What I'm reading ...

I have started The Shack by William P. Young, my next book club book. Here’s the blurb:

Mack's youngest daughter, Missy, was abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, still trapped in his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack. Against his better judgement Mack arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon. What he finds there will change his life forever.
The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, 'Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?' Mack's experiences when he faces up to his darkest nightmares will astound you, and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.

Big Brother - by Lionel Shriver

The topic and initial premise of this book sounded interesting and I was confident that the author would do it justice. My interest in the book was piqued when I learned that the subject was very much a reflection of the author’s life. It is not autobiographical - she wrote it partly to help her process her own experiences.

All the themes around eating disorders, body image issues and prejudices are addressed in a typical no-holes-barred way. The story has a great pace and, although it is covering serious issues, manages to have its humorous moments. I was interested to know how the author would manage to tell a story of what might have been - with a different outcome than that in her own life - without it being an obvious “if only real life had turned out this way” story. Re-writes of history rarely succeed. This book, however, handles this matter very well and is wrapped up in good Shriver style with a great twist.

What I'm reading ...

I have started Big Brother by Lionel Shriver. With a couple of trips coming up, I wanted some “holiday reading” - not something light, but a book that I can get lost in. Shriver has become one of my favourite authors, so I was delighted to find that I had two of her books on hand, unread, and chose this one. Here's the blurb:

When Pandora picks up her older brother Edison at her local Iowa airport, she literally doesn’t recognize him. The once slim, hip New York jazz pianist has gained hundreds of pounds. What happened?
Soon Edison’s slovenly habits, appalling diet, and know-it-all monologues are driving Pandora and her fitness-freak husband Fletcher insane. After the brother-in-law has more than overstayed his welcome, Fletcher delivers his wife an ultimatum: it’s him or me.

Night Train To Lisbon - by Pascal Mercier

While reading this book, a couple of people asked me what it was about and I was unable to answer. I figured that, by the time I finished it, I would know the answer. But I was wrong. On one level, it is all about Gregorius and his sudden change of lifestyle. On another, it is about Prado - or Gregorius piecing his story together. Or perhaps it is just a study on life, the Universe and everything. I remain uncertain.

This does not mean that I did not enjoy the book - I did on many levels. The description of the places and Gregorius’ impressions of them was often quite beautiful. I loved the vast array of characters and their nuances and foibles. The quality of writing is excellent. Overall, I did not really feel that I got to know Gregorius and I have no understanding of why he suddenly dropped everything. As far as I could see, this was totally out of character - not a natural development. In summary, can see through his eye, but not get into his head.

Like so many books, I thought that the ending was rushed and disappointing. Gregorius’ dizziness was reported time and time again, along with his worries about it [with the obvious reference to Prado’s illness], but we never learned what his diagnosis was. That was left hanging. I wanted to know.