THE RUM DIARY, by Hunter S. Thompson

I'm a fan of reportage, New Journalism or whatever you choose to call it. The Rum Diary is an entertaining early piece of such writing from one of its masters, Hunter S. Thompson, of Fear & Loathing fame. The book is an early effort and remained unpublished for many years. It's an interesting window on how far his skill developed by the 1970s. The book is set in Puerto Rico in 1960 and traces the misadventures of a young journalist-adventurer through his chaotic professional and personal life. It's big on atmosphere, small on plot, with some interesting characters. Maybe because of the era in which it is set, and the genre of course, it has a Kerouac-like feel that is a bit nostalgic and fun. It's a bit like watching the imagined outer fringes of Mad Men. All-in-all, quite enjoyable.

For an interesting history of this "long lost novel" from GQ, click here: http://www.gq.com/entertainment/books/201110/the-rum-diary-hunter-s-thompson-history

The book was made into a movie,with Johnny Depp in the lead role, in 2011.  Click here for a review of the film: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/nov/10/the-rum-diary-film-review

STEVENSON UNDER THE PALM TREES, by Alberto Manguel

This is kind of a strange little book that reminded me in some ways of some of Hawthorne's or Melville's tales. The Victorian south seas setting was well described. The story describes the strange final days of the life of expat British writer Robert Louis Stevenson in Samoa. The heavily psychological, supernatural orientation of the story gave it an interesting feel. The author is an Argentinian, and indeed, there is a Borges-like feel to the story that is very compelling. All-in-all, it's a creative and entertaining piece, concisely written.

For a review of the novel from The Guardian, click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/jan/10/fiction4

 

MESOPOTAMIA, by Arthur Nersesian

Being a big fan of Nersesian, I found Mesopotamia somewhat disappointing  I cannot say it's a badly written book, but it lacks the gritty street smarts of his New York based novels like Chinese Take Out and Unlubricated. Maybe I just couldn't relate to the whole Elvis/Appalacian theme and the rather complex plot. The book's protagonist, Sandy Bloomgarten, is a 30-something Korean-American tabloid journalist with a drinking probloem who had been adopted as a child and grew up in sticksville, (AKA Mesopotamia, Tennessee). It seemed like a bit of a stretch. She is harder to relate to than the wiley and creative artistic losers of Nersesian's New York novels and I found myself not caring too much what happens to her. I was really pulling for the book to be a strong effort, but it seems undistinguishable from the mediocre output of many writers and basically lacking in force and flare.

For a review of the book from The L Magazine, click here: http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/life-between-two-rivers-mesopotamia/Content?oid=1701243

 

THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE, by Haruki Murakami

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle was my introduction to the very popular Japanese author Haruki Murakami. I found the book fascinating and even riveting. The book has a hallucinatory quality that is very unusual. The protagonist, Toru Okada, is an extremely passive character, kind of a loser fallen between the cracks in the Japanese system. Having quit his job in a law firm, abandoned by his wife and even cat, he drifts through his days and bumps into a number of strange characters such as old WWII vets, pychic healers, teenage school dropouts, etc. Serious issues are dealt with as well as personal foibles, such as Japan's WWII legacy, the corrupt political system, broken aspects of Japanese society, etc. It's well written but often puzzling and at times frustrating to keep straight. But if  you don't require a tightly written plot and enjoy lots of interpolated stories, some of harrowing vividness or mysterious ambiguity, you'll like the book.

For a review of the book from NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/11/02/reviews/971102.02jamest.html

 

CUBA AND THE NIGHT, by Pico Iyer

Like Paul Theroux, Pico Iyer is a popular travel writer who has moved into fiction writing with his first novel Cuba and the Night.  Iyer usually writes cutting edge reportage and the novel has a strong flavor of that genre. It's the story of the obsessive on-again-off-again love affair between a cynical, hard-bitten news photographer and beautiful young Cuban woman. It's also the story of the friendly relationship between the photographer and a nerdy British tourist, who enters the story and plays a major role in the plot. The plot is rather slow moving and repetitive, but it is vividly written with lovely and poignant descriptions of the unique Cuban atmosphere and people. The ending, although not shocking, is well told. In fact, there is an air of inevitability about the whole novel, consistent with the depiction of the worn-out Cuban nation and psyche.

For a review of this book by Kirkus, click here: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/pico-iyer/cuba-and-the-night/#review

LOON LAKE, by E. L. Doctorow

I seem to be reading a lot of Doctorow these days and have a good response to Loon Lake. Like World's Fair and Billy Bathgate, Loon Lake is set in New York in the 1930s. The story is a complex and intense reflection on the dark side of the American Dream, a kind of updated version of Dreiser's An American Tragegy. Dreiser's greatness aside, I think Loon Lake is a more interesting treatment of the working class outsider in America. The protagonist, "Joe of Paterson" is an archetypal drifter. As such, he joins the millions of depression era displaced but finds his own version of the American Dream, which seems to be largely unattainable in its essence. Vividly and complexly narrated, it is a strong and enjoyable book, especially if you like Doctorow's forays into American history.

For a review of Loon Lake from the NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/specials/ragtime/loon.html

Re-Read of Interest: DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP, by Willa Cather

My recent reread of Cather's Death Comes For the Archbishop was wonderful. The book is one of my favorites - very cleanly written, vivid and tight. Although not sentimental, Cather's portrayal of the desert Southwest in the last quarter of the 19th century is sometimes idealized, with its depiction of the simple, strong and pious native Americans and Mexicans lovingly mistered to by upright, but very human French clergy. Of course there are dark characters, and one in particular, Kit Carson, who is complexly both hero and villain. The depiction of the restored Navajo homeland near the end of the book is utopian and edenic. But Cather's greatest strength is her incredible ability to capture the pristine, hard beauty of New Mexico. Her prose is as crystalline as the desert air. It's a book of great beauty and great calm.

For an introduction to the book from ENotes, click here: http://www.enotes.com/death-comes/