Genesis by Bernard Beckett

In the post-apocalyptic world of Bernard Beckett's Genesis Anaximander is taking an exam to enter the Academy. Anaximander lives in a society modeled after Plato's Republic. But all is not what it seems. This society, intended to be just and good, is in many ways dark and cruel. Against this dark background, Anaximander's exam, in the Beckett's hands, turns into a philosophical riff on consciousness. A plot twist at the end leaves the reader wondering about the same tricky issues touched on during Anaximander's exam.

Despite it's deeply philosophical theme, Genesis was a fairly quick read that left me thinking about some serious issues. If you enjoy philosophy or science fiction, I think you should give Genesis a look.

3.75/5

The Almond by Nedjma

Written anonymously through the use of a pseudonym, The Almond is the fictional tale of the sexual awakening of a Muslim woman from a small Moroccan village. She is married off to a cruel husband, who brutalizes her on her wedding night. Badra swears from that night on her husband will make love to a corpse. It is not until she flees her horrible marriage for the house of her aunt in Tangiers that life for Badra changes. She is introduced to Driss, a rich cardiologist. Badra becomes his mistress and Driss shows her the pleasures of sex. Badra's life becomes a fairy tale as the rich Driss keeps her in good style, despite living in a strict Muslim society. But Driss's libertine lifestyle soon stokes jealousy and Badra's love for him turns to hatred. But the hate eventually cools; Driss and Badra are reconciled after many years of separation.

I really enjoyed reading The Almond. The prose and story are erotic and, at times, terrible. Some, however, might find the frank sexual language offensive. While there is some question about the veracity of the story, I found it an enjoyable read that, even if not entirely accurate, makes me sympathetic to the plight of women in bad marriages, arranged or not.

4.25/5

Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata

Thousand Cranes is the third Kawabata novel that I have read and by far the best. It is the story of a man haunted by the mistresses of his father. Kikuji is invited to a tea ceremony by one of his father's former mistresses, Chikako. She invites him in order to arrange Kikuji's marriage to Yukiko. But another of his father's mistresses, Mrs. Ota, also attends the tea ceremony, accompanied by her daughter. Kawabata weaves a sad and romantic tale from Kikuji's relationships with all four women.

I have described Kawabata's prose before as spare. In Thousand Cranes, he does a magnificent job of using this spare prose to touch the reader's heart with this romantic tale. For the first time I see why Kawabata deserved the Nobel Prize for Literature, which he won in 1968, shortly before his tragic suicide in 1972. Thousand Cranes certainly makes up for the last Kawabata novel I read, House of the Sleeping Beauties, which was awful. If you are looking to read some Kawabata, Thousand Cranes would be a good place to start.

4.25/5

Night by Elie Wiesel

Night by Elie Wiesel is the heartbreaking memoir of Wiesel's experiences in Nazi concentration camps. It was an emotionally difficult read, probably not the best choice for the Readathon. But, if you haven't read this book, get a copy and read it as soon as possible. Remembering the injustices of history can help us prevent injustices in the future.

4.50/5

Disquiet by Julia Leigh

Disquiet by Julia Leigh starts off with a intriguing air of mystery. Olivia, with her two children in tow, returns to her mother's house in France. Olivia seems to be on the run, but why? Soon after Olivia arrives, her brother, Marcus, and his wife, Sophie, return to the house with tragic news. It seems that Sophie has given birth to a stillborn child. Unhinged, Sophie has taking to treating the corpse as if it was a live baby. Would she ever regain her sanity and allow the poor dead child to be buried?

In the end, I was horribly disappointed with this book. Leigh doesn't ever answer the first, and most intriguing, question about why Olivia has returned to France.

2.0/5

The Moon Opera by Bi Feiyu

Xiao Yanqiu was a rising star with the lead role in The Moon Opera. But before the opera could open, Xiao, in a jealous fit, flung boiling water into the face of her understudy. Disgraced, Xiao is demoted to being a mere music teacher. But twenty years later, a rich businessman who remembers Xiao's beauty offers to underwrite a new performance of the The Mood Opera. But can Xiao, who hasn't been on stage since her disgrace, be the star she used to be? And what will happen when her new understudy begins to show signs of enormous talent?

The Moon Opera is a tragic look at the world of Peking Opera and of China. I enjoyed the story, despite the sad ending (which I won't spoil for any who want to read the book). This was one of the better short novels I read during the Readathon and I would recommend for Readthoners next time.

3.75/5

Koula by Menis Koumandareas

Koula by Menis Koumandareas, a Greek novelist, tells the story of an affair between a young university student and an older woman who works for Greek IRS. They meet on the subway, where they often ride in the same car. Eventually, the begin to talk. Soon enough, they are carrying on an affair. The woman, Koula, becomes obsessed with the younger man. Realizing it, she breaks off the affair despite, or because of, her genuine affection for the younger man.

I read this during the Readathon for the Orbis Terrarum Challenge. It's pretty good novella, but not spectacular. But at 88 pages, it's a good read for the Readathon.

2.75/5

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

On a rainy night in London just after World War II, Maurice Bendrix, has a drink with Henry Miles. Henry tells Bendrix that he believes his wife, Sarah, is having an affair. Jealousy wracks Bendrix, who had an affair with Sarah some months previous. Despite the end of the affair, Bendrix' jealousy drives him to hire a private investigator to find out if Sarah is indeed having another affair. What follows is a tragic tale of adultery, hatred, and faith.

From the opening paragraphs of this book I knew that it would become one of my favorites. I found the prose to be exquisite. I read the book slowly, enjoying not only the plot, but also savoring each line of text. I loved this book and heartily recommend it to any reader who enjoys literary fiction.

5.0/5

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell

The grisly double murder of an elderly couple on a remote farm baffles the Skane police. Inspector Kurt Wallander doggedly pursues the solution to the mystery while dealing with a divorce, an estranged daughter, and an aging father. If that wasn't enough, when the dying woman's single last word, foreigner, is leaked to the press, escalating violence against refugees in Skane must take priority. But, Wallander doesn't give up on the double murder, despite being forced to solve yet another when a refugee is shot dead.

I was sorely disappointed with this book. I watched a BBC adaptation of the Wallander series starring Kenneth Branagh that was wonderful. But Henning Mankell's first mystery novel left me flat. But, just like Wallander, I won't give up. Hopefully the rest of the series will prove more enjoyable.

2.75/5

Rhyming Life & Death

Rhyming Life & Death is a strange stream of consciousness multi-point-of-view novel by Israeli novelist Amos Oz. Nominally it is about eight hours of an unnamed author's life on a summer night in Tel-Aviv. The book jumped out at me from the New Books self at my local library. I picked it up in order to replace a book that fell off of my list for the Orbis Terrarum Challenge. Despite finding it touching in places, I was disappointed with the novel.

2.0/5

At-Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien

At-Swim-Two-Birds is such an odd and chaotic novel that it is really hard to review. It was so queer, in fact, that I cannot even really decide if I liked it or not. Nominally, it is about a sullen student of Irish Literature who is writing a novel about a novelist whose characters conspire against him. Perhaps enjoyable by those that like really strange novels, I found it more confusing than anything else.

1.5/5

The Housekeeper and the Professor

I picked this one up at the library on the recommendation of 3M at 1morechapter. It was absolutely sublime! The novel tells the story of a housekeeper contracted to keep house for a math professor. The professor was involved in an auto accident that damaged his brain. He can no longer form long term memories and his short term memory lasts only eighty minutes.

What follows is the touching tale of how the housekeeper and her ten year old son befriend the kindly old teacher, despite his mnemonic handicap. It is a wonderful story of math, baseball, and unconditional love. I second 3M's high recommendation!

4.95/5