Books: Paul Auster's 'Sunset Park' and Richard Matheson's 'I Am Legend'

Sunset Park by Paul Auster
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Paul Auster's "Sunset Park" (2010) gets its name from a Brooklyn neighbourhood where college dropout Miles Heller and other characters are illegally occupying an abandoned house. The 1946 film "The Best Years of Our Lives" (which I haven't watched btw) is also used to link characters followed by the omniscient narrator in various sections. Although its mostly linear narrative and well-etched characters appealed to me, at times I didn't appreciate the baseball trivia and “Sunset Park” never really lived up to Auster's 2017 Booker-shortlisted masterpiece "4 3 2 1".

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"I Am Legend" (1954) is a sci-fi horror novel by Richard Matheson. The 2007 Hollywood adaptation starring Will Smith as the last man alive on earth was the third for the book, with several changes - not to forget the original Caucasian protagonist and the location switch from Los Angeles to New York. That said, Matheson's dark thriller seemed years ahead of its time and may have partly inspired the zombie apocalypse genre.

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Book: Home - A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't realize there was so much more sorrow than music in the childhood years of "The Sound of Music" and "Mary Poppins" star. In this engrossing memoir, Julie Andrews chronicles a hardscrabble yet happy childhood spent taking care of the household expenses amid attempts by her stepfather to molest her. Things get better for Andrews in her late teens, eventually leading to a starring role for the young singer in Broadway's "My Fair Lady". Initially, Andrews was hopelessly out of her depth but director Moss Hart bullied, cajoled, scolded and moulded his Eliza Doolittle over one weekend. There was no looking back. This is a treasure trove of anecdotes about her family and career, and there is no doubt Andrews is a natural writer. Waiting for Andrews to finish writing the second part that focuses on life after "Mary Poppins".

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Books: That Smell, The Idiot, and two Will Graysons

That Smell and Notes from Prison by Sonallah Ibrahim
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think I expected too much from this novella. While important in the context of Egypt's political history, there is little about prison life in this book, which was banned in 1966 immediately after publication. Sonallah Ibrahim is obviously a fan of Hemingway but when sparse prose meets stream of consciousness - and random people keep walking in and out of the narrator's life - it's no wonder I began to lose interest. The introduction to the novella did help me understand the context, but I am not sure if the autobiographical elements are enough to keep the readers hooked.

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Prince Myshkin, the protagonist of my first Fyodor Dostoyevsky novel, is a good-hearted simpleton. But he is a misfit in a society where no one can be trusted. The two women in this novel are conflicted characters who make life miserable for Myshkin. You start rooting for him to return to the Swiss sanatorium where he spent his formative years away from the world and its vices. His goodness is mistaken for his being an idiot. Dostoyevsky can occasionally be a tough read, but he has a profound grasp of the human condition. “The Idiot” could lose its 19th-century Russia setting and still resonate with modern readers.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two teenagers meet at a Chicago store at night. They have nothing in common except for their names. This novel unfolds in alternating chapters with the point of view of each Will Grayson, brought to life separately by authors John Green and David Levithan. This is an interesting experiment that works quite well, as the reader is drawn into how the lives of both Will Graysons intersect. A high school musical is thrown into the mix and I found it to be the only implausible element of this otherwise gripping young adult novel.

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Books: Between the Assasinations, The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam, The Summer Book

Between the Assasinations by Aravind Adiga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aravind Adiga brings to life a fictional town in south India with this 2008 collection of short stories about the residents of Kittur on the country's southwestern coast. Set between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, this follow-up to Adiga's Booker-winning 'White Tiger' contains vignettes and memorable characters from different strata of society.

View all my reviews The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam by Chris Ewan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Chris Ewan's debut novel, the first in a series of 'Good Thief's Guides', is witty crime fiction at its best with its protagonist a professional writer who moonlights as a thief. The setting here is Amsterdam, with a mysterious death and three monkey figurines. But Ewan's humorous take on events never lets the proceedings turn morbid. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger, and you just can't stop reading.

View all my reviews The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finnish writer Tove Jansson, best known for children's fiction, wrote 'The Summer Book' (1972) for adults. Written in deceptively simple language, the book contains vignettes about a young girl and her grandmother living on a remote island for the summer, with the author's own deep love of nature seeping through the pages of this slim volume.

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Book: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A genetics professor with Asperger’s Syndrome is trying to find a life partner by handing out questionnaires. Despite failing his compatibility criteria, Rosie turns Professor Don Tillman's life upside down - as he helps her uncover the identity of her biological father. This is a charming, feel-good romantic comedy that Bill Gates included in his list of "Six Books I'd Recommend". A Hollywood adaptation is in the works. Recommended.

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Book: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The protagonist of Junot Diaz's Pulitzer-winning first novel is an overweight Dominican-American nerd who finds himself caught between two cultures. The coming-of-age novel also traces his family's history, life under dictator Rafael Trujillo, and a curse that has haunted his ancestors. Diaz occasionally sprinkles Spanish words in his work, along with a wide array of references that I believe enhanced the reading experience. Take it slow and immerse yourself in Oscar's life.

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Book - Farewell: The Greatest Spy Story of the Twentieth Century

Farewell: The Greatest Spy Story of the Twentieth Century by Sergei Kostin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Vladimir Vetrov, a high-ranking KGB spy in Moscow during the Cold War, was assigned the code name 'Farewell' by the French intelligence service that recruited him. This is the true story of Vetrov, presented with balance and objectivity, and the Farewell dossier handed to U.S. President Reagan during the Ottawa G7 Summit by Francois Mitterrand, the newly elected president of France. A 2009 French film was inspired by the 1997 French book, while an updated account was translated into English in 2011, a quarter-century after Vetrov’s death.

"Farewell: The Greatest Spy Story of the Twentieth Century" is an otherwise pacy thriller that occasionally falls victim to its own verbosity. Yet, the writers succeed in painting a vivid picture of Vetrov from the accounts of his family, acquaintances and handlers. Does the KGB discover the mole? No spoilers here, go read the book.

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Books: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first story in "Olive Kitteridge" is spell-binding and is among the best things I have read. Elizabeth Strout won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for this novel of 13 vignettes featuring the inhabitants of Crosby, Maine and linked by the title character, a retired math teacher. The other vignettes never match the brilliance of the first, but serve to breathe life into the characters in the lead-up to the final story, another masterpiece. Recommended. Yet to watch the four-part mini-series starring Frances McDormand.

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Book: The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a short but powerful novel about a woman who is deserted by her husband and how her life goes to pieces. Olga the protagonist is trapped in a visceral struggle, even as her children and the family dog get caught up in her delirium. At times, I wished I could be there to shake Olga out of her stupor, to forget her unfaithful husband and start life afresh. Easier said than done, and yet, I couldn't help rooting for her to survive and move on.

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