Sunday, December 16, 2007
The book I didn't finish
That would be The Echo Maker by Richard Powers; had good start then wasn't really invested in the characters of the suffering sister or the noxious brother who lost his memory. The researcher also seemed like a cipher. Much more enjoyable was The Djinn by Byatt and Liebesfluchten by Schlink.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
More books and a disturbing dream
Using full use of the 8 books allowance given by NLB; polished off The Glamor by Christopher Priest, The Reader by Schlink and lastly, The Bell Jar by Plath.
The Glamor: A conundrum of a book, something to do with the distinction between invisibility and not being noticed, as well as multiple unreliable narratives. Who is telling the truth? Is this a realist or a science-fiction / fairy story?
The Reader: Tried reading this in German 4 years back; did not succeed in going beyond the first 10 chapters. The translation was short and concise, conveying the clipped, rapid pace of the novel. The ending was surprisingly stoic, given the unfortunate and abrupt turn of events. Trying to finish Flights of Love but might be an uphill task.
The Bell Jar: Much more accessible than her poetry; it did have the feel of an autobiography, with no attempts to shoehorn it into a well-made narrative. Liked the unsympathetic and candid nature of the protagonist; at least she wasn't desperate for your pity or sympathy.
The Weird Dream: once in a while, you'll actually vividly remember because it was so bad/ terrifying. This one started innocently enough; people from JC (whom I am not that close to) gave me a lift. I am late for work and I'm dropped off somewhere that resembles Grange Road, which is nowhere my place of work. I get into a taxi and we're speeding down the 3-lane road. At this point, I notice a road accident. There is a body in each of the three lanes. Somehow, there are people dragging the bodies nearer to us; I can see the innards. The taxi slows down until it's almost motionless. The people dragging the bodies stare at me and somehow the taxi must not stop, since I am going to be late. It gingerly passes over the bodies and that's when I wake up.
The Glamor: A conundrum of a book, something to do with the distinction between invisibility and not being noticed, as well as multiple unreliable narratives. Who is telling the truth? Is this a realist or a science-fiction / fairy story?
The Reader: Tried reading this in German 4 years back; did not succeed in going beyond the first 10 chapters. The translation was short and concise, conveying the clipped, rapid pace of the novel. The ending was surprisingly stoic, given the unfortunate and abrupt turn of events. Trying to finish Flights of Love but might be an uphill task.
The Bell Jar: Much more accessible than her poetry; it did have the feel of an autobiography, with no attempts to shoehorn it into a well-made narrative. Liked the unsympathetic and candid nature of the protagonist; at least she wasn't desperate for your pity or sympathy.
The Weird Dream: once in a while, you'll actually vividly remember because it was so bad/ terrifying. This one started innocently enough; people from JC (whom I am not that close to) gave me a lift. I am late for work and I'm dropped off somewhere that resembles Grange Road, which is nowhere my place of work. I get into a taxi and we're speeding down the 3-lane road. At this point, I notice a road accident. There is a body in each of the three lanes. Somehow, there are people dragging the bodies nearer to us; I can see the innards. The taxi slows down until it's almost motionless. The people dragging the bodies stare at me and somehow the taxi must not stop, since I am going to be late. It gingerly passes over the bodies and that's when I wake up.
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