Book Review: The Harder They Come by T.C. Boyle

The Harder They Come

Author: T.C. Boyle

Publisher: HarperCollins

Date of Pubication: March 31, 2015

Pages: 400 (E-book edition) 

     T. C. Boyle is a prolific writer of novels and short stories and a Professor of English at the University of Southern California.  He has written historical novels with quirky central characters including The Road to Wellville (John Harvey Kellogg, physician and inventor of corn flakes),  Riven Rock (Stanley McCormick, heir to the Cyrus McCormick fortune), The Women (Frank Lloyd Wright) and The Inner Circle (Alfred Kinsey).  He has also written novels which focus on major societal issues including illegal immigration (The Tortilla Curtain), identity theft (Talk, Talk) and global warming and environmental destruction (A Friend of the Earth).  The Harder They Come falls into this latter category.  This ambitious book takes a hard look at our country's culture of violence and factors which contribute to it.

     The riveting first section of the book introduces 70 year old Sten Stenson.  Sten is a jaded Viet Nam war veteran and retired high school principal.  He hates retirement: he describes it as "pre-death". Sten reluctantly agrees to take his wife on a Caribbean cruise which the author makes feel like Dante's ninth circle of hell.  Sten makes international headlines by violently thwarting an attempted robbery during a shore excursion.  

     He returns to his California home as a reluctant hero.  Seemingly everyone knows his name and strangers buy him drinks.  Everyone loves Sten except for his son Adam.  Adam is like the preacher's kid who hates church:  he was constantly in trouble in school and a total embarrassment to his father. As a young adult Adam's poor choices and increasing anti-social behavior widen the chasm between father and son.

     The third character is Sara, a thirty-something veterinary assistant and radical right-wing isolationist.  She becomes romantically involved with Adam through a very odd course of events.  She eventually plays the role of enabler as Adam spirals out of control.

     The plot careens forward towards a catastrophic ending as Adam becomes more obviously paranoid and psychotic, Sara steadfastly remains in a state of denial and Sten becomes more and more frustrated at his lack of impact on his son.

     The book is told in the first person by all three characters.  The writing is superb.  The author blames nature and nurture, as well as cultural and societal pressures all as equal culprits in creating the violent anti-social Adam.  The author is short on solutions, but this is a novel and not an editorial.  I found The Harder They Come both entertaining and thought provoking.  It is yet another excellent effort by T. C. Boyle.

Book Review: The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

The Life We Bury

Author: Allen Eskens

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Date of Publication: October 14, 2014

Pages: 303 

   This is an outstanding first novel from Allen Eskens.  The  author has been a practicing defense attorney for twenty years and he uses that experience to craft an intricate plot.  The Life We Bury involves a decades old crime and a potentially innocent man in jail. 

     The story starts with Joe Talbert, a college student at the University of Minnesota who needs to write a biography for an English class.  He interviews Carl Iverson, a resident of a local nursing home.  Carl was convicted for a brutal rape and murder and had just been paroled from prison because of his illness.  As Joe (and the reader) gets to know Iverson the certainty that he committed the crime comes into doubt.

    Joe's life is more complicated than the usual college student.  He has an alcoholic mother and an autistic younger brother who both cause multiple problems and distractions for Joe.  Add to the mix of characters Joe's reclusive (but beautiful) coed neighbor and there is a full and entertaining cast of players.

  The character development, plot and pacing are all excellent.  This novel keeps you guessing.  The author uses just enough descriptions to help the reader visualize settings and his dialogue is very direct.  The only flaw that I see is the actual premise of the story.  That is, I don't know how many college students would become so involved in an English project that they would be consumed with the story and risk life and limb to find the truth.  The two "kids" playing detective kind of has a "Hardy Boys" air about it.  Get past that though, and the reader has an engaging and compelling read.  I look forward to reading the author's next effort: The Guise of Another.

Book Review: The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner

The Geography of Genius

Author: Eric Weiner

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Date of Publication: January 5, 2016

Pages: 368

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit;  genius hits a target no one else can see."

- German Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer

      Eric Weiner is a former N.P.R. correspondent who describes himself on his web-site (www.ericweinerbooks.com) as a "philosophical traveler".   He has crafted a unique book, the stated goal of which is to try to define what creates an atmosphere which promotes genius.  Specifically, what made ancient Athens, 12th Century Hangzhou, Florence in the 1500s, 18th Century Edinburgh, Vienna in 1800 and 1900 and Silicon Valley in the 21st Century such centers of creative genius?  Did these areas have common qualities which might explain bursts of brilliance?  The Geography of Genius is composed of equal parts travelogue, history lesson, character study and diary.

     The author travels to each of these locations to examine what he calls "genius clusters". He uses various research techniques including exploring the locations thoroughly, conducting interviews with local experts and reading contemporary writings and texts.  He does indeed identify several key ingredients to the promotion of genius.  The first of these is mentors.  Prime examples of this are the Medicis in Florence and Emperor Joseph II of Austria, a patron of the arts during the time of Mozart and Beethoven.  Weiner also notes that other attributes which promote creative genius are an openness to new ideas and chaos (which the author notes shakes a civilization out of its routines).  This occurs in areas flooded with immigrants such as ancient Athens, Austria and even Florence.   Most of these areas are located near the sea, increasing the likelihood of foreign visitors and free exchange of ideas.

     Weiner notes that a good set of attributes for an area to promote genius are "the three Ds: disorder, diversity, and discernment.  Disorder, as we've seen, is necessary to shake up the status quo, to create a break in the air.  Diversity, of both peoples and viewpoints, is needed to produce not only more dots but also different kinds of dots.  Discernment is perhaps the most important, and overlooked, ingredient.  Linus Pauling, the renowned chemist and two-time Noel Prize winner, was once asked by a student how to come up with good ideas.  It's easy, replied Pauling.  'You have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones.'"

    Several concepts struck me as particularly relevant to 21st Century America.  The first is the author's discussion of why these areas of genius eventually collapse:

"As we've seen, a golden age doesn't last long.  A few decades, perhaps a half century or so, then it disappears as suddenly as it arrived.  Places of genius are fragile.  They are far easier to destroy than to build.  Great civilizations rise to greatness for different reasons but collapse for essentially the same reason: arrogance."

     The author also gives a stern warning to our current education system:

"The expectation of a reward or evaluation, even a positive evaluation, squelches creativity.  This phenomenon is called the extrinsic theory of motivation.  Stated simply, people will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily by interest, enjoyment, satisfaction, and the challenge of the work itself - not by external pressures.  Many schools and corporations, by placing such an emphasis on rewards and evaluation, are inadvertently suppressing creativity."

     Finally, in what I think is the most relevant thought for modern times, Weiner quotes Plato: "What is honored in a country will be cultivated there."  Weiner then asks: "What did the Athenians honor?  They honored nature and the power of walking.  They were no gourmands but enjoyed their wine, as long as it was sufficiently diluted.  They took their civic responsibilities, if not their personal hygiene, seriously.  They loved the arts, though they wouldn't have phrased it that way.  They lived simply and simply lived.  Often, beauty was thrown in, and when it was, they paid attention.  They thrived on competition, but not for personal glory.  They didn't shrink from change, or even death.  They deployed words precisely and powerfully.  They saw the light.  They lived in profoundly insecure times, and rather than retreat behind walls, the Athenians bear-hugged that uncertainty, thistles and all, remaining open in every way, even when prudence might dictate otherwise.  This openness made Athens Athens.  Openness to foreign goods, odd people, strange ideas."

    This is a very thought provoking book.  We live in a time when budget restraints have all but removed music and the arts from our schools.  We reward mediocrity and promote conformity.  Our politicians prey on our fears and endorse closed-mindedness and closing borders.   As I listen to the brash rhetoric of another election cycle I am haunted by the author's assertion that all great civilizations collapse for the same reason: arrogance.  What are the chances that this environment in which we live will promote another "genius cluster" or golden age of creativity and innovation?   Plato's assertion that "what a country honors will be cultivated there" is disconcerting as well.

     The Geography of Genius is a totally absorbing read.  It is informative, entertaining and very thought provoking all at once.  It was already named a "Best Book of the Month" for January 2016 by Amazon.com and I expect that many more honors will follow.  

Book Review: The Crossing by Michael Connelly

The Crossing

Author: Michael Connelly

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Date of Publication: November 13, 2015

Pages: 400

    The Crossing is the twentieth installment in Michael Connelly's always entertaining Harry Bosch series.  Mickey Haller, the "Lincoln Lawyer" of Connelly's other character driven series also is involved.  The story opens with Bosch becoming bored in his state of forced retirement.  Enter half-brother Mickey who entices Harry to "look into" a perplexing case.  Haller is defending a former gang member accused of a brutal rape-murder of a prominent L.A. public servant.  Haller is convinced his client is innocent despite overwhelming evidence and eventually so is Bosch.

     Bosch begins by exploring some inconsistencies in the case and evidence and is slowly drawn into a full blown investigation.  He has difficulty "crossing over" to the defense side and suffers the scorn of his former colleagues for his actions.  He is driven, however, by his compulsive need to know the truth.

     Bosch uncovers a complex sinister plot and cover up involving a plastic surgeon with a gambling problem, fenced stolen goods, prostitution and two rogue cops.  Although the actual main perpetrators are known early on in the story it is intriguing to see how all of the disparate parts of this complex story come together.  

     What sets Michael Connelly's books above the usual police procedurals is the care that he takes to explore the main character's emotions and struggles.  Bosch feels he is betraying his true nature by helping his half-brother on the defense side of things while he also struggles with his age, his change of work status and the impending departure of his only daughter for college.

    The sum of all of these parts adds up to a great story which moves along quickly and entertains.  There are no real major surprises contained in the plot, but the twists and turns will satisfy even the most jaded mystery reader.  I enjoyed it and look forward to installment #21.

Book Review: Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi

Mr. Fox

Author: Helen Oyeyemi

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Date of Publication: November 6, 2012

Pages: 336

A 19th Century illustration of Bluebeard and his wife by Gustave Dore (Wikipedia)

     Bluebeard is a French folk tale, believe to be based on a 15th century Breton nobleman named Gilles de Rais, a confessed serial killer or on the early Breton king Conomor the Accursed and his wife Typhine.   The legend involves multiple disappearing (and presumed murdered) wives, a forbidden basement room containing dismembered corpses and a suspicious new wife.  The Bluebeard legend has even been immortalized at Disney's Haunted Mansion:

Legend of Bluebeard at Disney's Haunted Mansion (Photo from Wikipedia)

   Helen Oyeyemi has reimagined the Bluebeard tale in her compulsively readable Mr. Fox.  The main character is an eccentric writer named Mr. Fox who is poorly matched with his wife Daphne.  Mr. and Mrs. Fox are very different and even seem totally incompatible at times.  Enter Mary Foxe, a character existing totally in Mr. Fox's imagination.  Mr. Fox becomes totally enamored with his imaginary friend as he writes his stories which are filled with gruesome and sometimes creative murders.  Mary Foxe becomes quite the distraction as Mr. Fox creates in her all of the traits he feels missing from his wife.  Daphne, noting changes in behavior in Mr. Fox assumes infidelity.

     Mr. Fox has all of the components of the Bluebeard fable, the suspicions and accusations and even the forbidden room (in this case, Mr. Fox's study).  The story line (such as it is) is not linear and is very confusing at times.  The fact that all of the main characters have more or less the same surname makes following the choppy story difficult.  The real star of Mr. Fox, however, is the writing which is pristine and unique and is what keeps the reader turning the pages.

     This is a book which I would not ordinarily have read.  It came as part of a Book Riot Quarterly Box and fulfilled the Book Riot 2015 Reading Challenge # 15:  Read a re-imagining of a classic tale.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and would recommend it for anyone who enjoys crisp writing.

Book Review: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven

Author: Emily St. John Mandel

 Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Date of Publication: September 9, 2014

Pages: 352

"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were.  But without it we go nowhere." 

- Carl Sagan

     Emily St. John has exercised her imagination to the max in this fascinating novel.    It is a truly remarkable book which transcends genre.  Station Eleven has been categorized as a science fiction novel which the author disputes.  She considers it a work of literary fiction.  The premise is that a rapidly evolving flu pandemic kills 99% of the world's population in fairly short order.  The beginning of the book is truly frightening as the fatal illness is spread world-wide from the Republic of Georgia by air travelers.  Panic and survival instincts take over.

     The story begins in Toronto as several of the main characters are introduced pre-pandemic.  The first section of the  book is as terrifying as any Stephen King novel as the author describes the chaos which occurs in response to the disaster.  Things which are ordinarily taken for granted, such as news broadcasts, disappear as the people responsible for them succumb to illness.  The story then follows several survivors as they establish small enclaves in deserted airports and other public buildings.

       It is interesting to view people's reactions as their smart phones and laptops run out of power and there is no way to recharge them.  As time goes by a society evolves.  A traveling acting troupe performs Shakespeare and live symphonic music; a primitive newspaper is produced; a museum to the "former life" is established.  The author delves into the question of how humanity, rather than humans, survives this natural holocaust.  A religious fanatic, resembling an Old Testament prophet, makes an appearance as well.

     This book was published in 2014 and won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in May, 2015 and was also a finalist for the National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award.  Station Eleven deserves all of these accolades.  It is pure artistry how Ms. Mandel has fabricated a devastated world with a newly ordered society.  It is intriguing to witness how her characters respond to their new reality and adapt and persevere.  She also has the genius to introduce a clever turn of events at the very conclusion which leaves the door wide open for a sequel.  I can't wait!

Book Review: Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

Author: Oliver Sacks

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Date of Publication: September 23, 2008

Pages: 425

     Oliver Sacks died this past August at the age of 80.  He was a professor of Neurology at New York University and is best known for his essays and books related to many of the fascinating clinical problems he observed during his long career.  His 1973 book Awakenings, an auto-biographical look at post-encephalitic patients becoming "unlocked" after doses of L-Dopa, was developed into an Oscar-nominated movie starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro.  Musicophilia was originally released in 2007.  In this intriguing book Oliver Sacks explores music as part of disease processes and, further, as part of treatments for other disorders.  

     The book opens with a case study of an orthopedic surgeon struck by lightning who became obsessed with piano music and learning to play the piano.  This physician "once an easy-going, genial family man, almost indifferent to music - was inspired, even possessed, by music, and scarcely had time for anything else."  He eventually loses his family and job because of his obsession.

     Many more case studies follow, including patients with musical seizures, musical savants, stroke and dementia patients.  The sections on patients with profound neurological deficits who maintain their ability to play and appreciate music are fascinating.  The author tells all of these stories with grace and style, managing to entertain as well as educate the reader.  Much of the current understanding of complex neurologic syndromes comes from modern functional brain imaging.  These techniques have been used to map the brain and define which areas of the brain are responsible for musical ability, learning and appreciation.  This data is included in the discussions of the disorders.

    Sacks deftly explains the rationale for music therapy, explaining how the astute therapist can manipulate functioning areas of the brain.  Music therapy can be used in motor disorders such as Parkinson's disease to reduce uncontrollable movement and can also be used in dementia patients to calm and ease the distress which many of them suffer.  The author states:

"As music seems to resist or survive the distortion of dreams or of Parkinsonism, or the losses of amnesia or Alzheimer's, so it may resist the distortions of psychosis and be able to penetrate the deepest states of melancholia or madness, sometimes when nothing else can."

     I can truthfully say that I remember very little neuro-anatomy or physiology from medical school.  Also, much has changed in the decades since I last was exposed to any of this.  This book helps explain many very complex medical issues and engenders a true appreciation of the complexity of neurologic and psychiatric conditions.  The role which music can play in the pathophysiology of disease as well as in the treatment plan for many disorders was a revelation to me.  Musicophilia is packed with compelling information and was a joy to read.