AMERICAN GODS, by Neil Gaiman

If you want to catagorize American Gods in terms of genre, you'd probably say, like the Guardian reviewer, that it is a fantasy. No doubt this is true, but it has little in common with the kind of pop fantasy series like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter that mention of the genre generally brings to mind. In fact, it reminds me more of the often dark magical realism of the S. American writers like Garcia Marques or even Murakami. American Gods is Gaiman's multiple prize-winning effort to get under the skin of the American psyche by exploring its mythical underbelly. Part road-trip and part hallucination, the novel traces the journey of one "Shadow Moon", a noir type antihero caught up in a magical and harrowing battle between the old imported gods of the old country and "new" gods of materialistic modern America.  To call the narrative bizarre would be an understatement, yet it is riveting and beautifully written.

For a review of the book from the Guardian, click here http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/19/american-gods-neil-gaiman-book-club

 

 

BLACK DOGS by Ian McEwan

Black Dogs is an engaging book that very intensely examines conflicts of world views and personalities non-chronologically across five decades. The most interesting thing about it is the complex narrative structure, as the story is told from the perspective of three people. The main narrator learns the story of his mother-in-law Jean shortly before her death, from various perspectives. Along with some interpolated stories along the way, a portrait is composed of Jean and her struggle to live a life with integrity. Central to her journey is the incident that gave rise to the book's title, during which she encountered two black dogs during a hike with her husband. The book is philosophical without being abstract, with strong characterization and vivid writing. The only other book I had read by McEwan is the booker-award winning novel Amsterdam, but I much preferred Black Dogs.

For an interesting overview of McEwan's writing byThe New Yorker, click here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/02/23/090223fa_fact_zalewski

 

HALLUCINATING FOUCAULT, by Patricia Dunker

Hallucinating Foucault is the  Dillions Prize winning first novel by Patricia Dunker. It's a strange story of obsession, madness, and insight, mostly set in France in the late 20th century. The protagonist is an English doctoral student doing research on a fictional homosexual, iconoclastic French contemporary novelist named Paul Michael. The writer is purported to have had an intense intellectual relationship with Michael Foucault, which plays into the plot. The main plot involves the unnamed grad student going on a "rescue mission" to find and free Paul Michael, who had been locked up in an asylum for a decade because of his bizzare and violent schizophrenic behaviour. He is able to spend some time with him and learns much about the writer, himself, life, etc. It's well written, intellectually challenging and unpredictable. Filled with interesting, even bizarre characters, the book is a very strong piece of writing, particularly for a first novel.

For a review of the book from NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/02/16/reviews/970216.16lincolt.html

YOU DON'T LOVE ME YET, by Jonathan Lethem

Being a big Lethem fan, I was looking forward to reading the one book of his that I hadn't gotten around to yet. Well, I didn't find it anything close to his best effort. The story is about an as-of-yet undiscovered band who has a moment of potential glory due to the strange intercession of a mysterious person who connects with the female bass player via a "complaint line" that is actually a kind of conceptual art event. The relationship between the two, and between other members of the band play out, as does the band's fortunes. The plot is mildly interesting and there are flashes of brilliance, but the characters and setting (so solid in his best works like Motherless Brooklyn and Fortress of Solitude) do not inspire. He does not capture the soul of LA like he does the gritty NYC of the above-mentioned books. And apart from a few interesting marginal characters, there's no main character who carries the story, least of all the protagonist, Lucinda the bass player. No doubt, even a weak Lethem book is enjoyable (like a bad pizza) but it failed to meet my admittedly high expectations.

For a review of the book from The Guardian, click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jul/14/featuresreviews.guardianreview19

DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? by Philip K. Dick

After the end of the edition of the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? that I happened to read is the following quote from Erik Davis, "If the '70s and '80s...belonged to William Burroughs, the millenium belongs to Philip K. Dick." It's an interesting observation about an author who has transcended the often modest goals of scifi to write profound, witty and biting yet human social commentary couched in the inventive world(s) he creates. Other than a few short stories (e.g., "The Eyes Have It") this was my first foray into one of those inventive worlds. All I can say is that I now understand how influential Philip K. Dick has been for many contemporary writers, such as Jonathan Lethem and Steven Alyett. Do Androids... is a very readable and even riveting tale that gets into the interiority of the inhabitants of the dystopian, environmentally-poisoned world of 2025 San Francisco. The borders between organic and artificial, reality and imagination, human and non-human are constantly blurred in very interesting ways. The book, written in 1968,  is said to be the inspiration for the movie "Blade Runner."  It's a great introduction to this  influential and very entertaining writer.

For a review of the book from The Guardian, click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/29/do-androids-dream-electric-dick-review

A FRACTION OF THE WHOLE, by Steve Toltz

A Fraction of the Whole is the debute novel by Steve Toltz, published in 2008. This is the second excellent book by a contemporary Australian writer I have read recently and I can't recommend it enough. It's long (about 600 pages) but flows rapidly and unpredictably. It's witty and exciting and deep and absurd and tragic. This story of the relationship among a young man, his father, and his uncle is completely unorthodox and fascinating. The narration is complex, consisting primarily of two closely related stories - that of Martin Dean and of his son Jasper. Martin's brother (Jasper Dean's uncle) also looms large in the story, as the mythologized outlaw who dominated Martin's life. Martin is one of the most unique and complex characters I've been introduced to in a long time.  The story moves through an absurd set of actions all resulting in a total mess. Although solidly dark in their implications for life and the view they give of the human species, these ruminations, projects, actions, plans, etc. are described with wonderful caustic wit that often had me laughing out loud. It's a wonderful book and also deeply moving.

For a review of the book from The Guardian, click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jun/21/saturdayreviewsfeatres.guardianreview28

 

SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell

Swamplandia! is the prize-winning debute novel by Miami-based writer Karen Russell. It is a colorful and entertaining tale of an eccentric family of midwest transplants who reinvent themselves as the "Bigtree tribe" and run a hokey but honest allegator theme amusement park. The story in the main is narrated by Ava, one of the three children in the family, the others being Oceola and their brother Kiwi. Heavily present in her absence is Hilola, the teenaged children's mother, recently dead of cancer at age 36. Hilola's death precipitates the decline of the theme park and the year-ago event moves the plot in several ways. As might be expected of children raised in an entirely isolated environment, the three teens have their own individual quirks. Ava, aspiring to take her mom's place in the family, seems the most "normal"; Oceola is obsessed with spiritualist fantasies and Kiwi is a brilliant but non-socialized enigma. Oceola's spiritualist ramblings fuel the plot of the second half of the story, in which she "elopes" with a "ghost". Her sister goes out to rescue her and ties up with a mysterious "bird man".  Meanwhile, Kiwi escapes to the mainland of south Florida and the parallel narrative tells the story of his fish-out-of-water experiences. I won't spoil the ending. The writing is inventive, with magical realist elements combined with more predictable features. All-in-all, it's worth reading.

For a review of the book from the NYTimes, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/books/17book.html?_r=0

To read a completely contrasting review from the newdork review of books, click here: http://www.thenewdorkreviewofbooks.com/2012/05/swamplandia-murky-mess.html