Wings - Aprilynne Pike

Yes, this is the first book I’ve read all of since About a Boy last year. I started reading something else but got bogged down … whereas I finished Wings in less than two days. It’s that kind of book!

I’m going to cheat a bit here and not do a proper review. But then this is "tomdg creates", not "other people create and I just pass comment" – and I did say a while ago that this was really about my take on what I read, and isn’t intended to be a proper review anyway.

I don’t read a lot of Young Adult fiction, I’m a bit old for that. (But then, I love chic lit and I’m a bit … well, male for that ...) but I really enjoyed this. I came across it because a long, long time ago (sorry, American Pie on the stereo ...) I bumped into the author online when we both posted blurbs to the terminal "Miss Snark’s Crapometer". I started following her blog, and watched with interest as she got an agent, wrote Wings, sold it, edited it, and then saw it leap to the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List. So after all that of course I had to read it. And then to cap it all, I won a copy through a contest on her blog! What a lovely person she is! Although I have to admit here that even in this day and age it would be stretching a point for me to say "I knew her before she was famous"!

One thing I liked about this was the way Laurel, the main character, struggles with being caught between the world she comes from and the one she lives in. Probably a common theme in this kind of fantasy, but it really spoke to me about the experience of being an immigrant – something I know a little about, having been brought up in the UK in an American family. I doubt whether that was intended (although you never know …) but certainly I felt a lot of that experience came out in the book.

Another highlight of the book for me was Laurel going to the ball in chapter 12. This really spoke to me about learning to be comfortable with who I am, and it’s a really charming chapter.

But what really makes this book great is the author’s habit of taking something that is a common theme and approaching it from a completely different angle. The obvious example of this is of course her take on faeries, which is not just original but also pretty well thought through. But a couple of other examples.

I read somewhere that the #1 cliché of YA fiction is "Kill the parents". Think Harry Potter … I can see that it’s a great plot device: otherwise, a lot of your protagonist’s problems will just be solved for them by their parents. But (and I know this from reading it in an interview!) Aprilynne Pike deliberately chose not to go down that route, because she wanted to show that a teenager can have a healthy relationship with their parents (I paraphrase … and as an aside, I read in a survey recently that the vast majority of todays teenagers think their parents CAN understand them – what are kids coming to these days?!?) And yet Laurel’s parents are not able to simply solve all her problems for her, for reasons that are not just believable but unavoidable.

And second, it’s a classic plotline to have a girl having to choose between two boys, one "good" and the other "bad". And superficially, that’s what we have here: David as the "good" one, and Tam as the "bad". Classic plotline, and one I am rather uncomfortable with. Except – Tam isn’t bad. Yes, he oozes sexuality in a way that made me a little uncomfortable given the "11+" on the cover, but the more we get to know him … well, I won’t say any more.

Everything you though you knew … whether it’s about faeries or about the clichés of YA fiction … get ready to think again.

When is book two out?

P.S. I Love You - Cecilia Ahern

I really enjoyed this book. I like chic lit anyway because it tends to be cheerful, to have characters I can relate to (i.e., normal people), and because it’s set in the world I live in (or something like it). It focuses on real people with real problems – in this case, most notably, how you cope when the love of your life has just died and you’re not yet 30. Sounds heavy, but it’s not – I never felt that the main character’s situation was trivialized in any way, and yet this is a really fun read.

I also like that this book has rather less (obvious) sex compared to most chic lit I’ve read. Maybe that’s an Irish thing? Either way, it works for me as it means I don’t have to try so hard to suspend my own moral values in order to enjoy the story. Certainly the book doesn’t feel very Irish – this doesn’t feel like someone writing about Ireland, just about home, and people are the same all over the world.

I sometimes complain about unrealistic coincidences in novels, and there was one little one in this book – but then, I think it gets away with it, because it’s not important to the plot and it’s really funny. And of course, coincidences happen all the time in real life.

Another thing I liked in the book was its attitude to work. Work in this book is not merely something you put up with so you can go out and party. Well, it is to start with – but part of the character’s journey is that she learns for the first time the joy of having the right job and doing it well.

I also really liked the ending. This book is not predictable, and as with the rest of the book, it didn’t go with the obvious twee answer. But it’s a happy ending and very positive.

One more thing about this book that amazed me – I can’t believe she was only 21 when she wrote this! I found it really thoughtful and perceptive, and definitely not the writing of someone who only got published because her dad was the prime minister! Ah, what have I been doing with my life ...

Home Again

Hmmm, haven't posted for a while ... I think other than stuff I've read, the last post was half way through "Rain". And I appear not to have read anything since last August. Well, here's an update.

My writing partner and I finished "Rain". It's a story about two people in a phone box waiting for the rain to stop. And ... that's it. It's not perfect, but there's stuff in it that I really like. I guess the point is, it was a pretty extreme thing to attempt (the whole thing takes place in the phone box) but I think it kind of works. Following on from that, we challenged each other to write a story that's mentioned briefly in Rain. That was fun - I think we gave each other a week to write it, and mine ended up a fairly long 20,000 words.

Then in November I did NaNo again. Yes, wrote another novel. Put like that it sounds so simple! It was called Teacher, it wasn't as good as Home, but I did try some different things in it. For some reason I decided not to do ScriptFrenzy again this year though. I guess I was busy with other things somehow.

And on the reading front, I haven't actually read another novel since last August ... at least, not until this week ... but that's another post.

What I have worked on quite a bit since this time last year is Home. I mentioned that I'd actually read it, and then I'd given it to other people to read. One of them was my dad. To put this in context, my dad is actually a real writer, so showing it to him felt like quite a step.

And the amazing thing was, he actually quite liked it. In fact, he liked it so much that he's been helping me work on it since then. I've added a few bits, taken out a lot of bits. That 63,000 words? A long-distant memory, and now I'm worried it's not going to end up novel length at all. And it's hard work, re-writing, cutting, getting it right. It hurts too - cutting stuff I really like. Until I read the old version and the new side-by-side, and realized he was absolutely right. That's what you get for working with a professional!

We spent 3 days together in February and after a lot of effort, came up with a revised version of the first six chapters. To my amazement, dad has posted these on his website. I'm particularly chuffed by what he wrote about it - the comment about the characters means a lot to me, because what he describes is quite deliberate and is one of the main (conscious) ways in which my Christian faith affects what I've written. Feel encouraged to read it here and let me know what you think.

Since then we've worked via the internet and phone (technology is wonderful!) and finished two more chapters; chapter 9 is nearly there, and I'm working on 10 and following. Very exciting! And very hard work. But oh so worth it. Much harder than writing it in the first place. But the end product is much better too. Coming soon to a bookshop near you? I highly doubt it, but you never know ...

About a Boy – Nick Hornby

This is one of my favourite films ever, so I’ve been curious for a while for how the book would compare. It’s inevitable that when you watch the film first you see all the characters as they were in the film; but fortunately in this case the characters in the film seem pretty close to the book so there were no nasty shocks. It was interesting to see where the film had taking things from the book, and where it had gone its own way. There were places where dialogue had been shifted from one character to another, which was particularly interesting.

The two diverged more as the book went on, so that you miss out on the brilliant scene at the school concert. That said, the book instead has this striking trip of Marcus and Ellie to Cambridge the day that Kurt Cobain kills himself (Ellie in the book is a huge Nirvana fan).

There’s probably more in the book of Marcus and Ellie, which is good. There is a really good commentary on Ellie’s need to rebel and feel angst which ends up being largely manufactured. The relationship between Will and Rachel is different too, and perhaps because of that, Will doesn’t have the epiphany he has in the film. Ah, so Hollywood, isn’t it?

Another thing the book brings out which the film doesn’t is the real root of Fiona’s problems, and in particular, the extent to which Marcus is responsible. This is a good area to touch upon. It’s not just that she’s a single parent; it’s perhaps a more realistic view on what children are like than most of what we are exposed to. I understand Nick Hornby used to be a teacher; he certainly seems to have a teacher’s unromantic and acute observation of the nature of children. I like that.

The book cuts between a chapter of Will’s point of view and a chapter of Marcus’s. This works fairly well, but feels a bit rigid compared to the film – there are some great bits in the film where one person’s voiceover cuts straight to the other’s with comic effect, and while occasionally the book gets this effect by switching chapters and going back, it’s not quite the same.

At the end, I felt that the book reached a slightly different conclusion from the film. The book implies that in order to survive, Marcus has to become a sheep. That’s not my experience; I prefer the Robert Frost view (Two paths diverged in the woods, and I … I took the pass less wandered by; and that has made all the difference). The main conclusion of the film is the brilliantly un-Hollywood idea that “couples aren’t the future” – or at least, aren’t everything. And the wonderful bookending of the film with John Donne (Jon Bon Jovi)’s “No man is an island” isn’t in the book.

Inevitably I’m going to read something like this and compare it to the film. Usually the book wins hands down. In this case I wouldn’t want to say either way, both had good bits the other lacked, and it was definitely worth getting to know both. Definitely the best Nick Hornby book I've read, and by some margin. Great film, good book.

Man and Wife – Tony Parsons

This is the sequel to Man and Boy, which I found disappointing. I actually thought this book was better, mainly because the characters felt more rounded – in particular, the ex-wife is less unremittingly unsympathetic.

The centre of the story in this book is the main character, Harry, running into problems in his relationship with his new wife. This was good, but I thought it raised a couple of questions that could have been explored a bit better. For example, the stresses of work and how that affects the relationship, and perhaps the different assumptions that apply when it’s the wife’s work as opposed to the husband’s work. There were points where I thought surely the characters would talk about this a bit more than they do.

I didn’t entirely believe in the man’s feelings when he was starting – or not quite starting – an affair. It all seemed very matter-of-fact, when I’d have imagined him agonizing a bit more, and probably having to feel more upset (or more enamoured) in the first place. I could sort of understand the reasons why the main character and his wife’s relationship starts to break down, but only sort of. Part of the motivation was jealousy, and I thought perhaps more could have been made of that too, where it comes from and how it affects the relationship.

Another topic the book skirted around was the question of whether an affair is an affair if it doesn’t involve sex. I thought the book could have made a lot more of that.

I was glad to find that the conclusion of the book was more positive than the first. It’s a shame that it takes a bit of a deus-ex-machina to get them back together, but at least they do get back together. I didn’t like the presumption that they needed to have children together in order to be a proper couple. (Worse, it’s reinforced by comparison with two other couples who are struggling to have children together).

I also thought it was interesting that a couple of fairly major story threads – his mum’s breast cancer, and his career – are not resolved. Ok, things don’t get neatly tied up in real life, but I’d have thought that in a book you either have to resolve them or at least somehow show that people are living with things as they are. Maybe Parsons was planning another sequel?

Can You Keep A Secret? – Sophie Kinsella

I borrowed this from a friend, who was introduced to the author – or at least her Shopaholic series – by her brother. That’s right, I’m not the only bloke in the world that reads chic lit and enjoys it.

I’ve not read any of her stuff before, but I really enjoyed this. I particularly liked the male character, Jack, who – for once – I could really sympathise with. Yes, he’s rich and handsome, of course, but he has emotional depth: he’s been a recluse for four years since his business partner and best friend died, and when he comes back, he barely recognizes the business in which he made his name.

What else did I like about this? It’s funny. There are some great comic moments (Jack’s brutal exposure of protagonist Emma’s show-off perfect cousin is brilliant), some comic characters (the increasingly psychotic posh flatmate Jemima) and some drop-dead embarrassment moments, which nonetheless manage to be funny rather than just painful (Alan Partridge this is not).

I also liked the fact that there was a hint of realism in what the relationship between an office junior and a millionaire CEO would look like. They live in different worlds, and the novel gives a taste of that.

I like the fact that as the book goes on, Emma too reveals hidden depths. Okay, she lied about getting a C in her maths GCSE (which isn’t much of a qualification these days) and has no idea what NATO stands for, but as a marketing trainee it turns out she has real potential precisely because she’s real and unpretentious (but not unaware of the world around her). That also means that she and Jack have a real reason to relate to each other rather than just because the story needs them to.

Ok, as with pretty much any book these days it’s not particularly in tune with my ideas on sex. I suppose these days it’s something that Emma actually goes out with Jack twice before they sleep together, and that she is sensible / realistic enough to take condoms on her hot date; but it would be nice to get away from the cliché that all relationships automatically start with lots of great sex.

But the real message of this book for me is that opening yourself to other people and letting them into your secrets maybe isn’t such a disaster as it might seem. I can agree with that.

Fun, funny, but not brainless.

My Favourite Wife – Tony Parsons

Only published this year, this one. I was lucky to find it in the library: I was only the 3rd person to borrow it.

One of the first things that struck me about this book was how similar it is to the book I just read by the same author, Man and Boy. Major plot elements such as the unfaithful dad, the tough old dad dying of lung cancer; and minor details, such as mouths “fitting” for a kiss and Westerners who are “into the bamboo”. I know I have a tendency to re-use or revisit ideas in what I write, but since none of it is published I can just see that as different drafts where I’ve changed the story, or whatever – I just assumed you couldn’t do this in published books.

But having said all that, I think this is a much better book than Man and Boy. The characters are more believable and the plot feels less contrived. In particular, I like the fact that the main characters really aren't that sympathetic. He's a corporate lawyer, for a start. And the wife is persuaded to move to Shanghai as a quick route to her husband becoming a partner, and a way to keep up the payments on their big house in leafy Hampstead of somewhere.

The wife’s response to finding out her husband is having an affair is much more sympathetic than in Man and Boy. First she wants to walk away, but then she decides they have to stay together to look after their daughter. Later she starts a relationship on the side of her own - this is only hinted at. But in the end, the couple manage to work things through. In the end it makes the point that marriages can survive all sorts of betrayal and that they are worth holding on to.

The man’s relationship with his Chinese woman also feels quite realistic – he knows he’s doing the wrong thing, but feels he’s “in love” with her. And at the same time, he still loves his wife and doesn't want to loser her. Men, eh? You don’t really feel sympathetic for him, but you can see how it happens.

There was another interesting point which is worth commenting on. When the wife announces that she’s not going to leave her husband despite what he’s done, she says it’s because her relationship with her daughter is more important than her relationship with him, and always has been. I think that’s wrong. I was taught that the relationship with each other in a married couple should be even more important than the relationships with children. This point isn’t brought out at all in the story – maybe the author assumes the woman’s view is natural or right or ok – but it raises an interesting point. Faithfulness is not just about sex. Could it be argued that the woman elevating her daughter above her husband is in itself a form of marital betrayal?

But the best thing about this book is its portrayal of modern China, and the way that “the West” relates to it. It’s very sad to think about the origins and ideals of the Communist Party in its early days and how it’s all come to this – a society where everything is for sale, everyone wants a part in the capitalist dream, and workers are cheaper to replace than machines. Like “The Jungle” or somehow even worse. And then the different attitudes of the lawyers – those like Devlin who believe that this is all for the good, those like Mad Mitch or Nancy Deng who are sickened by the corruption and exploitation, and those like Shane who are doing their best to enjoy their privileged position without asking too many ethical questions. As a newcomer, the main character has to decide which of these paths to follow, and the best of the book is about how he does that.

Man and Boy – Tony Parsons

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I’d hoped. It was pretty good, I just found it rather depressing. I guess when a couple separates a happy ending is impossible, so what did I expect?

One or two other aspects of the story didn’t quite convince me. The man’s experience of primary school – or rather, his son’s – sounded a lot like my memory of primary school, but didn’t sound much like my experience of taking my son. Is that the difference between being 5 at school and being 10, I wonder?

I also wasn’t convinced by the character of the wife in particular. It felt to me like several of the main characters were made deliberately unsympathetic: the wife, her new boyfriend (semi-separated), and the main character’s new love interest’s ex-husband (and the father of her daughter). I guess if the premise starts with the main character committing adultery, you have to work a lot to make them sympathetic. But I don’t think it’s necessary to paint everyone else black in order to make him look better.

I also felt the book failed to answer the biggest question it asked. The main character sees from the example of his father-in-law what happens when a man drifts from failed relationship to failed relationship, leaving children behind each time. He sees it in himself, the desire for one more chance to do it right. And he then moves into another relationship. The book tries in many ways to make clear that this new relationship is different – but isn’t that what they always say?

Where the book works best is in the relationships between the main character, his son, and his dad. And of course that’s really the heart of the book. That much I can believe – the contrast between generations of the man and his dad, who fought in the war. It’s a great subject – what does it mean to be a man these days? Not what it meant a generation ago, for sure.

There were other parts of the book I enjoyed too. The relationship between the main character and his new girlfriend, for example, and the brief descriptions of his work. Some good themes; but somehow not quite as good as it could have been.