Classic Fiction: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

My experience with the work of Kurt Vonnegut is incredibly limited. Cat's Cradle is only the second novel of his that I have read, with Slaughterhouse-Five being the first. He is one of those authors of which I have a generally favorable opinion, mostly due to the praise he receives from other readers. After reading the synopsis, I looked forward to a story full of satire and wit.

The Situation: A mostly unnamed narrator (who insists on being called Jonah in the first line, though his real name seems to be John, and then neither name is ever mentioned again for the rest of the book) is in the process of writing a book, The Day the World Ended. He is searching for any information pertaining to the late Felix Hoenikker, a co-creator of the atomic bomb, as well as a catastrophic substance known as ice-nine. The narrator seeks out Hoenikker's children, coworkers, acquaintances...anyone he can find that will give him more information on this fascinating figure. He eventually manages to find Newt Hoenikker, a dwarf and the youngest of the Hoenikker children, who only recalls his father playing the cat's cradle string game the day the first atomic bomb was dropped.

The Problem: After a magazine assignment sends the narrator to the island of San Lorenzo, he once again comes into contact with Newt, as well as the other two Hoenikker children, Angela and Frank. It is on the island that the narrator will be introduced to Bokononism, a made up religion that the people of the island practice, even though it is outlawed, and practicing it is punishable by death. The narrator also meets Mona, a woman he immediately begins to lust after, and her father and current president of San Lorenzo, "Papa" Monzano. The following days will be filled with the history and troubles of the island, the teachings of Bokononism, and a series of events that will lead the narrator to be the new president of San Lorenzo, and the world's oceans to be frozen solid.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel set partly in the US, and later in the fictional Caribbean island of San Lorenzo. In true Vonnegut style, the novel is satirical in nature, and filled with the kind of humor that may make you smirk or outright laugh, but you kind of feel bad about it. From the beginning, two major themes are religion, and the science of the Cold War era, specifically the research that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. By the time the events of this novel take place, Felix Hoenikker has been dead for some time, but those that remember him recall how aloof he was, as well as his general lack of interest in the effect his research would have on the world. Another of his inventions, known as ice-nine, ends up falling into the hands of various world powers, a situation somewhat reminiscent of the nuclear arms race. As for religion, Bokononism, which the narrator later adopts, was invented to make life on San Lorenzo more bearable for its inhabitants, as the island is incredibly poor.  

My Verdict: I feel like I should enjoy Vonnegut more than I do. I thoroughly enjoy the absurdist humor of books like Catch-22, and authors like Flannery O'Connor. However, I do not know if it is the general pace of the novel (it contains 127 chapters, but is less than 300 pages long and is an incredibly fast read), or the actual plot, or maybe even the ridiculous characters, but I had a hard time staying interested. The premise is fascinating enough, and it is not slow or boring...and yet, I was bored and wanted it to move faster. It makes little sense, if any. Still, I will recommend it, if only because it is short and an interesting commentary on religion (or at least man's relationship with it), as well as the relationship between inventors and their responsibility for what they invent.

Favorite Moment: When the narrator realizes just how quickly he takes to the power he was hesitant to accept.

Favorite Character: They all have their quirks, and they are all tiresome in one way or another. Newt may be the most tolerable if only because he seems to be the most innocent.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, though it is much longer, and for most, much harder to finish. 

Contemporary Fiction: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

It may be that I missed the boat on 2014's A Man Called Ove, as well as Fredrik Backman's many novels in between that one and today's Anxious People. Even so, I figure his latest work is as good a place to start as any for my first experience with his storytelling. At worst, it will lead me to buy all of his other books and potentially binge-read them over Christmas break. There are certainly worse ways to spend the holidays.

The Situation: This is a story about a bank robbery that never quite happened, and the hostage drama that took place afterwards. First there is the bank robber, who is, like many bank robbers, incredibly desperate and in a place where one bad decision easily leads to even worse one. Then there is Roger and Anna-Lena, an older, retired married couple who spends their time buying fixer-upper apartments, renovating them, and then reselling. Ro and Julia are expecting parents looking to find a home for their growing family. And Zara has spent her life making money instead learning how to be a decent, compassionate human being. It is during the apartment viewing put on by a real-estate agent for the House Tricks Estate Agency that the bank robber comes upon this random assortment of people. It will be some time before any of them, the bank robber included, realize that there is another person there who is currently locked inside of the bathroom. And then there is 87 year-old Estelle, who is still waiting on her husband who is outside parking the car.

The Problem: All of these people are idiots. And also the worst hostages ever. Granted, the bank robber is also the worst bank robber ever. The bank was never even robbed, and now it has unwittingly turned into a hostage situation. And despite the presence of a pistol, Roger is still focused on scaring off the potential competition so that he and Anna-Lena get the apartment; Julia manages to nag Ro about the smallest things; Estelle does not seem the slightest bit concerned about being held against her will at gun point; and Zara spends most of her time on the balcony, blasting music through her headphones. As a father-son team of police offices do their best to get everyone out safely, while also not having officials from Stockholm take over the entire operation, everyone gets to tell their story, revealing that no one is really all they seem to be, including the bank robber.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel set in present-day Sweden. With several inter-connecting storylines, the focus shifts across many characters, and the story moves back and forth through time, showing how everyone got to this one strange moment. It is not as simple as someone waking up one day and deciding that they are going to rob a bank and take hostages. There is a string of events and circumstances that lead someone to believe that there is no way out...that robbing a bank is the only option left. Same for the one who decides to jump off of a bridge; the one who decides to take a bunch of pills; the one who decides to become a police officer; even the one who decides to lie about the husband that has been dead for quite some time. At first glance, these characters are terrible people, easily dismissed as people who should be left to their own miseries. But there is more to it than that (or perhaps less, depending on how you wish to look at it). Being human is hard, and these people are struggling.

My Verdict: This book is stressful. The title should have been an adequate enough warning for that, but somehow I still was not prepared. And by the end of it, I was exhausted and I could feel my brain breathe a sigh of relief that it was finally over. But even though the book is both stressful and exhausting, it does not mean it is bad. In fact, it is funny, insightful, and a great adventure that feels like you are on a boat tour you were excited about, but with a bunch of annoying people, and the tour guide has just announced that the boat's engine has failed and it will be awhile before help arrives. You want to finish the tour, but you also really need to get away from the other passengers. The people are tiresome, but they are still people, and they are doing the best they can, just like everyone else. It is a humorous peak at humanity, and an exploration of the idea that we must keep trying, even if we suspect it will all fall apart in the end.  

Favorite Moment: This book is full of reveals, and it would be impossible to talk about my favorite one without spoiling a major plot point. Suffice it to say that nothing, absolutely nothing, is at it seems.

Favorite Character: Estelle is the sweet older woman who has no reason to trust a stranger, but would offer you a ride if she saw you out walking in bad weather. She is almost too old to be concerned with that kind of stuff anymore.

Recommended Reading: The beginning of this book reminded me a great deal of Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I know that book has frustrated many, but I mention it because I want readers to be adequately prepared for the frustration the beginning of Anxious People may bring them.  

Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 Final Round

This is it, readers. The voting has opened for the final round of the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards. This is the round that really breaks hearts, as many favorites get eliminated and left out of the final ten for their categories. I am always a little apprehensive to click the link and see if the books I voted for made it through, or if they failed to get enough votes to push to the end. I guess we will see...

The good news: All is well in the Best Fiction category, with all four DSNs that were originally nominated till holding strong. But it breaks my heart to see the same is not true for Best Historical Fiction. My pick, Deacon King Kong by James McBride, has not made it into the finals, and that makes me so sad. I adore this book. So after much thought, I am switching my vote to The Vanished Half by Brit Bennett.  

And the heartbreak continues in the Best Science Fiction category with the loss of The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez, another favorite of mine, which means I will be switching my vote to Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi. 

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic is holding strong in the Best Horror Category. And while the same can be said for Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett in Best Memoir & Autobiography, sadly, Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford did not make the cut, which is a shame because it is also a great book. 

In my opinion, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson deserves to win Best History & Autobiography; I have been recommending that book to everyone. Unfortunately, Almost American Girl by Robin Ha has disappeared from Best Graphic Novels & Comics, leaving that category without a DSN to represent it. 

My Dark Vanessa also manages to remain in the Best Debut Novel category, and it will be interesting to see if it can manage to snag both this category and Best Fiction, both of which have some incredible competition. 

And in another competitive category, my favorite for Best Young Adult Fiction, Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, remains a strong contender. But Tiffany D. Jackson's Grown has been left out. But both DSNs that were nominated for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction are standing firm, but being that they are Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, that is not surprising.  

So, down from 20 DSNs to 15, and a few of the now eliminated five were my personal favorites. But that is just how it is this year, and I am still excited to see the results.

The voting for the final round closes on Monday, November 30th, and the winners will be announced on Tuesday, December 8th. This is certainly getting interesting, and I wish all of the nominees the best of luck.

Young Adult Fiction: Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour

Author Nina LaCour has published her latest novel, Watch Over Me, to follow in the trail of the Printz Award-winning We Are Okay. My love of LaCour's work actually began with 2012's The Disenchantments, and ever since then I have come to count on her insight, vivid settings, and emotional plot lines for a story that will take the reader on a journey, as well as entertain.

The Situation: Now that she is 18 years-old, Mila has aged out of the foster care system. But it is okay, as she has accepted an internship teaching children at a remote farm. Mila is used to being alone, and she is looking forward for a chance to start over, maybe even find that sense of "home" that has eluded her for the past few years. When she arrives, she is greeted with nothing but warm and welcoming faces. The other two interns, Liz and Billy, already have an easy relationship that makes Mila slightly envious, though she never quite feels unwelcome. It is when she meets her one student, nine year-old Lee, that Mila starts to feel a connection to someone, someone that makes her feel needed. As she embraces her role as Lee's teacher, and gets to know the inner workings of the farm, Mila begins to think that maybe this can be the home she has been looking for.

The Problem: Mila's new home is wonderful, but the ghosts that play out in the field at night are unsettling. She really wishes they had told her the place was haunted before she accepted the job, but ultimately, the ghosts are not harmful or mean...though one makes mean faces at Lee, and another one, the dancing girl, hurts Mila's eyes to look at. The other's know about the ghosts, some even play with them, but what they do not know is Mila's own haunting past. The stories she had hoped to put behind her are now creeping up again. She does not like talking about the fire that caused her mother to disappear, or the man that forced them to live in a house with no roof. But the memories are there, as are the dreams, and the ghosts are not helping. If Mila does not figure out how to handle her own past trauma, the memories of what she is trying to put behind her may ruin the new life she is attempting to build.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult novel set in a remote location on the Northern California coast. The farm that Mila now lives is run by Terry and Julia, a couple that adopts foster children and hires young adults to help teach and take care of them, while also working the farm. Each child, as well as the interns, has their own traumatic story behind who they are and how they ended up with Terry and Julia. While some have been able to move past what they have been through, others are still haunted, much like how some are somewhat disturbed by the ghosts while others are not. The story explores the effects of trauma, what it means to truly survive, and what it means to choose to be a family, as opposed to simply sticking with the people you are born with. And while the ghosts are very much a part of the story, they are not the whole story.

My Verdict: I think what I love most about LaCour's writing are the settings, with the subtle and careful exploration of emotions coming in at a close second. With this book, the setting of the remote farm does not make a whole lot of sense, at least not to me, and yet it still took a firm place in my imagination and remained unmoved. It is isolated, somewhat on a cliff with waves crashing below, abundant with flowers, and often encased with fog. Then there are the characters that live on it, of which there are many...so many that it would be easy to lose track, but LaCour makes each one stand out, even the ones with which Mila does not have a lot of interaction. And then there are the ghosts. Ghost stories are tricky, but LaCour gives them enough of a presence to set them firmly in place, while not letting them be the whole story. The book is more about survival and finding a place than it is about being haunted. And LaCour handles it all with her usual delicate grace.

Favorite Moment: When it becomes clear that Lee is warming up to Mila as his new teacher.

Favorite Character: Terry and Julia are both warm, loving, trustworthy, and generous people.    

Favorite Quote: "There was no going back. Never again would I sit next to Grammy at the piano, positioning my fingers as she had. Grandpa would never again turn up the volume. Never ask me to dance. All of that was over. This is what I had now."

Recommended Reading: LaCour's The Disenchantments remains my favorite of all of her books.   

Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 Semifinal Round

The voting in the semifinal round of the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards has officially begun. Time to see which books have been written into your favorite categories, and more specifically, if those new entries will prove to be gamechangers in the finals.

Only one category has had a DSN added to the nominees, adding it to the 19 other books that have been in it since the beginning.

 It looks like Hank Green (brother of young adult writer John Green) and his A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor have earned enough write-in votes to be considered in the Best Science Fiction category. Same thing happened in 2018 for his previous novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, though it did not result in a win. I will be sticking with my previous vote for The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez.

This second round of voting will remain open through Sunday, November 15, with the all-important final round beginning Tuesday, November 17. Remember, the votes in this semifinal round will decide which books will be in the top ten in each category for the finals. So let's start voting.

Nonfiction: Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

The decision to read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson was both an easy and a hard one, if that makes sense. From its description, I knew it was a book that I should read...possibly a book that everyone should read. But I also knew it would be a difficult, and often upsetting journey. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that specifically explores America's history and its consequences by relating it to the idea of a caste: a system of dividing society into hereditary classes. At the mention of the word 'caste,' most people think of the caste system of India, which of course Wilkerson mentions. She also brings up the caste system put into place by Nazi Germany and that characterized Hitler's rise to power. The caste systems of India and Germany are easy for most Americans to point to and recognize, but Wilkerson is making the point that what Americans do no seem to realize is that this country is also built on a caste system that has slavery as its foundation. Yes, racism is a big part of it, but it is not quite all of it. The caste system in American is what allows those in the dominant caste to believe (either consciously or subconsciously) that they are inherently better that the lower caste and that they deserve their place on top. And when that advantage is threatened, tensions arise, as well as disillusionment and even despair. Through personal stories, as well as thorough research, Wilkerson presents her idea, giving a different look at a history we all think we have already learned.

My Verdict: Well, I was correct in my thinking that this book was going to be both difficult and upsetting. However, even more than that, it was interesting, even fascinating, and I learned a great deal more than I expected. I will admit that around 3/4 of the way in, I experienced a sharp sense of despair, partially over our country's history, as well as its present as it seems we are currently in a state of regression (though that may be my own faulty perception as opposed to how things actually are). But thankfully, Wilkerson aimed to have her book offer hope, as well as teach and instruct. Of course, with that hope comes the acknowledgement of the long hard road ahead. Effectively presenting America as a caste system was impressive enough, but Wilkerson managed to go even further and deeper, thoroughly explaining what that means, its effects, and what will have to be done to change it. I cannot think of anyone who would not benefit from reading this book.

Favorite Quotes: "Caste is the granting or withholding of respect, status, honor, attention, privileges, resources, benefit of the doubt, and human kindness to someone on the basis of their perceived rank or standing in the hierarchy. Caste pushes back against an African-American woman who, without humor or apology, takes a seat at the head of the table speaking Russian. It prefers an Asian-American man to put his technological expertise at the service of the company but not to aspire to CEO. Yet it sees as logical a sixteen-year-old white teenager serving as store manager over employees from the subordinate caste three times his age."

"If the lower-caste person manages actually to rise above an upper-caste person, the natural human response from someone weaned on their caste's inherent superiority is to perceive a threat to their existence...Who are you if there is no one to be better than?"

Recommended Reading: I recommend Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.