Blueprints for a Barbed-Wire Canoe

Sorry it has been a while between postings again.

I have been doing that things where I read more than one book at a time. That's what happens when you need to read for work as well as for pleasure. But, I have finally finished one of them! It was a re-read actually rather than a read.

Blueprints for a Barbed-Wire Canoe is an odd little book and beautifully quirky. It borders on the ridiculous at times, and yet the characters motives never lose their believability. Quite a fine balance really!

The author is Wayne Macauley, an acclaimed Australian short story writer. The title relates to the old saying - "Up shit creek in a barbed-wire canoe without a paddle" (although I must say I have never heard of the barbed-wire canoe bit before). And in fact, the barbed-wire canoe, a symbol of hopelessness and doom (because how far can you really get in it?) becomes the symbol for the entire story.

In a way that only an Australian can, Macauley writes about the suburban dream of housing estates, and sets his story in a satellite estate - one that has been built far out from the urban fringe, but lies waiting for buyers and the long-promised freeway (which sort of gains mythical status throughout the book) to catch up to it. Like the canoe, the little community is doomed before it even begins, by bad planning and shoddy workmanship.

Yet despite this (or perhaps because of it), Macauley painstakingly shows us the development of a society in the estate that becomes known (by letters falling off a sign) as ur - a clear parrallel to the doomed Sumerian city of the same name. The core characters stubbornly do not leave the development, despite the lack of plumbing, electricity, and eventually income that they are subject. Instead, they band together and survive using each of their unique skills.

At what point they story may verge on the ridiculous will change with every reader. Some will say it is the building of the wall around the estate (do I hear East Germany anyone?), while others will vote for the senseless deaths or the sheer lunacy of Michael's attempts to draw attention to their plight at the end.

Bram, our narrator (and now think biblical reference) tells the story if the demise of the estate and all of their dreams after the event. But how reliable is he? His is a love story, and yet the object of his affection is strangely silent and absent. I would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on this.

It's a really original read - which makes it great. Certainly it's not for everyone - but no good book is. Trying hard to please everyone just makes for a bland read.

The Same Sea

Sorry it has been so long - yet again I started a novel that I chose not to finish. A friend of mine - the same friend who loaned me the Jostein Gaarder novel - passed on Iain Banks' The Wasp Factory. Although fascinatingly amoral and masterfully crafted to inspire the reader's interest, I could not get past the scene was a dog is nearly set on fire in a phone booth. We all have our limits - and that was mine. Puppies and dismemberment (which immediately followed) are just too much for me.

So, I started The Same Sea by Amos Oz. Oz is an Israeli author, and I remember when and why I added this novel to "the list". My mother was watching Foxtel, and saw a show on him and he was reading from his latest novel - The Same Sea. She called me in because it sounded so beautiful.

When I finally found it in Borders Chapel Street, I couldn't remember much about the show. Nonetheless, I bought the book and took it home.

Although the blurb reads like pulp fiction - a man who has recently lost his wife becomes attracted to his son's girlfriend, who stays with him while his son is travelling, there is nothing trashy about Oz. The novel is written as if it were poetry, blank verse mainly. The narration shifts from the father, his dead wife, the son, the girlfriend, a female widow who has befriended the father, the various lovers of the girlfriend, and in true Brechtian style, the author himself who actually physically engages with the characters. And reflects upon his success as a writer. Loss and obsession are key themes, and reading it is like eating warm, melty swiss chocolate - a truly decadent experience that leaves you wanting to lick you fingers to get every little bit of it.

I don't know if this is typical of Oz, but I certainly want to find out...

Ian McEwan Emergency

"He did not know, or would not have cared to know, that as she ran away from him, certain in her distress that she was about to lose him, she had never loved him more, or more hopelessly, and that the sound of his voice would have been a deliverance..."

Could someone please help me when it comes to Ian McEwan?

I think he is a beautiful writer. I have read two of his books - Enduring Love and the latest, On Chesil Beach. But no matter how beautiful a writer he is (see the quote above from the end of On Chesil Beach), I simply do not get anything out of his plots. I find them, well, somehow lacking the ability to enthrall me.

Enduring Love is kind of pedestrian, buying into the worn out obsessional stalker storyline. Admittedly the stalker himself is unusual (a gay, ultra- religious nutter), but the ending lacks originiality. I loved the opening scenes with the balloon disaster though, and how all the characters responded to it. But, a book has to go into unchartered territory. I want it to take me somewhere I cannot easily go in real life... (Langwitch - are you wondering here why I didn't like Neuromancer? Definitely not territory I could go into in real life). It was just, a little, predictable and almost Hollywood. No wonder they made a film of it. I haven't seen it yet, but intend to.

The latest release, On Chesil Beach contains no surprises either. I guess I wanted the book to take me in an unexpected direction. It didn't - but it's a nice read.

So, the question is, should I persevere with a writer whose craft I admire so much, even if his end products fail to inspire?

And if so, where should I go next?

We have three possible options - here are weblinks (just to Wikipedia - it makes life so easy sometimes). I would love for anyone to comment on which one I should read.

Amsterdam
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_%28novel%29

Atonement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonement_%28novel%29

Saturday
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_%28novel%29

I think I am leaning towards Saturday at the moment.

The Kite Runner

Check out this cover art. It looks so innocent, doesn't it? Trust me, once you have read the book this cute picture of the little boy will have a haunting new meaning.

Although this wasn't a list text, it probably should have been. I had heard so much about how fabulous it was, and had been meaning to read it for ages. In the end, I read it to help out someone I was working with... but this is one of those times where work actually brings joy.

This is a mesmerising book, both beautifully plotted and well-written. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but "The Kite Runner" is a story of guilt and redemption. Set in both Afganistan and America, what starts as a description of a charming friendship between two boys, quickly becomes a condemnation of the ruling classes of this country, and those who do not stand up to oppose injustice. Amir is haunted by his betrayal of his childhood friend Hassan... as he becomes a man he feels nothing can expunge this unspoken sin from his soul.

Never fear though! Hosseini is an author with a penchant for reciprocity and that nice circular format that all novels of redemption take. Pretty much everyone gets what they deserve, and Amir is able to understand and atone for the terrible sin of his childhood.

It's about to become a movie, so I really do suggest that all devoted readers pick this up before we are delivered a Hollywood version. We all know the book is always better than the film right? Don't be tempted to take the easy way out! This is not a difficult read by any standards (it is on high school text lists), but definitely worthwhile. This is one of the best books I have blogged about so far.