Book Review: We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Being a parent is the biggest joy you can ever recieve in the world, cynicism aside, Khairul. Sure we can be jerks to our parents 80% of the time, and we're parasites, feeding off their money and goodwill, but it's an evolutionary as well as religous imperative(one of the only places where they actually agree) that we pass our genes on to the next generation. And of course, since some of us hate our parents more than others, it doesn't mean that being a parent has to suck, unless of course, if you're just that selfish -you like your money being spent on yourself, thank you- or maybe because you're just helpless when it comes to taking care of yourself, let alone a child. In that case, well evolution wins - your genes probably don't deserve to be carried on anyway.

But I digress.

In any case, you know how people believe that no matter how bad things get, your parents will always have this innate love for you that can't be changed? Well this book questions that. In a sense, it's the direct opposite of the Mitch Albom book I reviewed before this one. The story is about Eva Khatchadourian (I do hope I got that spelt right), whose son, Kevin killed seven classmates, a teacher and a cafeteria worker in school with a semi automatic. The story is told via a series of letters written by Eva to her estranged husband, and recounts everything about Kevin as she tries to understand why he turned out the way he did.

Worried that her son's psychopathic tendencies may have resulted from her deficits as a mother, Eva probes the most intimate and shocking aspects of her inner life, her marriage, and her resentment of motherhood. The book tackles the sensitive proposition that mothers can be unmoved by -and even dislike- their own children. Eva struggles with her lack of ready emotion from the moment Kevin is placed in her arms and the subsequent hellish years of raising a boy who seems to enjoy nothing more than taunting his mother. Having dramatically scaled back on her career, she becomes a stay-at-home mom only to discover that her son, while seemingly slow, is whip smart and vindictive - and cunning enough to play for his father with disastrous results.

This book, on the whole is disturbing on so many levels. Not that it's hard to imagine hating your own child when he/she makes life hard for you. This book suggests that a mother can resent you from the moment you were born. The moments explored throughout the book show us the complex emotions involved on Eva's side, though we are often reminded that they are recounted as she remembered them. She acknowledges that some parts may have just been dramatized because, well, when you're in the shoes of the so-called-victim (and some of us like to play that part oh so well), you tend to dramatize events.

So is it really her fault that Kevin turned out the way he did? Or was it unavoidable? Was he just born to be a killer? Read the book and decide for yourself. If anything, the book kept me turning pages - but that's because I dig this sort of thing. Don't expect it to be the kind of book that makes you smile and feel good though - as I said before, this book is just poles apart from Mitch Albom.

In the meantime though, the award for best birthday present goes to Feera.

9 out of 10.

PS: Notably, the ending has a twist I didn't see coming. Now that doesn't happen very often anymore.

Book Review: For One More Day by Mitch Albom

I'm not exactly a fan of Mitch Albom's books. Frankly, I'm not a fan of 'soul-enriching' books, most of the time they feel fake, which, admittedly, Mitch Albom doesn't really do, but I prefer books that reach your heart without admitting that that's what they're trying to do. Am I making any sense?

Anyway, Mitch Albom's latest offering is only in hardcover for now, so unless you're that desperate for a tender, heartwarming moment, and I mean moment (I finished it in less that two hours), you probably wouldn't want to shell out RM68.90. I performed the same maneuver that I did on Khairul years ago when Lyra's Oxford came out- I let him buy it. The victim this time was a particular girl in college who happens to enjoy these soul-reaching books (she also lent me Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, which I will also be reviewing soon). The verdict? It's nothing special, really, not if you've read 'Five People You Meet In Heaven' and 'Tuesdays With Morrie', but I might just buy the paperback version for my mother's next birthday. (through Amazon, probably, since by her next birthday, I'll be halfway across the globe)

The premise is simple- it's about a man who screwed up in life, who wants to end it, and just as he is about to, he meets his mother. The catch is, his mother died years ago. Creepy? Well, the story opens by admitting that 'This is a ghost story, but then, every family is a ghost story', a statement which echoes till the end of the book of a subconscious truth in most of today's families. Despite our best efforts, we often end up estranged from our parents, allowing them to fade away like ghosts into our past.

The central idea or message of the story is the power of a mother's love, and the sacrifices that you don't see happening in front of you. Littered throughout the narrative are occasional notes by the storyteller, divided into 'Times When My Mother Stood Up For Me', and 'Times When I Did Not Stand Up For My Mother'. And there are occasional notes from the mother herself to him, on his first day of school, on the day of his marriage, basically at turning points in their life. It is explained that his mother had a habit of slipping him notes, most of the time because she was afraid she might miss saying something whenever they were together, and she wanted him to know all these things. These breaks from the narrative serve to create a more personal experience, and admittedly, despite not expecting to be impressed after reading '5 People You Meet In Heaven', there were moments when I felt moved enough to shed tears.

However, characteristic of Albom's writing is that, as usual, it's short. None of the Albom books are long, and to some of you, you might say that therein lies the beauty- that he can capture your hearts with so little pages. And this was admittedly true with his previous works. Personally, however, I found this one to fall slightly short on that mark. It was short, and I felt that it could have enraptured me more if it had only been slightly longer. Despite the effectiveness of the author's technique, there is a sense of isolation that the reader feels at times, being a mere passenger. This book doesn't draw you in and place you into the main character's shoes as well as the previous books. And while you I did, as I said before, shed tears, they were really minimal. To sum it up- the book could have been more moving if there were just a bit more longer.

The characters are mostly typical- the down on his luck man is the down on his luck man. At the beginning of the story his is self-destructive. Part of the story's intrigue is finding out where he messed up, and why he did. However if that is what the author intended to achieve, part of that magic is lost by the plainness of Chick (the main character's name). It's not that you don't feel any sympathy for him, it's just that he's nothing you've never seen before. The mother is the loving mother, as usual. I just feel that it could have been a much more atypical story if the mother had appeared to be more harsh, so that the idea could be driven across with more power.

I hope all this doesn't make you doubt this book, though. Like I said, it still holds power over you. There is a twist waiting at the end of the book, and it's not a glaringly obvious one that you can see coming from a mile away. That in itself is a feat that is hard to achieve nowadays when most twists have been seen before.

So pick up this book. It's well worth the read. I know some people don't believe in the intensity of a mother's love anymore, I mean, today we are so quick to judge- if they bar us from something, our automatic assumption is that they don't love us. This book will make you believe. I have another friend in college who finds it derogative if you tell someone 'But your mother still loves you!' And I used to agree with her, considering it's usually used to tell a person that 'No one else could possibly love you.'

Now I think, no, it's not derogative to have your mother love you. I love my mother, and the book reminded me of why. Because sometimes, you know, you tend to forget.

7 out of 10.

Book Review: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Nothing I can say about this book can possibly do it justice- it is just THAT good. As far as 'mature, adult' books go, this stands as high as His Dark Materials does on the 'young adult/children's' pedestal for me.

The story is a recollection of past events by the main character, Richard Papen whose life undergoes a dramatic change when he enrols in Hampden college, where he enters a Grecian classics class which is, as far as when the story begins, exclusive to only five other people- Henry, the 'leader' of the pack, Francis the metro/homo-sexual, Charles and Camilla who are twins, and Edmund (more affectionately known as 'Bunny'), who is effectively one of the most annoying characters I have ever run across in a novel before. The class is so exclusive that before Richard, their mentor, Julian has never taken in any other students before- not counting the fact that entering that particular class entails dropping every other subject. The main character, who comes from a less-than-wealthy family in California finds himself living a charade, trying to fit in with these intellectual and rich students. This circle of six end up isolating themselves from the rest of the college population, somehow bound together by an invisible thread that starts to unravel the moment murder is brought into the equation.

This is a gripping story of close friendships, betrayal, and the darkness hidden in the human soul. The events in this story are as unpredictable and sudden as life itself, and on the whole it represents the human struggle to escape that degree of 'self', to be free. In an attempt to escape 'themselves' through a bacchanal, they end up unwittingly killing an innocent man, and ironically, they end up writing themselves as characters in what can only be described as a tragedy.

‘Our own selves make us most unhappy, and that’s why we’re so anxious to lose them, don’t you think? Remember the Erinyes?’
‘The Furies,’ said Bunny, his eyes dazzled and lost beneath the bang of hair.
‘Exactly. And how did they drive people mad? They turned up the volume of the inner monologue, magnified qualities already present to great excess, made people so much themselves that they couldn’t stand it.’

The effects of each moment recollected by the narrator is magnified by the masterful language and style of the author. The story varies quickly from being gloomy, vivid, dreamy and ironically funny (though not unappropriately so) at some points. We share the intimate bond the narrator shares with his friends, and yet there is always the underlying reminder that he doesn't really know them at all. They are almost like ghosts, drawn together by a single event which keeps them in its firm grip. There is a sense of disillusionment throughout the book, especially with Henry, which reminds us that in life, we never really know the true motives of the things the people around us do, even if they are our friends.

Later we are witness to the change in their behaviors and the helplessness of anyone to lessen their distress. The power of the Furies is at large, and the forces between them are becoming more and more scrambled. Extreme states of victimisation and paranoia are even reached when friends seem like enemies and shadows lurk where there are none (the secret histories of others). This ties with the central act of the motive for the bacchanal, almost as if the attempt to break the fact of their isolated selves is what entails their downfall, for trying to deny a certain central element in their tragedy.

All in all, this book is a wonderful read. Superbly written and chilling to the core, I give it a perfect score. (ooh, it rhymes!)

Book Review: Broken by Kelley Armstrong

Anyone who remembers 'Stolen' by the same author deserves credit- it feels like an eternity since I first read and reviewed it. Since then, Kelley Armstrong has been on a roll, adding book after book to her 'Women of the Underworld' series, although the series took a departure from the original character, werewolf Elena Michaels to explore the lives of other characters such as the witch- Paige Winterbourne and Savannah's dead mother... I forgot her name. It goes without saying that, purist that I am, I did not follow the books which did not directly involve Elena. So now, four books later, here I am again, picking up the book which chronicles the welcome return of the kick-ass sole female werewolf in Armstrong's dark modern world.

Like the first two books, 'Bitten' and 'Stolen', Armstrong retains her first-person narrative, and it's good to see that Elena is as bitter and sarcastic as ever. The unusual twist this time around is that she is- wait for it!- pregnant! Considering the fact that she's supposed to be the first female werewolf since, ever, it becomes quite a bit of a problem for her. (seriously, how could they not see it coming, considering the ridiculous amount of sex they have? The werewolf pack walks around the house naked for crying out loud. How the other three or four men can control their inhibitions while Clayton Danvers, Elena's lover takes the prize is beyond me)

After dealing with rogue werewolves in the first book, and a secret government operation in the second, the third brings zombies. Yes, zombies. Looking over the list of storyline themes, you're probably thinking that the book series is a bunch of B-grade crap, which admittedly, it is in a sense. But it's good crap, if only because of Elena's sarcastic narration and 'charming' personality. Her pop-culture references are reminiscent of Buffy, to which she is often compared to by critics.

Ah, back to zombies. Yes, this book revolves around Jack the Ripper's 'From Hell' letter, and how when Clayton unwittingly strikes a mosquito with Elena's blood on the letter, a spell is triggered which opens a portal into the nether regions of Victorian London. Toronto may be looking for a new tourism boost, but 'Gateway to Hell' isn't quite the new slogan the city had in mind. As I said before- it's purely a B-movie fest, albeit sexier and wittier. Killer rats, vampires and zombies, oh my. The story has a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, in my honest opinion, it falls quite short of expectation. The lack of a solid villain could be seen as one of the story's main flaws. Most of the time, Elena and co. are dishing out punishment on random things that just come their way without explanation. It doesn't help that the story feels a bit far-fetched as well. (What is Jack The Ripper's 'From Hell' letter doing all the way in Canada, for example?) Somehow the story lacks the drive that was in 'Stolen', despite the fact that secret government operations are really a recycled plot device, namely 'stolen', pardon the pun, from the most hated Buffy the Vampire Slayer season ever to appear on TV.

Somehow, pregnancy also seems to take the fire out of our main character. And the direction Kelley Armstrong is taking her character is also questionable. Are successive stories going to be about Elena making it work as a soccer mom? A person juggling a toddler while battling the forces of darkness? While it would make for some interesting comedy, I can't help but think that the more this progresses, Elena is going to become less and less the self-absorbed, ass-kicking bitch I was first introduced to four years ago.

(sigh)

It shouldn't deter you from reading the book though. It's okay enough. I've seen worse. *cough*TheLightAges*cough*

I give it a 6 out of 10.

Book Review: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner

The novel ‘Sophie’s World’, written by Norwegian writer Jostein Gaardner isn’t all that it would seem to be. Indeed, with a title like that, and by reading the first few pages or so about a young girl named Sophie and her life, the book almost sets itself up like a children’s or a young adult centered storybook. This assumption just might be true, in a way, since the main purpose of this book is education in the basics of philosophy, and it is done in such a way that possibly even a twelve-year old can understand it, let alone a person who’s about to study it at a platform of higher education.

So the story starts with minor details of Sophie’s life, and how when she comes home one day from school, she receives a letter with nothing but two questions in it: ‘Who are you?’ and ‘Where do you come from?’ With no way to identify the sender, or where it came from in the first place, this letter is only the beginning of other letters with equally thought-provoking questions, as well as letters containing, as the letters claim, ‘a crash course in philosophy’. These letters cover philosophy from the time of Plato to the slightly more modern Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his ‘Social Contract’.

In order to keep the reader interested, the story obviously isn’t all about the philosophy lesson. There are questions resolved, starting with the obvious ‘Who is the person sending Sophie these letters?’ followed by the fact that she also starts to receive birthday cards and letters addressed to one ‘Hilde Knaag’, a girl she has never met before in her entire life.

Where the story starts, it seems like a story about real life, or something that very well could have happened. Then things start getting bizarre. Characters from storybooks or old fairy tales appear abruptly, say cryptic things, then disappear. A videotape she receives shows Ancient Greece. Real Ancient Greece, not the kind made in a studio. The reader won’t be able to help but wonder if our young Sophie is going mad.

Then of course, comes the twist that no one sees coming, just like in every other good book. Obviously I won’t say what it is here, but it is one of the best things about this book. What makes it an enjoyable read is its unpredictability. Almost anything can happen. And while you’re reading it, you won’t realize that what you’re really reading is a Philosophy textbook disguised as a story, not until you finish and think about it again.

There is a lot to learn from this book, and the language used is mostly simple and easy enough to understand, making it a lot easier to digest than a textbook. For me it was an introduction into the world of philosophy, and I don’t think I’ll ever look at the world around me quite the same ever again. So all in all, if you’re looking for a good read, and want to learn something new as well, this is the book for you.

But then again, this should probably only be for people who are interested in philosophy. Honestly speaking, I wasn't that interested in philosophy, and thus I found myself skipping or rushing through some parts. Of course, it seems like a cool deep thing, like 'Whoa, where do we come from?' or 'Whoa, what does it mean to be human?' So well, though some parts were intriguing to me, eventually it got old by the end of the book. I mean, as a general way to look at it, I think people who like to discuss 'Why men exist' over a coffee at Starbucks are people who like to believe they are deep. Personally, I admit that philosophy is important in some expects, but I don't trust the ideas different people have when it comes to 'How man should live to be most productive/happy'.

I think we've had enough productive/happy. So much that we're blowing up each other just for more wealth. Maybe if we didn't divide each other so much-

Hah. Never going to happen. Mankind is a plague.

I give this book a 6 out of 10.

Book Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Ever since the success of Dan Brown’s ‘Da Vinci Code’, the number of historical fiction novels in bookstores has increased dramatically. Everyone wants to do it now, hoping to become instant millionaires as well. And it wouldn’t be so annoying if it weren’t for the fact that, on a shelf with 14 titles, 10 of them would most likely be historical fiction, with the words ‘Better than ‘The Da Vinci Code!’ or ‘As good as The Da Vinci Code!’ emblazoned on the cover.

To start with, this novel doesn’t make any such claims on the front cover, which is just as well, because though it does touch historical avenues once in a while, it is nothing like ‘The Da Vinci Code’.

The novel is basically about a young teenage girl, whose father disappeared while searching for his mentor. Both her father and his mentor were historians, studying well, history, but more specifically the fact and fiction of ‘Vlad the Impaler’, or more widely known to this generation as ‘Dracula’. The girl then sets off with what she knows, hoping to track her father down.

The story is told in layers. It goes back and forth between two different stories- the story of the girl looking for her father, and the story her father told her about his time at university, when he was first introduced to his mentor and how he subsequently developed an interest in researching Dracula’s roots in history. Although this slows the story’s pace somewhat (to me I had to get at least a hundred pages in before it started getting exciting), to the patient reader, it is well worth the wait because once the book starts picking up the pace, it develops into a good thriller/horror story, keeping you turning the pages just to see what happens next.

Personally though, to me the only flaw in this book is its ending, which I find rather unsatisfying after the long buildup. But then that’s just a matter of perspective. I know other people who would disagree, and say that the ending was perfect. Either way, I found the book well worth the read. The language the author uses is not too complicated, and she keeps you guessing by leading us up to events which lead on to other events, and so forth.

Keep in mind, however, that all this excitement only happens AFTER the first hundred or so pages, so you're going to have to be really patient to enjoy this book. Stephen King fans would be used to this sort of treatment by now, so you should find this book okay, considering it's not just historical fiction, it's also relatively slow paced, but intricately detailed, and it delves into the horror genre as well every so often.

I still think the ending could have been better. More...tragic. But then I know some of you saps like endings where everyone's happy and dancing in the moonlight. So... there.

7 out of 10.

Book Review: Republic of Trees by Sam Taylor

If any of you read my blog, you might be wondering what's been taking me so long to do this. After all, the cover is exciting enough, now you want to know whether the book itself is worth it or not.

To start off, the idea sounds innocent enough that I'll admit that I was fooled into buying it. This time I wasn't really fooled by the cover- I actually thought that I shouldn't judge it by its cover- the fact that the girl is topless there doesn't mean that the story is that dirty. Well I was wrong there. If I had judged the book by its cover, I would have known where I was headed.

But then I may never have read this book if that were the case, and that in itself is a loss as well.

It's true that this story is anything but innocent, but in a moment I'll get to why you should read this book.

Now, the innocent concept is about four young teenagers in the French countryside who run away to live in the forest and start their own noble community which they call the 'Republic of Trees'. Using Jean Jacque Rosseau's 'Social Contract' (don't pretend to be smart, please. Just click on that link and read it a bit, it'll do you a whole world of good) as a backbone, they start making up their rules, their way of living, and hey, everyone's happy. The main character Michael gets to climb trees. His brother and his best friend get to go hunting with a rifle. Isobel gets to go sunbathing. You get the idea.

But ah, the story isn't a whole load of roses. As I have said earlier, this book is anything but an innocent, fun read for those below twelve. Words like 'erection' do make their appearance in this book, and hey, big deal, right? The main characters are teens. They'd have to be castrated to not have any urges. But no, that's not really where the bulk of the story is. The bulk of the story really falls into place when a fifth character- Joy is introduced. While Joy seems to bring no harm to the way things work at first, seduction, love, jealousy...well things do fall apart. And in a bloody way. You'll have to read it to believe it.

There is a sort of dream-like quality to the way this story is told. Michael, the narrator won't remember all the details of everything that's happened, instead he picks out what he does and tells it to you, leaving you to assume to fill in the blanks. It adds a sense of realism to this story- in that seriously, if a story were narrated through a first-person POV, how the heck to those people remember every last detail? There is also a childish innocence to the way he narrates that you will feel ebb as the story progresses. And as things get ugly, well the dream turns into a nightmare.

The climax is a heartstopper, and the dark closing we're given ends this story in a way that tells you straight to your face: "IF YOU WERE LOOKING FOR ENID BLYTON, YOU GOT THE WRONG BOOK SUCKER!"

And that in itself is art, I'd say. The darkness of it all. This book is like William Golding's Lord of the Flies in a sense. The darkness of the human heart, portrayed in all its realism is what makes it all the more beautiful. If you don't mind being disturbed and having long periods of going, "Holy shit...they were kids. How could they..." then by all means, this book is the book for you.

I wouldn't say I loved every last moment of it. It's not that kind of book. But if you're looking for something that will leave a mark, then look no further. This will leave bloody footprints all over your mind. And again, the dream-like, self-righteous style of delivery makes this book all the more a frightening read.

A powerful debut from author Sam Taylor. I hope he keeps on writing, because really, there comes a time in life when you realize that you have way too much happy endings.

9 out of 10 because of its masterful delivery.

Book Review: Dark Cities Underground by Lisa Goldstein

Another Egyptian book. No wait, I haven't put much reviews up for the tons of others I've been getting into, so you guys won't really know what I'm talking about. Let's just say that I have a newfound obession with Egyptian mythology, and leave it at that. So looking at the cover, it should be pretty obvious why I picked it off the bookshelf. And the fact that it was only 6.00 bucks at PLB made the deal all the more sweeter.

Now, I highly doubt that Lisa Goldstein would be familiar to any one of you. Despite the fact that she's got quite a number of awards under her belt (I've been doing my research), she doesn't seem to surface much in mainstream fiction. Her genre is...how shall I put it? Different. As different as Khairul's music taste. Like 'The Streets' "Pyeow pyeow" to Britney's mainstream caterwauling. I know it's a subject of much debate right now on my blog, to which I shall admit defeat for now. But enough about that- now to the review.

Despite having Anubis on the front cover, the story isn't that heavily Egyptian. It greatly focuses on the central character Ruthie, a journalist who's trying to write a book on a boy, whose mother is a famous children's author. Word was that his mother got her insipration to write her fantasy books from stories that the boy told her as a child. (The boy is now in his 50s) It mostly revolves around this 'other world' to which the boy found the gate to underground, through a door he found in a great big tree.

Whoa. Stop. Alice in Wonderland-ish? Getting turned off by how childish this is starting to sound? Don't. There's more.

The idea for this book is really simple. Peter Pan (not the Indonesian band), Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, The Hobbit, even. What if, all these authors got their inspiration from a particular place, if not directly themselves, then from people they knew who ended up there at one time or another? This place, this underground world that the boy mentioned above stumbled into, that goldmine for inspiration, is what this book revolves around.

Of course, there's much more to that underground world that talking mermaids, fairies and such. In fact, you'll find no such thing there. So how does it work, exactly? That's where I would be giving away too much. Because there are...say, other people interested in this place apart from the journalist author, who's just trying to write her book, and the boy, who's now trying to reconnect the events of his past. And not everyone has good intentions.

No romanticism in this novel. Unless you're looking for ickiness, considering the main male character is 50 and the woman is well, 40. Definitely not an outing for people looking for a good love story. But in a sense, sometimes books like these are fun to pick up if only to get away from the moaning and whimpering of lovebirds who you know are going to be kissing before the story ends.

The story develops itself at a suitably fast pace. By the end of the first chapter, you already know that great things are going to happen in this book, thus making it hard to put down, just because you want to understand what the heck is going on. It probably doesn't help that every once in a while, you're treated to a slight glimpse as to what the 'other parties' are doing.

So pick it up if the concept intrigues you. Either wait for me to come home or buy it from Borders, I'm quite sure I saw it there.

Of course, it won't cost 6 bucks if you buy it there. ^^

8 out of 10.

Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

How often do I admit to liking something Japanese? How often do I admit to liking a romance novel? Never, right? Well here I am, about to do both of those things now. This book is damn good. No, really.

For those of you who don't know, 'Norwegian Wood' is the title of a Beatles song, and if you've heard it before, it almost echoes throughout the whole book, the melancholy tune and sentiment imbuing the work. The novel begins with a brief introductory chapter by Toru Watanabe, who upon hearing an orchestrial cover of the song, remembers his life about seventeen years ago, and the rest of the book retells those times. The murky ambiguity and confusion of The Beatles song is similar to the novel. It is a love story, or several love story. Baffling as love usually is. The Beatles sang: 'I once had a girl/or should I say/she once had me." Toru is similarly unclear as to how he should consider the relationships he is in.

There are two women involved. One is Naoko. In high school she was Toru's best (and only) friend's girlfriend, and the three of them got along really well. Then the best friend, Kizuki, committed suicide. Toru and Naoko didn't see each other for one year after the funeral. Toru wants to escape Kobe, where they grew up, and so he goes to a university in Tokyo. Here he runs into Naoko again who also goes to college here. They see each other on occasion, and make love once- after which she leaves Tokyo. Emotionally unstable, she returns to her family, and later on goes to live in a sort of sanitorium.

The second woman who Toru gets involved in is Midori, whom he meets after Naoko has left. She is in the same Drama class as him, and quite selfish and eccentric. Both Midori and Naoko are not entirely approachable. Both like, or even love Toru, but they are wary of having him close or revealing too much about themselves. Midori's father, who she says is in Uruguay is actually in the hospital. Toru accepts things as they are, and often tries to help but doesn't want to intrude on things. He is drawn to Midori, but feels an obligation to Naoko.

The story is told in an almost biographical style, which makes it feel all the more real because you feel like Toru is telling you his story. And the emotions, the way they are conveyed, the uncertainty surrounding them, they make this story feel all the more real. They make this story a lot more emotionally intense than your average love story.

Powerful in its delivery, and the reality that surrounds it.

8 out of 10. Minus two because it's from a Japanese author. XD

Book Review: Slaves of the Mastery

I've got a theory about trilogies; I call it The Second Book Theorem. Starting with His Dark Materials, I noticed that in most of the trilogies I've encountered, the second book in the trilogy, more often than not, is the best in the series. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials), Lirael (The Old Kingdom Trilogy), That-Second-Book-Whose-Title-I-Forget (The Elenium) and now, joining their ranks is Slaves of the Mastery, of The Wind On Fire Trilogy.

The first book sucked. Tanked. Majorly. It was a whole lot of bad from Badonia. There was almost no point in reading the first book. Hell, you can skip it and come out largely unscathed, plotwise. In fact, I recommend you to completely ignore the first book. It's nothing compared to this one.

This book? Oh, it's just one of the best fantasy books in a trilogy that I've read in a while, right behind Lirael and The Subtle Knife. The characters are again one of the strongest points in this book, but this time, add a compelling plot and wonderful pacing to that list.

I don't really like divulging details about the plot but...

Well, Aramanth, released from the grip of the Morah, becomes kinder - weaker. The city had let its guard down and its defences were few. Then came the Mastery and its army, marching in to annihilate Aramanth and enslave its people. This they did, burning the city to the grounds and the Hath family were all captured, save for Kestrel, who had been hiding in the city and somehow got away. Now, she will have to find her family again and set them free...

Well, there's more to it than that, and you see Bowman, along with Mumpo, develop further, growing wiser/stronger. Also, the introduction of Sisi, the Johdilla, adds more depth (even if she herself lacks it) and color (now this she has a lot of) to the proceedings.

It's wonderful how everything gets together so well in this book and I was actually amazed that the author had this in him, considering the H-U-G-E disappointment that was The Wind Singer. All in all, reading this was a pleasure and I expect most of you will feel the same.

I give this an 8 out of 10.

Book Review: The Wind Singer

This is the first book in a trilogy that chronicles the lives and adventures of a trio of children belonging to a tribe of people called the Manths. These people live in a city called Aramanth where exams are everything. Failure to pass an exam carries with it a heavy sentence of being demoted of your privileges, should you acquire them. It's all terribly depressing, and deeply unfair, as Kestrel points out rather er, subtly in the town square.

Ultimately, her defiance to the system led her to carry the responsibility of loosening the grip an evil entity called the Morah on the city. She has to go on a journey unlike any other, endure the deserts and "walk through the fire" to gain the Singer's Voice, or whatever it was called. Then, and only then will her people be free, hence enabling them to "seek the homeland".

Needless to say, this is all boring. I read through the book with a half-heart, not really wanting to know what happens next. One of the few things that made me read on was Kestrel's relationship to her twin brother, Bowman - their love for each other, although somewhat well, nauseating, was real. Also, their father's attempt at a quiet mutiny by convincing his fellow "failures" to do their best at what they know, as opposed to attempting to be an all-rounder.

All right, Whatever. By the end of the book I felt slightly cheated, even if I grew to love the Hath family, Kestrel and Bowman, especially. That's the only saving grace for this book: the characters. The plot and everything else just felt half-baked.

Pick this one up at your own risk.

4 out of 10

Book Review: Princess by Jean P. Sasson

Bet none of you saw THIS coming, did you? It's an autobiography of a woman living in Saudi Arabia. Try to imagine that if you will. Me. Saudi Arabia. Woman. Autobiography. Autobiography. Me. Well, I did say I was going to try and diversify when it came to reading, and Nadia gave me a hand (thanks, love) by passing me this book, along with two others: Tuesdays with Morrie (awesome, awesome book), and A Child Called It. All three are autobiographies.

Right, now the name itself brings an image of a rich, beautiful girl, covered in diamonds and rubies, living in the lap of luxury, getting everything she wants when she wants it. If that image is what you have in mind, then it's going to be shot down to hell once you open the book. What follows is a riveting story of oppression, oh how women are treated in Saudi Arabia. They have to real rights, no say in anything, and are viewed only as things used for breeding with and sexual pleasure. In a family, sons are treasured, daughters are reviled, for fear that they might 'sully the family name'. Since birth, women are taught to be obedient to men, and men are taught to be stuck up, arrogant pricks who abuse them.

The story follows the life of Sultana, from her childhood days till her marriage, of all the trials and tribulations she has to go through as she dreams for a change in her world- one that will permit her to achieve her other dreams, for indeed, in Saudi Arabia, women have no right to achieve anything they want. From the way the story is told, (especially if you're a girl), prepare to spend a lot of time snarling and growling, and feeling sorry for, not this woman in particular, but the entire female population of Saudi Arabia. To describe some of the things they have to go through here would not do the book justice, so I'll leave it to you to read for yourself. You'll be surprised as to how harsh and extreme things are in these book, considering the fact that Arabs tend to generate the 'holier-than-thou' image on us Muslims.

The language is simple and clear. Using the first-person narrative, the author draws us into the main character's shoes in such an effective manner that you will feel as though you are the person, and, to an extent, wish that someone would sweep in there with a plane, rescue all the women, then drop a nuclear bomb on the remaining men. The story doesn't end as the book finishes- as it sets the stage for two sequels (which I hope to be reading really soon). It ends in a mournful, sad yet hopeful note. Which is, something that I'm thankful for. The way I see it, autobiographies are meant to end sadly. (part of the reason why I hated the Memoirs of a Geisha movie)

Rivetting and a page-turner. Despite what I expected it to be, it turned out to be a book that I will always remember.

8.5 out of 10.

Book Review: The Wrong Boy by Willy Russell

Holy crap. Nicholas Pang, I will not doubt any book you throw my way anymore. NEVER. In fact, I'm finally opening that Haruki Murakami book right now. Yes, finally. Shouldn't have doubted your choices, never will again. ^^ Because this book just blew me away.

Now, I expected something Adrian Mole-ish from this book. The lead character is after all, a British teenager who narrates the story through letters he writes to his favorite singer (not a diary, but it almost passes of a kind of diary. Unique, really) And its almost a coming-of-age novel, teen angst and it is humorous at times, because of the way it's narrated early on. But this book is really much, much, more mature, with more heart-wrenching scenes and darkness in it that it's a lot more than I really expected it to be.

The basic premise of this book is about a boy, Raymond Marks whose life changes when he gets accused of being...well, *something* by the local community due to a slight misunderstanding, and his fucked-up Headmaster. From then on life spirals downwards for him and his single mom, as he (eleven as this is happening) is sort of ostracized from society and the people who were once his friends. This however, is told in a more past tense form as the story really unfolds as he is leaving home, headed to a place called Grimsby where he is going to work as a construction worker. The events of the past he tells to his favorite singer Morissey, through his letters, piece together his past and eventually lead to where he is now.

The story is purely a roller coaster ride of emotions. There are characters you will hate with such intensity, and then there are ones you'll love and cry for, the main character included. And despite being a novel with a teenager as the main character, only the last 40 or so pages are dedicated to any form of romance, which is also left without being developed because frankly, this story isn't about this boy's love life, it's about his growing up, and the challenges he face due to being 'less than normal', due to being 'the wrong boy' as he sees it.

I shed tears more than once while reading this book. And seriously, I haven't been moved this much for a long time now, not since- oh well, I'd rather not bring it up, but it's a really really good book- one that I plan to own when I get home. Cuz I have to return this to the library in a few days- so later I'm going to look for one at Borders or Kino and buy it. It's that damn good.

Something about the main character reminds me of Khairul though- how he adores that one singer that no one else he knows seems to appreciate, and yet he fiercely defends that-

Oh wait, Khairul doesn't defend Chris Martin anymore.

But I digress.

I give this book a perfect score, and it fully deserves it.

Book Review: A Mango-Shaped Space

I found this book in the Young Adult section accidentally, just combing through the list of titles. The book's size was a little bigger than the rest on its shelf (and it was the only one there) so I took it out and...

...IT HAS A PRETTY COVER! OOOH!

Seriously though, I picked this up only because I can get a 25% discount on The Time Traveller's Wife and only on an impulse.

It was a good decision, in retrospect.

The book details the life of Mia ...or the adolescent part of it, anyway. Mia is a normal middle-child who has a bitch as a sister and a weirdo of a little brother; so what's new?

Well, for starters, she can see colors when no one can.

You see, for Mia, letters and numbers and sounds, they all have colors for her. For example, the mew of her cat, Mango, has the color of, well, mango. (Hence the name.) To her, this is normal but when her parents find out, they collectively freak out.

--------------------------------

Mia's Mom: I told you not to take drugs!
Mia's Dad: What drugs? My cousin was the one who took drugs! And how is that relevante here?
Mia: (exasperated silence)

--------------------------------

Mia's parents, like all parents would after finding out their daughters are seeing things they're not, thought she was nuts. She's not. Quite simply, she has a condition that is not harmful nor is it a disability.

She has synasthesia.

After that discovery, the book primarily deals with coming to terms with Mia's condition. Mia accepting it with joy; her family supporting her and her best friend...

...ah, yes. Mia gets into a fight with her best friend. It's interesting how it plays out but the potential is lost near the end. But it's pretty good.

Also, as with any typical teen story, there has to be a tinge of romance. It's not sappy and it has an almost clinical outlook on it. But well, by this time, you can already guesss what will happen.

All in all, it's a good book, if slightly flawed. Give it a shot but don't expect too much out of it.

7 out of 10

Book Review: The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

Wikipedia. Horror. Link. HP Lovecraft. Link. Clive Barker. And I get this. It's going to be made a movie. (Yes, I know, ANOTHER movie tie-in) pretty soon, so upon running into it at Pay Less Books, I decided that I'd get a peek at it before the movie comes out. It was described as a children's book, but a horror book at the same time. So it intrigued me. THIS is what I should have been reading during my days as a kid. THIS is the bedtime story I want to tell my children (If I ever get married. Hm. Nah) Because hey, it's a children's story. It's like 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.... Of Doom'.

Like most children's books, this book features children who get whisked off to magical faraway places, or just places that are plain bizzarre where they see things from their wildest dreams. The main character, Harvey Swick is sent to the Holiday House, a place that every child would want to go. There its always spring in the morning, summer in the afternoon, Halloween in the evening (Autumn) and Christmas at night (winter). Oh yay, joy. In an Enid Blyton book, the children will have fun, then go home, and live happily ever after, just that they miss the place.

But then Enid Blyton had no hand at all in this.

The children aren't allowed to leave, and the Holiday House seems to have secrets of the demonic kind. Will Harvey Swick be able to get out alive?

What I love about this book is its disturbing underlaying tones which might not seem too apparent to the average child, but oh yes, its there. And the bad guys don't explode into rainbows and candy. It's got darkness which it doesn't try too desperately to hide. And unlike a certain other book about a certain factory of chocolates, the bizarreness of this book doesn't feel all that childish. Sure there are transformations and stuff. But no one gets turned into a giant blueberry. And the tour-guide isn't a Depp-turned-into-Michael-Jackson.

Extra points for that.

Granted, I haven't read Chocolate Factory, but the movie just made it so much less appealing to me, that I don't think I ever will.

Good thing I picked this up before the movie, then.

I give it a 7 out of 10.

Book Review: The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

Early holidays. My reading list was still thick and I was still on a no-buying policy when it came to books. Then one day dad went to Borders. ^^ And then I found this.

You won't find a proper synopsis at the back of the book, but I took a chance. This is what was promised at the back: a wide range of characters stuck in royally messed up situations. These include a literature analyst, a sorcerer, a hideously deformed clown, a body-switching werewolf, a girl dressed up as a guy, and a brainwashed British lord who is also a poet. Oh, and did I mention that this book involves time travel?

Apparently word goes around that as far as time-travel related novels go, this one is one of the best And after reading it, I can see why. It has the sense of wit, adventure, and a large array of things that don't make sense, but come together just cleanly at the end, leaving you going 'Oh!' Not in an errotic sense >< I think too much. So anyway, the main character, the literature guy is offered a chance to go back in time to see this poet he's researching for his book, in exchange for him briefing and explaining the situation to a bunch of other rich guys who are paying his benefactor to go back and witness the event. They arrive, they witness the event, but just as the others are leaving, the main character gets left behind in 18th century England with no money, no connections, and no place to go.

And then there's the fact that some Egyptian guy seems intent on learning the secret of time travel from him, which he knows nothing of- not that the Egyptian guy cares. It's all in the torturing anyway. So yeah, one royally messed up situation leading to another, there's rarely a dull moment in this book. It's like a kind of adventure that Indiana Jones would kill to be a part of.

The romance isn't so well developed as the other parts of the book, but hey, who cares? (Not me, that's for sure). Keep me excited and up till wee hours of the morning, turning pages and I'm happy. More than happy, even. I'm hooked. I used to only take interest in Greecian and Roman deities, but lately I've been checking up on Ancient Egyptian culture too. ^^ Woot!

Ah, and for anyone interested in writing scenes involving sword-fights, pay close attention: The final scene of this book pulls off a very good sword fight, which isn't draggy nor is it dull. And just whoa, I'll say it's one of the best face-offs I've read in a book.

I won't rant more. I'll just say it's good, and leave it here with 9 out of 10.

Book Review: Abhorsen by Garth Nix

The concluding chapter in the Old Kingdom Trilogy (which I still insist should be a duology) It picks up where Lirael left off. It doesn't feel like an all new story altogether, because it's not meant to be. It's meant to tie up the story and that's what it does. Nothing more. Nothing less. This book is satisfying enough, in the sense that it maintains the same things that made Lirael good, and threw in more tight situations, and higher stakes. The story itself starts with the main character trapped on an island with the enemies preparing to make their move. And it only gets more and more intense.

Abhorsen is a roller coaster ride. Where Lirael and Sabriel had time to try and bring out the world in the back of your mind, Abhorsen has you rushing along from one place to another as the characters try to save it. The characters develop a lot more here from this point onwards, partially because they have no choice, partially because of the situations they've come out from in 'Lirael' and partially because of the revelations made at the end of that book. (I'm not giving anything away). Character dynamics are better in this book, as far as I'm concerned. But as it serves only as a conclusion, there's not much else I can say about this book.

There is an underlying 'coming-of-age' and 'accepting what you are' kind of theme running overall in this one. And it wraps up with a tragedy or two, which is always good, or it would have ended up too rosy. But it is at that final tragedy that you realize how much the character Lirael has grown. And you'll appreciate this book all the more for it.

I heard that there's a sequel for this. That short, small, purple book. I'm not picking it up, if only because I feel like this was a good fullstop. Too much dragging of a good thing makes it annoying.
*cough*starwarsprequels*cough*

7 out of 10 for this book.

8.5 out of 10 for the last two books, or if Lirael and Abhorsen had just been joined into one.

For the entire trilogy (which unfortunately includes Sabriel), I'll give it a 6. So for everyone's sake, let's pretend 'Sabriel' doesn't exist.

Book Review: Lirael by Garth Nix

Odd how I should be getting to this before Khairul, considering that the trilogy was his discovery.
And after how I attacked the last book, you might find it funny that I originally wanted to decide between 'Sabriel' and 'East' while I was shopping with Khairul at Kinokuniya- to which when I asked for his opinion, he asked me to choose 'East', and I rather reluctantly did so. Part of me was screaming that 'Sabriel' was better. Why else would it have a fancier cover? Why else would there be so many copies in Kinokuniya? Well, needless to say I don't regret picking 'East' one bit. But it's funny how Khairul came back later to pick up 'Sabriel'. I'd almost forgotten about it because of 'East'.

Right, in this book, Garth Nix is finally getting somewhere. I say this because most of the holes in Sabriel were filled in this one (most, not all). And in the grand scheme of things, eventually you'll realise that 'Oh, THIS is the main character of the trilogy, NOT Sabriel.' And then you'll sigh with relief. Because 'Lirael' is so much more interesting. (Both the book 'Lirael' and the character 'Lirael'.) Unlike Sabriel, she isn't born to a 'wonderful sacred duty/destiny', so you can feel the contrast there. Far from in, in fact. Lirael is a suicidal girl who was drawn and detailed with quirks, a missing past, guilt, resilience, and a sense of wanting to belong. Sabriel was a hero, who had a sacred duty... and she did it. End of story. Now, Lirael weaves a more tangled web than Sabriel, and that makes it so much better.

The story starts years after Sabriel, introducing us to Lirael. She's a completely different character than Sabriel, as she doesn't start out as an Abhorsen or a necromancer. She is meant to be a Clayr, a Seer. Only her powers haven't developed yet, which causes her to feel like she doesn't belong. Hence the suicidal tendecies. She's a very depressed girl. Though I admit that strong commanding characters like Sabriel turn me on more, Sabriel didn't have enough behind her to make her feel real, while Lirael does. Add a missing past to Lirael's life (she has never met her mother, which leads her to doubt that she has inherited any Clayr blood at all), and you've got a character that you actually want to turn pages for.

In terms of her journey, it feels better because what the villains are actually attempting to do are not exactly clear, with a complicated web drawing it different, unique people- from Sabriel's son Sameth, to the scientific Nicholas who has something inside of him, to the companions of Lirael and Sameth, respectively The Disreputable Dog and Mogget. Yes, a talking dog AND a talking cat. Throughout the story, Dog and Mogget drop hints that there's a lot more going on then we're being led on to, which makes the story feel a lot less linear and more complicated than the first book.

There are more twists in this one. More intense scenes. Even the world feels a bit more alive now.

If anything though, the villains still feel traditional. But they're still a lot better than the one in Sabriel, which, by the time you finish this book, you'll realize that the book 'Sabriel', in the grand scheme of things, was a waste of time.

9 out of 10. It's well worth a read.

Book Review: Sabriel by Garth Nix

The first book in the Old Kingdom trilogy. Yes I've finally gotten round to reading the whole thing, regardless of the fact that it was originally quite far down my reading list. Nicholas borrowed it from me, and another guy subsequently borrowed it from him, and I the other guy told me that it was worth the time. It convinced me that maybe there was something exceptional about this book after all, now that Khairul wasn't the only person who was telling me 'Sabriel is good!'.

As Khairul has mentioned in his review, the story opens with the birth of the main character, then immediately jumps to a point in her life where she's about to embark on her journey to save her dad (who happens to be a necromancer. Lots of dead things mentioned in this book), which leads her from one thing to another. The world is drawn nicely, though there wasn't so much emphasis on descriptions. This was both a good thing and a bad thing, in my opinion. Good because the descriptions didn't bore me and drag too long, just enough to get me interested in the world, bad because it got me interested, but didn't care enough to satisfy my curiosity. The world in this book is attention-grabbing enough, but in the end it left me feeling that there was a lot more to it than the author was going on about.

For the storyline, it felt quite linear to me. But maybe that's because I've just read one too many fantasy novels. Though I like journeys, and there was a plus point that the setting was a cold place, and the end of it all. it feels like going somewhere, oh, go somewhere else, oh, go somewhere else, fight the bad guy, end. There was a total of one twist throughout the story which was of any significance, as far as I was concerned, but it felt quite lame in the grand scheme of things, which ended up with me not liking the main couple so much. The characters are alive, but like the world they are alive enough to warrant wanting to find out more- something you'll never get. If there was a character that I felt satisfied with, it was Mogget, the talking cat. Sarcastic and mean, he adds life to the story which the other two characters- Sabriel and Touchstone lacked in one way or another.

It didn't help that the bad guy was just the bad guy and nothing more. I expected a lot more character dynamics, and that left me feeling a tad bit disappointed.

On the whole scale though, its adequate for a fantasy story. Though it introduces a few new concepts, the delivery of it felt rushed and the characters weren't as endearing as they could have been. But apart from that, it should be alright, especially if you're new to this genre. Otherwise you'll feel like it could have been so much more.

6 out of 10. At least it's not 'The Light Ages'. (pukes)