I just finished reading 'The Kite Runner' (now shredded to pieces due to newly acquired hubby's violent reading behaviour) and because I was immediately addicted 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' which made me worried that when things really suck on a regular basis, they suck a bit more if you are a girl. Who is also poor. Interestingly enough being hot or not appeared to be unrelated to exactly how much it will suck. I read these two in a cabin on a beach during a tropical storm with much rum and no way out, so no wonder I could not stop reading, but I think under less exciting circumstances I shall have felt the same.
Now I am trying to make my way through 'The Golden Notebook', which is more work, less fun (and not all that Nobel so far). I feel somewhere in that ranting parallel story business on feminism and communism in the 1950s in London there must be something worthwhile, but being on page 200 I have not gotten there yet.
Shantaram was an early year favorite. I wish I had not read it yet so that I could read it on a wanderlust inspired trip in the future. Would have to be taken into account when calculating baggage allowance, but certainly a favorite.
I also tried to catch up on some motherland literature and managed to hit all young male struggling with their self-fulfillment and physical or mental place in the world sort of books. Lenz' Heimatmuseum, loosely translated as 'Heritage' hits No. 1 in that category, followed by Guenter Grass' 'Tin Drum' and the looser for me is the 'Green Heinrich' by Gottfried Keller. I wanted to kill Heinrich. Thankfully he does that himself, but about 700 pages too late and not even intentionally. Heimatmuseum on the other hand, not exactly cheerful throws in a good measure of the history of Poland/Germany and the story of being caught in the middle when the borders change.
On that note, 'Sophie's Choice' while dwelling disappointingly little on how she makes the choice in question is quite genius in my eyes. I don't believe I am getting genres right, but there is something very 'Kerouak' about the book yet the many layers and lies of the past and present that creep through every sub story make it more than just the musings of a Brooklyn wanna be writer who drinks too much cheap wine and loves the mysterious Sophie.
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2 comments:
I ate up 'The Kite Runner' with a spoon but didn't have the same love for 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. It was so depressing - in a way that even the "happy ending" was totally just an optimist's outlook on what was still a shitty life.
Neither did I. That was no happy ending, that was a nice way of showing how insignificant these poor creature's lives are and that life just goes on.
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