “Man-Eating Cats” started with a piece of news reporting on an old woman who died in her apartment and the hungry cats locked inside had nothing to eat but to feed on the dead body .  The story itself is nothing gross to that extend but a good metaphor that links the main character with an, perhaps, imaginary lover?  The story “Firefly” is a beautiful love story of perpetual waiting while “Chance Traveller” is an emotional story between the two estranged siblings.  “The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day” is a carefully crafted story that is told within a story and the last chapter “A Shinagawa Monkey” exposes our very own psychological subconciousness and identity with the help of a … talking monkey that steals name tags.

The opening chapter “Blind Willows, Sleeping Woman” may as well be a representative piece of work from the book with the same title – a statement of what Haruki Murakami’s unique style is all about, at least for this book.

Certainly, I intend to follow the rabbit hole and dig deep into what Haruki Murakami has to offer.  To end this review, I found this rather interesting dialogue between the main character – an author – and a subject of his affection.

“Writers don’t have any talents to offer.  A pianist could play you a tune.  A painter could draw you a sketch.  A magician could perform a trick or two.  There’s not much a writer can do.” – Haruki Murakami, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, 293.

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Book Reviews Fiction

Paulo Coelho – Brida – Witchcraft, Bridging the Visible and the Invisible

OK.  Seldom do I need to finish reading a book, write a review, and return it to the library before midnight.  This is going to be an interesting experience.  Usually after I arrive at the last page of a book, I would revisit all the pages I noted that are pivoting to the development of the story for completeness’s sake.  Speed blogging at its best without compromise!

It is interesting that only in year 2008 the English translation of “Brida” is published.  The original version (written in Portuguese I presume) was published in 1990 sandwiched between Paulo Coelho’s two classics “The Alchemist” (1988) and “The Valkyries” (1991).  “Brida” lacks the inspirational impact these two classics have and it also lacks an engaging storyline as compares to some of his recent works, in my opinion.

His recent work “The Witch Of Portobello” (2006) paints the journey of the witch Athena loosely based upon Jung’s four stages of individual progression: Persona, Shadow, Soul, and Wise Old Man or Great Mother.  As for “Brida”, the author takes a deeper look into witchcraft – the four ways a woman can communicate with the Universe through reincarnation: the virgin, the saint, the martyr, and the witch.

To bridge the visible and the invisible is magic.  And how do some manage to get there?  According to the book, there are two traditions: the Sun (for wizards) and the Moon (for witches).  Strange concept, isn’t it?  There are more to it.  Paulo Coelho links the nine gifts that these two traditions took care with St. Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians.  For those who are familiar with the Bible, these nine gifts should not be foreign to you: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, the discerning of the spirits, speaking in tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.

The book has some strange linkages to the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and the Catholics.  You may know that at one point in time, witches were burned by the Christians.  In fact, the rituals – described by the author in a separate warning note as the practices of the Tradition of the Moon for centuries – are somewhat related to the hardship that the witchcraft has lived through.  From within the story, Catharism (a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements) is mentioned and because there is a linkage to historical events, it makes me wonder how much is factual.  Perhaps, some people do able to alter their state of consciousness and observe auras.  Looking at today’s world, there are people who claim to be able to do that.  There are even machines that can take pictures of our auras.

Bizarre surreal tradition of witchcraft and to some extend wizardry aside, “Brida” is loaded with fragmented inspirational messages.  Check this out.  How many of are you (like me) constantly trying to find a right path in life – be it as love, career, or anything in general?  Sometimes we set off down a path because we don’t believe in it.  And it is so easy to prove that it isn’t the right one.  But when things start to happen and the path does reveal itself to us, what do we do?  We become afraid of carrying on.  So true.  And why do we experience disappointment, defeat, and despair at times?  Well, according to the author, they are the tools God uses to show us the way and to encourage us to have the courage to make mistakes, to risk failure and disillusion, and basically prompting us to keep searching, keep looking.

Some of the concepts – though are not new to me – do make me stop and think.  If I want to find out about something, what shall I do?  Plunge straight in!  I know it is so obvious but more often than not, I avoid taking the plunge and instead, procrastinate just for another day, and another.  How about doubts that I have, doubts that get constantly generated off my head?  Maybe I doubt if I am good enough to do this or that.  Maybe I doubt if this or that will happen.  According to the author, the moment we stop doubting is the moment we stop moving forward.  And I often think that – in contrary to the book – changing on the outside is easier than changing on the inside.  Come to think of it, I don’t think the way I am perceived externally have changed much over the years (still the shirt and tie at work and blue jeans after all).  But I have changed the way I perceive the world and the people around me from within much over the same period.  My favorite message?  Finding one important thing in life doesn’t mean that I have to give up all the other important things.

So true.

Go back to “Brida”, the book has devoted much of its content in the sexual union between a man and a woman.  In its own words, “when male knowledge joins with female transformation, then the real magical union is created, and its name is Wisdom”.  For the conservative minds, the idea of experiencing communion with God by opening all the five senses during sexual union could be hard to accept.  To that end, instead of hearing my interpretation, here is an excerpt.

“Because anyone who comes into contact with sex knows that they’re dealing with something which only happens in all its intensity when they lose control.  When we’re in bed with someone, we’re giving permission to that person not only to commune with our body, but with our whole being.  The pure forces of life are in communication with each other, independently of us, and then we cannot hide who we are.” – Paulo Coelho, Brida, 128.

So, is “Brida” a must-read?  I think if you are new to Paulo Coelho, you may wish to start with some of his other classics.  For the fans, I guess we just have to read it right?  I am not sure why Cynthia loves “Brida” better than “The Witch Of Portobello” …

Wait, “Brida” is also a book about a love so strong but yet cannot be possessed.  Could it be …

To end this entry, let me share with you two memorable quotes from the book.

Nothing in the world is ever completely wrong … even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

And by an English poet William Blake.

What is now proved was once only imagin’d.

PS. I made it before midnight!  Time now is 11.20pm and I am heading to the library to return the book.

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Book Reviews Fiction

Clive Barker – Mister B. Gone – How Open Is Your Open Mind? Can You Read A Book Backward?

Whether or not you will find “Mister B. Gone” rewarding hinges on whether or not you “get it“.  Since I am a responsible netizen, I am going to self-censor this entry with a NC-16 rating due to my personal views on homosexuality and religion.  Besides, why would we wish to expose readers younger than 16 years old to a book full of grotesque and evilness?

But I got it so I find “Mister B. Gone” not entertaining, not pleasant, but a rewarding read.  I am going to tell you what it is in just a bit without giving out spoilers that may affect your reading pleasure – that is if you still decide to read this book after you are through with this review.

Many people think that Stephen King is a master of horror stories.  Stephen King’s stories are not scary, the earlier work of Clive Barker are.  I have read all his 9 fictions up to “Everville”, which is where all the good stuffs stop.  I have read some of his recent works and they are not as inspiring.

I often find Clive Barker’s ideas original.  “The Thief of Always”, for instance, is a rather short story on someone stealing the “always” from the kids.  Imagine, things that “always” happen do not happen anymore.  How cool the idea is that?  I also like “The Great and Secret Show” and its sequel “Everville”.  I have even endured the close to 900 pages “Imajica” and loved it.

So, how do I find “Mister B. Gone” (year 2007, 256 pages, hardcover), a story of a demon who finds himself fished out of Hell and now walks the Earth?

It is known to the world that the author lives with his partner David Armstrong.  And to that end, I didn’t know what to feel when I discovered that the main character is perhaps a gay demon.  OK, it was not explicitly mentioned that the demon is gay but he is emotionally in love with another guy.  Bottom line is, for sure I can’t relate.  But I suspect another group of readers may be able to.

“Mister B. Gone” also makes reference to the Christian Gospel, the Vatican, the Pope, and the Archbishops and cast them into less than positive light.  Again, it is a formula that has been tried and used millions of times and the idea of a battle between the Angels and Devils is also not new.  At times I wonder what would an alternative reality be if someone replaces these ingredients with the Quran, the Ulama, and the Imam and writes the same storybook?  I think of Salman Rushdie (the book “The Satanic Verses”) and Geert Wilders (the short film “Fitna”).  And why does the Christian world so tolerance towards such a blaspheme?

Freedom of speech, I got it (though not totally agree with it).

Nothing is pretty inside “Mister B. Gone”.  Nothing pretty survives inside “Mister B. Gone”.  It is not a horror fiction.  It is more like a fiction of grotesque.  And it is written in such a strange way that this (gay) demon supposes to keep talking to you (as a reader) and begs you to burn the book.  He even threatens you, insults you, and makes you feel very uncomfortable to continue reading the book.  And why would anyone wish to continue reading a book that even the main character is far from lovable – an ugly, mutilated, evil albeit intelligence demon committing grievous crimes that make the World War II atrocities look mild?  Granted that the human counterparts within the plot are not doing things that we are proud of either.  But I wouldn’t philosophically read too much into that.

Enough of suspense.  So, what is it?  If you are observant enough, it may occur to you that the book is created backward based on one random sentence one character says.  I suspected that after I have spotted that tiny sentence and all of a sudden, the title of the book makes so much sense when you tie it back to the ending (at first I thought it was due to “Mister B. Be Gone”, which also makes sense as that line is taken from somewhere in the book).  Usually the author’s note of acknowledgement is at the beginning of the book right?  Guess where this note is?  And I often wonder why the author keeps repeating the key events of the story that happen in the past.  Now, I think if I read the book backward, section by section, I may still be able to follow the flow of events.

Isn’t that brilliant?  A book version of the Eagle’s song “Hotel California” (rumor has it that when played backward, there is a hidden message). 

To be frank, the last 6 pages of the book is very rewarding.  It does change your perception of the story in a big way provided that you can withstand 250 pages worth of torture – a torture not because the book is badly written, but because it is full of agonies and grotesque in graphical details, insults and verbal abuse to say the least.

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Book Reviews Fiction

Doris Lessing – The Story Of General Dann And Mara’s Daughter, Griot And The Snow Dog

Doris Lessing - The Story of General Dann and Mara\'s Daughter, Griot and the Snow Dog

By no means I wish to diminish the genius of Doris Lessing, the sequel to the epic novel “Mara and Dann” reads more like an extension than a novel that exists in its own right.  But, any kind of follow on story on where “Mara and Dann” has left off is going to be a piece of good news to the fans – at least to me.

Unlike “Mara and Dann”, “The Story of General Dann and Mara’s Daughter, Griot and the Snow Dog” (year 2005, 282 pages, hardcover) has a totally different emphasis; and that emphasis is certainly not of the civilization progression and the struggle of survival that has been so well covered in “Mara and Dann”.  Like some of Doris Lessing’s previous works, there is a switch of perspective here and the world is now seen through the lens of Dann instead of Mara. 

I won’t cover how the story begins in this review as by doing so will inevitably give away the ending of the prequel.  All I can say is that the story dwells more on human emotion from within rather than a plot driven by quests and events as it was for the prequel.  Some readers may wonder why so much literature is spend on the internal struggle of Dann himself against his the other side and the undying loyalty to General Dann through the eyes and heart of Captain Griot.  To me, feeling seldom changes overnight; perspective seldom changes overnight; we seldom change overnight.  For the patience ones, the reward is the seamless transition of perspectives through different characters and to be able to observe how the characters grow, gradually and realistically.

Added to the main storyline are Mara’s daughter Tamar and a snow dog Ruff.  The snow dog has certainly added a new dimension of the story telling never seen before in “Mara and Dann”.  For the observant ones, I think the brilliance of having a snow dog as the plot unveiled is an attempt to explain and perhaps acts as a redemption to what happens at the beginning of the story.

This story reads like an extension partly because the physical location covered is a lot lesser than its prequel.  Dann’s perpetually yearning for exploration does guide him towards the Ice Cliffs of Yerrup – a part of the world that is new to “Mara and Dann”.  Other than that, the majority of the plot happens in North Ifrik.  And similar to “Mara and Dann”, this sequel does not have a main quest.  For those are hoping and expecting to read a story of how one man can save the world, this is not a story of such kind.  And no, I would not recommend you to read this before its prequel either.

With its open ending, I will not be surprised that there will be another sequel in the making.  Even if there is none, I am happy that the story ends where it is now, more so than how it was ended in “Mara and Dann”.

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Book Reviews Fiction

Mara And Dann By Doris Lessing – An Adventure Of A Sister And A Brother During The Next Ice Age

Mara and Dann by Doris Lessing

Having read a few of the books by the Nobel Price winner in literature, Doris Lessing, I am curious about her another genre that is not popularly accepted by the critics – science fiction.  So I picked up “Mara and Dann” (year 1999, 407 pages) from our National Library.  I have not read all of her thirty over books yet but if the book publisher describes the heroine of this book as “one of Doris Lessing’s most appealing heroines”, I would gladly take their words for it is a nice departure from the rather dark and depressing titles of “The Fifth Child” and its sequel “Ben in the World” whereby the main character is more or less a monster living in our own world.

Perhaps human condition regardless of time is depressing.  Life is hard.  And the saving grace throughout the time continuum is love.  In “Mara and Dann”, the story is set somewhere in the distant future when our Earth is covered in ice – except Ifrik (equivalent to our modern day Africa).  Dotted in this continent Ifrik are civilizations of different progression (stone age, medieval, military, religion, and science), people of different shapes and colors, richness and the poor, and in the diverse race of the Mahondi,  the Rock People, the Hadrons, the Hennes, the Agre, and the Albs, nothing escape the sharp eyes of Mara who is always hunger for knowledge.

Abducted since young, Mara – a Mahondi by birth – began an epic journey traversing Ifrik together with her little brother Dann.  The main plot evolves around Mara with Dann coming in and out of Mara’s journey.  In “Mara and Dann”, you will get to experience Ifrik first hand with Mara.  You may even feel the thirst and hunger of Mara like I do, and the joy and desperation.  You will certainly see how the characters grow as they aged, how their bonding gets stronger as days go by.

What some may see lacking maybe a main quest within the story.  What propel me to continue reading the book, however, was simply: what will Mara see next?  In such, “Mara and Dann” is a different type of page turner perhaps more appealing to those who are drawn to the world of scare resources, slavery, conflicts, racism, and sexism.  My main take home messages are two: (1) we always expect things to remain the way they always do (which they don’t) and (2) we can’t truly understand something unless we experience them.

A timely read as we ourselves are faced with the challenge of climate change, today.

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Book Reviews Fiction

Remember Me By Sophie Kinsella – A Calculated Risk That May Or May Not Work For Some

Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella

Fanboi talk aside – as I do have read all eight of her novels – “Remember Me” is an interestingly subtle departure from her time proven success with the Shopaholic formula.  First, let’s recap.  Be it as Becky Bloodwood of the Shopaholic series (5 books), Samantha of “The Undomestic Goddess”, Emma of “Can You Keep A Secret”, or Lexi of “Remember Me”, the author’s heroines have always been an embodiment of someone who is flawed, optimistic, and passionate towards family and friends.  The formula extends beyond the main character herself.  There will be lovers involved, parents, best friends, best friends who are no longer best friends, bosses, and a sister in some cases, and to top it up, Sophie Kinsella’s books are always a fun read that make you laugh-out-loud drawing suspicious glances from people around you.

The bottom line is: does the world need another book from Sophie Kinsella?  For those who worship the Shopaholic series, “Remember Me” may come across as less entertaining.  It has lesser laugh-out-loud moments per page flipped.  For those who find the Shopaholic series too shallow but enjoy reading her standalone novels instead, “Remember Me” may come quite close to “The Undomestic Goddess”, which I still think it is the author’s best work today.

There is a novelty in the idea itself: imagine what would happen if one day you wake up and three years worth of memory has just vanished?  And you wake up with a new job title, a new look, new set of friends, and you realize that you are married to someone who is a stranger to you.  Through the character Lexi, Sophie Kinsella explores the condition of amnesia, and more so than any of her previous works, I think there are a fair bit of planning in order to make the storyline works – set aside the need to have every small details made sense to the readers.  To that, I think Sophie Kinsella has done a great job in delivering a relatively more complex storyline with relatively more character development for those who surround the main character.

“Remember Me” is still a page turner and prompted me in thinking: perhaps all these efforts of upkeeping my own blog site are not too bad an idea just in case one day, touch wood, I bump my head onto something and lose a chunk of memory.

PS. I tried to place a reservation at our National library but I gave up after seeing the queue.  I was close to number 250 with just over twenty books available for lending.  And knowing how long it may take for the paperback to hit the bookstore, I go for the hardcover instead.

Related Entries: Can You Keep A Secret?, On Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic & Baby, and Undomestic Goddess – A Good Read

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Book Reviews Fiction

Ben In The World By Doris Lessing – Sympathetic Love And Desperation Mashed Into One

Ben In The World - Doris Lessing

I have written and rewritten this entry so many times that it is no longer funny.  So I shall get straight into the point.  The beauty – which ironically the word beauty is the least appropriate word to describe the story – of “Ben in the World” is that Doris Lessing has created a main character so far fetched from the current reality (a yeti? a primate?), put this hideous being into an imperfect world of greed, abuse, violence, indifference, and desperation (a.k.a. our reality) and you wonder, who or what is more hideous?  The main character, Ben, or the rest of the scumbags?  And because Ben is so out-of-this-world, it gets you curious in finding out who he is and what he is.  But that is not all that “Ben in the World” has to offer.  Just when you thought you have seen it all and let your common sense anticipates how the storyline unfolds, you are vastly disappointed.  The storyline simply defies all expectations, fails to resolve the way you want it to be, and this frustration motivates you to make connection with the main character of the book and you wonder, who is more frustrated?  You or Ben?  And when you finish reading the very last sentence, it suddenly hits you.  It is you whom Doris Lessing is talking to.  It is you who should feel ashamed of being indifference to the less fortunate, physically and mentally challenged ones.

OK, I am ashamed of who I am.

I think what Doris Lessing does is witty.  Through the little actions and conversations of her characters, she invokes metaphors that aid self-reflection.  In “The Fifth Child”, the focal point is onto Ben’s family, especially his mother Harriet.  I must say while I view “The Fifth Child” as a story with a powerful plot that comes down to maternal love, unconditional love, I was greatly curious about what this abnormal child of Harriet really like.  What pleases him?  What does he want in life?  How does he perceive external environment?  Is he evil?  And “Ben in the World” picks up where “The Fifth Child” leaves off.  If the original story is about maternal love, unconditional love, I would say this sequel is about sympathetic love and desperation.

The last sentence of the book still lives vividly in my mind.  Oh God, I want to unread that.  PS. That sentence only makes sense if you read the book.

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Book Reviews Fiction

The Fifth Child By Doris Lessing – Horror Or Tragedy? You Decide

The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing

Doris Lessing needs no introduction in my site (please refer to the previous entry).  I had one other book in mind when I visited the library last week but it was not available.  So I have decided to pick another book authored by Doris Lessing.  Spoilt by options, I chose a rather short novel (160 pages) – “The Fifth Child” – as well as its sequel “Ben in the World”.  The sequel was selected by pure chance.

Reading Doris Lessing reminded me of one of the literature values the famous Italian writer Italo Calvino promoted in his “Six Memos for the Next Millennium” – Quickness.  The pace of “The Fifth Child” is extremely fast especially for the first quarter of the book.  The two main characters – David and Harriet – fell in love, bought a huge mansion in London, had their first child, then second, then third, then fourth and in the same period, other family characters were introduced to paint a ‘happy’ and ‘cheerful’ environment for the couple who was determined to be happy and had as many children as possible – all within 40 of pages.

Then Harriet was pregnant with the fifth child.  And that is when the story turns into a tragedy.  This thing that was born has no better word to describe than perhaps, troll or goblin or medieval human being.  Doris Lessing’s subtle sensitivity shines through the passages of horror and shock that each character has to bear.  The ‘happy’ family was shattered, no longer lived in harmony, and there came the irrational actions of Harriet’s heroic struggle to love her son without reciprocation, against the will of her family.  Nobody would understand.  I too would not.  However, under Doris Lessing’s pen, Harriet’s unconditional, yet difficult, love towards this thing inspires the readers how powerful maternal love can be.  The feeling described is so real that, to me, it almost read as a horror story that I could not stop reading.

I have just started reading the sequel “Ben in the World”.  So far, it is even better than “The Fifth Child”.  If you have the stomach for this kind of novel, you may wish to give it a try.

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