Novelist Sandra Dallas commands a large following of fans. I have not been one of them, due solely to the fact that I'd never read one of her books. A friend recommended The Persian Pickle Club as a fun read, and I know that her more recent Tallgrass got good reviews.
Her latest novel, Whiter Than Snow, looked lonely on the library shelf, so I checked it out. This novel is centered around an avalanche in 1920 in the mining town of Swandyke, Colorado. I have no idea how historically accurate this is--all I know is that there is indeed a ghost town called Swandyke in Colorado.
In the fictional world, however, this avalanche occurred, falling onto nine children as they walked home from school. The novel starts with the avalanche, then moves on to give us insight into five different characters' pasts, one per chapter, as their lives lead up to this moment.
In each chapter, I found a compelling character. I enjoyed seeing what life might have been like for each of these people. Then suddenly it would be April 20, 1920, and I would be swept into a whole new character. The first couple of times this was tolerable, but it got on my nerves by the 4th or 5th character. Not because the characters weren't interesting, but because I got shuttled so abruptly to the next.
These lives all become intertwined in the aftermath of the avalanche. I appreciated Dallas' effort to show the strong points and shortcomings of every person, emphasizing that we all fall short, and that tragedy is not a punishment on one person or another. However, it was too quickly and neatly done, and in the end the story lacked the depth I would have liked to find.
Whiter Than Snow is a quick read with a few things going for it, but it doesn't have the resonance it appears to aim for. Sometime I'll have to read Tallgrass to see what all the fuss is about.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Have Your Cake and Read It, Too
One of my favorite books about food is Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl, which recounts the food critic's escapades as she visited restaurants in disguise. I think the best part about it is her ability to describe food. Yes, I realize that this is probably an important skill to have as a food critic. But Reichl can describe food in such mouthwatering ways, and even items that I know I wouldn't like sounded tempting. She could sort through the ingredients and combinations that she tasted in such an amazing way.
The young protagonist of the novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake takes food tasting to a whole new level. Rose Edelstein finds out just before her ninth birthday that she has a unique gift--when she eats something, she can taste the feelings of the person who made the food. The lemon cake her mother serves her reveals something she doesn't want to know--her cheerful, loving mother is suffering from deep despair.
Aimee Bender's latest novel is as unusual as Rose's gift. The language is lovely--Bender has a gift all her own. Rose's emotional landscape seems familiar in spite of the strangeness of it all, and the magical realism works well in Rose's story. Things get stranger as Rose discovers more about her brother and her father, and there were a couple of points where I just couldn't swallow the "magic." Still, I cared about Rose and wanted to find out the rest of her story.
One aspect of this novel that I enjoyed very much was the exploration of how being different or having a special gift changes your life and the lives of those around you. We tend to assume that having a unique talent is always beneficial to one's life, but it is possible that it can also isolate a person and make it harder to understand or be understood by others.
Rose has one ally; her brother's best friend, George, understands her gift and encourages her. As I was reading I felt almost physical relief whenever he re-entered the story, because he gave Rose (and me) hope.
I did not care much for the ending; if anyone reads or has read this novel and has some insight on the conclusion for me, I'd love to hear it. Unfortunately, I did not read this one for a book club, so I won't get a bunch of other opinions on it! While I wouldn't say it is for everyone, this novel is so unusual and beautifully written that you might want to sample it.
The young protagonist of the novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake takes food tasting to a whole new level. Rose Edelstein finds out just before her ninth birthday that she has a unique gift--when she eats something, she can taste the feelings of the person who made the food. The lemon cake her mother serves her reveals something she doesn't want to know--her cheerful, loving mother is suffering from deep despair.
Aimee Bender's latest novel is as unusual as Rose's gift. The language is lovely--Bender has a gift all her own. Rose's emotional landscape seems familiar in spite of the strangeness of it all, and the magical realism works well in Rose's story. Things get stranger as Rose discovers more about her brother and her father, and there were a couple of points where I just couldn't swallow the "magic." Still, I cared about Rose and wanted to find out the rest of her story.
One aspect of this novel that I enjoyed very much was the exploration of how being different or having a special gift changes your life and the lives of those around you. We tend to assume that having a unique talent is always beneficial to one's life, but it is possible that it can also isolate a person and make it harder to understand or be understood by others.
Rose has one ally; her brother's best friend, George, understands her gift and encourages her. As I was reading I felt almost physical relief whenever he re-entered the story, because he gave Rose (and me) hope.
I did not care much for the ending; if anyone reads or has read this novel and has some insight on the conclusion for me, I'd love to hear it. Unfortunately, I did not read this one for a book club, so I won't get a bunch of other opinions on it! While I wouldn't say it is for everyone, this novel is so unusual and beautifully written that you might want to sample it.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Major Fun
The Fab 5 spent some time with Major Pettigrew tonight, and we found him quite charming. Actually, the word "charming" was in just about every review of the book that I read before I actually read the book.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson, is a sweet novel, humorous and light in spite of the many human failures and frailties that come up in it. Major Pettigrew is a retired British officer who develops a relationship with a widowed shopkeeper of Pakistani descent. Their friendship reveals many of the prejudices of his traditional English village.
While his fellow villagers seem to have no trouble speaking their minds, the Major feels that the most important thing is politeness. He cringes at bad manners and addresses everyone as "my dear boy" or "my dear woman." He delivers some great lines, such as when one young man asks if he knows what it's like to be in love with an unsuitable woman. The dear Major says "My dear boy, is there really any other kind?"
The young men in the book are struggling to find how the women they love will fit into the plans they have made for themselves. Both the Major and the young Muslim man, Abdul Wahid, are committed, for better or for worse, to protecting their families' honor. Mrs. Ali and the Major are both looking for companionship in the midst of their grief and isolation. The general answer to these issues is ultimately "seize the day."
We had some questions. Mrs. Ali, the Pakistani woman in question, was born in Cambridge. At what point do you stop being from the country of your descendants? The Fab 5 is basically a group of Dutch Americans. I personally am of 100% Dutch ancestry (give or take a stray ancestor), as is my husband. My mother is the child of immigrants. Which generation ceases to be Dutch and becomes American? Some immigrant communities seem to hold onto their identity longer than others.
We wondered if the division in this novel is due more to Mrs. Ali's ethnicity or the fact that she is a shopkeeper? Is it Islam vs. Anglican? Obviously each difference plays a part, but it's hard to tell if it is in greater part racism or classism. We think it's hard to imagine being so classist. However, we would probably be in the "shopkeeper" class. None of us has inherited land or homes or titles, so it might be harder for us to understand.
In relationships we've seen, when a couple falls madly in love, the fact that they don't share the same religious views doesn't seem insurmountable--it seems like something they'll be able to work out. But in the long haul, it can become a much bigger issue than originally thought. The vicar in this novel, though not a terribly sympathetic character, echoes this reality in his opinions on such marriages. There are no easy answers here.
Though some of the events are over the top, we enjoyed it. Barbara suggested that the book is a bit like the Mitford series, with a little more fornication. Nancy declared it "Britford."
Since we were all up during a tornado warning in the middle of the night last night, we felt too tired to make many intelligent comments. There were several moments of silent staring into the distance. We were all impressed when Nancy pointed out that there were two spellings of the same word on a page--fiance and fiancee (with the little mark above the first e that I can't seem to make happen on the computer). Even more impressed when Sonya informed us that fiance refers to the male partner in the relationship, and fiancee refers to the female.
But our night got a little more interesting when Barbara's creepy neighbor got into his pickup and started methodically peeling out in the street every few minutes. We tried to watch him out the window without looking like we were watching him out the window. Barbara said he acts like he lives in "the freakin' country," not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. Just think of it as the shopkeeper pot calling the country boy kettle black.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson, is a sweet novel, humorous and light in spite of the many human failures and frailties that come up in it. Major Pettigrew is a retired British officer who develops a relationship with a widowed shopkeeper of Pakistani descent. Their friendship reveals many of the prejudices of his traditional English village.
While his fellow villagers seem to have no trouble speaking their minds, the Major feels that the most important thing is politeness. He cringes at bad manners and addresses everyone as "my dear boy" or "my dear woman." He delivers some great lines, such as when one young man asks if he knows what it's like to be in love with an unsuitable woman. The dear Major says "My dear boy, is there really any other kind?"
The young men in the book are struggling to find how the women they love will fit into the plans they have made for themselves. Both the Major and the young Muslim man, Abdul Wahid, are committed, for better or for worse, to protecting their families' honor. Mrs. Ali and the Major are both looking for companionship in the midst of their grief and isolation. The general answer to these issues is ultimately "seize the day."
We had some questions. Mrs. Ali, the Pakistani woman in question, was born in Cambridge. At what point do you stop being from the country of your descendants? The Fab 5 is basically a group of Dutch Americans. I personally am of 100% Dutch ancestry (give or take a stray ancestor), as is my husband. My mother is the child of immigrants. Which generation ceases to be Dutch and becomes American? Some immigrant communities seem to hold onto their identity longer than others.
We wondered if the division in this novel is due more to Mrs. Ali's ethnicity or the fact that she is a shopkeeper? Is it Islam vs. Anglican? Obviously each difference plays a part, but it's hard to tell if it is in greater part racism or classism. We think it's hard to imagine being so classist. However, we would probably be in the "shopkeeper" class. None of us has inherited land or homes or titles, so it might be harder for us to understand.
In relationships we've seen, when a couple falls madly in love, the fact that they don't share the same religious views doesn't seem insurmountable--it seems like something they'll be able to work out. But in the long haul, it can become a much bigger issue than originally thought. The vicar in this novel, though not a terribly sympathetic character, echoes this reality in his opinions on such marriages. There are no easy answers here.
Though some of the events are over the top, we enjoyed it. Barbara suggested that the book is a bit like the Mitford series, with a little more fornication. Nancy declared it "Britford."
Since we were all up during a tornado warning in the middle of the night last night, we felt too tired to make many intelligent comments. There were several moments of silent staring into the distance. We were all impressed when Nancy pointed out that there were two spellings of the same word on a page--fiance and fiancee (with the little mark above the first e that I can't seem to make happen on the computer). Even more impressed when Sonya informed us that fiance refers to the male partner in the relationship, and fiancee refers to the female.
But our night got a little more interesting when Barbara's creepy neighbor got into his pickup and started methodically peeling out in the street every few minutes. We tried to watch him out the window without looking like we were watching him out the window. Barbara said he acts like he lives in "the freakin' country," not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. Just think of it as the shopkeeper pot calling the country boy kettle black.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Get "Shanghai"ed
Tonight the Neland Women's Book Club tackled Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. The novel was a success by book club standards, as it gave us a lot to talk about. Well, most books give this group something to talk about, mainly because we like to talk a lot. Earlier, I gave my halfway-through-the-novel thoughts about the book, considering the immigrant story aspect of it. That was just a small portion of the discussion tonight.
The first thing that came out tonight is something we probably learned a few years back when we read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by the same author, but then promptly forgot. (The nice thing about forgetting things is that you find them interesting all over again when you learn them for the second time.) Lisa See writes about China and Chinese Americans, but her author photo shows a redheaded woman with freckles. She doesn't, at first glance, fit the reader's expectations. However, See's great grandfather was Chinese, and he was one of the founders of the Los Angeles Chinatown area. See grew up in Los Angeles, close to her Chinese-American family and spending a lot of time in Chinatown. She has obviously spent a lot of time in research as well.
The ladies at tonight's meeting agreed that the book was good, that we learned a lot from it, and that some events in the novel were difficult to read about. This past Sunday, our pastor talked about how, when he was young, he couldn't stand reading John Updike, because Updike piled tragedy upon tragedy for his characters. He didn't feel that was reality. Now, in middle age, he realizes that sometimes people really do experience tragedy upon tragedy. He probably wouldn't have liked this novel when he was younger.
In spite of that, and beyond the historical and cultural context, this is still a novel about the relationship between two sisters. Sisters who are closer to each other than they are to anyone else, who make sacrifices for each other, and who are also jealous of each other and bitter over perceived injustices over the course of a lifetime. The book is told in the voice of the older sister, Pearl, but every so often you get a glimpse of the younger sister's point of view. Some of their feelings about who was loved more, or who has sacrificed more, ring very true to a reader like me, who shares both love and childhood rivalries with three siblings. Being family gives you like DNA, but not necessarily like minds!
One member tonight compared this book with books by Amy Tan, commenting on the fact that these women are married off to whomever is chosen for them, and they have very little choice in how their lives play out. We realize that as American women in the 21st century, we have enormous freedoms that are not shared among the women of the world, now or in history.
A curious part of the novel is when Pearl talks about her conversion experience to Christianity. It struck many of us as a conversion written in good faith (no pun intended) by someone who has not really had one. That is a scary statement to post, because we could be so very wrong in our assessment! However, the character Pearl seems to find Christianity a part of new life in a new country, and she mixes it with the spirituality of her past life.
One criticism that came out of the meeting was that sometimes See seems to be talking to the reader, explaining things that shouldn't be explained in an attempt to make sure we don't miss the point. This one criticism against the whole of the novel is a small one; it is a book worth reading if you aren't looking for neatly wrapped up storylines with pleasant characters and happy endings.
Speaking of happy endings, we enjoyed some in-season Michigan strawberries (hard to beat!) with rich almond bars and dark chocolate brownies. Mmm.
In my last post, I was missing one of the titles that we will be reading in the next year. That title is Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez. Now the book list is complete, and I have promises to keep, and pages to read before I sleep, and pages to read before I sleep.
The first thing that came out tonight is something we probably learned a few years back when we read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by the same author, but then promptly forgot. (The nice thing about forgetting things is that you find them interesting all over again when you learn them for the second time.) Lisa See writes about China and Chinese Americans, but her author photo shows a redheaded woman with freckles. She doesn't, at first glance, fit the reader's expectations. However, See's great grandfather was Chinese, and he was one of the founders of the Los Angeles Chinatown area. See grew up in Los Angeles, close to her Chinese-American family and spending a lot of time in Chinatown. She has obviously spent a lot of time in research as well.
The ladies at tonight's meeting agreed that the book was good, that we learned a lot from it, and that some events in the novel were difficult to read about. This past Sunday, our pastor talked about how, when he was young, he couldn't stand reading John Updike, because Updike piled tragedy upon tragedy for his characters. He didn't feel that was reality. Now, in middle age, he realizes that sometimes people really do experience tragedy upon tragedy. He probably wouldn't have liked this novel when he was younger.
In spite of that, and beyond the historical and cultural context, this is still a novel about the relationship between two sisters. Sisters who are closer to each other than they are to anyone else, who make sacrifices for each other, and who are also jealous of each other and bitter over perceived injustices over the course of a lifetime. The book is told in the voice of the older sister, Pearl, but every so often you get a glimpse of the younger sister's point of view. Some of their feelings about who was loved more, or who has sacrificed more, ring very true to a reader like me, who shares both love and childhood rivalries with three siblings. Being family gives you like DNA, but not necessarily like minds!
One member tonight compared this book with books by Amy Tan, commenting on the fact that these women are married off to whomever is chosen for them, and they have very little choice in how their lives play out. We realize that as American women in the 21st century, we have enormous freedoms that are not shared among the women of the world, now or in history.
A curious part of the novel is when Pearl talks about her conversion experience to Christianity. It struck many of us as a conversion written in good faith (no pun intended) by someone who has not really had one. That is a scary statement to post, because we could be so very wrong in our assessment! However, the character Pearl seems to find Christianity a part of new life in a new country, and she mixes it with the spirituality of her past life.
One criticism that came out of the meeting was that sometimes See seems to be talking to the reader, explaining things that shouldn't be explained in an attempt to make sure we don't miss the point. This one criticism against the whole of the novel is a small one; it is a book worth reading if you aren't looking for neatly wrapped up storylines with pleasant characters and happy endings.
Speaking of happy endings, we enjoyed some in-season Michigan strawberries (hard to beat!) with rich almond bars and dark chocolate brownies. Mmm.
In my last post, I was missing one of the titles that we will be reading in the next year. That title is Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez. Now the book list is complete, and I have promises to keep, and pages to read before I sleep, and pages to read before I sleep.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Completely booked.
This week the Neland Church Women's Book Club took on the monumental annual task of creating the list of books we will read for the next 12 months. While planning a year in advance takes away some of the flexibility of choosing something one of us hears about in a few months, it is very helpful with such a large and fluid group to map out a whole year at a time.
The biggest challenge of this is reaching consensus among the 15 or so women who show up. It can get slightly contentious, in a mostly loving sort of way of course, when we all give our opinions about a particular book someone has brought. It's not the best meeting to bring in newcomers--they tend to be scared away by the intensity that comes out when we narrow the list! But the end result is a good one, and here it is (in no particular order and missing one title that I just can't remember--I'll let you know when I get the list emailed to me).
The biggest challenge of this is reaching consensus among the 15 or so women who show up. It can get slightly contentious, in a mostly loving sort of way of course, when we all give our opinions about a particular book someone has brought. It's not the best meeting to bring in newcomers--they tend to be scared away by the intensity that comes out when we narrow the list! But the end result is a good one, and here it is (in no particular order and missing one title that I just can't remember--I'll let you know when I get the list emailed to me).
- Take This Bread by Sara Miles
- The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
- The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
- Blankets by Craig Thompson (choosing this graphic novel raised some eyebrows--way to be open-minded, ladies!)
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
- Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
- Eaarth by Bill McKibben
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
- Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
- Coop by Michael Perry (it should come as no surprise to anyone who has read my earlier postings on Michael Perry that this was my suggestion!)
Should prove to be an interesting year! And the list should continue to elicit the diverse opinions that are almost always the hallmark of our book club meetings. Does anyone from Neland remember the complete division over whether Phineas from A Separate Peace was good or evil? Can I get a witness?
Now that the great reading list is accomplished, so on to the horror story: today I walked into the Schuler's Books children's section, only to be confronted by a publisher's display of a new book called The Carrie Diaries. This book gives teen girls the opportunity to get to know Carrie before she became a famous newspaper columnist. That would be Carrie Bradshaw, the protagonist of "Sex and the City." I looked it up on Barnes and Noble's website, and the reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Kirkus Review were very positive, talking about how fun it is to watch the character's observational and writing skills grow throughout the book. But still.
No matter how great the individual book is (and I have it on good authority that it's not all it's cracked up to be), what can possibly be good about introducing teen girls to Carrie Bradshaw??? I am speechless. Well, obviously not, but you get my point. If Candace Bushnell wanted to write for teens, couldn't she at least create a new character? Honestly, I'm against book banning and all that, but maybe in this one case. I'll try to quit now. I think I've made my point.
On a completely different and uncalled for subject, last night we went to see one of the most low-tech, laid back concerts ever: Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer. I've heard about Bela Fleck for years, and he's a great musician. Zakir Hussain plays an Indian drum-style instrument, the tabla (think Indian bongos). He can coax an amazing variety from those drums. Then there's Edgar Meyer on the double bass. He's up there in rolled-up sleeves, a tie and dress pants, looking for all the world like an insurance salesman after a long day. Then he plays a Bach cello suite on his bass. I sound like I think I know what I'm talking about, and I don't. But I do know it was the highlight of the concert for me, and it was just beautiful. Maybe if my son Andrew spends just a few more years in orchestra on his string bass...
Back to the topic at hand, I'd love to hear about other book clubs' reading lists! Or just your opinions on the titles we chose. Let the summer reading begin!
Monday, June 7, 2010
In Your Dreams
Do you ever wake up relieved to find out that your dream (or nightmare) isn't real? You aren't really at work in your pajamas without having showered or combed your hair. You aren't really headed to an exam for a class you haven't attended, from a book that's inside a locker for which you can't remember the combination. You aren't really dying.
The young adult novel Wake by Lisa McMann takes those dreams to a new level. Janie, a high school student who lives on the wrong side of the tracks with her alcoholic mother, is sucked into other people's dreams. If someone in the room falls asleep and begins to dream, she goes into a sort of trance and experiences the dream with them. Watching a businessman give a speech in his underwear is annoying, but harmless enough. Experiencing the nightmare memories of your good friends is another matter.
This book had an interesting premise, it's been popular with teens, and I wanted to see where it went. The story held my attention, and there's a little romance in it for the Twilight fans. It might have been right up my alley as a teen. As an adult, however, I have a couple of problems with it.
First of all, the teens are so profane. I realize that teens swear, but is it necessary to portray this much of it? I wouldn't be excited to have my teen read it. The teens are also pretty casual with alcohol, sex and drugs. Admittedly, the heroine and hero of the book stay above much of this, and I wouldn't say that drinking, casual sex or drug use looks glamorous. But given the wealth of good fiction for teens, it seems a bit over the top.
The other problem I have with it is that it portrays yet another romance that has so little to do with relationship. These characters rarely seem to speak before they know they love each other. The chemistry is everything. Very similar to soap operas, romantic comedy films and yes, Twilight. These characters find all of their needs fulfilled, seemingly forever, in someone they've hardly had a full conversation with.
My grumbling aside, I took some time to read up on the author, Lisa McMann. It turns out she is from Holland, MI, and she graduated from Calvin College the same year that I did. I had to get out the old Bod Book to see what she looked like, and though she looked familiar, I don't remember knowing her at all. Unsuccessful Dutch bingo. Calvin posted an interview with her that tackled the complaints I just made. She answered that her goal is not to "teach" anything through her books, but to connect with teens. If she successfully connects with teens, they often write her letters, and she can respond. She also has found that some readers look up other things she has written, including some older short stories that deal with spiritual issues, and they ask her why she wrote about that subject matter.
As a writer, I can completely understand why she does not limit herself to a "message," and why she needs to write a variety of characters. As a parent, I wish my child would not read a book where the f-word and Jesus Christ show up with such regularity. Reading the interview, though, helped me understand her point of view, even if I would choose to do it differently myself. In my own book. If I ever write one.
In the end, I'm left to think I liked certain aspects of it, and I probably would have loved it as a teen. The plausibility of the dream visiting is never an issue--it reads like good fantasy. The plausibility of the real world in the novel is harder to believe, but to elaborate on that would require a plot spoiler, so I won't say more.
I'll be interested to see where McMann's career leads her.
The young adult novel Wake by Lisa McMann takes those dreams to a new level. Janie, a high school student who lives on the wrong side of the tracks with her alcoholic mother, is sucked into other people's dreams. If someone in the room falls asleep and begins to dream, she goes into a sort of trance and experiences the dream with them. Watching a businessman give a speech in his underwear is annoying, but harmless enough. Experiencing the nightmare memories of your good friends is another matter.
This book had an interesting premise, it's been popular with teens, and I wanted to see where it went. The story held my attention, and there's a little romance in it for the Twilight fans. It might have been right up my alley as a teen. As an adult, however, I have a couple of problems with it.
First of all, the teens are so profane. I realize that teens swear, but is it necessary to portray this much of it? I wouldn't be excited to have my teen read it. The teens are also pretty casual with alcohol, sex and drugs. Admittedly, the heroine and hero of the book stay above much of this, and I wouldn't say that drinking, casual sex or drug use looks glamorous. But given the wealth of good fiction for teens, it seems a bit over the top.
The other problem I have with it is that it portrays yet another romance that has so little to do with relationship. These characters rarely seem to speak before they know they love each other. The chemistry is everything. Very similar to soap operas, romantic comedy films and yes, Twilight. These characters find all of their needs fulfilled, seemingly forever, in someone they've hardly had a full conversation with.
My grumbling aside, I took some time to read up on the author, Lisa McMann. It turns out she is from Holland, MI, and she graduated from Calvin College the same year that I did. I had to get out the old Bod Book to see what she looked like, and though she looked familiar, I don't remember knowing her at all. Unsuccessful Dutch bingo. Calvin posted an interview with her that tackled the complaints I just made. She answered that her goal is not to "teach" anything through her books, but to connect with teens. If she successfully connects with teens, they often write her letters, and she can respond. She also has found that some readers look up other things she has written, including some older short stories that deal with spiritual issues, and they ask her why she wrote about that subject matter.
As a writer, I can completely understand why she does not limit herself to a "message," and why she needs to write a variety of characters. As a parent, I wish my child would not read a book where the f-word and Jesus Christ show up with such regularity. Reading the interview, though, helped me understand her point of view, even if I would choose to do it differently myself. In my own book. If I ever write one.
In the end, I'm left to think I liked certain aspects of it, and I probably would have loved it as a teen. The plausibility of the dream visiting is never an issue--it reads like good fantasy. The plausibility of the real world in the novel is harder to believe, but to elaborate on that would require a plot spoiler, so I won't say more.
I'll be interested to see where McMann's career leads her.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Shanghai Surprise
The controversial new law in Arizona that requires law enforcement to verify the legality of people who might possibly be illegal immigrants strikes me as yet another dent in our shiny Ford fenders. It seems to me that if someone felt there were too many Dutch illegal immigrants, and such a law were enacted, I would be in quite a pickle. My grandparents came, literally, straight off the boat. I'm an American, but I've been to the Netherlands, and know I look like everybody there. I'd be worried.
It seems that over the years the United States has taken the opportunity to oppress just about every minority that comes its way. Not a very patriotic sentiment, I know, but I spent a lot of years believing we did everything perfectly. Then I started to learn about Jim Crow laws, and women's suffrage. I remember being stunned when I read Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston in college for Adolescent Literature (thanks, Professor Baron!). American citizens of Japanese descent were sent to internment camps? I couldn't believe it; this was not the mighty, benevolent land I knew. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson continued to educate me in that vein.
In Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, which I am currently enjoying (not finished yet--final word later), I am learning about a deep World War II-era prejudice of which I had no earlier inkling. The main characters in this book are illegal immigrants, forced to resort to duplicity because the United States will not allow any Chinese citizens to naturalize. Incoming Chinese are detained at Angel Island to be interrogated regularly until their immigration authorizations are found out to be fraudulent or decided to be authentic. Once in the country, they are despised first for being Chinese and despised later when "Occidentals" mistake them for Japanese.
Lisa See, who wrote another novel of China that I liked, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, writes about female characters who have to find their inner strength in difficult circumstances. She vividly brings Shanghai, war and the immigration experience to life. For a girl whose childhood knowledge of China didn't get far beyond the cartoon "Hong Kong Phooey," it's always eye-opening to read a mile in someone else's shoes.
It seems that over the years the United States has taken the opportunity to oppress just about every minority that comes its way. Not a very patriotic sentiment, I know, but I spent a lot of years believing we did everything perfectly. Then I started to learn about Jim Crow laws, and women's suffrage. I remember being stunned when I read Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston in college for Adolescent Literature (thanks, Professor Baron!). American citizens of Japanese descent were sent to internment camps? I couldn't believe it; this was not the mighty, benevolent land I knew. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson continued to educate me in that vein.
In Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, which I am currently enjoying (not finished yet--final word later), I am learning about a deep World War II-era prejudice of which I had no earlier inkling. The main characters in this book are illegal immigrants, forced to resort to duplicity because the United States will not allow any Chinese citizens to naturalize. Incoming Chinese are detained at Angel Island to be interrogated regularly until their immigration authorizations are found out to be fraudulent or decided to be authentic. Once in the country, they are despised first for being Chinese and despised later when "Occidentals" mistake them for Japanese.
Lisa See, who wrote another novel of China that I liked, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, writes about female characters who have to find their inner strength in difficult circumstances. She vividly brings Shanghai, war and the immigration experience to life. For a girl whose childhood knowledge of China didn't get far beyond the cartoon "Hong Kong Phooey," it's always eye-opening to read a mile in someone else's shoes.
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