Stylish is the first word that comes to mind when we think of Vanessa. She's a bookseller who spends her breaks surfing Ebay for a bargain - generally shoes - gosh, she must have a closet full by now. She's also a great lover of books and has an eclectic taste in literature.
Geek Love
by Katherine Dunn
1991
$24.95
At first glance the story of the Binewski's, a carny couple who decide to take a number of psycho-active drugs in order to breed a family of 'freaks' is a rather disturbing tale. I admit that the concept of creating genetically altered children in order to have a travelling circus of freaks does raise a number of ethical questions. But there is much more to Geek Love than pure shock value. Geek Love is as moving is it is diabolical, as human as it is magical. The Binewski's do not see themselves as deformed or inhuman, but as beautiful and interesting creatures that are able to use their extraordinariness to their advantage. The 'freaks' and the 'norms' that inhabit Dunn's world are as capable of love as they are of cruelty, respectively. Dunn's prose is vivid and stunning, and within the pages of this novel she has written some of the most wonderfully constructed sentences I have ever read. Although this is a horrifying book at times, it is a fierce and intelligent deconstruction of the concept of normalcy. If nothing else, it will have you questioning your pre-conceived notions of normality and beauty.
Dead Europe
by Christos Tsiolkas
2005
PB $23.95
Tsiolkas' third novel is a contemporary gothic tale about a Europe haunted by communism and a family haunted by shame and racism. The novel is divided up in to two strands of narrative. The first follows Isaac, an Australian born photographer of Greek background whose photography is to be displayed at a gallery in Greece, as he travels to Greece and all over Europe. If you are expecting a pleasant picturesque tour of Europe, complete with romance, croissants and Tuscan villas, I suggest you buy a Lonely Planet. The post-communist Europe which Isaac observes is corrupt, bleak and depressing. It is a Europe occupied by jaded ideals and haunted by the spectres of communism. Isaac's travel journal describes a Dante-esque descent into madness and even vampirism. The second story starts about a hundred years earlier in a small Greek village and tells of the terror that washes across Greece in the wake of the Nazi invasion and the accompanying flowering of Anti-Semitism. Tsiolkas interweaves the two narratives superbly and his voice is as raw and brutal as ever. Although this is a disturbing and sometimes alarming novel, it is nonetheless a remarkable work of fiction from one of this country's finest authors.
The Famished Road
by Ben Okri
1992
PB $24.95
This novel won the Booker Prize in 1991 and after reading just a few pages, it is not hard to see why. Set in an unnamed African city, it is the story of Azaro, an abiku or spirit-child who does not wish to return to the spirit world but decides to live out his life in the real world. Azaro lives in an African ghetto with a hard-working but unsuccessful father, and a loving mother. The real world and the spirit-world often collide and meld into one another as Azaro is constantly being visited by his spirit-friends who try to lure him back to the world in which he belongs. The result is a magical and hallucinatory coming of age story, but also a running social commentary on Nigerian politics. This is not an easy read, but it is well worth taking the time and effort. Reading this book is like discovering the most wonderful of treasures, for it is truly a gift to be able to see the world through the eyes of this exceptional boy, to be able to see magic and beauty in the everyday and the ordinary.
When God Looked the Other Way
by Wesley Adamcyk
2006
PB $27.95
In 1940 over 4000 Polish men were executed and then buried in mass graves in a forest in the Ukraine. These executions were ordered by the Soviet government as part of their attempt to take over Poland during WWII. The graves were discovered by German soldiers in 1943 but the Soviet Union denied responsibility for the massacres until 1990 when Mikhail Gorbachev announced to the world that the NKVD was responsible. During the sixty odd years since the massacre no one has been prosecuted for the crime or for its cover-up. Adamcyk's father was one of the soldiers murdered in this massacre and this is his story.
This is an absolutely heartbreaking read. I don't believe anything I have ever read has made me cry this much. Perhaps it is the brevity of the crimes described, the story of lost innocence, or the fact that this is just one of so many more stories. What also struck me about this book is Adamcyk's attitude. For a man that has so much reason to be bitter and resentful, his message is one of hope and forgiveness. This book left me utterly devastated, yet I felt a sense of relief in that for one man, his struggle was over. I only wish I felt the same sense of relief for our world today and that such atrocities are a thing of the past. One can only hope.
My favourite book
Cloudstreet
by Tim Winton
Although it hurts me to pick just one favourite novel, Cloudstreet stands out as one of my all-time favourite reads, having stood the test of time. I first read this book about eight years ago and I have re-read it at least once a year ever since. Set in Western in Australia during WWII this wonderful novel spans two decades. Two very different rural families are brought together by tragedy and end up sharing a "living, breathing house" in a suburb in Perth. After an accident at work which leaves his hand mutilated Sam Pickles and his family move to a big house in the city that Sam inherits from his uncle. Sam decides to rent out half the house to the Lamb family, who have moved to the city to escape a tragedy of their own. The contrast between the hard-working and once god-fearing Lamb family and the lazy and immoral Pickles family is obvious from the start. But their lives intertwine throughout their time in the house in unexpected ways, and under both tragic and triumphant circumstances. With a cast of colourful and loveable characters (including a talking pig), this novel is both hilarious and heartbreaking, often at the same time. Winton's prose is lyrical and evocative, his humour and perspective on life quintessentially Australian. Winton is a true-blue Australian literary icon.
My favourite author
Kazuo Ishiguro
Ishiguro is a British novelist of Japanese descent. He was born in Nagasaki and his family moved to England in 1960. He was the winner of the Booker Prize for Remains of the Day in 1989, and he was short-listed for When We Were Orphans and Never Let Me Go. I would say Ishiguro is my favourite author simply because he writes consistently brilliant novels. Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go also happen to be two of my favourite novels. His novels are always written in the first person and throughout the novel the main character slowly reveals their flaws to the reader. Although each of his novels is set in different periods and places, his novels are essentially about human failings, with the ongoing themes of memory, regret, and letting go of the past. None of his novels have a happy ending. In fact they often leave you feeling somewhat unsettled as there is never any sense of closure. Both Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go had a profound impact on me that resonated long after I had finished reading them. I love a writer that is capable of having such a powerful effect on you. This to me is a sign of a truly talented wordsmith.
What's beside the bed
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell I was half way through reading this novel when I had to put it aside to focus on uni work but I was thoroughly enjoying it. What a sharp, funny and clever book! I am looking forward to finishing it. Derrida - lots of Derrida. Macquarie Dictionary - I keep a mini paperback on the nightstand and a big hardcover at my work space. So many words, so little time...