Book Love | Fizzy Thoughts

The Disappeared

9 March 2010

disappeared 201x300 The Disappeared

The Disappeared
Kim Echlin
December 2009
235 pages

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Yet another FTC disclosure: Yet another purchase. And one I will never regret.

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Publisher Comments:

A searing, fiercely beautiful love story for the ages, The Disappeared — already a best seller in Canada — traces one woman’s three-decades-long journey from the peaceful streets of Montreal to the humid, war-torn villages of Cambodia, as a brief love affair turns into a grand passion of loss, mourning, and remembrance, set against one of the most brutal genocides of the twentieth century.

When sixteen-year-old Anne Greves first meets Serey, a Cambodian student and musician forced by his family to leave his country during the rise of the Khmer Rouge regime, she never considers the consequences of their complicated romance. Swept up in the fury and infatuation of young love, Anne rebels against her father’s wishes and embraces her relationship with Serey in the smoky jazz clubs of Montreal and in his cramped yellow bedroom. But when the borders of Cambodia are reopened, Serey must risk his life to return home, alone, in search of his family.

A decade later, Anne will travel halfway around the world to find him, and to save their love from the same tragic forces that first brought them together. Written in tenacious, achingly tender prose, The Disappeared challenges our notions of how to both claim the past and move on after those we love vanish.

Part elegy, part love letter, part call to arms, this courageous novel is a soaring tribute to all those who have disappeared in the violent conflicts throughout history.

If you think this description sounds over the top, well, it’s not. This book is absolutely haunting. It’s both beautifully written and heartbreaking. And I’m not the only one who thinks so…My Friend Amy loved it, as well. I honestly cannot say enough about the writing. It’s so evocative and touching, and I’m not one to normally notice these things.

The book is written from Anne’s perspective, and it reads like a love letter to Serey.

You keep coming back to me in little bits of moving images, light on a winter wall. Come to the door, spirit I know, and I will stand and hold you. Come alive just one more time, let me feel your breath, Serey, let me hear your voice in song, let me wash away the pain. Come, and I will whisper your name to you one more time.

As Anne reflects back, she recounts the story of their love. But she also tells the story of Cambodia, its people, its culture and its history. And she talks of genocide.

The Khmer Rouge used words to kill the people. Touk chom nenh dork chenh kor min kat. Sam at kmang. They said these things over and over, To keep you is no benefit, to lose you is no loss. Cleanse the enemy.

These were phrases I had never studied.

And finally, Anne and Serey’s story is a tribute to both love and genocide. Not two things that normally go together, but Anne’s love for Serey will not die, and she refuses to let Serey and his life go unremembered. Thus, his story becomes the story of all victims of genocide, the disappeared of the title.

I do not understand the unfathomable love I feel for you. But I am in the place the old Gnostics call emptiness. If your face appeared around the doorway where I sit at his small desk, I would turn to you and say, Now I am awake.

The strangeness of my love for you is that it has made me dead in life and you alive in death. I am afraid you will disappear and no one will remember your name.

Please, read this book. It will break your heart, but you’ll forgive it because of the beauty of the writing and the things it makes you think.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven

6 March 2010

temple of heaven

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven
Susan Jane Gilman
2009
304 pages

Last year when this book was first published I saw all sorts of reviews and thought… “Meh. China. Not interested.” Because China is one place I have no interest in traveling to. Call me eurocentric, but when I think about places I want to travel, I think of Ireland, and England, and Croatia, and Czechoslovakia, and Canada, and lots of places in the US, and if I’m really feeling adventurous, Mexico (because Hamburger thinks the cheaper the better, and if I ever travel to Mexico again I just know I’ll be sharing a room with a cockroach, and that’s so not my idea of a good time…and there’re a few cockroach scenes in this book that support this).

But then I read Dawn’s review and she included a few quotes from the book and I thought, “Hey. I like the way Gilman thinks. Maybe I should read this one after all.” And so I did. And it was totally worth it.

After college graduation, Susan and Claire, two casual college friends, decide to backpack around the world. They start their trip in China, which in 1986 had just started to allow tourists, and then the plan was to work their way west. Unfortunately, after a few weeks in China, Susan started to notice Claire was acting a bit paranoid. At first she explained away her observations with excuses like Claire just needed some alone time. However, it soon becomes very apparent that Claire was experiencing some sort of mental breakdown.

Since I’ve done the student backpacking trip (7 weeks through France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, (staring at the Yugoslavian countryside from the train because we had no Visa for Yugoslavia, and I just dated myself), Hungary, Austria and Germany (whew) I must say I spent most of the book feeling very grateful for the sanity of my college roommate, who was an awesome traveling partner, and with whom I’m still on speaking terms (although infrequently, as we now live in different states). My 40 year old self was appalled by some of the decisions that were made, although if I think back to my 21 year old self, she wouldn’t have been quite so shocked.

Anyways, I seem to be digressing more than usual in this review. Besides the fact that Claire’s increasing paranoia makes for an interesting story, and if you’ve ever done the student travel bit parts seem distressingly and comfortably familiar, and the people they meet are fascinating, Gilman has some fantastic observations about travel. Here are a few:

For perhaps the first time in my life, it became viscerally clear to me just how little I mattered, just how much I was not the center of the universe. It was like a swift kick to the gut. p. 13

…travel is a bit like the Internet – there’s a protective anonymity to it. Cast into a situation with people you never have to see again and shielded from repercussions, you turn brazenly candid. p. 41

Being a tourist, I was beginning to see, meant being infantilized much of the time. All power is contextual. Take a brain surgeon in Uzbekistan and stick him in Manhattan; take the toughest homeboy from Compton and leave him in Tuscany. Drop any of us, anywhere, in an alien environment, and you’ll see our IQ plummet. “IS THIS THE BUS STOP?” we holler at strangers, while dementedly pointing to the bus stop. To buy a sandwich, we’ll pantomime chewing. This is why, I suspect, so many otherwise decent people back home behave like assholes abroad: There’s nothing quite like feeling helpless to turn you into a world-class control freak, to make you forget your manners and throw a tantrum if your room isn’t ready and there’s no ice in your drink. In a strange environment you feel like a baby, and you’re often treated like a baby, and so you act like one. pp. 59-60

Soon we were all vying to establish our backpackers’ street cred, to prove how intrepidly we’d been traveling, how much discomfort we’d incurred at how little expense. The irony of this was wholly lost on us. We were too young and myopic to recognize the perversity of a logic that equates voluntary deprivation with authentic experience. We thought that by wearing burlap pajamas, contracting intestinal parasites, and opting to ride in third class with ‘the people,’ we were somehow being less Western and more Asian. pp. 147-148

If you like travel memoirs, I’d highly recommend this one. It would most definitely go on my list of bestest travel books, if I had such a list.

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It’s also a great book for the Women Unbound Reading Challenge. Two young women backpacking in China? It doesn’t get much more unbound than that! For a variety of reasons, their trip took an amazing amount of guts and fortitude. And rumor has it, one of Gilman’s other books, Poufy White Tiara, would also make an excellent book for the challenge. I see that one in my future, too.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

5 March 2010

henrietta lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
February 2010
384 pages

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FTC: This one came from the bookstore, so nothing to confess here, move along.

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If you read one non-fiction book this year, make it this book.

Seriously.

At first, I was a little leery of this book, but only because of the science. I pretty much consider science to be Boring. But this book doesn’t read like a science book. It hardly reads like non-fiction. Skloot focuses on the people, and in doing so, she tells the story of Henrietta Lacks AND her cells.

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was 31 years old, mother to 5 children, and wife to David Lacks. The Lacks family was descended from both slaves and slave owners. The extended family grew up together, working in the tobacco fields. Henrietta and David were first cousins, both raised by their grandfather in an old slave cabin. In the 1940s David left for Baltimore, to find work in the shipyards, and after a few years, Henrietta and the children were able to join him.

However, by the late 1940s, Henrietta knew something wasn’t right. She felt a knot on her womb, and eventually went to Johns Hopkins. This was a huge step for Henrietta, as Johns Hopkins had a shady reputation among the poor black population of Baltimore. People believed that the hospital would snatch children off the street for use in medical experiments. However, it was the only option available to Henrietta.

Diagnosed with cervical cancer, Henrietta underwent treatment (radium tubes sewn into her vagina, followed by radiation treatments that scorched her skin). Initially, the doctors thought that the treatments were successful, but the tumors soon spread and Henrietta eventually died a very painful death from uremic poisoning (due to the tumors, she couldn’t pee, meaning the toxins built up in her body).

During the ‘40’s and ‘50’s, cell research was taking off. Henrietta’s doctor took a sample of her cancer cells. These cells became the first cells to be kept successfully alive in a laboratory. What’s more, they reproduced. The HeLa cell line, as it became known, is still used in medical research today. Henrietta’s cells have travelled the globe (and into space), and were used for research when developing the polio vaccine, in cancer research, and in cloning.

However. And this is a huge however. Neither Henrietta nor her family ever knew that her cells had been “harvested” for research purposes. When her grown children finally heard that their mother’s cells were immortal, they were outraged. And it reinforced the idea that Johns Hopkins was the enemy.

In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Skloot tells Henrietta’s story through her children’s search for understanding. Skloot had long been fascinated by Henrietta Lacks, ever since she had heard a brief mention of her in a community college class taken as a high schooler. Skloot spent years researching Henrietta Lacks, and convincing her children that she meant no harm in digging into their mother’s past.

While the book focuses on the people (the Lacks family, as well as the doctors and researchers involved), it raises excellent questions about medical ethics. Besides Henrietta’s story, it touches on the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and other individuals who have been unwitting victims of scientific research. It also ventures into the murky area of who owns cells.

This is a fascinating book, as it provides a look into how the scientific study of cells brought about both good (scientific advances) and bad (the trauma and misunderstanding brought upon a family who knew nothing about what happened to Henrietta’s cells).

unbound2smaller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

While Henrietta certainly didn’t intend to become a medical pioneer, that’s what ended up happening with her cells. Her contribution to science and history is enormous, and she definitely deserves her spot in the Women Unbound Reading Challenge.

This Book is Overdue!

3 March 2010

this book is overdue

This Book is Overdue!
Marilyn Johnson
February 2010
288 pages

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FTC: Aren’t you bored, yet? I know I am. I bought this one, too.

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When I’m behind on my reviews I have a tendency to glom on to someone else’s post and say things like:

Andi wrote a kick-ass review of this book, and I agree with everything she said. So go read her review, because I don’t know what else to say.

She may think she’s a slacker, but I think I’ve out-slacked her.

And to assuage my guilt over the lameness of this non-review, I’m going to give away my copy of the book, because I know there are many of you out there lusting after it. All you have to do is pinky swear that you’ve read Andi’s review. Really, I should be giving this book to my local librarians to read (god knows our library system needs some inspiration), but since they all seem to have the personality of a dishrag (I kid you not…if you don’t believe me, just visit the Morro Bay branch, it’s at 625 Harbor St. Or visit the website. It’s pretty indicative of how lackluster the whole system is.) I’m not feeling like sharing. With them. I’d rather this book went to someone who will love it and appreciate it. So pinky swear and maybe you’ll be the lucky winner. I’ll let you all know this weekend.

Keeping the Feast

22 February 2010

keeping the feast

Keeping the Feast
Paula Butturini
February 2010
272 pages

I received this book from the publisher (thank you Riverhead Books) as part of a TLC Reading Series. It was awesome (both the book, and the fact that it was free…hey, I‘m not proud).

To be honest, I was a little leery going into this one…the subtitle is “One Couple’s Story of Love, Food, and Healing in Italy” and I was a little nervous that I was going to get one of those “we had faith and we persevered” mushy stories that just happened to be set in Italy. ‘Cause, you know, I don’t do faith makes everything okay stories. Luckily for me, that’s not the case for this book. Butturini uses memories of food to frame a story of both life in Europe and depression. Both Butturini and her husband, John Tagliabue, grew up in big Italian clans and food was (and is) an integral part of their lives. Although the couple’s grandparents had all immigrated to the US, Butturini and Tagliabue both ended up back in Italy working as foreign correspondents. They met and fell in love in Rome, and eventually decided to marry. However, Tagliabue’s job took them away from their beloved Italy to Warsaw, Poland. While based in Poland, their world was rocked by two violent events. First, Butturini was beaten by Czechoslovak riot police while on assignment. Then, less than a month after their wedding, Tagliabue was shot while in Romania. His wounds were severe and his recovery slow. And then, he slowly slid into depression. Butturini skillfully weaves all of this together, along with what it‘s like to live and eat in Europe.

Despite the seemingly downward spiral of their lives, Butturini does not focus exclusively on the bad. Each chapter begins with a memory of food, usually from her childhood. She relates the role food played in her family, and shares many childhood memories. She talks about the delights of shopping for food in Rome, and the frustrations of shopping for food in Poland. She talks of the simple meals she prepares, and how, after her daughter was born, the joy of helping her to discover new tastes and textures.

And lest you think it’s all about food and depression, it’s also a brilliant tale of living abroad. Since I’m a sucker for travel memoirs, this was perhaps my favorite part of the book, particularly the stories of shopping in the Campo dei Fiori. When I was in Rome in 2005 (for only a week) we rented an apartment right off of the Campo. So it was fun to read about places I had been. Here are two scenes from the square, one after the market has ended, the other late at night:

100 1042 224x300 Keeping the Feast

100 0731 224x300 Keeping the Feast

Okay, back to the book. The other bonus is that Butturini can write. Well, duh, you say, she IS a journalist. Well, I’m here to tell you not every person who has lived overseas is qualified to write about it. I’ve read some dreadful accounts…some poorly written, some boring, some full of “my life is great and I’m going to keep writing books to capitalize on my initial success” (and yes, that’s a dig at a certain writer living in Tuscany). I think Butturini strikes a great balance. This story is an intimate look at how a family copes with depression, but it also contains multiple love stories. There’s Butturini’s love of her husband and their families, her love of Italy, her love of her heritage, and her love of food.

And I’m realizing that it’s difficult to describe this book coherently. Trust me when I say that Butturini’s book is NOT as muddled as my attempts to share my thoughts about it are. Check out Paula Butturini’s website for a better description of how the book came about.

Butturini will be stopping by Books on the Brain tonight (5pm PST) to answer questions. I’ll be at work (BOO!), but you should drop in and see what she has to say. And tell her she should write a cookbook!

Daddy Long-Legs

8 February 2010

Daddy Long-Legs
Jean Webster
first published 1912
239 pages

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Hey FTC: Here’s a new one for you. I downloaded this onto my nook. And it was free! But I did it through B&N, so it’s gotta be legal, right?

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Isn’t that the cutest cover? There are other sketches throughout the book, too. The story and the sketches are totally charming. Of course, I probably think that because they’re on par with my drawing ability.

Jerusha “Judy” Abbott was raised at the John Grier Home, a dour place that did little to dampen her spirit. Judy is very reminiscent of Anne Shirley…she’s got spunk. A wealthy patron of the orphanage offers to send Judy to college, and the only thing required in return is that Judy write him letters. Daddy Long-Legs is the collection of letters from Judy’s four years in college (plus a few after she graduates), and they are both hysterical and introspective. A few excerpts:

I must say, however, that when I think about you, my imagination has very little to work upon. There are just three things that I know: I. You are tall. II. You are rich. III. You hate girls.

I suppose I might call you Dear Mr. GirlHater. Only that’s sort of insulting to me. Or Dear Mr. Rich-Man, but that’s insulting to you, as though money were the only important thing about you. Besides, being rich is a very external quality. Maybe you won’t stay rich all your life; lots of very clever men get smashed up in Wall Street. But at least you will stay tall all your life! So I’ve decided to call you Dear Daddy-Longs. I hope you won’t mind.

I haven’t mentioned any lessons of late; but we are still having them every day. It’s sort of a relief though, to get away from them and discuss life in the large – rather one-sided discussions that you and I hold, but that’s your own fault. You are welcome to answer back any time you choose.

I know lots of girls (Julia, for instance) who never know that they are happy. They are so accustomed to the feeling that their senses are deadened to it, but as for me – I am perfectly sure every moment of my life that I am happy. And I’m going to keep on being, no matter what unpleasant things turn up. I’m going to regard them (even toothaches) as interesting experiences, and be glad to know what they feel like. “Whatever sky’s above me, I’ve a heart for any fate.”

I first saw this book mentioned by Nymeth (aka She Who Wreaks Havoc With Our TBR Lists). Since then I’ve discovered I’m not the only one she convinced to read this story. And everyone who has read it has loved it (at least the reviews that I’ve seen).

And get this…while I’d never heard of this book prior to Nymeth’s review, last week I got a flyer in the mail for the musical Daddy Long-Legs. But it’s playing in the Bay Area, so no, I’m not going. Still, I thought that was the weirdest coincidence.

East of Eden

6 February 2010

East of Eden
John Steinbeck
1952
608 pages

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FTC: I bought this one. Hey, don’t roll your eyes at me! I happen to like supporting publishers and authors with my money.

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I was inspired to read this by the Classic Reads Book Club, where we are discussing the book from now through March. So I’m not going to say much here. Except:

Awesome book. You should think about reading it.
It’s set in the Salinas Valley of California, which is a kick in the pants if you live on the Central Coast.
It tells the story of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons…one rich in land, the other poor in land but rich in family and love.
Despite its heft, it was a quick read.
Cathy is scary.
And Adam is a total sap for most of the book.
I’m bummed Lee’s bookstore didn’t work out.
And finally…timshel.

Bloodroot

3 February 2010

bloodroot 202x300 Bloodroot

Bloodroot
Amy Greene
January 2010
304 pages

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FTC: At the risk of repeating myself, I bought it.

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Bloodroot is another story of madness. Although totally different from Waiting for Columbus and The Unnamed, it still deals with mental illness and what can drive a person to insanity.

While Columbus and The Unnamed are set much more within someone’s madness (if that makes any sense), Bloodroot is more encompassing. It is both the story of a family, and how people can drive each other to madness.

Bloodroot consists of three sections, all with different narrators who together tell the story of Myra Lamb. In the first section, Myra’s granny, Byrdie, begins the tale. She reminisces about her own childhood, as well as the life she made with her husband on Bloodroot Mountain. She tells of how she came to care for Myra, and how Myra fell in love with bad-boy John Odom. Alternating chapters with Byrdie is their young neighbor, Doug Cotter, who is hopelessly in love with Myra.

In the next section we hear from Myra’s children, Laura and Johnny, who also alternate chapters. They recount their childhood with a wild mother who is sinking deeper and deeper into silence and her own world. Despite being left to fend for themselves, the children are happy on Bloodroot Mountain until disaster strikes. After a pivotal event in the story, the focus shifts away from Myra for awhile and Laura and Johnny focus on their own lives.

Finally, we hear from Myra herself, and learn just why she ends up the way she does.

Despite a few “you gotta be kidding me” coincidences that pop up, this is a great tale of family and madness. It is very evocative of life in Appalachia (not that I’ve ever lived there, but I have my own granny who grew up dirt poor and miserable in Mississippi and at times it was like listening to her speak).

The Publishers Weekly review of this book is actually pretty harsh, as it takes the author to task for failing to deliver on the mystical powers of Byrdie. I disagree, as I don’t think that mention of these powers in the beginning meant that the author then had to let that be the focus of the book. If you relax and just let the novel unfold, rather than read things into it, it’ll reward you in the end.

And now, don’t read anymore if you’re going to read this book, or Waiting for Columbus, or even The Unnamed, because I’m going to discuss endings and conclusions. You’ve been warned!

Despite the tidy wrap-up at the end, I actually liked the epilogue, and John’s point that two people can be bad for each other. He feels remorse for his actions, and realizes that he drove Myra into madness. I think this book is an interesting contrast to Waiting for Columbus, in which grief drove the main character mad, and The Unnamed, which seems to hint at an organic cause for Tim’s illness.

The Unnamed

1 February 2010

unnamed The Unnamed

The Unnamed
Joshua Ferris
January 2010
320 pages

I read this book because Rebecca of The Book Lady’s Blog compared it to Waiting for Columbus, and we all know how much Rebecca and I loved that book. And if you don’t know, go read Rebecca’s review. And then mine. And then go read the book!

So at first, I was like, Rebecca has let me down! I didn’t care for the book at first. Mainly because I couldn’t stand the main character. I thought he was a self-absorbed prick. Not that I have to like my main character, but when you’re trying to live up to Waiting for Columbus, being a self-absorbed prick doesn’t help your case.

But I kept reading (mainly because it was on my nook (psst, FTC, did you see that…I bought it for my nook), which makes for a kick-ass reading experience, in case you were wondering) and before I knew it I was crying. Crying! And before that, there were a few grimaces, particularly over this one particular scene involving a baby toe.

So you’re probably wondering what this book is even about. I can hear you over there muttering “get to the point!” In a nutshell, it’s about mental illness. Tim is compelled to walk. Not all the time, but the compulsion comes upon him for months at a time, and then subsides for years. Tim is convinced it’s physical, but the doctors cannot find a reason. As the years pass, Tim and his wife find different ways to cope, deal with and come to terms with his walking.

The second half of this book is incredibly powerful, for reasons I can’t really disclose, because then it wouldn’t be as powerful for you if you decide to read it. But the meaning of family comes into play, and it’s an interesting look into how people deal with illness.

And how does it compare to Waiting for Columbus? Well, that’s a tough question. Despite its seriousness, I think Waiting for Columbus is a lighter book. While tragic, the character of Columbus is quirky, and there are moments of laughter. And I think the ending was an amazing work of revelation. The Unnamed was a darker book (as evidenced by the above-mentioned tears), as we journey with Tim through his illness. I think they are completely different reading experiences, primarily due to their distinct tones. Unfortunately for Columbus, The Unnamed is getting some major hype (deservedly, but still). So do Columbus a favor and give him a try, along with The Unnamed. Just keep a hankie handy.

Not Quite Paradise

29 January 2010

First things first…the winner of Wench is the first commenter, Aarti! Send your regards to random.org and your address to me, please.

not quite paradise

Not Quite Paradise: An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka
Adele Barker
January 2010
320 pages

University professor Adele Barker first arrives in Sri Lanka to teach literature at the University of Peradeniya, a town almost smack dab in the middle of the country.

As Barker gets to know the history and customs of the island, she shares her knowledge with the reader. She also writes about her struggles…with ants and monkeys, her issues with hiring help, with trying to teach in a country that has more holidays than any other country in the world, and with a society that almost seems to take the ongoing war (between the Sinhalese government and the Tamil Tigers) for granted.

Barker spends a year in Sri Lanka, before heading back to Arizona. A few years later, she wakes up to the news of the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004. Barker is horrified to learn of the death and destruction, and becomes determined to return to Sri Lanka. The second half of the book focuses on the aftermath of the tsunami…both Barker’s reaction and her return visit, where she spends time traveling around the island and recounting her experiences. She visits refugee camps, coastal villages, even the previously inaccessible Tamil-controlled northern part of the island. She talks to relief agency workers, and villagers who are critical of some of their efforts. She talks to those who were lucky enough to escape the tsunami by minutes, and people whose family members simply disappeared.

This is a fascinating book, particularly if you have any interest in the history of Sri Lanka. If you don’t, my advice is to skip it. One of the reasons I really liked this book was because Barker does a great job of providing historical context. Wait, that’s not exactly true…she does a great job of providing historical context in regards to Sri Lanka, but not for herself. Which is fine, I don’t need to know all about the author, but there were a few moments where I was scratching my head. But just a few. Overall, this was an interesting read for this travel memoir junkie.

Oh, and how could I forget my favorite reader, Mr FTC?!? I bought this one. At B&N, if you really need to know.