Book Reviews
The Corrections
by Jonathan Franzen
This was recommended by my coworker, who has excellent taste in literature. When I first picked up The Corrections, I had a hard time getting into it. It was slow and I didn’t find myself liking Chip, the first character. I stalled in my progress, and moved onto something else. When I told my coworker this, she urged me to just keep with it — that it would get much much better. And wow, was she ever right?!
The Corrections follows one family through an anxiety-ridden attempt at a final Christmas reunion. The father, Alfred, is riddled with Parkinson’s and it’s driving his wife Enid crazy. Their son Chip loses his professorship and embarks on a wild journey through Lithuanian politics. Their other son Gary struggles to save his marriage while avoiding the fact that he’s severely depressed. And finally, Denise explores her bisexuality, gains everything she could ever want in her career, only to lost it because of her affair with a husband and wife.
After I made my way past the first 80 pages, I couldn’t put this book down. It’s fantastic. A roller coaster of an anxiety attack, that keeps your attention in the most perverse way.
Anansi Boys
by Neil Gaiman
Gaiman’s American Gods blew my mind. Anansi Boys is a well-written and engaging prequel. I actually think Anansi Boys is stylistically better than American Gods. Unfortunately, Anansi Boys revolves around only one character: Spider. Again, Gaiman proves he’s a master of his own universes. I was riveted by Anansi Boys, losing hours of sleep the night I finally finished it off. I wish Gaiman would write more stories about this universe. Next up, I plan on reading the short story about Shadow.
Soon I Will Be Invincible
by Austin Grossman
You all know that I love anything and everything about superheroes. But this book sucked me in more than the average spandex-wearing, secret identity story typically does. It follows the story of two characters: Dr. Invincible, the eternally thwarted super villain; and Fatale, a new cyborg super heroine. Their stories intertwine as Dr. Invincible plans his ultimate doomsday scenario. While Grossman draws off traditional hero characters (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.), his characters and their world is uniquely Grossman’s. Although it had a few plot holes and narrative gaps, I was completely willing to forgive them because of the novelty of what Grossman had created. I won’t say too much more now, because Lene and I are planning to podcast our review of the book once she’s finished with it. Until then, check out Soon I Will Be Invincible and let me know what you think.
Also, I can’t wait to read the graphic novel. The web site is pretty cool too!