Sep 17 2009
Falling into Fiction
I have been lucky this summer to come upon some of the best fiction that I have read in years. Like blow-me-away fiction. Like “I had no idea what I was getting in to when I cracked that cover” fiction. Here’s the two most recent additions, both read in August, but so worthy of mention here…
The Sparrow
Since these books were published in the late 1990s, I had the opportunity to read them in succession without a long anticipating wait in between… for this reason, the books will undoubtedly be one story in my mind, with unclear lines where one stopped and the other started.
My preface statement is – I have never read a “science fiction” genre book. When I picked the first book up at the library, and it had the little yellow binding sticker with the “SCI-FI” and a little rocket ship, I marveled at it. First time for everything, eh? Especially when I hear such rave reviews from some friends over on GoodReads (particularly Mick and Stephanie), I wanted to try it out. I have read my share of dystopian novels, but those are a sub-genre in and of itself.
One of the most profoundly moving books I have read in years – the only other one that comes to mind of this magnitude was As a Driven Leaf by Milton Steinberg (yet, it was historical fiction, not sci-fi). This book was so well done; my first foray in to anything resembling science fiction, and it was so worth it. I am definitely glad I stuck with it – I usually give a book 50 pages, and it was around that time when I finally began to understand what was happening. I was impatient for the story to get moving, and once it did, I couldn’t put it down… when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it. [My full GoodReads review]
The book has two time periods and two settings – the near future here on Earth, and the light years that pass as a small group travels to the newly discovered inhabitated planet of Rahkat. Reading the book, and experiencing this new genre brought on a realization: I like seeing and observing situations where a disparate group of people come together. Yeah, okay, that sounds a little funny, but I think it might be a common thread to some other literature I have read. I like it when an author brings people together in a book who might never otherwise meet… for instance, the primary character in this book is a Puerto Rican Jesuit priest/linguist. He is a genius with the spoken word and can learn new languages like *that*. Entering the mix: an older married couple – the husband is into aeronautics, and the wife is an ER trauma physician – an “indentured servant” intellectual, a hilarious and gawky physicist… see what I mean? Pour in to the mix a heavy dose of social contract and existential philosophy and religious duty… and lots of drama and human interest.
Well, early in the book, you learn what happens on their mission. And the remainder of the book, and the sequel are spent figuring out WHY it happened and how it will be remembered. At times it can be heartbreakingly sad, but a small glimmer of hope remains. The second book introduces a group of new characters, many of them inhabitants of Rahkat, and is full of religious allusions. It is intriguing and beautiful, and you can’t help but contemplate some of the major questions that the book raises.
Reading a book like this, published 13 years ago and completely unknown to me before this summer, makes me wonder what other gems are out there…
***
…and now for something completely different… but no less amazing…
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
I was not prepared to be so blown away by this book. I hadn’t heard much about it, and the synopsis on the cover of the book does not accurately describe how *real* it is. Putting together a review is challenging, because so many of the words that come to my mind are hard to work in to comprehensive sentences: gut-wrenching, awe-inspiring, incredibly raw, heartbreaking, life-affirming, inspirational. It’s like a study in opposites.
The book is told from several perspectives and revolves around a Dominican family and their life in the DR and in New Jersey after immigration. The main characters are Oscar, his sister Lola, their mother Beli, their grandmother “La Inca”, and a friend Yunior.
Diaz’s narrative voice was so clear, so unique. I had not experienced writing like this before, and it really surprised me. Although it was a work of fiction, I felt like I learned so much about the DR, specifically the years in the first half of the 20th-century under Trujillo’s dictatorship. The story spans decades and interweaves these deep mystical themes (the curse on the family) with some very funny and light-hearted moments (exchanges between Oscar and Lola / Oscar and Yunior). [My full GoodReads review here]
Most of all, this book really made me want to learn Spanish. There *is* a lot of Spanish in this book (that is a common criticism of the book), and there are no translations, but it is not a hinderance. With context, it is pretty clear what many of the phrases mean, or at least the gist of them. One other note on the language: this is a harsh reality book – there is a lot of explicit language and quite a few violent and sexual situations. They undoubtedly add to the richness and the beautiful drama of the book, and I would not take any of them out. If you are particularly sensitive to these things, you may not have the same experience with this book.
This book prompted me to read more about Dominican history, and I came across a movie, based on true events, about life in the DR during the dictatorship of Trujillo, In the Time of Butterflies. The movie is in English, and the story that it tells – about the sisters – is even referenced in Oscar Wao, as it was a major event that lead to revolution in the country.
Díaz’s writing is brilliant. Lots of literary, historical, and pop culture references, seamlessly interwoven with this understanding of human relationships and their intricacies and complexities. His characters have such depth and emotions – you learn so much about them and their feelings, that they seem completely real. And maybe they are… this amalgamation of people in the author’s mind.
…
The rapid/rabid reading pace is already beginning to slow down a bit. I am still keeping up on some audiobooks, but with work, yoga, and the new fall television line-up starting, there are some things competing for my attention. The good news about that is that more knitting will take place!
Oh, I am so so glad you liked these books! I read Russel’s books in high school after randomly stumbling upon them in a book store. I definitely have to re-read them, as they’re fiction that I still think about today. I’ve had Brief Wondrous Life on my list for a while now; it’s just a matter of getting time to read for fun again!
Oh! Oh, oh, oh! When I first saw your post I almost fell out of my chair, I got so excited. “The Sparrow” and “Children of God” are two of my very favorite books ever. They’re so beautifully, brilliantly written, and the world of the Rahkat is wonderfully imagined.
As for genre, I used to think I didn’t like sci-fi, but then a friend turned me onto several wonderful books that I probably wouldn’t have read otherwise, because of my preconceived notions about the genre. But then I realized that it doesn’t really matter to me (after all) what the book is “about” or what genre it fits into—if it’s well-written and engaging, I’ll probably like it regardless. So then I realized that there are probably all kinds of amazing books out there that I’d be missing out on, just because of my own genre prejudices. So over the past few years I’ve been trying to keep a more open mind about what I read, and I’ve been so happy with the result.
Happy reading!
I had to exclaim my excitement over seeing your post immediately to my husband. He’s an anthropologist, and trained with the same professor that Mary Russell trained with- albeit several years apart. I’ve read her books, and found them both overwhelming and breathtaking. She’s a very gifted writer. Very neat that you branched out to a category you don’t usually read, and you happened to read books whose author we “know”.
I really loved Oscar Wao, too. It’s definitely the best thing I’ve read so far this summer
Thanks so much for giving these suggestions and reviews – you know I’m always looking for things to read that fall outside the “schoolwork” category!
I’ll have to look into these books, I’m always looking for a good read!
When I read those books, I thought of Christopher Columbus and all of the explorers, wishing they had travelled to learn about other cultures instead of looking for wealth. I’ve recommended these books to so many people. None has been disappointed.
Delurking to say that I LOVEd Oscar Wao and read about it on another knitblog I follow – knitters make some of the best book recommendations! As far as the Spanish goes, I used the translator app on my phone to look up words I didn’t know and found that yes, most of the time the context was enough to figure it out.
I also loved the footnotes on the historical facts, not being someone who is familiar with the history of the DR.
What a fabulous read!
Two books I haven’t read…working at a library where I *see* far more books than I read, I always love to hear about what’s behind those covers!
Thanks for the reviews, I always appreciate your opinion on books. I’ll add these to the queue – it is so nice to have a back log of reading to look forward to! I agree, Sci-Fi is a tough genre to love, it seems there is so much cheesiness to wade through to find the good stuff.
Russell also has two non-scifi books that are well worth a read: A Thread of Grace and Dreamers of the Day. While they were quite a bit different than The Sparrow/Children of God, they’re definitely worth checking out as well. I’m impressed by the range of her writing.
We read Oscar Wao for my neighborhood’s book club and I just didn’t get that into it. I listened to the audiobook version though and I think part of the problem was that the audiobook reader wasn’t that great.
If you enjor tales where where a disparate group of people come together and are willing to try another science fiction novel, I highly recommend Hyperion, by Dan Simmons. It’s very Canterbury Tales-esque, as far as the disparate group of people coming together thing goes.
These books sound like they’re well worth checking out.
I wanted to mention that you should definitely check out the BOOK In the Time of the Butterflies, by Julia Alvarez. I never saw the movie, but the book is excellent, well written and so very interesting.
How funny that I should get two rave recommendations for Mary Doria Russell within weeks of each other… I guess I’m going to have to put her on my to be read list! Junot Diaz is one of my favorite authors. He has one of the surest, strongest voices I know. I think that part of this is because even when he is writing about someone else, he is telling his story with Yunior as the narrator. To me this holds true even in Oscar Wao. You should try his book of short stories called Drown. I’m not usually a huge fan of short fiction, but these stories are addictive. You’ll find that his narrator does not often identify himself, but whenever he does it is Yunior. Yunior is his common thread in all his writing that I have read.
i loved the mary doria russell books!
glad you did too
Oscar Wao was the summer common reading title for my little campus last year, culminating with an author visit. The whole thing was so awesome… I had been waiting for Diaz’s next book since the stories were published like 11 years prior. Diaz hinted that Yunior was a big part of his own personality, but at the same time, he’s an MIT professor. He was amazing to see in person, I was reeling from the experience for days!
I have a friend (who happened to be my discussion group co-leader on the book) who had a hard time getting into it though. She thought the character of Oscar was a creep and lost interest pretty quickly.
Mary Doria Russell was introduced to me in college a few years ago by a friend. I *loved* those books – dark, depressing bits and all. What beautifully crafted stories in such an exotic setting! I’m glad you had a chance to read them and loved them just as much!
I read the Russell books several years ago and I agree completely that they are absolutely wonderful. It’s a genre I generally avoid but these, oh, these are just heartbreaking and beautiful and so well written.
Have you read Bel Canto?
I agree completely about the Sparrow. I loved that book. I never read the second book. Perhaps I should?
In the middle of Oscar Wao now. I should really find the time to finish.
Agreed front to back! I loved all three of these.
I can’t keep up with all of your wonderful book recs. I loved sci fi and fantasy as a kid. I’ll have to check out your most recent recommendations. How do you find the time to do all that you do?
I read these books last year and cannot recommend them to enough people.
I actually just queued them in my library request form to re-read this winter.
Weren’t they brilliant?
Do share when you find more gems like these two.
I will check out Oscar Wao as well.
I love Oscar Wao too and I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it.
You should pick up the novel, In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez– an equally amazing work. You may also enjoy Junot Diaz’s short story collection, Drown. Really wonderful stuff.
-Heather R.
UCFknitGirl on Ravelry
hi Lolly. I read Oscar Wao too and LOVED it. It’s heartbreaking and funny and intense. I will check out your other recommendation too. I just finished Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout and this may be my most favorite book of all time, ever ever. I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want it to end and might go back and do it all over again. Still need to blog about how much I loved it.
I listened to Oscar Wao early in the summer, and have listened to it twice more since – I absolutely love it, and expect I’ll be hearing it again in the next few months -
I see someone beat me to recommending the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons – great minds, etc. Really engrossing books blending sci-fi and religion with vivid characters that I thought about long after finishing them. In fact, it’s been a long time, I should read them again. The ones you recommending sound intriguing, I’ll have to take a look at them.
Ooooh, you mentioned Oscar Wao! My friend recommended it to me and it’s one of my favorite books of all time now. This is a site that someone did that annotates all of those hard to figure phrases and stuff in the book: http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com/
It helped me with the Spanish, though nerd that I am, I knew almost all of the sci-fi references, lol.
You picked three books I read last year! I can’t even tell you how many times I cried reading Russell’s books. The Oscar Wao book is fabulous in audio form as well – you really get a flavour for all the accents in it.
wow — comments about the Sparrow. I hope others comment, as I want to understand the book better.
I LOVE the book(s) but find them almost painful, for a variety of reasons. Russell “puts forth” so many ideas/thoughts about society/religion/relationships/morality that I found the reading so intense that I had to read the first book in “bursts”, and then would put it down to digest it. I guess there aren’t so many books like that anymore, and I’m just not used to it. The premise of the book is amazing, along with her characters. Still in the middle of the second book.
Two of my favorite books, I too stumbled on them at a book sale about 8 years ago and loved them. I finally got my book club to read “The Sparrow” and it was one of the best discussions we have ever had. That was several years ago and they are still talking about it. That book led us to read “The Robe” which obviously is not sci fi but still brings up many ethical questions that “The Sparrow” provoked.
Mary Dora Russel was on NPR a couple of weeks ago discussing these books, I think it was a repeat but I bet you could find it on a podcast.
I last heard that Brad Pitt was producing(?) starring(?) the movie version but that was several years ago. Has anyone heard of anything coming of it?
I loved the Sparrow but haven’t gotten around to Children of God yet. It was a bit painful for me to get through the first book. Such a fantastic book it was though.
I read The Sparrow and Children of God a couple years ago at the recommendation of a friend and LOVED THEM. I missed them when I was done. Sci-fi, time travel, religion, linguistics….it was as if my top interests were hand picked and used to write the story. I’m so glad you enjoyed them, too!
I’d never heard of The Sparrow or Children of God until I caught an interview with the author on Speaking of Faith recently (http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/novelist-as-god/transcript.shtml) — you should be able to get it on the podcast. It was fascinating and those books are now at the top of my to-read list!