Remembering Babylon - David Malouf

Apparently, David Malouf is recognised as one of Australia's finest writers. I heard an interview with him on one of the ABC's podcasts months ago - he had just written a libretto for a Aussie composer. After reading this book, I'd have to say he's pretty darn good. There are some glowing commendations on the back cover, including one from Michael Ondaatje... I'm not sure I would agree wholeheartedly with Ondaatje's assessment of "thrilling in style and adventurousness"... to me, the story is a little more understated and ethereal than thrilling.

In short, Gemmy is a Brit who after a rather miserable childhood as a street kid takes to the high seas after burning down his erstatz master's home (with said master therein...). At some point in the voyage is cast from the ship and washes up, of all places, in Queensland. He is discovered by a mob of Aborigines, and he is in pretty dire shape... I recall a rather vivid description of little crabs crawling over him as he's lying on the shore.

But life goes on, and the Aborigines take him under their collective wing and for what must be a number of years, he lives with them. I don't think they kept him around as an oddity for a bit of a laugh - he learned much in the line of bush skills, and picked up a pretty good connection to the spirits of the land.

While Gemmy's hanging out with the Aborigines, white folks are of course struggling up the coast and setting up the raggedy little settlements that have become today's cities and regional centres. In the tradition of stories featuring white settlers and Aborigines, eventually the two worlds intersect. In this story, Gemmy falls (literally - from a fence) back into white life.

But he's not quite 'white' anymore, and this sets up the spiralling tension within the settlement that he's ended up in - there are those sympathetic to him, and those that are antagonistic.

That's probably enough of a spoiler - here's what I really liked about the book. When I finished it, I had this feeling that I really had seen only the part of the story that Malouf wanted me to see - that is, I had the whole plot, I knew who the characters were, but there were bits and pieces that for all intents and purposes were shrouded with a kind of secrecy. It was almost like there was a part (almost a dimension, I think) that we the reader weren't privy to, and wouldn't be unless we had undergone some sort of initiation or cultural coming of age. In the meantime, we get to see just enough to satisfy us, and to protect the interests of ... whatever is shrouded.

There's a passage in the book that really reminds me of this: Gemmy is on an expedition with an enthusiastic amateur naturalist from the settlement, who with great pleasure (and no small skill) is drawing the local flora, and inscribing these drawings with such wisdom about their restorative - or indeed deleterious - qualiteis as Gemmy is willing to share. During this expedition, we get a peek at Gemmy's perspective as he is sharing such bits that are safe to share - but he doesn't let on for a minute that he sees the world entirely differently with the land's power and spirits kind of overlaid on the physical bits that our naturalist saw. Some plants he just passed over describing; their power too much for him to handle, so there was no way he was going to risk the white guy messing around with them.

It's one of those cases where on the one hand I'm a little impatient and want to know what's on the other side; and on the other hand, I am really impressed at this sense that the book evoked in me.

Good Morning Hanoi - Iain Finlay and Trish Clark

I haven't posted about any books lately, largely because my completion rate has fallen dramatically. However, since the last book post I have finished a couple of books.

The first one highlights the year the authors, both retired journalists, spent volunteering for the English language service of the Vietnamese government's radio network, and it is a very interesting and engaging story - more so than Liz Anderson's Red Lights and Green Lizards, which was strikingly similar (older folks go to Asia to help out). Where Red Lights spent (I thought) too much time on the trials and tribulations, Good Morning acknowledges challenges but focuses more on the joy and pleasure of jumping into a different world and delighting in it. I suppose Vietnam is comparatively easier for English speaking Westerners to find their footing in - I can't quote relative per capita GDP PPP off the top of my head, but I am pretty sure that Vietnam is a bit further along the development curve than Cambodia.

Notwithstanding the homogenising influence of development, though, Iain and Trish certainly had their hands full negotiating both cultural nuances and political machinations in trying to do their bit to help the keen and motivated Vietnamese staff at the radio station. Their story is told with a warmth, and even almost a twinkle (sure, it's an odd description for a written story, but it fits this one).

A huge shout out to Grandma Pat for this Christmas present!

The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

And now something a little more highbrow. This is a really well written book, and much slower in pace than many. This suits Stevens' (the butler main character) introspection on a life of service and the associated implications and questions that arise.

Some of the values that are self-evident to Stevens - that is, utter unflappability, 'dignity' (which has a couple of interesting definitions), and the subjugation of moral judgement to the responsibilities and duties of one's post or position - did give me pause, wondering if this fellow was for real. Naturally, he isn't: he's a character in a book. I don't doubt, however, that such values were at some place and time (and may even be so now) highly regarded, or even expected.

On reflection, the story seems to be a cautionary tale against blind devotion to 'duty', however defined. "Thud!", posted just before, also talks about 'some things you just have to do'. Stevens' has many things he feels he has to do. The difference between Vimes and Stevens is simply the source or pedigree of the obligations. Vimes is guided by a moral compass, where Stevens is guided by his responsibility to his employer. To be fair, while I do agree more with Vimes' guide, Stevens' job is to be a butler, not a police watch commander charged with preserving peace and law in a big city.

Criminy. I think I just came up with a bit of a thesis here. Sources of obligation in literature, and as always with these discussion, the social commentary contained therein.

In short, though, it was a pretty good book.

Thud! - Terry Pratchett

Full disclosure: I really like Pratchett, and the Discworld novels. I've read a bunch of them, and enjoyed every one, and have even laughed out loud while reading them on public transport.

Thud! is something like the 30th Discworld book, and the first one I've read that doesn't relate the state of the cosmos in Discworld - the Disc on the backs of 4 elephants standing on a huge turtle who is swimming through space.

Then again, the book is different from earlier Discworld books in that it is subtle in a slightly different way: it's almost like Pratchett's graduated from odd (though ingenious) parallels between the bizarre real world that readers inhabit and the bizarre magical world that the characters inhabit to parallels between big issues in the two worlds. Strangely absent is the word play of "In Sewer Ants" (Insurance) where the Discworld version is a delightfully apt characterisation of the industry, replaced by Sam Vimes' struggle to keep trolls and dwarves from reliving a centuries-old conflict that is based in... but I won't spoil the story by revealing what it is based in!

I particularly like Sam's priority of being home at 6pm to read to his son... regardless of which kings expect his presence at dinner.

It's a Pratchett Discworld book. Wonderful.

Master & Commander - Patrick O'Brian

Props to Nick for telling me about this book - I bought it on his recommendation in Canada during our trip there over Christmas.

It's the tale of Captain Jack Aubry and Stephen Maturin, in the first of 20 historical novels. That basically means that the stories are largely true to history, but in order to make things read a little better, the history's been tidied up a little.

Not knowing that much about Nelson's navy, I'll have to rely on my gut in assessing the 'faultless portrayal' claimed on the back cover - and my gut says that it's pretty much spot on.

This first book in the series sets up the characters at the point in Aubry's career when he receives his first commission as Master and Commander of a ship, and relates the ups (daring captures of enemy vessels) and downs (being captured by the enemy) of the life of an 18th century navy man. All in all, it was a good read, and I am looking forward to the next 19 books.

The Children of Men - P.D. James

Nothing like the movie, that's for sure. It's a lot better by virtue of having the whole backstory to give the tale some context, which I really appreciated. In the movie, I could identify (besides the general idea of the movie) only 3 of the characters (the rest were tweaked, I suppose under artistic licence), and a couple of discrete points in the plot.

It certainly wasn't as descriptively gory and brutal as the movie, and the ending was far more interesting - there's no escape in a boat in the book.

I suppose a movie that slavishly adhered to the storyline in the book would have been rather boring - it would have been all about the main character's (Theo) path through dystopic future Britain. The movie needed to have all the stuff getting blown up and people being shot and references to terrorism and whatever else in order to keep in topical and interesting so enough people would go see it. The book, on the other hand, is free to wander a little more philosophically.

Chalk up another point for the books in the old books vs. movie version tally.

Vellum - Hal Duncan

Whoa... either Hal's really freaking brilliant or he's on an extended disassociative experience. Basic premise: underlying the 'real' world is the Vellum, which is a sort of meta-history/time/place/map/everything. There's good guys and bad guys. There's this weird mystical thang and nano-thingys that sort of complement it in a scientific wonderland remake of old legends and stories. People seem to exist in a multipley-instantiated way... the experiences of one instance kind of meld and distort the those of the other instances. Myths and stories and histories from all over the world roll around with each other like spaghetti on a toddler's high chair tray...

Basically there are a handful of key characters whose stories live in multiple times, multiple places, and in multiple aspects. So just try and keep up with 3 time periods for 3 people in a couple of different locations, all in a page or two.

This book hurt to read. It's fascinatingly intricate, and really, it's kind of fun to have a book that so terribly convoluted that it requires careful attention.

Moving Mars - Greg Bear

Pretty good bit of science fiction here - the Moon and Mars have both been colonised, globalisation is reaching its logical conclusion back on Earth, and whaddaya know, there is economic and political tension between the three chunks of rock.

It's not a particularly rollicking tale, and just sort of proceeds steadily through the plot... beginning, middle, end, close book. However, it's got that good mix of the familiar and the fantastical which keeps it pretty engaging.

Pathway to Treason - Ken Harris

A cautionary tale against taking Australia recklessly down the republic route by an erstwhile public servant (or some such function). Set in 2021 or thereabouts, 'Straylya's adopted the republican model by essentially doing a find-and-replace on the Constitution, replacing "Governor General" with "President," without due consideration to the bounds of authority between the Prez and Parliament. She'll not be right. Imagine the hijinks when the President decides that hey! the Constitution doesn't say anything about me being a figurehead, and in fact... yep, there it is, I'm the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. No worries... but what's this about the Government (with the Prime Minister in charge) having authority too... hm. What potential for conflicting ideologies and subsequent orders.

In order to bring this all to a head, the book's plot relies on trusty terrorists to assassinate the Australian and American ambassadors to ... some place in Asia. And off we go!

In the end, this is more of a policy paper masquerading as a novel. Even the effusive praise on the cover is from generals and political types.

Chameleon - Mark Burnell

Just another thriller for the 21st century. No one is who they seem; ideology and emotion collide, but rather straightforward afterall.

Not a bad book by any stretch, and with a few interesting twists and turns, but... not a standout. I've already forgotten the main character's name, though the 'bad guy' was Boba, or Bola... or something like that.

In your dreams - Tim Holt

Hurray, this one was funny and reminded me of Terry Pratchett, with a fun melding of the fantastical and the mundane - a building that knows when it's hallways should be shorter or longer between two points, depending on whether it is the chairman of the bank or a lowly intern making the trek.

Plus one of the most reluctant heroes, as well as a greatly humourous debunking of the hero archetype, AND a solid story, this was a great book.

Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

Whee, this was fun! I'd heard about Neil Gaiman, but since it was all such fulsome praise, I avoided reading his stuff.

That was a bit of a mistake, I think. This was a very enjoyable introduction. Not strictly science-fiction, as I was led to believe was Gaiman's genre, but rather fantastical, or more accurately, I think, a translation of old mythic tales for contemporary times.

Wow, a bunch of great books in a row. I'm a lucky lad at the moment.

The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

Here's a bit of an old book! Simone and I were chatting about books we had or hadn't read as littl'uns, and I could not remember if I'd read Wind in the Willows. So the only logical course of action was to head out the the friendly West Ryde branch of Ryde Library Services, and pick up a copy.

I still don't know if I've read it before - Mole, Toad, Rat and Badger seem strangely familiar, as do elements of the story (in remarkably vague ways), but I don't think I've actually read the book.

It's a great read, though. Heaps of fun, threads of morals and values running through it without being all preachy to turn off the kiddies. Great stuff. This was an older edition too, with delightful line drawings, with the added treat of some colour plates with line and watercolour illustrations.

Lovely.

The Calcutta Chromosome - Amitav Ghosh

Wow... anyone who's got an issue with non-chronological stories need not bother with this one, as the quest for a cure for malaria moves in and out of phase with a century or so long story of selective immortality set in, as the title might suggest, India.

Challenging and mostly fun to read - two good books in a row. Most excellent.

Storm Front - Jim Butcher

This was an engrossing quick read - and it is the first book in a series! That makes me pretty happy.

Call this a cross between a fantasy book and a detective novel. Fantasy elements with a detective-y style. Harry Dresden's a mortal practising wizard in Chicago, trying to make a dime working as, well, a wizard PI kind of guy. Weird things happen in that line of work, and this book tells the tale.

It almost seems like a silly little book, both in size and subject, but it is refreshing in its novelty. Magic is everywhere, it seems.

I'm looking forward to reading the next instalment.

Hurray, I re-found a couple of the books I've read

Some how, having my darling, beloved wife next to me on this fool's errand of a blog inspired me to figure out who the heck I've read lately. I remembered that apparently he's reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen (a highly touted American crime/comedy writer - he's alright)... but this guy is even better: Christopher Brookmyre. I read "The Sacred Art of Stealing" and "Be My Enemy". Both were great.

Nice, light, diversionary stuff that's a couple of intellectual cuts above the average crime novel.

Yay!

Dreamland - Dale Brown (and Jim Defelice)

Tom Clancy for the 21st century: America's fighting tough and high-tech against Islamic militant types, and there are women flying planes and talking tough.

Good for a few train rides.

Antarctic Navigation - Elizabeth Arthur

Wow, this is a huge book, both dimensionally and pagecount-wise. I've been lugging it back and forth on the train for weeks, and finally finished it. Strangely, now that it's done, I wouldn't mind if it went on a little longer.

There is a poblem with listening to podcasts and reading at the same time while commuting. Neither gets done particularly effectively and books take ages to read, but at least the commute doesn't seem so long.

This book is far too long and far too complex to summarise the plot properly in a post like this. Long story very short: Girl finds her dream, goes to Antarctica, lives to tell the tale and gains some fundamental personal insights into humans and the planet.

It's a novel, make no mistake about that. However, it reads with more verisimilitude than some extreme explorers' true tales of trippy travels. More than likely, this is because Arthur is a writer by profession, whereas the explorer writers tend to be rather skilled adventurers who don't write as well as they, say, climb Mt Everest. The believability of the story suggests to me that there was a heck of a lot of research going on, and that has to be respected.

I particularly appreciated the 'path to awareness' that many of the characters took in growing aware of the stupid way humans behave with regard to using up resources and the short-term view that tends to prevail - and it probably is easier to appreciate stories that one identifies with. (Ha, and my job is researching how to get people to buy more crap. Ironic, or just sad?)

Some of the book is a little less than believable - but since some of it is set in the sixties and seventies, perhaps allowances need to be made - like a guy whose head is attuned to the Earth's magnetic field, and so experiences extreme disorientation and nausea in the odd place where there's iron ore in great concentration or something like that, or the fellow who can sense storms 3 days out, down to just about the hour...

In all, the characters are ones that it is reasonable to care about. They are all flawed, thus real; and they are all necessary for the story. There isn't a part of the book that begs questioning why it is there.

Wow. This is a book.

Gabriel's Lament - Paul Bailey

This book took a little longer to read - mostly because I've taken to listening to podcasts on the train, during the time when I normally focus on reading. Listening and reading is proving rather difficult, though I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Right... Gabriel's mother's about half his father's age, his father's a bit of an up-himself Willy Loman type. Mummy dearest leaves, Father makes like she's having a nice little holiday (now that he's come into some money), Gabriel doesn't account for much til the end of the book, which is more or less a chronological musing taking place some time after Father's passing.

There are interesting bits in the book, Mr Nazareth particularly; and the Lament itself is quite believable. I shall keep to myself the trigger of the grief which spawned the Lament, suffice to say that after the revelation it was more of a 'well, that makes sense' type of reaction than a 'no way! I'd never have thought' one.

And that fits in perfectly with the story.

The Will - Reed Arvin

The novel is plenty interesting - machinations of county politics and wealth in Kansas. It's not nearly so profound nor engaging as the back cover would make it seem: shocking secrets, confronting the truth about himself...

Nah. Small town boy goes to work in Chicago big time law firm, comes home and redisovers his roots. A few nasty local secrets, a contested will, and a crazy guy fill out the story.

Engaging enough to stay interested, though.