Book Review: The Metamorphosis and Other Stories

Having never read anything by Franz Kafka, but hearing of him on several occasions, I had a faint curiosity about the man’s work. Not enough to make me sprint to Recycle Bookstore in search of titles by him, but curiosity nonetheless. It just so happens that during a recent trip there, I stumbled across this book, part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series. Priced at a paltry $3.50, it was begging to be scooped off the shelf. My opportunity to explore Kafka had presented itself, and the selection seemed ideal.

Sadly, this book of short stories was not what I had hoped for. That’s not to say that I had preconceived notions, but I will say that I didn’t enjoy my journey through the book. A couple of the stories (such as The Stoker) were somewhat interesting, if not enthralling. Kafka’s writing style, while not difficult to follow, takes a little getting used to. By default, I don’t usually care for reading fiction of this antiquity, and stick to modern fiction.

I managed to blast through most of the book in a short period of time. Since The Metamorphosis is so famous, I purposely left that story for last. This is the story that bumped up my rating for this book as a whole, albeit slightly. It’s a strange, morbid story of a young man who wakes up one morning, having transformed into a huge insect. I won’t bother to summarize the story, as the Wikipedia entry does a fine job of that, if you’re interested.

What I found interesting about it is the way the narrator and his family go on living together for several months with him in the form of this creature. He is unable to communicate with his family, and the ways in which they manage to interact and engage one another are fascinating. Their relationship with their afflicted family member is awkward at best, and eventually deteriorates. There’s underlying meaning here about breadwinners that become burdens. On a larger scale, perhaps it’s also representative of the dehumanization of marginalized members of society? In fact, it’s probably both, and much more. I’m no English professor, but even I observed a large amount of symbolism and imagery in this story. The story makes you think, and that’s a good thing.

The Metamorphosis and Other Stories by Franz Kafka: 2/5

Book Review: Vintage Murakami

Haruki Murakami—One of the authors with the most presence on my bookshelves. I am slowly making my way through his work, with plans to continue purchasing more titles. This book will be the sixth book I have read from his collection, though they have not all been stand-alone novels, and this is another example of that. I haven’t necessarily been enthralled by all of them, but they’re interesting enough that I keep coming back for more.

Vintage Murakami is a collection of his writing, taken from a variety of sources. It is primarily composed of short stories and excerpts from his novels. This being the case, some of it was familiar to me, but a bit of re-reading wasn’t a problem. Short stories I enjoyed were Barn Burning and Ice Man. My favorite piece, however, was nonfiction in nature. It’s entitled Shizuko Akashi, named after the person the piece features. It’s from his book Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, a collection of accounts from people who lived through the 1995 Tokyo subway system attack. This story intrigued me, and piqued my interest in the book, though I don’t normally read nonfiction.

The book is a quick read, weighing in at a scant 177 pages. It’s a good introduction to the variety of Murakami’s writing, and thus my recommendation leans toward those unfamiliar with his work. For those who already have some Murakami under their belts, it’s less convincing as a necessary addition to your collection. But hey, his handsome mug is on the cover, so it’ll help make your bookshelf look classy.

Vintage Murakami by Haruki Murakami: 3/5

Book Review: The Final Solution

I came across this book during a recent trip to the beloved Recycle Bookstore, in San Jose. I had heard of Chabon’s more famous works, such as The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union. However, I wasn’t in any hurry to read his work, since I had plenty else to read anyway. Then I came across this book, which was a new title to me, and short enough that I decided to give it a whirl. Perhaps it would serve as a good introduction to Chabon’s work.

I’m not sure if it served that purpose in the end, but I do know that I’m going to avoid anything by Chabon for the time being. Weighing in at a scant 131 pages, it seemed a good way to start off the new year. I could get in my first book of the year, and read a new author at the same time. In fact, I plowed through most of the book in a couple of days, and almost had it polished off within the first week of the year. However, I wasn’t enjoying it, and lost interest about thirty pages from the end. Then the book sat on my nightstand, and wasn’t picked up for another two weeks.

It’s supposed to be a lighthearted detective story, supposedly reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes. I am not much of a mystery person, so I won’t claim to have any significant amount of experience in this genre. I will, however, state that I think this could have been far more interesting and entertaining.  The premise wasn’t the problem, but the storytelling was. This is a book I was glad to finish, only because it meant I could read something else.

Chabon seems to enjoy going off on tangents, talking about items that are of little to no significance to the story. For this reason, some of the book feels like filler, rather than actual story. Over-description is another annoyance with this book. While proper and thorough description is largely important in any story, Chabon doesn’t seem to know when to stop. Also, the sentences that go on and on are not only unnecessary, but obnoxious. Some of the sentences must have been in the forty to fifty word range. Ridiculous. Maybe the brevity of the story led the author to engage in the above writing behaviors, in order to lengthen it?

Some brief research on Chabon has indicated that his style of writing has changed over the years. Apparently, his earlier work can be classified as contemporary novels. Since then, he has taken to writing genre fiction, and he seeks to eliminate the bias against certain genres of fiction. The Final Solution was one of such latter works. I’m not sure what all of this means, except that it’s going to be a while before I give Chabon another chance, and it will likely be one of his earlier titles.

The Final Solution by Michael Chabon: 2/5

Book Review: The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Normally, I wouldn’t be the type to read a book labeled as young adult fiction. However, it came highly recommended to me, along with a couple of others that fall under the same category. I checked it out on GoodReads and saw that it had very positive reviews. With less than 200 pages, why not give it a whirl?

I dropped by the library after class and picked up a copy. I read it in three sessions, over a period of three days. On that note, it was my first book where I used a neat new app called ReadMore. I look forward to using the app more to get a better look at my reading habits and pace. Anyway, onto the review.

It’s apparent from the beginning that this is a dystopian novel, which is another reason I was willing to check it out, as I’ve taken a liking to such works. The main character is Jonas, and he is nearly twelve years old in the beginning. He and his “family” live in an intensely structured place known as the Community. Their every need is taken care of, each decision made for them. Everyone’s life is planned out, and nobody stands out in any discernible way. Doing so would be considered inappropriate. There are no deep feelings, memories, anguish, or pain. Above all, there is no love. Their way of life is known as Sameness, and it is all they have ever known. The exception to this is the Giver, who holds the truth, in the form of memories. Jonas was chosen to replace the Giver, and thus his tutelage begins.

(Spoilers follow)

Book Review: The Tent

The Tent by Margaret Atwood

An enjoyable and diminutive book of wit and insight crafted by the venerable Margaret Atwood. Unaware of its existence, I was very pleased to find a first edition hardcover in wonderful condition at Recycle Bookstore. These are very, very short stories–flash fiction, essentially. Most of them are no bigger than two pages, which makes the book incredibly easy to pick up and read whenever you have a moment. Some stories particularly inspired or impressed me, while others left little impression at all. Though, I expected this to be the case, considering how many of the little literary bites were compiled into the book. I particularly love the first story in the book: Life Stories. It made an impact on me and reading it was like looking into a mirror; as though it were something I had written.

Overall, I’d gladly recommend the book to anyone interested in Atwood, either as an introduction to her work, or for those who are already fans. Additionally, it’s a nice book to have around when you’re low on time because you can easily catch a quick story.

Book Review: The Time Machine

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

I had already seen the 1960 film adaptation, but decided it would be fun to read the original novel as well. It was interesting to spot the differences between the two. As soon as I started to read it, I was quickly reminded that it was originally published at the end of the nineteenth century. I’m a modern literature kind of guy, so the writing style didn’t sit incredibly well with me. However, it wasn’t nearly as Shakespearean as some of the other works of the time. It’s engaging to note the anti-Capitalist underpinning of the novel, or at least, its attempt at providing warning signs to a then-burgeoning American economy.

Wells did strike me as quite the rambler at some points, though. This is especially apparent during the time traveling sequences. I mean, really, do we need a whole chapter dedicated to a description of your movement through time? However, I was quite pleased with how the story concluded, though I won’t ruin it for those who haven’t read it.

In the end, it was short, cheap, and such a classic, so why not read it?

Book Review: The Wasp Factory

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

This wins the competition for the most grim, morbid book I’ve read thus far. The narrator is the creepiest, most disturbed one I’ve come across. Clearly, they are psychologically damaged, which certainly impacts the story’s perspective heavily. It would have been a vastly different story, had it been told from the perspective of a sane person.

Some would argue that the narrator simply says and does things the things the rest of us would, were it not for us always censoring ourselves. My thinking is that is precisely part of Frank’s problem. He certainly has intelligence and cunning, but it is coupled with a dangerous lack of emotional restraint. Anyone capable of planning and carrying out the deaths of family members, who have done no wrong, is not the hallmark of a sane person.

Suffice to say, the ending was a surprise twist, as I never would have seen it coming. I’m not sure it really resolved anything, but was more of a sudden surprise to the reader that didn’t sufficiently tie the whole story together. We are left hanging, wondering how everything plays out.

Book Review: After Dark

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

Murakami has managed to disappoint me this time around. I won’t claim to have read a ton of his work (yet), but I’ve enjoyed what I read thus far.

I liked how it took place over a period of one late night. Sadly, aside from the progression of time from one chapter to the next, there wasn’t much more I was pleased with.

The main characters were detailed and interesting enough, given the brevity of the story. I really would have liked to have seen more development of the relationship between Takahashi and Mari. Then again, that probably would have made it a different story altogether, and wasn’t what Murkami intended. It was nice to see the initially-frigid Mari become more at ease with with herself and her surroundings.

The switching of viewpoints is something I was not used to from Murakami, but I welcomed his change of approach in the storytelling for this book. Unfortunately, the other views were nigh pointless at times, and totally out of sync with the rest of the story. The segments that dealt with Eri, in particular, drove me crazy. The strange old man with the mask in the dusty room, the invisible floating narrator, and the television flickering and being a gateway of sorts to some other side, got old quickly.