Wednesday 22 July 2015

Book review: All the light we cannot see


"Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever."


Marie-Laure is a young girl living in Paris. She loves to explore the world around her, learn about snails and fossils and read Jules Verne's books. Her father is working as a locksmith in the Museum of Natural History and takes her with him every day. Due to a rare disease, Marie-Laure lost her eyesight when she was little and in order to help her learn how to walk to and from the museum, her father builds a detailed miniature model of their neighbourhood. In it every street, corner and house is exactly as the original ones and Marie-Laure soon becomes able to orientate herself in the vastness of Paris. When the Second Wold War breaks out, her father takes her to Saint-Malo, where his uncle has a house. And he builds another miniature model of the town so that his daughter has no problem to find her way easily. 

Hundred kilometres away, another story runs parallel to Marie-Laure's. A young boy, Werner Pfennig and his sister grow up in an orphanage in Nazi Germany. They are both fascinated by science and Werner is very capable making and repairing things with his hand, especially radios. Werner dreams of a future that will allow him to learn more about maths and physics, yet his talents lead him to a Hitler Youth Academy, which is his only chance to escape working in the mines of his town and dying like his father. When the war starts, he is sent to the front to track down the enemy's radio stations. 

The story moves back and forth in time - before, during and after the war - between the main characters. It navigates from the ugliness of life to its beauty, from the morality of the one's actions to their sensitivity, hopes and dreams. The stories seem to have nothing in common as they run parallel to one another; towards the end the lines meet and all the pieces come together. 

Doerr has a magical way to write. It is a prose that uses words so beautifully that the lines flow beneath the reader's eyes and lead him more and more into the story and the lives narrated. The movements of the body, the feel of something touched, the words spoken, the feelings endured; the reader is in there, too. 

There is a lack of dialogues, but this acts in favour of the story; in this case the descriptive writing captivates all the senses and helps the author to invite us into the atmosphere of that time. What I, personally, did not like that much is the attempt to put something of a mystery novel within a historical one; the story also involves the quest of a mythical precious stone, which is said to have magical powers for who possesses it. The fantasy may give something original to the rest of the setting, but it does not bind that well.

Nevertheless, it is book so well written that you will not regret the time spent on it.



+ beautiful prose, engaging story
- the attempt to mix two types of novels in one



Anthony Doerr speaks about what inspired him to write this novel in this video.



(written by FK for Walkley Library)



Have you read this book? We would love to hear your opinion on it.

Saturday 11 July 2015

Book review: God help the child

When Lula Ann is born, her mother can hardly stand to look at her. Being coloured herself but with a fair complexion, she cannot believe how a daughter of hers could be born with such a dark skin. Her husband, convinced that the baby is not his, decides to leave and lead his life away from them.

The revulsion the mother feels towards her baby's colour will determine her whole behaviour towards the child and the way she will bring her up. Lula Ann is a deeply unloved kid, desperate to get her mom's attention and affection. She even lies in court and her testimony has an innocent woman sent to prison only to have her mother touch her and feel close to her. 

As Lula Ann grows, her blue black complexion becomes her biggest advantage. She leaves home, becomes successful running her own cosmetic line and dresses only in white to give her appearance a striking effect. She even changes her name to Bride. No one has the option not to notice and admire her.

Yet, the unloving relationship she had with her mother still remains a crucial factor in her life, something that does not let her live a satisfied, fulfilled life. And then, when the woman she had accused at court is released and her boyfriend abandons her, Bride makes a decision. Will she be able to get over what happened in the past and gets her share of happiness?

The new novel by Toni Morrison is inspiring, daring and thought provoking. It shows how our childhood experiences can form our adult life, how bad decisions and memories can haunt us and how human will can overcome them and move forward. It is very well written and structured, with chapters that connect perfectly with one another. The only disadvantage is that it could be a bit longer so that the issues it deals with - self acceptance, emotional scarring, child abuse, race and colour - could be explored further.



+very good structure, well written, provoking
- short



(written by FK for Walkley Library)



Have you read this book? Feel free to leave us a comment.

Wednesday 1 July 2015

Book review: Dark places


"I was not a lovable child, and I'd grown into a deeply unlovable adult. Draw a picture of my soul, and it'd be a scribble with fangs."


Libby Day was the only member of her family who survived when the rest were massacred and strangled in 1985. She was the only witness, too and based on her testimony, her brother Ben was the one accused of the murders. Decades later and after a difficult upbringing, Libby is a "broken", hardly normal adult; she still tries to forget this traumatic incident and to avoid going back to those "dark places" in her mind.

However, the money people had donated to her all these years are about to run out and she does not want to begin a conventional life to earn her living. The Kill Club approach her; its members have an obsession with famous crimes and a group of people are fascinated by the slaughter of Libby's mother and sisters. They, also, believe that Ben was not the one who killed his family. They agree to pay Libby to visit the people who played a role in the story in order to find out what really happened.

The story alternates between the present and 1985, and among three characters; Ben, Libby and their mother offer their perspective of the accounts that led to the crime. The end of the story and the answer to "who did it" could not be more surprising. Gillian Flynn offers an exquisite thriller with the ability to keep the reader till the final page and very well developed characters. All of them have issues, all do horrible, unforgivable things. The story touches issues like drugs, underage sex, Satanic worship, bullying; but it is full of suspense, well-paced, beautifully wrought.

It is a fantastic, freaking, gripping, Southern gothic, twisted, fascinatingly insane novel. Get yourself hooked.



+ well written, gripping, well developed/realistic characters
- violence, language, disturbing




(written by FK for Walkley Library)




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