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

AFTER DARK, by Haruki Murakami

After Dark is Murakami's exploration of the magical late night world of Tokyo where reality and...something else intersect. The novel  meanders through the midnight to dawn wanderings of several characters, primarily a 19-year-old named Mari, plain but deep younger sister of mysterious, beautiful and emotionally damaged  Eri. While Mari meets several characters in a seedy entertainment district, her sister Eri is on a month-long sleep binge during which she seems to wander across boundries of consciousness. This kind of boundry-crossing is a major part of the psychic wandering of the main character in his later novel The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. After Dark is heavy on atmosphere and works as an open-ended meditation on the ways people both desire and fear connection, and on the fluid and mysterious nature of consciousness.

For a review of the novel from NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/books/review/Kirn-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

   

THE COINCIDENCE ENGINE, by Sam Leith

This is an interesting book based on a bizarre premise - that a machine has possibly been invented that can affect probability of events. The plot revolves around tracking down this hypothetical machine by a kind of super-secret government agency (DEI, the Directorate of the Extremely Improbable) specializing in the paranormal. A nerdy English grad student visiting his girlfriend in the US is unwittingly involved in the high-stakes chase that takes unexpected twists and turns. Although it sometimes gets bogged down in mathematical and philosophical discussions about probability and related theories, all in all it is entertaining, inventive, and quite well written, with enough sub-plots and unpredictability to keep anyone's interest.

For a review of the book from The Guardian, click here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/apr/03/sam-leith-coincidence-engine-review

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