Monday, December 7, 2009

Kiss Kiss

Roald Dahl's Kiss Kiss (1960) is a collection of 11 macabre stories, less sexually charged than Switch Bitch, but equally as disturbing.

Parson's Pleasure was my favorite of the group, about Cyrril Boggis, a man who makes his money by posing as a parson and conning homeowners out of valuable antiques.

Pig was the darkest of the bunch. Among other things, the story serves as a warning against being overly trusting in a world that will take everything from you. I will not be visiting any slaughterhouses that advertise: "Visitors Welcome at Any Time."

Overall, I thought Kiss Kiss was an entertaining - and slightly sinister - collection, and I plan to read more of Dahl's work in the future.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Peace Like a River

"Could a person believe so strongly one way, yet take the opposite route?"
(Leif Enger - Peace Like a River)

Told from 11-year-old Rueben Land's perspective, Peace Like a River (2001) tells the story of the Land family's journey across the Badlands in the 1960s in search of Rueben's fugitive older brother, Davy, who has killed two men. Though a melancholy story of a family's loss, Peace Like a River has a big heart and is, above all, a story of love.

I had a bit of a hot/cold reaction to Leif Enger's debut novel. On the one hand, I thought it was a beautifully written book. Every word seemed carefully placed, and I got the sense that Enger loved these characters and was willing to be patient in telling their story.

On the other hand, I found reading this book to be a chore, and in a way it is, as I'm reading it for work. As lovely as Enger's words were, I simply found that I wasn't excited to come home and pick this book up at the end of the day.

Despite a bit of boredom, however, Peace Like a River had me thinking. One of the questions I had as I was reading was whether or not Rueben felt his brother was guilty, and this is where that love comes in. Davy kills two men, it's true, but as the reader, I had the history, and I felt I understood why he did what he did. And with a big brother myself, I also understood the depth of Rueben's love for Davy. For me, understanding a character's motivations - even I don't necessarily agree with their actions - is helpful in drawing me into the heart of a story.

Overall, I'm glad I read Peace Like a River, and I think it's a book that will come back to me quietly in the coming months. Even though the story itself didn't have me racing home for more, I feel Enger has given me much to think about in terms of the lengths I would be willing to go to protect my family.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Fight Club

"Maybe self-destruction is the answer."
(Fight Club, 49)

Chuck Palahniuk's debut novel, Fight Club (1996), is a bold, no-excuses piece of work.

There's this one scene, the human sacrifice scene, with Raymond K. Hessel, the Korner Mart clerk, that made me set the book down and think about things for a minute. You read that scene, you can't help but become Raymond in that moment.

Overall, I enjoyed Fight Club. I've read one other Palahniuk book, Lullaby, and I'm open to reading more by him in the future.