Surfacing by Margaret Atwood

I'll admit that while Surfacing was slow going and a tad mundane by Atwood standards, this is one of those books that I appreciated more after I finished it and gave it some thought. Surfacing is Atwood's second novel, a mystery and physiological thriller of sorts, one that examines the paranoia, displacement and weaknesses that result from isolation and fear. Our unnamed narrator ventures back to her birthplace, a remote island near Quebec, with her boyfriend and a married couple to search for her missing father whom everyone believes to be dead. What ensues is a story of one woman's regression into a fragmented self and her struggle to uncover her true identity.

Descriptions of rural Canada and it's industrialization and commercialization parallel the decline of our unnamed narrator's sanity in a way that makes the setting seem like a character in itself. Per usual Atwood, the book is occupied with feminist themes; how our bodies and our gender confine us and create boundaries. Surfacing also explores how our past continually permeates our present and how our memory of the past can dilute and corrupt over time, allowing our subconscious to create alternate memories and emotions.

I have to be more careful about my memories. I have to be sure they’re my own and not the memories of other people telling me what I felt, how I acted, what I said: if the events are wrong the feelings I remember about them will be wrong too, I’ll start inventing them

I'm making it a personal goal to read all of Atwood's published fiction, and this marks my seventh (of thirteen). I'm not rushing myself, because I don't want it to be over. If you are interested in reading Atwood, I wouldn't suggest starting with this one. I'd recommend Cat's Eye, The Handmaids Tale or Oryx and Crake over Surfacing. The thing that bothered me most about the book is that even there was a lot going on, the majority of the time I was reading it I felt like nothing ever happened. Again, this is one of those instances when I enjoyed the book more after thinking about it than I did when I was actually reading it.

Publisher: Anchor, 1972

Cover Art Match-Up: US vs. UK

Judge a book by its cover: we all do it. After Ben from Dead End Follies posted about the French edition of 1Q84 and how it's "one of the ugliest pieces of lazy design" we started to discuss cover design on Twitter and the differences between, what Ben called, the "eccentric" US covers and what I believed to the the more "artistic" UK covers. It got me thinking whether or not UK covers were actually more aesthetically pleasing than the US covers, or if we just want what we don't have.

I decided to do a little comparison of US and UK cover art, choosing five new releases that each had a distinctly different cover design and were selected from the article in which the The Millions detailed their most anticipated books for the second half of the year, with a focus of those released in September and October, to help me decide if the UK are really better or if I just want what I can't have. The US editions will be pictured on the left, UK editions on the right.

This little experiment is just for fun and is by no means something I consider to be a grand comparison of book covers. It's only five books, people. With that being said, let's get to it.

First: Murakami's 1Q84

Verdict: I typically veer away from cover art that features photographs of sorts. There is something about it that makes it feel mass-market. I've always preferred more artistic cover art; that of the painting and drawing variety. So, for my sheer prejudice against covers with photographs, I learn more toward the UK cover art. I also identify more with the feeling the UK edition evokes with its errie full moon and dark tree branches, than I do with a young girl staring at me through a set of numbers and letters.

One point to the UK

Second: Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding

Verdict: I should confess that I own the US edition of this book, so I may be partial, but I prefer the UK edition (thereby perhaps proving we want what we don't have). I like that the UK edition is three dimentional and it focuses more on the school aspect of the book rather than the subject of baseball. Of course, this makes sense becuse the UK doesn't have baseball, so there is no reason to market toward baseball fans, but as a woman who doesn't follow much baseball much, I do prefer the emphasis of the chalk board, portraying a university feel. With that being said, I do know this book was mainly marketed toward men, so I may be the odd woman out on this one.

One point to the UK.

Third: The Forgotten Waltz by

Verdict: At first glance, I am more drawn to the US edition pictured on the left than I am with the landscape the UK edition features, which reminds me of a trade paperback from the 80's. The US edition makes me wonder why those two chairs are empty and what exactly this woman is looking at through the window. Overall, it interests me more.

One point to the US.

Fourth: Cango's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes by William Kennedy

Verdict: First I'd like to mention what an interesting title this one has. If I just saw the spine of this book shelved somewhere and read the title, I'd pick it up to read more. With that said, I prefer the UK cover art to the US. The US cover art doesn't really catch my eye and if it did, I would pass it by for something else. The UK edition is a little more upbeat and draws me in more than the first.

One point to the UK.

Fifth: I Married You for Happiness by Lily Tuck

Verdict: Not suprisingly at this point, I've got to lean toward the UK edition. I like the block letters that are centered on the cover and the image of a man in a button down cardigan holding someones hand. Though the US cover is intriguing, I would opt for the UK edition if I had the choice.

One point to the UK.

Final Tally:

UK - 4, US - 1

Those Brits can rock a cover design.

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Speigelman

I'm sure you've heard of it. Maus is the story of a Jewish survivor, Vladek, in Hitler's Poland as told by Vladek's son, Art, a cartoonist. The complete Maus won the Pulitzer Prize Special Award in 1992. The structure of the novel weaves together two storylines: that of the modern day life that Vladek and Art experience and that of Jews living in WWII Nazi regime. This narrative framework is remarkable, as it places the reader inside of a unique story line; we learn of the narrator's father's tale of survival as he recounts it to his son, who takes notes for the book he is writing. The product is a heartbreaking and captivating graphic memoir in which the Jews are portrayed as mice, and the Nazis as cats.

I read this book in one sitting, which isn't a feat considering it's a 160 page graphic novel. Regardless, I didn't want to put it down and I'm upset I didn't just go ahead and buy Maus II along with the first. Those tricky publishers should have released them as one novel in the first place. But I digress, what makes this such a memorable novel that it's not only about WWII, it's also about history itself; how it's told, how it's remembered and how it effects generations to come. It also examines the complicated nature of families and the uniqueness of father/son relationships; the generational differences that ultimately cause tension and the difficulties of understanding one another.

Maus has been critiqued for portraying such a horrific and monstrous period in history in a unsympathetic medium, therefore downplaying the enormity of the Nazi regeme. However, I would argue that instead of belittling the subject matter, it actually portrays it in a haunting manner, expressing ideas and emotions that sometimes only pictures and illustrations can evoke.

Since Maus I ends quite abruptly, I plan on reading Maus II very soon.

Publisher: Pantheon Books, 1986

RIP Challenge: Complete

Halloween has come and gone and with that, I read some fantastically dark and suspenseful book for the R.I.P Challenge VI. I particpated in Peril the First: Read four books, any length, that you feel fits my very broad definition of scary. It could be Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming or Edgar Allan Poe…or anyone in between. I read five, because I especially love dark books this time of the year:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (2008): Set in a delightfully macabre atmosphere we follow Nobody Owens, Bod for short, a human boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Bod is taught all of the things that the dead know and learns how to move around the graveyard just as a ghost does. He is granted freedom of the graveyard, visits the world of the ghouls, and befriends a dead witch who lives on unconsecrated ground.

The Collector by John Fowles (1963): The Collector explores the darkest of human behavior and obsessive love in a unique and compelling psychological thriller. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a novel that examines love, human nature and obsession at it's darkest.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011): I've heard people say that if you chose to read one book this year, you should read The Night Circus. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I will say this is a highly entertaining literary work of magical realism. Morgenstern's descriptions of the night circus go beyond imaginative; they are beautiful portrayals of a mesmerizing world.

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson (1952): The Killer Inside Me falls under the roman noir genre, translated as "black novel". Functioning sociopath: check. Cheap woman: check. Unassuming victims: check. The Killer Inside Me is the first person account of a man conflicted between the person he thinks he should be and the killer he actually is. This book is not for the faint of heart.

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood (1972, review coming soon): "Part detective novel, part psychological thriller, Surfacing is the story of a young woman who returns to northern Quebec, to the remote island of her childhood, with her lover and two friends, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her father." Synopsis from the back of the book.

There it is. I'd have to say my two favorites were The Collector and The Night Circus.

Did you participate in the R.I.P. challenge? What did you read?

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson

"You see why I had to killer her, I recon. Or do you? It went like this..."

This is the first book I have read that is classified as "noir" and I didn't know what to expect. The Killer Inside Me falls under the roman noir genre, translated as "black novel". Functioning sociopath: check. Cheap woman: check. Unassuming victims: check. The Killer Inside Me is the first person account of a man conflicted between the person he thinks he should be and the killer he actually is. On the surface Lou Ford is a good-natured sherrif in small-town Texas. He speaks in cliches and says things like "gee wiz" and "oh gholly". He is a little dull and overall, quite forgettable. But underneath this facade he is an intelligent, cunning man who his hiding a dark past and doing his best to suppress his malicious tenancies. When we meet Deputy Lou Ford he seems as normal as any other small-town cop, but as his inner psyche slowly unfolds it becomes apparent that there is something very off. What ensues is a raw and somewhat obscene account of a string of murders where the innocent are repeatedly pegged as the perpetrator.

Hell you’ve probably seen me if you’ve ever been out this way – I’ve stood like that, looking nice and friendly and stupid, like I wouldn’t piss if my pants were on fire. And all the time I’m laughing myself sick inside. Just watching the people.

As far as narrators go, Lou Ford is a memorable one. He is well-crafted; we follow Lou as he struggles with his sickness until he eventually gives in to it completely. The reader isn't aware of the extent of his sickness until about half-way through the novel, when we realize he is only murdering people for the simple pleasure of it, fueling the killer inside of him. Upon it's publication in 1952, I can only imagine what a stir this book caused. Even though it has probably lost some of it's original shock value, I still consider it to be a sharply lurid account of the inside of a killer's mind, exposing the concerning oddities of humanity itself.

How can a man ever really know anything? We’re living in a funny world, kid, a peculiar civilization. The police are playing crooks in it, and the crooks are doing police duty. The politicians are preachers, and the preachers are politicians. The tax collectors collect for themselves. The Bad People want us to have more dough, and the Good People are fighting to keep it from us. It’s not good for us, know what I mean? If we all had all we wanted to eat, we’d crap too much. We’d have inflation in the toilet paper industry. That’s the way I understand it.

The unraveling of Lou's sickness was for me, the most interesting aspect of the novel. Overall I enjoyed the book, but there were parts that fell a little flat for me. With simple prose, I felt it was too straight-forward at times, as if the author didn't trust his readers to read between the lines. Of course this one isn't for the faint of heart, but the descriptions of the killings were among my favorite parts of the novel. They were suspenseful and interesting, without being overdone. Now that I have a better idea of what to expect from noir fiction, I hope to discover more new-to-me authors that can deliver.

Publisher: Orion, 1952

A Reading with Jeffrey Eugenides

Photo from the Boswell Books Blog*

I enjoyed a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Boswell Books yesterday for a reading with Jeffrey Eugenides. You guys all know that I'm a big fan of his work and when I heard he was coming to Milwaukee to do a reading I immediately marked my calendar and made sure to keep the entire day open. The reading was scheduled at noon, so the night before the reading I took it easy and went to bed early, knowing I would want to get there early and get a good seat. (I sat just behind the tan leather couch pictured to the right, above.)

I couldn't have been more pleased with the reading. Eugenides chose two passages to read, one that lasted about 15 minutes, and another that lasted about three. The first detailed Madeline's less-than-ideal love life in college, and the other discussed the idea of the ever-evolving art student. It was truly wonderful to hear Eugenides read his own work; his clever wit is even more amplified when he reads his passages himself. After the reading he took questions from the audience. It's no surprise that Eugenides humor transcends his writing, as even his responses to most questions had the audience laughing. A few things I learned about Jeffrey Eugenides yesterday:

• He teaches a creative writing class at Princeton every Wednesday. His wife swears he comes back home with more energy on Wednesday evenings after his "brush with youth."
• Eugenides has been working on a short story collection that is almost finished. He confirmed that we will not have to wait another nine years for it to come out. Yay!
• When asked if it was intentional that the theme of pollution, both metaphorically and symbolically, permeated his works, he stated, "Well, I grew up in Detroit." Enough said. (He actually expanded on this response to mention that when he was seven and eight he was quite disillusioned with the state of the world and why. He doesn't purposefully include these descriptions of pollution, but he isn't surprised they are there.)
• Noting he had never been to a reading so early (noon) Eugenides mentioned that "writers are temperamentally nocturnal."
• Eugenides admitted that his writing process is quite disjointed. He didn't get the idea for writing The Marriage Plot until until he wrote a couple hundred pages of a different novel involving Madeline's parents. He didn't like the tone or the direction of the novel, and it wasn't until he decided to explore his character's daughter, Madeline, that he felt he had something. He also joked that he often leaves one demanding novel behind unfinished in favor of a newer, younger novel, only to discover that it too proves to be just as demanding.
• In Middlesex, the translation of Cal's brother's nickname Chapter 11 proved to be a problem when translating the book. The name refers to the US tax law Chapter 11 and since this law is specific to the US alone, those in Europe and Asia were a bit confused.
• When asked if he liked to write, Eugenides admitted that he does, but there is also something masochistic about it.

Following the Q&A was the book signing, where I waited in line to get my copy of The Marriage Plot personalized and even sneak in a picture. While waiting I met a girl about my age who drove eight hours from someplace in Michigan to attend the reading. Now that is dedication! She even offered to take a photo for me when she saw me eagerly clutching my camera as I inched forward in line.

Can I just tell you how nervous I was to meet Jeffrey Eugenides? I was so scared I would say something stupid, and I was literally shaking as I stood next to him for the photo above. But, all in all, I was so happy I had the opportunity to attend this event. If you get a chance to do the same, I highly encourage it! You won't be disappointed.

*I was too chicken to take a picture while Eugenides was reading, for fear of distracting him with my flash and getting dirty looks.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus is one of those books that got so much hype before it was released that I wasn't sure I should read it right away. All that hype makes me reluctant (cf. Freedom). But then it was released on my birthday, and I thought why not add it to my birthday wishlist of books. The premise sounded oh-so unique; "The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices on downtown posts or billboards, no mentions or advertisements in local newspapers. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not... Within hours everyone in town has heard about it... It's impressive and unusual news, the sudden appearance of a mystery circus."

I've heard people say that if you chose to read one book this year, you should read The Night Circus. Well, I wouldn't go that far, but I will say this is a highly entertaining literary work of magical realism. (I'll also say you should read more than one book this year, loser.) I don't want to give too much away because part of the fun of this novel is not knowing exactly where it will take you. It's meandering and enchanting, suspenseful and dark. The non-linear structure and precise language work to build anticipation toward a complex and wonderfully imaginative ending. Not only is this a fun and unique read, but it also speaks to something greater about mankind; the circus "rêveurs" represent our proclivity to dream as a way to escape the monotony of daily life in exchange for adventure and enchantment. It also examines our fears and hesitations with the unfamiliar, our tendencies to take for granted the magic that exists in the world around us and dismiss the things we don't understand.

This is not magic. This is the way the world is, only very few people take the time to stop and note it. Look around you, he says, waving a hand at the surrounding tables. Not a one of them even has an inkling of the things that are possible in this world, and what's worse is that none of them would listen if you attempted to enlighten them. They want to believe that magic is nothing but clever deception, because to think it real would keep them up at night, afraid of their own existence.

Morgenstern's descriptions of the night circus go beyond imaginative; they are beautiful portrayals of a mesmerizing world. From the ice garden to the wishing tree, the cloud maze and the pool of tears, Morgenstren truly paints a memorable picture with her prose. If you are looking for something unique that offers a balance of enchantment, romance and mystery, you've got to read The Night Circus.

Publisher: Doubleday, 2011

Judging A Book by Its Cover

We've all done it. I book cover or title catches our eye, we don't know anything about it, and we shell out the money. More often than not these titles turn out mediocre, but sometimes judging a book by its cover can pay off.

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: I bought this one shortly after it was released, pre-blogging, and didn't know much about it. What I did know is that I liked the cover and the title intrigued me. Lucky for me, it turned out to be one of my all-time favorite read.

2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery: I think Europa is really good at crafting book covers that I want to buy. Again, I was lucky this one turned out to be a smart and unique read.

3. Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin: This one turned out to be an over-the-top argument for veganism, but I still learned a lot and haven't drank milk since.

4. Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salmon Rushdie: This was a fantastic book and I'm glad the cover and title reflect that.

5. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: I enjoyed this one when I was younger, but I'm not sure how I would feel about it today.

6. Driving With Dead People by Monica Holloway: This one was a so-so memoir, but the title was cool.

7. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly: Awesome cover. Awesome story.

8. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano: This was interesting enough, but I think I liked the cover more than the story it contained.

9. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik: Loved this title: I bought this just before going to Paris, hoping I could learn something about an American in Paris.

10. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Again, my 16-year-old self loved this one. Not sure how I would feel about it now.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.