a couple of books
i have been reading a little more lately, when i can manage to stay awake long enough at night and then at random points throughout the day. i often buy books at yard sales, most often for a dollar or less, and they are some of my favorite finds.
a couple of short reviews:
Anil's Ghost by Micheal Ondaatje
this was written by the author of The English Patient, which i tried reading years ago, but didn't get through, probably more due to my own circumstances than the book itself. i love the way Ondaatje uses words - he paints wonderful images, not only of landscapes and situations, but of human emotion. in many ways he is a very visceral read at any individual point. however, the actual telling of the story from beginning to end left me feeling like quite befuddled, wondering if i was missing something. the story is of a woman from sri lanka who was educated abroad, became a forensic anthropologist, and goes back home working for a human rights organization. she is there to determine what is happening with continued killings in a country that is wrecked with civil war between three factions. she and her (native) associates work to this end and we learn about their struggles as well. anil comes back around to claiming the home that she shunned for many years, but the ending (to me) was abrupt and left much to be desired.
and the book that i would much love to finish, but will have to wait until my son rests his head tonight:
All Families Are Psychotic by Douglas Coupland
the only thing i have ever known about Coupland is that he coined the term "Generation X." i never paid much attention because i am not into putting yet another label on yet another group of people, my reasoning being that we have enough trouble all of us being decent humans to one another, so why break us up even further and further? regardless, the title of this book caught me and i felt it worthy of a quarter. it has been a fast read, and quite hilarious at points. for all the surface elements available, many moments in the book convey the absurdity and broken heartedness that we all experience as humans, particularly when dealing with family, born or chosen. i am anxious to read the end and will edit here with any epiphanies that arrive with it.
This entry was posted on Monday, July 11th, 2005 at 8:25 pm and is filed under Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
