Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One of my mock trial kids mentioned this book in passing - while trying to make some sort of analogy to our case materials, but then admitting that he had not actually read the book. Turns out, however, he had a pretty good idea what it was about. This is actually a novella - and a great introduction to Marquez's wonderful writing, without having to tackle one of his longer multi-generational masterpieces. This one is short on Marquez's signature magical realism, but high on drama and mystery. From the beginning, we know that Santiago Nasar has been murdered. Slowly, the reasons for the killing unfold, and it appears that everyone in his small town knew it was going to happen ("There had never been a death more foretold."), but no one bothers to warn poor Santiago. Whether the reason for the killing is justified, we never know for sure, but as the narrator finds townsperson after townsperson to retell the story, what is clear is that either Santiago did not have to die, or that perhaps there was no way to escape this fate. I read this book in one sitting, intrigued by the unfolding plot, even though I already knew the ending - a good mark of a wonderful storyteller. This was a nice little treat I had not previously heard of, from an author I have loved for many years.

Le Divorce - Diane Johnson

Given the art on the cover of this book, and that it was made into a movie staring Kate Hudson, I always assumed this book was chick-lit. Then I discovered that the author has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize and I thought I better take a closer look. The reality is that this falls somewhere in the middle of mindless relationship nonsense and worthwhile literature. It is certainly better written than most chick-lit, and the dialogue between the characters is believable. The book features an American, Isabel, who travels to France to be with her pregnant step-sister Roxanne. Roxanne has recently been dumped by her Parisian husband for a a Yugoslavian mistress. In the middle of the divorce is a painting whose ownership comes in to question. There is a great deal of focus on the differences among Americans, Parisians, and the British. The book started out promising - I figured it would be a lot about the marriage and being an ex pat in Paris, but after about 150 pages, I completely lost interest. I found the characters boring despite the potential for complex inter-relationships, and the plot twists became too unbelievable in a way that I did not find satirical or humorous. I am surprised that this book won a National Book Award, and feel like I need to read more reviews on-line to find out the secret meaning I clearly missed.

The Queen's Gambit - Walter Tevis

I have been saddened recently to hear of the closing of some of my favorite independent bookstores. While I cannot turn my back on the library, I have decided that I will make all my future book purchases from my local store - Walden Pond Books - instead of on-line. I visited Walden Pond last weekend to buy a gift for a friend. I found the usually quiet salespeople much more vocal about suggestions - perhaps it was the individual working that day, or maybe a reflection of the slowing economy. Regardless, it worked and I bought this book which the salesperson highly recommended as one of his favorites of all time. It is the story of an 8-year old orphan who stumbles upon the game of chess and finds that she has quite the mind for it. Tevis is also the author of The Hustler and The Color of Money. So, he has experience building suspense around games. As the young girl grows, she enters herself into tournaments and fixes her sights on beating the Russian grandmasters. Along the way, she also has to come to terms with some of her addictions and her lack of guidance. The story is compelling, and even though I don't know anything about chess except how the pieces are allowed to move, I still found myself holding my breath as Tevis walked the reader through each game. I think he glossed over the young girl's difficulties with relaionships given her orphan past, and the interaction between her substance abuse and her superior chess abilities seemed too superficial. Yet, the story did work and I would recommend it as a good "sports" story (an on-line review I read called it the Rocky of the chess world), but not necessarily as a realistic female coming of age tale.

To Siberia - Per Petterson

This book has such a beautiful cover, I could hardly pass it up. Set in Denmark, it is the story of an older woman looking back on her life, her relationship with her brother, the Nazi occupation, and her chaotic family. This is a story I enjoyed for the language of the writing, but not so much for the actual plot. I kept wanting to skip ahead - which was sometimes done for me, since from chapter to chapter the narrator marches ahead in time without explanation. In an attempt to deal with her uncertain future, the narrator long to go to Siberia, while her brother dreams of life in Morocco. Yet, despite the magnitude of their hopes, ultimately, their lives reflect desolation and helplessness. This is one I would put on my "real literature" shelf, but not one that would make it on to my "to read again" shelf.

Dishwasher - Pete Jordan

Dishwashing Pete hails from San Francisco, and presents himself as a guy with no ambition, just trying to get by in the world by working as little as possible. After stumbling into a few dishwashing gigs, he starts his own zine featuring tales of dishwashers around the country, and embarks on his goal to wash dishes for pay in all 50 states - something I found kind of ambitious. Pete tells his readers about the states he washes in, his quests for The Sign (Help Wanted), and his evolution from guy who washes dishes to Dishmaster. As you might imagine, there is only so much you can talk about when it comes to dishes. Pete does meet colorful characters along the way and work in many different types of establishments. There are interesting factoids about past dishwashers and the dishwashing culture. But, I did find that the book dragged on. Despite having a semblance of a plan, Pete did not really have a plan, and he was quite haphazard in reaching his 50 state goal. Of course, this is kind of the point. Pete is not the ambitous guy with the plan. He is the guy with some ideas, that after years of meandering sometimes pan out. Yet, Pete does develop somewhat of a cult following, and he does manage to live for years just washing dishes when the mood strikes. He now lives in Amsterdam and is writing a book about riding his bike around that city. I think Pete might be a very frustrating and unreliable employee, but this book does make one think about their own jobs and the point of life. He seems to have figured out a way that works for him, but nothing I can imagine too many people will be emulating any time soon. Which, I'm sure, is just fine by Pete.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay (Book 1)

So many people keep telling me that Dexter is a great series to watch. I know the premise - a serial killer who only kills other serial killers. Given what I do for a living, I didn't think I needed to spend my time watching such a show. Though, obviously I am intrigued. Then while at the library the other day, I stumbled upon this book, and discovered that Dexter the TV series is based on it. The alliteration in the title, and throughout the book does not seem to have much relevance to the subject matter - other than that Dexter is methodical in his thinking, and somewhat prone to patterns. He is a blood spatter expert with a foster sister on the force. She is having trouble moving up the chain of command, and calls Dexter in to help her with a rash of prostitute murders. We learn that Dexter has a sixth sense about these things. He was brought into his foster family when he was three, with no real memories of his life before. There are hints of horrific abuse, but nothing concrete. Dexter describes himself as emotionless, and having always harbored this urge to kill. His foster father, also a police officer, recognized this trait in Dexter and honed Dexter's skills, hoping that someday when he finally carried out his need to kill a human being, that he would do so for the greater good. Dexter's character plays into all the stereotypes of a sociopath that I work at trying to dispel - the idea that people are born evil, that they have no choice, and that given the benefit of a loving family and an adequate support system, they cannot possibly make good choices. Of course, Dexter does exhibit symptoms of mental illness - he seems to have hallucinations and he sense a controlling presence in his life. But, ultimately, Lindsay has written him as an attractive Hannibal Lecter who just can't help himself. This part of the character frustrated me. But, as a straight-forward quick mystery with gory details, I did find it entertaining. But, do not look here for complex characters or witty dialogue. Like any form of entertainment that promotes sterotypes of presents certain groups in a less than realistic way, I worry that the general public's view will be warped - and that in this instance, their humanity toward the mentally ill or those who have suffered tortuous upbringings will be lessened. That being said, I can understand the appeal. There are a couple more books in Lindsay's Dexter series, though apparently the television show is not based on these - and has simply taken the underlying premise and gone off independetly from there. Someday, I'm sure I will get around to watching it.

The Final Solution - Michael Chabon

Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this is Chabon's crack at the great detective story. A young mute boy, Linus, shows up at an English boarding house with his pet parrot, Bruno. Bruno mysteriously recites numbers in German which the lodgers speculate are the key to some sort of German code. When one of the lodgers is found dead, and the bird missing, the local police inspector enlists the help of a strange aging beekeeper (a nod to Sherlock Holmes who retired to take up beekeeping) to solve the crimes. The old man agrees to find the parrot and return it to his rightful owner, but has no real interest in the deceased. Like Doyle's famous tales, this is an exercise in deductive reasoning - but in the end, the most interesting question still remains unanswered. A fun little mystery with a very clever parrot.