Stephen Dau's The Book of Jonas is a marvelous, lyrical debut that examines the effects of war on everyone involved. Dau weaves together the stories...
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This novel is that rare (in my experience so far) type of literary fiction that, although it doesn't use a classically constructed plot, can still keep a reader's attention because it holds momentous central questions over your head for the duration of the novel. You'll spend much of the novel wanting to know whether Dori really did something to the baby, and the rest of it (up to the very last line) wondering which side of the debate Josh will end up on.
I first heard of this book when I read a pair of blog posts by Darin Strauss on the Powell's book blog, about some of the problems in contemporary literary fiction (read it here: http://tinyurl.com/c6knyv). He said:
"It's not a question of a writer's skill; it's a question of intent, of pinched ambition. Too much contemporary fiction seems purposefully to address small things in small ways. And yet why not try for the all-inclusive, the gripping, for the audacious? For the masterly, high-wrought, and the beautiful?"
In the article, Strauss is calling on writers of literary fiction to raise their genre out of the "boring" stereotype that it often deserves. Although MORE THAN IT HURTS YOU does slow down at certain points in the narrative, I would say Strauss has largely succeeded in taking his own advice. This novel is ambitious in style and bold in content, and the final pages pack an emotional punch that knocked the wind out of me.
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At age 12, Korean-American choir boy Fee is molested by his choir director. "Big Eric" makes victims of a dozen other boys before he is caught and imprisoned, including Fee's best friend and crush, Peter. Even though the threat of Big Eric is removed from the boys' lives, the damage he caused perpetuates itself as they continue to self-destruct in varying degrees.
Despite his guilt over his failure to protect Peter, Fee survives to adulthood. He settles into a committed relationship and becomes a teacher, unaware that one of his teenage students, Warden, is Big Eric's son. Warden's instant attraction to Fee, combined with his resemblance to Peter, forces Fee to confront the demons he thought he had buried.
This novel is exactly what readers of literary fiction are hungry for: a compelling story told in exquisite prose. Chee balances the darkness of the main storyline with a large, varied cast of secondary characters and experiences that broaden Fee's life into more than a tragic victim's tale. When I reached the middle section of the book, told from Warden's point of view, I wasn't sure what to make of it, but it turned out to be just what was needed to reinvigorate the story and bring back the narrative momentum that was lost after Peter's death.
The ending knocked the wind out of me. I went into this book thinking I knew where it was going, and I was partially right, but there is a twist that will drag you down into the darkness with Fee--and then lift you up again.
I'd also like to point out that from the way he describes the experience of singing, Alexander Chee must have been a singer in his youth. I was one, and I have never read so many spot-on observations about the sensation of singing. It's a difficult experience to put into words, and Chee has succeeded beautifully.
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More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss
joliehale, April 20, 2009
This novel is that rare (in my experience so far) type of literary fiction that, although it doesn't use a classically constructed plot, can still keep a reader's attention because it holds momentous central questions over your head for the duration of the novel. You'll spend much of the novel wanting to know whether Dori really did something to the baby, and the rest of it (up to the very last line) wondering which side of the debate Josh will end up on.I first heard of this book when I read a pair of blog posts by Darin Strauss on the Powell's book blog, about some of the problems in contemporary literary fiction (read it here: http://tinyurl.com/c6knyv). He said:
"It's not a question of a writer's skill; it's a question of intent, of pinched ambition. Too much contemporary fiction seems purposefully to address small things in small ways. And yet why not try for the all-inclusive, the gripping, for the audacious? For the masterly, high-wrought, and the beautiful?"
In the article, Strauss is calling on writers of literary fiction to raise their genre out of the "boring" stereotype that it often deserves. Although MORE THAN IT HURTS YOU does slow down at certain points in the narrative, I would say Strauss has largely succeeded in taking his own advice. This novel is ambitious in style and bold in content, and the final pages pack an emotional punch that knocked the wind out of me.
(0 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
Edinburgh by Alexander Chee
joliehale, April 13, 2009
At age 12, Korean-American choir boy Fee is molested by his choir director. "Big Eric" makes victims of a dozen other boys before he is caught and imprisoned, including Fee's best friend and crush, Peter. Even though the threat of Big Eric is removed from the boys' lives, the damage he caused perpetuates itself as they continue to self-destruct in varying degrees.Despite his guilt over his failure to protect Peter, Fee survives to adulthood. He settles into a committed relationship and becomes a teacher, unaware that one of his teenage students, Warden, is Big Eric's son. Warden's instant attraction to Fee, combined with his resemblance to Peter, forces Fee to confront the demons he thought he had buried.
This novel is exactly what readers of literary fiction are hungry for: a compelling story told in exquisite prose. Chee balances the darkness of the main storyline with a large, varied cast of secondary characters and experiences that broaden Fee's life into more than a tragic victim's tale. When I reached the middle section of the book, told from Warden's point of view, I wasn't sure what to make of it, but it turned out to be just what was needed to reinvigorate the story and bring back the narrative momentum that was lost after Peter's death.
The ending knocked the wind out of me. I went into this book thinking I knew where it was going, and I was partially right, but there is a twist that will drag you down into the darkness with Fee--and then lift you up again.
I'd also like to point out that from the way he describes the experience of singing, Alexander Chee must have been a singer in his youth. I was one, and I have never read so many spot-on observations about the sensation of singing. It's a difficult experience to put into words, and Chee has succeeded beautifully.
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)