Matt’s Book Review #7

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So, between a heavy load of grad school and then starting a new job, I’ve done very limited reading over the past year. As in, I’ve only read five novels in the last nine months. Pathetic, I know. And here they are, in order of enjoyment.

 1) No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July: There’s really not a lot that Miranda July can’t do, as Wikipedia states that “Miranda July is a performance artist, musician, writer, actress, and film director.” I can only speak towards her film directing, acting, and writing, however, judging by those alone she has to be one the most talented people alive today. Her one feature length film Me and You and Everyone We Know is a treasure, and then there is this, her first published book of short stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You. Each story has an indescribable quirkiness and life to it that really is, pardon the word, magical. July constantly surprises with the routes she takes with her stories and in the way she tackles unspeakable issues so carelessly, as if unaware that that anyone might be bothered. Overall, Miranda July has a truly unique vision of the world and I encourage all of you to expose yourself to her somehow.

2) The Unfortunates by B.S. Johnson: This “book in a box” is actually 27 separately binded sections that, other than 2 sections marked “first” and “last,” are intended to be read in any random order. Being reasonably familiar with Johnson’s work, I’ve long been curious as to how the experimental novel read and was pretty excited when it was finally published again in the U.S. due to the success of Jonathan Coe’s biography of Johnson. When I finally read the book I was at first disappointed in how the experiment worked – this certainly isn’t a book that dazzles.  And yet, the more I read the book, the more it moved me. Once I stopped focusing on the “random order” gimmick, I found a novel that is a harrowing account of one of Johnson’s best friends dying of cancer. All of Johnson’s novels are essential works of nonfiction (probably more so than most nonfiction books, honestly) and knowing that makes the account that much more disturbing. Johnson’s mourning is so unrelenting that it left me pretty shaken by the time I finished the book. This is definitely not a book with a “plot” where things are “resolved.” Instead, it is a stream-of-consciousness testimony of the hopelessness of watching a person slowly succumb to cancer and the senselessness nature that life has. There is no peace or meaning to be found here. That Johnson would commit suicide a few years later only adds to the despair that this novel breathes. I can’t say that I “recommend” this to anyone, but reading it is certainly a powerful experience and this novel has stuck with me more than any I’ve read in a while.

3) The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver: I thought this started out as an int

eresting account of a nutty evangelical pastor taking his family into Africa on an ill-advised missionary trip and I also thought the challenges that the family faced interacting in Africa were well presented. The pastor himself  was particularly well-portrayed and I was outright angry at his treatment of his family at several points. But, all that said, Kingsolver drags the novel out too long after the family separates in Africa and the last half of the novel really lost my attention. I also didn’t think the characters had enough depth to them to warrant what amounts to an extended epilogue in the last half of the book. On a side note, this is OD reader Erin’s favorite book and she is going to hate me for this review. But I don’t recommend the novel.

4) The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis: Davis doesn’t seem like a terrible writer, but this just had way too many characters and I never felt connected or involved in the novel at all. Not much to add to that.

5) Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy: A very boring novel, I’m definitely hoping that McCarthy’s writing has developed over the last few years since he seems to be pretty well regarded these days. In this book he just seems like a poor man’s Flannery O’Connor.

Yes, that really is all the fiction I’ve read in the last 9 months. As for my life, I’m still looking for jobs and I’m still seeing Calesha weekly. I could say it in more words, but that’s basically what’s going on.