A Book Completed

Day Seven, and I've finished reading my first Booker Prize winner!

The characters all did basically what I expected of them, and none of the major revelations surprised me too much. I suspect that the shock value has not fared well with the passing of years, and perhaps in 1969 when it was published it may have even been slightly scandalous. I have nothing to support this, but I like to think that it's true because, quite honestly, without some level of shock value I fail to see how this book was the "very best book of the year'.

I did enjoy the story, if not the telling of it. The flashbacks and frequent POV changes irritated me. Any one character alone couldn't have told the whole story, I know that, but maybe that's a part of the issue that I have with it. Each character stays contained within themselves, never really growing to understand each other in a new way. They each try to shoulder the entire blame for the familial disfunction (a blame I believe may lay with Sarah) but they never learn the truth about each other. I'm trying to see where the character arch is within this story, and I don't see it. I don't believe that any of them has changed, for better or for worse. Their situation is different, but they are the same. Pretty disappointing, really.

I read a small review (after I'd finished the book!) which claims that not only was Norman the scapegoat for his family, but the entire family was a scapegoat for the Jewish people throughout history. Taken that way I find the final pages of the novel much deeper, but I'm not really convinced of that viewpoint. I'll have to ruminate on it a bit, see how the whole of the novel percolates through my brain in the coming days. I'll get back to you on it.

I don't feel as accomplished as I'd hoped I would, mainly because the book wasn't as challenging as I'd hoped it would be. There were parts of it that I enjoyed, and parts which I didn't, but nothing about this book really challenged my world view at all. I've always thought that was something great literature was meant to do. After all, if I'm not reading for the pure escapism of the story, I should at least grow as a person from the experience of having read that book. Maybe I'm just expecting too much from ink and paper, but I rather hope I'm not. Again, we'll see if a few days or weeks of contemplation enriches the experience for me.

Tomorrow I start a new book!

Darn Life, interfering with my reading!

Hey! So, here we are on Day 4 - and I've only managed to read another two chapters since Day 2! This is not due to lack of interest in the story (which has had some interesting developments) but more due to the fact that I, occasionally, have a social life. I fully expect to catch up in the next couple days, and I'm suspecting I'll finish Book 1 ahead of schedule. I'm really kinda excited about the next book, so this makes me happy.

Heads up - there may be

!!SPOILERS!!

in this post. Proceed with caution if you have not yet read this book, and intend to do so. :)

I was not disappointed by Norman's reaction to Bella's "treats" - in fact, it was exactly what I expected. Which is, in itself, disappointing. The most dominant characteristic of the book so far is Predictability. I enjoy being surprised by fiction, it is one of life's greatest pleasures. In that respect, this book has been a bit of a let down. Chapter 10 held the first real surprise for me in Bella's gesture of active enabling, but looking at it now I probably should have seen it coming. When I first read the scene, which has Norman steal money from Bella's purse, I was angry that she would allow it. She saw him, she knew what he was doing, and she not only allowed it, she Helped! But, of course, it really makes perfect sense. As much as Bella hates her brother, she also needs him - she needs him to blame for the path of her own life, the fact that she hasn't grown up. She also desperately wants him to love her again, and she seems willing to buy that affection if necessary. Which pretty much sums up the First Visit for me. In their own way, each character was in 'by any means necessary' mode, sad and desperate.

Chapter 11 carries on that same feeling as Rabbi Zweck goes in search of Norman's dealer. Who he finds is the second surprise of the book for me, and him too. I was a little offended by the sexist attitude that a woman, even a "whore", couldn't be the drug dealer. Seriously, Rabbi? You hiked all the way there and your not even going to Ask if she's the dealer?? I feel like he must have forgotten his purpose, dazzled as he was by her cleavage (another moment of Ew please) but deep down I know he just can't fathom a female dealer. It doesn't even occur to him.

In non-Booker related literary news, I'm excited by the CPL's choice for the One Book, One Calgary event this year. It's Steven Galloway's 'The Cellist of Sarajevo' and I've heard such good things about it! The inaugural book didn't do anything for me (if I'm going to read history, it had better be ancient or Irish!) and I don't think I'm the only person who gave it a miss, because there wasn't much buzz about OBOC last year. I really hope having a fiction selection this year spreads the excitement that an event like this can generate. I visited Dublin a couple years ago during their One City, One Book event when they were reading Dracula, and it was a gas! Of course, Stoker being a native son, there were plenty of opportunities to expand the event, including gallery shows, tours, film nights, all sorts of things. But, really, it was the accessibility of the work that made the event exciting, and I'm sure that having a fiction selection this year will do the same here. So, find yourself a copy (I know a good store!!) and join in!

I love it when I am right

Day 2, up to chapter 10 in 'The Elected Member'.
So, in that wonderful way that books have of answering their own questions, all my curiosity from last night has been sated. Phew! I now know the identity of the mysterious white pills (ok, so maybe I am just a little sheltered and some one else would have gotten it without the Minister spelling it out for them!), it is Yiddish, the socks are a symbol of artificially extended childhood, and I was even right about the incest. Ew.

The story is developing quite intriguingly, expanding on the other family members and the family history in what appears to be an attempt to rationalize, or maybe even excuse, Norman's drug use and 'madness'. It's a twisted little journey, and I find myself wishing it were a larger book, told more in the present tense rather than the frequent flashbacks Ms Rubens employs. I realize this was an artistic choice, not an accident ("I tripped, fell on my typewriter, and now there's another flashback! Whoops!") but I feel it's a device that should be used sparingly, rather than having almost every chapter be an extended flashback. Having everyone wandering around remembering 'when' doesn't really advance the plot, it just explains how we got 'here'. I suppose that's the entire point of the story - how does a bright young prodigy become a sad, defeated drug-addict? A bit depressing, as subject matter goes.

The characters are all very human, fallible, and I find that makes them all likable. I am, however, finding the attitude toward addiction/mental illness - that desperate denial, the unwillingness to discuss it - heartbreaking. I want to dismiss it as an archaic attitude from a different era, but I have to admit it lives today. The only real giveaways that this story is from another era are Bella's sock issue, and Norman being sent to a hospital/asylum rather than rehab.

For tomorrow, I am looking forward to Norman's reaction to how Bella chose to fulfill his request, and whether she responds at all to Esther's request. Should be some high drama!

Apparently Not About Government.... Or Is It?

Day 1, first book, 'The Elected Member' by Bernice Rubens. Winner of the Booker Prize 1970.
I hadn't heard of this book before, so I'm coming to it completely blank, which I love! Looking at it on my booklist I speculated that it was perhaps a political drama of sorts, the story of some newly elected official battling bureaucracy. Ya, not even close! Turns out it is a family drama of mental illness and drug addiction. Probably more interesting than my idea!

I've read three chapters so far today. It is intriguing, although I find myself more captivated by the mysteries of the backstory than the present dramatic situation. I find I'm curious about exactly what kind of pills Norman is taking, and I wonder whether the anonymous nature of the drug is intended as a generic 'drugs are evil' sentiment. Perhaps it was a decision made to prevent any sort of advertisement for the drug in question. Or, perhaps the identity of the mystery pills will come out later. Then again, maybe it's completely incidental to the actual story. I'm still curious.

I'm also very curious about the relationship between Norman and his sister, Bella, and the significance of her white ankle-socks. I understand they are meant as a symbol of girlhood, as a woman should be wearing some sort of stocking, but what is the real meaning behind all the allusions? I get the feeling there was some level of incest, but I could be totally off-base. I find I'd really like a direct, explicit explanation regarding this, and the drug as well.

Mainly I'm hoping that my lack of understanding isn't a result of generational miscommunication. I admit, I had to google a couple or three words to make sure I was understanding them correctly. For instance, I was fairly certain Dettol was a cleaning agent but I've never actually encountered it, so I wasn't sure what it's "known associations" were. The frequent use of what I'm guessing is Yiddish (correct me if I'm wrong, please!) is also making it a more challenging read. Most of it I understand, but not all of it, and that is making it difficult for me to really immerse myself in the story.

Despite all that, I am enjoying the story so far. It kind of reminds me of a late-sixties version of 'Intervention'. I mean that in a good way!