Chapter 29: A Book of Short Stories

Fictitious Dishes, Dinah Fried

Technically not a collection of short stories, this book still belongs somewhere on the list. I received a copy for my birthday last month. It is so me! It's paragraphs from famous novels, plus design and photography, plus a list of facts pertaining to the food, the novel, or otherwise related to the selection.

Charlie enjoyed going through the pages to see if I had read all the books mentioned in Dishes. Apparently I need to add some to my list. It was fun to see how many were captured well enough to know the title before seeing it.

You won't get in depth in any of the stories, but if you enjoy food writing, this one might just capture enough of your imagination to make it worth perusing. I'm keeping it out so visitors can drop in on Melville and Alcott and McCloskey. Ms. Fried has certainly crafted a conversation starter, earning her 4.5 Mariass (only losing half a Maria because so little text is original).

   

Chapter 16: A Book That Made You Cry

11/22/63, Stephen King

So much to say about this book. First, I don't think I've ever read anything by Mr. King. I remember a classmate in high school who read him almost constantly. He would carry one enormous volume after another on top of his textbooks and read them in stolen moments between classes. The sheer number of pages made me seriously question how he did anything else. Maybe that's why he was so thin. Anyway, John S. never convinced me to pick up a King novel, but my best friend and voracious reader, Elizabeth, did. She's never let me down in the entertainment category, so I checked this one out expected to cross A Book Your Best Friend Recommends off my list. As is becoming a theme here, it wasn't what I expected, and I had to shift from my original plan.

To be totally honest, I didn't actually shed a tear. But a few pricked up in my eyes, and that's about as close as it is going to get for me. I expected I would have to find a truly hilarious book that would make me laugh 'til I cried to accomplish this one. Instead, the man who brought me Carrie (one of my favorite movies of all time), nearly brought me to tears. He deserves credit for that.

Now, in order to get to the tears, we have to go back to what I thought the book was about. Even after reading the cover, I thought it was going to be about saving JFK from assassination. I thought it was going to be about an obsessed time-traveler. I thought it was going to be like one of many conversations I had in middle school with my friend, Stacey, who was so fascinated by the entire modern Camelot legend that she did an incredible re-enactment of Jackie's reaction in the convertible. I can't think of Jack and Jackie without also thinking of her. I was expecting Dealey Plaza to be the center of focus and action. I couldn't imagine why it would take eight hundred forty-some pages to tell the tale. And in walks the legendary Mr. Stephen King.

Having never read his works, I was unaware of his ability to drift on about mundane, daily life and still have it be meaningful. The impetus for Jake-turned-George's travel through the bubble of time may have been to save Kennedy, but his specific method requires him to always start on a fall day in 1958, in Maine. He has years to plot and tweak before he must end Lee Harvey Oswald. Most of the novel is about the man George becomes during this time. He's an English teacher, not a history buff, so he doesn't act as a pre-vigilante, saving the world from numerous disasters. No, after a couple of local "corrections," he lives a quiet life in a small town and falls in love with Sadie.

Sadie is the new librarian. George is a new teacher. They have troubles like any couple. They dance. They help students in life-changing ways, as teachers are apt to do (is someone chopping onions?). They share their biggest secrets and suffer tragedy (must be dusty in here). They love fully and boundlessly, and that is what made me almost weepy. Who knew the Master of Horror could pen a compelling, utterly romantic story?

There are a couple of graphic and gory scenes, but nothing like what I expected. This book took me by surprise in so many ways. I don't have a copy now, but I might keep an eye out for it at used book stores. I imagine I would enjoy it again and maybe pick up on strings I missed the first time. Even though it set me farther back on my schedule, it was worth every word. 11/22/63 earns 4 1/2 Marias.



Chapter 8: A Memoir

Miracle in the Desert, Eric Milch

Ok, folks, this is going to be a bumpy ride. First, I'm going to tell you about some of the ways this book completely disrupted my expectations. Then I'll get to the actual book discussion and wind it up with my review and recommendations. Please make sure your tray is in the upright and locked position.

I mentioned before that I'm not sure all the books from the list exist. So I've just been reading and deciding which box to check once I've finished it. Within the first few pages of Miracle I just knew that I had found the elusive Book That Makes You Cry. I already knew the overall story, and those first paragraphs captured the panic a parent feels when their child disappears in a crowded, public place. This one was going to make me cry.

Except it didn't. It filled me with a lot of emotions, but never brought me to tears. So, a memoir it is.

Now usually I include a picture of the cover of whatever book I'm discussing. This is a self-published book, so there's not much to show. Plain text, green cover. But I've never really gotten into the self-publishing world. Of course there are tons of e-books available in this format, but an actual paper copy? New experience altogether. It appeals to me on many levels. I am a DIY'er, so the writers on lulu are kindred spirits. There's also a punk-style, zine-producing attitude that I love. And, for me, it tightens my relationship with the artist. One click on "Buy Now" sends a direct message that I want to hear what you have to say. It's definitely opened up an entire new reading source for me.

So, the book itself. Let me start by admitting that I already knew how this story would turn out. I get to spend one glorious week every other summer with these people. So I will also admit that I arrogantly assumed I knew everything. Well, not everything, but enough. Wrong! And while I do know more about the overall arc, Eric chose to just write about a very specific story-within-the-story. And it is beautiful.

Without spoiling too much of the story, I will tell you this. After his son did not return from an oversees trip with his ex-wife, Milch and his new bride went halfway around the world to find him. The odds were very much against them. It was a pint-sized needle in a half-million people haystack- if they were even in the right haystack. Milch relates the story exactly as he would talking to a friend. I heard his voice as I read the words. I heard Stephanie's voice. It's good storytelling, and you know how important that is to me.

I mentioned that I expected to cry but didn't. I was really surprised by this. The anguish of a missing child, the frustration when things don't happen according to plan - I certainly relate to these things. But mostly, I was filled with awe and hope and something I don't have a word for. I believe in miracles. I believe in, not just a generic Being, Energy, or Universe, but God. This story, if you are open to it, is one of people getting out of the way of that Power and impossible things happening. So while on the surface this is the tale of a father searching for his son, it's also one of a man finding things he wasn't looking for.

The book is a quick read. Less than 300 pages and very conversational. The plot moves quickly while still giving details that play a big role. It's a compelling story, hard to find a good stopping place because you want to know what happens next. Even knowing the outcome, I wanted to know exactly how it got to that point. I rarely share passages from what I'm reading, but I both posted a quote on facebook and read entire paragraphs to my husband as he tried to fall asleep. I couldn't hold it all in!

This book is not for true skeptics. There is much discussion of spiritual things that some would write off as a string of coincidences or good luck. But if you are open, just a tiny bit, to the idea that there is something bigger than what we know and understand, you should read it. Milch will take you on a journey that shows just what can happen when we step back and pay attention to what some greater power is trying to tell us. For all the chances that he took- in going to unusual places, trying different tactics, changing plans that were rock solid- you should take a chance on Miracle In the Desert.

Chapter 6: A Book That Was Originally Written In a Different Language

The Seventh Day: A Novel, Yu Hua, translation by Allan H. Barr
I'm going to refrain from revealing much of the plot of this book because I want you to read it. Seriously. It's not long, and it is a really good book.

Yang Fei has died and realizes there is no one to mourn him or give him proper burial. He spends seven days looking over his life and the lives of those around him. He is left to wander a place for the unburied and sees worldly stories from a new perspective. It is a beautiful tale, given to us by a real storyteller.

I don't know much about Chinese culture (cultures? Can over a billion people really just form a singular culture?), so I found myself wondering if I was really grasping the story on a deeper level. Don't let that dissuade you. Yu, with the help of Barr's artful translation, brings outsiders into Yang Fei's world easily. The novel is both absurd and tragic, surreal and very human. It discusses the personal- family and romantic relationships- and broader topics like corruption and greed. In illustrating these things, I felt connected. No matter your politics, religion, or wealth, we are all human and we all die. That doesn't make this a dark, fatalistic tale, though.

My favorite relationships in the story are Yang Fei and his father; the policeman and criminal; and the couple next door. Each illustrates a different form of pure love, even when completely dysfunctional. Their souls are so entwined, yet each comes to a different resolution, and each is fitting. This might be what I enjoyed most- the idea that love is not a cookie-cutter concept. That perfect love for me is not perfect for someone else.

About the translation- Dr. Barr is a professor of Chinese at Pomona College, focusing on Chinese literature. I would love to sit in on one of his classes. The art of translation is not as simple as a one-to-one correspondence, especially when you throw in a completely different alphabet/vocabulary. Among romance languages, for example, an idiom may not translate exactly, but it's close enough to share an idea. Barr translates ideas as much as he translates words. The text flows smoothly and maintains beauty that could easily have been lost.

I'm happy to have a recommendation with no caveats. Happy reading!