More Bookish Thoughts...

It's not every day that one's favourite author releases a new novel so, needless to say, I was psyched to read Ian McEwan's Solar. Once again, McEwan shows why he's one of the best writers in Britain if not in the whole world: his work is sharp-edged, argumentative (but not polemic), startling, hilarious and profane.

Solar's protagonist, Michael Beard, is a repellent, fat and aging physicist who lives off the fame of his Nobel Prize from the 1970s. Egotistical at best and adulterous, bigoted and alcoholic at worst, Beard has been through five wives and continues to covet everything in sight: women, food, gossip and credit for the work of others.

From an expedition to the Arctic Circle to the blazing heat of New Mexico to an incident over salt and vinegar crisps on a London train, Solar presents a brilliant juxtaposition of the "right" thing to do against the selfish but naturally "human" reaction. Though I can admit that McEwan's style isn't for everyone, I certainly never tire of it.

More Bookish Thoughts...

I always felt out of the loop for having not read Empire Falls, the Pulitzer winner of 2002 that received thunderous critical acclaim. I'm pleased to now be up to speed and to know what all the fuss is about! Having said that, Russo's book gets off to a slow start; its prologue is exceedingly dull and the first 150 pages feature unlikable characters introduced in a chaotic fashion combined with chapters of extended flashbacks. Had I not said to myself, "I know this has to get better," I would have probably given up.

However, I'm certainly glad I persevered as the plot becomes engaging, the dialogue turns realistic and understatedly hilarious, and the relationships among the characters grow in complexity and tenderness. At the centre, protagonist Miles Roby remains troubled, exasperating, genuine and completely relatable.

The 500 page novel deals with an impressive array of social issues from childhood hurts to economics (the title becomes literal as an Empire indeed falls) to small town mentality to the importance of following one's dreams. And the shocking, rather disturbing ending reveals both the hatred and the love of which humans are capable. Ultimately, the novel has a lot in common with the town it depicts: both are quirky, unpretentious and full of desire. After all, the omniscient narrator asks, "what was the whole wide world but a place for people to yearn for their heart's impossible desires, for those desires to become entrenched in defiance of logic, plausibility and even the passage of time, as eternal as polished marble?"

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"The place I like best in the world is the kitchen." So begins Banana Yoshimoto's off-beat, quirky yet charming novella. Both "Kitchen" and its accompanying story, "Moonlight Shadow," feature protagonists coping with grief and searching for comfort in seemingly endless uncertainty. But neither story imparts hopelessness; rather, they both highlight the daily joys of food, laughter, friends and city streets.

I very much enjoyed the "Japanese style" of this book (brilliantly translated by Megan Backus) - its deceptive simplicity underscored with evocative imagery, whimsy and poignant philosophy.

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“Sometimes watching him is like looking at the man in the moon...you know there is actually no man there. But if Walker is so insubstantial, why does he feel so important? What is he trying to show me?” These profound questions shape Globe and Mail writer Ian Brown's memoir about his severely disabled son. At age 13, Walker is as mentally developed as a three-year-old due to cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFC), an extremely rare genetic disorder.

Brown chronicles the trials of raising Walker for the first eight years of his life and describes the agonizing decision (and endless red tape) to ultimately place him in a group home. In the second part of the book, Brown travels the continent and meets other families with CFC children and finally visits L'Arche in France, an "international network of faith-based communities centered on adults with developmental disabilities." Although I found the latter half of the book less engaging (too much about genetic research), Brown consistently writes with honesty, insight and self-criticism. The Boy in the Moon is a painful but hopeful quest to abandon the notion of Walker as "unfixable" and to accept him as whole.

We're #1

Well, after seven years of planning and anticipation, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games has come to a close. The seventeen day event truly had it all: tragedy, surprise disappointment and triumph. Though I had my Scrooge-ish moments, I admittedly got swept into the excitement of the Games and have never felt more proud to be Canadian. Some outstanding moments, both elating and heartbreaking:

- The unspeakably sad death of Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili

- Alexandre Bilodeau winning our first Gold on Canadian soil

- Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's breathtaking performance to win Canada's first ice dancing medal

- Joannie Rochette's courageous skate to bronze days after her mother's death

- Clara Hughes's final skate and final medal

- The success our men's and women's curling teams (and remembering how excited I get about curling!)

- All of our other medals, too numerous to mention, AND all the personal bests achieved

- Kicking Yankee butt in hockey!!!