Tenth of December by George Saunders

When it debuted on the New York Times best seller list at #3, it was remarked back in January of 2013 that this will be the best book that you will read all year. I am not sure that I can echo that praise, but Tenth of December  is a unique book and a thought-provoking read. The stories are diverse and will leave the reader at times scratching his or her head.

I am typically not a short story reader, but since Saunders was lecturing for the Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures Literary Evening program, I was compelled to revisit the genre. I had forgotten how satisfying it can be. The stories have a dark element to them -  "Victory Lap" is about a teenage abduction - but Saunders manages to avoid the depressing aftertaste by bringing a keen sense of humor to them. Each of the ten stories addresses a distinct aspect of the human condition and comes to a fulfilling ending. 

Short stories are hard to write. The author must compress his or her thoughts into a limited discourse. Each word has to have meaning beyond the word itself. It must convey a feeling, a thought, and an action. George Saunders has accomplished all of this in his collection. I will look forward to future works. He says that he works on multiple stories at one time. It may be a while before the next book is released. And so, until that time, when I want a short and challenging read, I will return to Tenth of December.

George Saunders autographing Tenth of December

Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress

December for the The Gables Book Club always means a light read, usually humorous. Crazy in Alabama certainly was no exception to this rule. Yet as funny as this novel was, it was at the same time serious and disturbing. Set in 1965 at the height of the Civil Rights struggle in the American south, Childress fills his book with acts and deeds that leave the reader in disbelief.

Crazy in Alabama is really two stories, not intertwined, but loosely connected. It opens with Lucille showing up at her mother's home with her six children and depositing them there so that she can head to Hollywood to audition and make an appearance on The Beverly Hillbillies. Her mother already has charge of two other grandchildren who were orphaned - Peejoe and Wiley. As Lucille gets ready to depart she lets Peejoe in on a secret. She produces a green Tupperware lettuce keeper (every bride in the 70s got one of these) in which is the head of her husband, Chester. Chester was an abusive man who kept Lucille "barefoot and pregnant" by punching holes in her diaphragm.  Not able to take care of all of the children, Meemaw sends Peejoe and Wiley to live with their Uncle Dove and Aunt Earlene. Dove is an undertaker in Industry, Alabama, a town beset by racial conflict. Dove and Earlene have serious marital issues compounded by his drinking. However, he is a man of reason and compassion and does his best to be an example to the boys. 

Lucille travels to Hollywood leaving in her path a plethora of murders and sexual conquests. She has picked up a haute couture hatbox in which she keeps the lettuce keeper and Chester. She hits the jackpot in Las Vegas and journeys on with her personal chauffeur and the hatbox that never leaves her side with Chester carrying on a conversation with her. Meanwhile, back in Alabama, racial tensions are palpable and when a young boy dies, the two sides are drawn into conflict and riots. This part of the novel is reminiscent of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird where justice is compromised. It would seem difficult to reconcile the two divergent story lines, but Childress makes it works. Childress says:

"Life would be impossibly tragic if we weren't able to laugh at it. And a life of nothing but laughter would come to seem silly and empty if there wasn't always something darker lurking ahead down the road, something to laugh in the face of."

Mark Childress infuses Crazy in Alabama with iconic personalities of the '60s. There are the Civil Rights notables of Martin Luther King, Jr. and George Wallace, the Hollywood luminaries like Cary Grant, Bob and Dolores Hope, Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor, Gregory Peck and Soupy Sales. The novel creates its its own playlist of songs from the era with classics like Cannibal and the Head Hunters' Land of 1000 Dances, Brenda Lee's - Emotions, Petula Clark's - Downtown, and Herman and the Hermits' Missus Brown you've got a Lovely Daughter. He drops TV show names liberally: Have Gun Will Travel,
Gunsmoke, Ben Casey, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock, Patty Duke Show, and The Danny Kaye Show. 

The book was great fun, although sobering at the same time. The movie starring Melanie Griffith and directed by Antonio Banderas was entertaining enough, but not nearly as deep and satisfying as the book. It was a good December read. 

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

In her newest novel, The Valley of Amazement, Amy Tan returns to the theme of mother-daughter relationships, the pain of abandonment, and the exaltation of the independent woman. After listening to her speak at the Pittsburgh Arts and Lecture's Literary evening, it is apparent that she is consumed by her past and the desire to fit all the pieces of her ancestral story together. The Valley of Amazement is a worthy piece in that puzzle, tho not without some fault.

Narrated by the seven-year old Violet Minturn, daughter of an American courtesan in early 20th century Shanghai, The Valley of Amazement  takes the reader on a journey through the brothels and the life as a courtesan. It begins in media res, when the reader is introduced to  Violet's mother, Lulu/Lucia (one of many names by which she is called). She runs a fairly lucrative business that enables her to connect with the wealthy men of the city. They bring her gifts of money in exchange for the services of the women of Hidden Jade Path.  Throughout the lengthy book, there are insights into to this life in the small enclave of Shanghai. Tan even includes a very descriptive manual for the courtesan as Violet's mentor and protector, Magic Gourd, shares the expectations for Violet's future life. 

One soon becomes acquainted with the visitors of the brothel and the shadiness of some of them who are users and unscrupulous. Their actions leave one outraged and sympathetic for the women, some mere children, whose lives are so dependent upon them. The preparations that a young woman must endure for her defloration ceremony and the ensuing act are abhorrent to the western world. To understand such a culture leaves one incredulous. Through twists and turns Violet and Magic Gourd come to rely upon each other for survival, both physical and spiritual. At this point Tan turns back the pages to the youth of Lucia and offers the explanation of the circumstances that took her to China. It maybe that she addresses that part of the story too late for the reader to have much sympathy for her plight.  To say much more about Violet, Magic Gourd, Edward Ivory, Flora, and Lucia, would give too much insight into the story and yield too many spoilers.

The Valley of Amazement was a bit tedious at the start. However, as one became more familiar with the characters, it the pace at which one read increased. One expected the plot to come full circle and it did not disappoint. Amy Tan is a great storyteller, a trait that displayed so magically in her lecture. She is haunted by her past and as a reader one is drawn into that same realm. There is hurt and love in everyone's lives and she, her characters, and the readers by extension all experience it. It is a mark of

Amy Tan autographing The Valley of Amazement

the human condition and her audience is grateful for her providing a catharsis.

Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Having read Killing Lincoln in February, our book club felt that reading Killing Kennedy  was quite apropos for the month of November, the 50th anniversary of that day that changed the world. Killing Kennedy  is an easy, if not pleasant read. It hearkens back to that day when we listened to Walter Cronkite announce to us that "the president has been shot." Those of us alive at the time will never forget where we heard that news. I was sitting in the auditorium in study hall at North Hills High School, Pittsburgh. The initial chattering reaction turned to silence as we awaited further news. The bus ride home was hushed as we couldn't believe such a thing could happen in our country.

The author's account of the days leading to the assassination begin with John Kennedy's service in the Navy and how he was such a hero saving the men of PT-109. This event so changed his life and as a reminder, he kept the important coconut on his desk for the remainder of his life. The bulk of the book recounts the days in the White House from his inauguration to his death. For those who have read voraciously on his life or who have helped students research the time known as Camelot, a lot would be familiar. It is the commentary and the asides that O'Reilly and Dugard include that captures the reader's interest. The interactions between John Kennedy and his brother Bobby, and those that surround them - J.Edgar Hoover, Martin Luther King. Allen Dulles, Chester Bowles, and, especially, Lyndon Johnson- are enlightening. Behind the scenes conversations and actions are illuminated. They cover the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and numerous Civil Rights incidences. And, there is also the description of his voracious sexual encounters of which his wife was aware and tolerant. Killing Kennedy is also about that man - husband and father to two small children. 

In a parallel story, the reader gains insight to the man, Lee Harvey Oswald, his abused wife, Marina , and government officials that missed the mark when investigating him before the assassination. With attention to the most critical details, we learn of Oswald's frustration with the government and his life itself and how he slid down the rabbit hole into a delusional world. Little attention is given to Oswald's killer, Jack Ruby, beyond what most Americans already know.

Killing Kennedy  addresses some of the ongoing conspiracy theory concepts without dwelling on them. It actually seems to set out to affirm the Warren Commission Report. The description of the president's condition after he was shot, Jackie Kennedy's reaction and resolve, and Lyndon Johnson's arrogance are revealing.  For me, I was glad to have read the book as the anniversary of the assassination approaches. For the scholars among us, however, there would be better sourced and chronicled examinations of this event in our history.

The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days by Ian Frazier

Ian Frazier has been a columnist for the New Yorker magazine among other jobs. He is well traveled and is has a particular interest in Russia, namely Siberia, as well as Native Americans of the west. The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days is based on his New Yorker column. If it were not for him speaking at the Monday nights Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, this reader would not have, most likely,  chosen the book to read. 

Though nameless, the Cursing Mommy, chronicles a hellacious year in her life and the life of her family: a pretty much worthless husband, who is more interested is collecting his capacitors; son Kyle who breaks out in hives when he is stressed out by going to school; son Trevor who is a bad seed with the habit of starting fires among other "prankish" behaviour; and her father, resident in a nursing home who just refuses to die. Impacting her life from outside the family are her husband's lecherous boss, her best friend who runs away with a poet leaving a husband and children behind, Trevor's therapist, her book club, and the school that seems to have been overtaken by a cult. 

Frazier captures the day-to-day frustrations of a wife and mother, albeit one who is also struggling with pill and alcohol addiction. As the Cursing Mommy recounts the events of her days, the reader can laugh and at the same time empathize with her. At some point every woman has had her thoughts. She offers Martha Stewart style hints for cooking and cleaning that pretty much end in disaster - a common thread throughout the book as is her frustration at those events that causes a proliferation of the F... word on the pages. If it is not cursing, then it is invoking the horrendous actions of the Bush/Cheney administration that is really to be blamed for all dire incidents. 

There were times when I was really enjoying Cursing Mommy, but then the amount of profanity really turned me off. I was annoyed that I had to read through all the F-bombs to get to the diary. When we heard Mr. Frazier lecture, he was even reticent about referring to the book because of all the expletives. His talk on Siberia, however, was most interesting and offered some quite hilarious commentary.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

And the Mountains Echoed (ATME) is Hosseini's third book after The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.  Of all things, Hosseini is a masterful storyteller. As the novel opens, the reader is immediately drawn into the story and mesmerized by the recounting of a fairy tale in which a father allows his son to be taken by a diva so that he could live a better life. It is most certainly foreshadowing and a parable for what is to come.

The central theme in ATME  is that of familial relationships. Sabor, father of Abdullah and Pari, travel to Kabul to visit an uncle, Nabi. However, the end result of the journey is the selling of Pari to Nila Wahdati. Presumably she will have a more fulfilling and richer life living with this mother, an Afghan beauty who also happens to be an alcoholic. The stories surrounding the major characters become intertwined with the minor ones through series of flashbacks. One needs to be mindful of the time in which the narrative is being told. When Nila's husband has a stroke, she takes Pari to Paris leaving Nabi to care for the old man. Eventually Abdullah moves to California and opens a kebab shop and as much as the reader yearns for a time of their reuniting, it becomes more of an uncertainty as the novel progresses. The siblings' stories take their separate winding journeys and in turn assimilate more characters into the families' chronicles. The collateral stories of cousins Idiris and Timur, the Greek plastic surgeon, Vavaris, add little to the course of the book, but shed light on the plight of the Afghans and familial relationships.

The plethora of characters in this book with names so unfamiliar to westerners proved challenging to remember. I found myself going back numerous times to see where I had met a character. I was glad to be reading it on my iPad so I could use the search function. And the Mountains Echoed is a haunting book that calls the reader to a story that is read on so many levels. It is a novel that really should be revisited because of the beauty of the writing that can be obscured on a first read as one is trying to keep track of time and people.

The English Girl by Daniel Silva

Gabriel Allon appears in his 13th novel by Daniel Silva in The English Girl. Once again, Silva does not disappoint. He is an author on whom the reader can count to deliver a story with twists, turns, strong characters and well researched locations. 

At the end of Silva's last book, The Fallen Angel, we left Gabriel and Chiara in Jerusalem after having survived a major terrorism incident. The destiny of a number of familiar characters was hanging in the balance and the reader had to wait an entire year to read of their fate. The action of this latest novel begins in Corsica where Madeline Hart, the English Girl, is kidnapped. She has been linked to having an affair with the British Prime Minister and the ransom for her life will need to be paid before she is released and the proof destroyed. Allon is called upon to help rescue her - his ability to slip in and out of countries without detection is a major reason. His task further takes him Marseilles, France, Surrey, Essex and the private realm of #10 Downing Street before the climax in Russia.

Along the way Gabriel enlists the aid of Christopher Keller, an operative who once had Allon in his sights. Their alliance, tho unusual, takes advantage of each man's talents and skills. However, as is typical of Silva's books, the plan encounters a major roadblock in the explosion of the car with Hart's body in the trunk at the time of the arranged exchange. Gabriel becomes more focused on avenging the girl's death and soon the familiar team is assembled at a safe house in Surrey. The plan pieced together like working on a jigsaw puzzle. Each element is crucial to the completion of the mission. The complex strategy requires infiltration of a Russian Oil company and another kidnapping. 

When the reader begins to feel like all the pieces are falling into place, the puzzle is reconfigured. There are enough twists and turns that finally come to a brilliant conclusion. Daniel Silva is a master storyteller. The action keeps the reader turning pages to see the completed puzzle as a whole entity. What is even more masterful is ability to paint a picture of a place. His attention to detail is superb and consummate and his insight into world affairs profound. In The English Girl he has prophesied the Snowdon affair as well as the use of chemical weapons by Syria and the Hezbollah. We are left wondering if the old woman fortuneteller in Corsica was as astute with her prognostications? I guess we will learn in July, 2014.

Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen

It is interesting to go back and read an earlier novel by an author whose later work you have so enjoyed. Water for Elephants was such a strong and powerful story with rich character development. It clearly shows how far Sara Gruen has matured in her writing style. I would have been a reluctant reader of Water.. had I read Riding Lessons first. 

Annemarie Zimmer  was an Olympian hopeful equestrian when a tragic accident destroyed her dreams and nearly herself. In a jumping accident her horse, Harry, injures her and himself. He is euthanized and she is in a coma for weeks. She gives up riding and becomes a journalist, marries Roger, and is mother to Eva. As the story commences Annemarie loses her job, Roger announces he is leaving her for another woman, and Eva, a fifteen year old, declares she is quitting school. Shortly thereafter she receives a call from her mother, Mutti, that her father is suffering from ALS and does not have long to live. Annemarie and Eva return to the family horse farm to help out and to start a new life. Needless to say, life really doesn't get much better. In one catastrophe after another, Annemarie manages to catapult the farm to the brink of bankruptcy, alienate her daughter, and drive a wedge between herself and a former boyfriend, now veterinarian, Dan Garibaldi. 

Dan runs a rescue shelter for horses and acquires a horse that is remarkably similar to the brindling, Harry, that was so close to her heart. Annemarie crusades that this is really a brother to Harry and risks all to prove it, including her own arrest. She will stop at nothing to prove the horse is Highland Hurrah. She watches as her father's health deteriorates and finds it hard to relate to both her mother and daughter.

Riding Lessons is a novel about relationships - between mother and daughter, Mutti and Annemarie and Annemarie and Eva, between husband and wife, between men and women, and between horse and rider. Annemarie is not a particularly likable character. She seems egocentric and unable tor not willing to relate to her mother's pain or her daughter's situation. She is short-tempered, and sulky, feeling so sorry for herself. 

The read was very quick. Gruen's craft at this stage in her career was superficial writing without much depth or characterization beyond two dimensional. It required little involvement on the part of the reader and I was able to read most of it in a 5 hour car trip. If you want a quick romance that has a good dose of horses in it, this would be a book for you.

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Sitting on my "to be read shelf" since November, Bring up the Bodies, is the sequel to Wolf Hall. I knew that when I read it, it was going to have to be a time without too many pressing "to dos" in my life. Finally, the time had come and I settled down with the novel and isolated myself from the world. Transported back to the time of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn and immersed in Tudor history, Bring Up the Bodies is as satisfying as Wolf Hall was. Mantel is a wonderful storyteller and manages to draw in the reader as an eyewitness to the events of the time. 

The novel begins in 1536 after Thomas More's execution as Henry's eyes are more often than not gazing at Jane Seymour more than this wife, Anne. The action is described and seen through the mind of his trusted adviser, Thomas Cromwell. The history of the time is well known and it is up to Mantel to craft her words to make it come alive for 21st century readers. And she does this spectacularly. History has painted Cromwell with a cruel brush, but this author shows another side. He is intelligent, articulate, crafty, and loyal to the king. His persecution of Anne and the matter in which he brings her to her final days is done fiercely and with determination and because it was the wish of the king. He presents the case against her with precision and catch her in a plot of adultery and treason. The lack of historical evidence as to what really was the case against Boleyn allows a bit of freedom in the novels final pages. And so the order goes to the tower to "bring up the bodies" for the trial.

The novel is a bit shorter than Wolf Hall, but it is still packed with eloquent description and vivid action. To clarify some of the confusion of telling Cromwell's story in the 3rd person, Mantel often uses "he, Cromwell" syntax. According to the BBC, the last of the trilogy will be entitled The Light and the Mirror and will close the book on Cromwell and his relationship with Henry. It would be expected that there will be his comments on Henry's marriage to Jane and the inevitable passing of her crown to Anne of Cleves before his ultimate demise.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Not the usual setting for a book of magic realism, but it works. Based on a Russian fairy tale, The Snow Child, begs the question of what is reality. Jack and Mabel have left their eastern home for the wilderness of Alaska after the stillbirth of their child. They need to start a new life and decide that it will be as different as they can make it. Needing to depend on one another is critical and with those thoughts in mind they opt for a homestead in the Alaskan territory. 

Life is as harsh as the winters and survival is dependent on strong minds, bodies, and good neighbors. One night after a cathartic snowball fight, Jack builds a snowman who is actually a snow girl. The creation is dressed and the two are proud of their craft. The next morning, however, the snow girl has melted and is gone. But is she? From the cabin window, Mabel has a fleeting glimpse of a child outside with the same attributes as the snow girl. Jack also sees her in the woods. How can this happen? As the story progresses the girl does come to life and is known to them as Faina. Mabel makes her clothes, they feed her, and create a life for her. Never sure when she will appear at their door, they long for her company as she seems to create for them the family that they have longed for. 

Adding to the stirring and emotional story is a bit of comic relief provided by their good neighbors, Esther and George Benson and their son Garrett. With the Benson's help, Jack and Mabel plant the land, and learn survival techniques. Esther is a take-charge woman and helps Mabel see what are the important issues in life. As the snow child intertwines herself in the novel and in the lives of the Alaskans, the reader grasps to identify what is really real  Her transforming powers effect all in most mysterious ways.

Ivey's debut novel is beautifully written. The descriptions of Alaska are alluring and enchanting. They are written by an author who is obviously in awe of the splendor of her home stae. In the end it is really up to the reader to decide how real the child is and if the changes that she seemingly brought about would have happened in any event.