Recent Readings

THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE (Audrey Niffenegger)
A thoroughy enjoyable read, this is the kind of science fiction I love: that which uses a fantastical setting to hyperbolize and illuminate the emotions we all experience.  Its mysteries are well concealed, but its way of coming full circle leaves you satisfied.  The style of going back and forth between the traveller and his wife's point of view (and the way their first-person narration shifts depending on their age) was beautifully executed.  I look forward to seeing how it translates to film, as the plot is certainly ripe with possibilities but could end up being muddled in the wrong hands.

THE AUDACITY OF HOPE (Barack Obama)
Obama effectively portrays himself as both incredibly intelligent and sincere: two qualities achingly absent in today's political world.  Whether or not his policies are concrete and practical enough may draw criticism, but I came away with the impression that this book was as much an introduction to his ideals (an important one being consensus building and compromise on carrying out policies) than it was a fully fleshed political treatise.  I would have preferred to discuss the book with an intelligent conservative in the room (rumor has it that a few exist), if only to hear counterarguments as elloquent as the author's.

SILK (Alessandro Baricco)
What a treasure.  At under one hundred pages, Baricco demonstrates the ellusive power of brevity.  The book is full of historical events, exotic places, complex characters, and spans decades of political and cultural change.  It easily could have been a four hundred page epic.  But its short length somehow elevates the work, allowing it to take on the quality of a fable without abandoning its place as a piece of historical fiction.  It enriches the language and surrounds it with mystery.   I was left haunted by the tale, yearning to know or experience more, the same as the novel's characters.  After reading this small work and having reread THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV in the same year, I am reminded of the grand diversity of greatness in literature.  Why bother to rate one against the other, when we might instead appreciate them all for the wisdom and, perhaps, the transformation they offer.

Comments

[Matt]

I read "Time Traveler's Wife" roughly six months ago and cast Rachel McAdams in my version of the film as well. I'm awesome.

[brian scofield]

Haha, nice Matt. Have you been watching THE NOTEBOOK a few too many times? ;) I love McAdams, too. She would work well in the role. Who would be your traveler, though? I think that would be a tougher character to cast.