Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I just finished reading Mockingjay, and I can't stop thinking about it.  If you have not read the first two books in the Hunger Games Trilogy, read no further.  I'll do my best not give anything away, but I don't want to ruin this amazing trilogy for anyone who may not have read it yet.

In web video posted on Borders Book Club, Suzanne Collins reveals her inspiration for the Hunger Games.  Channel surfing on late night TV, she was struck by the irony between her choices of entertainment - reality programs and 24 hour news footage covering the Iraq war.  Collins grew up with her father fighting in Vietnam, and her view of war is very authentic, very raw. War is not a sanitized nightly news bite with statistics of casualties.  It is personal for her, and this is very evident in all three of her books, but particularly in the third.

A lot of people die in this book. The events of the first two books escalate into rebellion and full scale war.  And Collins holds nothing back.  Innocent lives are lost, on both sides of the fight, as each tries to gain victory.  Katniss finds herself struggling with some very important questions about what she will do to survive, how far she can she go to destroy the Capitol and still remain ethical.  How far the rebellion can go before the their fight becomes less about survival and more about kiling for the sake of total victory.  Collins creates certain situations in the war that hit far too close for comfort, given our county's current involvement in two wars half a world away.  Children die.  There are scenes in the book that make the end of Harry Potter look like a happy romp through fantasy land.  It feels so authentic that I found myself even more profoundly disturbed than when I read the end of the first novel even though, in my opinion, the Hunger Games depicted more graphic violence.

In this, Collins has accomplished her goal:  to make her readers, young adult or no, consider the effect the news media (and perhaps even our own government's censorship of the media) is having on us ordinary citizens.  To make us consider what war really means.  To appeal to our sense of decency and compassion even as Katniss struggles to maintain hers.

Readers will be gratified to know that Collins finally does answer, once and for all, the Gale vs Peeta question.  However, it is not the focus of the book, and the love triangle plays itself out in ways that, while realistic and true to the characters, are still entirely unpredictable.  This book is about war, not romance.  It is an examination of how love can be twisted and manipulated in the face of corrupt power.

I cannot speak highly enough about the impact of this book. It is disturbing, but for all the right reasons.

The Big Love by Sarah Dunn

The Big Love is Sarah Dunn's first novel, and by most counts a good debut. It's a chic lit book, a story about love and relationships. More specifically, it's a story of one woman's mission to overanalyze both. As one review I read mentioned, the book has a witty, Sex & the City vibe, treating humiliating situations with humor and flair, all the while delving into the phsychology of modern dating.

While at times I found Dunn's main character, Alison, a bit shallow and self-absorbed, I was also intrigued by the character because of her upbringing. Through Alison, Dunn introduces into the discussion of love an aspect of character that most chic lit writers avoid at all costs - religious upbringing. Alison was brought up as a conservative Protestant and, though she no longer practices the religion of her youth, still finds that it colors most of her attitudes and decisions regarding the opposite sex. Having experienced a similar upbringing, I can certainly relate, and I found it refreshing to have romance discussed in such a completely open way. I got the impression that Dunn used Alison as a conduit to express many of her own attitudes on love and religious upbringing (although I doubt Dunn, or anyone, could be as obsessively neurotic about the issue as the character Alison seems to be).

I think for most people it's true that religious upbringing informs the way we view all of our relationships, particularly romantic ones. Dunn not only acknowledges this, she dives strainght into the analysis of it. Of course, the book is about more than religion and romance. At its heart, it's a novel about finding love.

The novel begins with Alison's steady boyfriend of 4 years leaving her for another woman. What follows is Alison's search for love and happiness, when everything she thought she wanted disappears. In dealing with this massive blow to both her pride and her happily-ever-after future, Alison discusses, in brutally honest fashion, her attitudes and herself, which makes for entertaining reading, particularly if you can relate to her. At one point in the novel, she admits that "I do suffer from an affliction in which I believe that all of my male friends are secretly in love with me." Who among us women has ever had that thought, at one point or another? And who of us has ever been brave enough to admit it?

Dunn's approach to the age-old trope of falling in love is a modern breath of fresh air. I found a few of the plot points a bit weak, but overall The Big Love is a mindless, entertaining read, with some fresh twists thrown into the chic lit genre. Enjyable for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

My Rating: 3 stars

Re-readability Rating: 1 star

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

The Story of Dinah takes up an entire chapter in the book of Genesis, and yet it is rarely mentioned in modern Christian traditions. In fact, though I spent the first 18 years of my life dutifully following Protestant Christianity, I had never heard of Dinah, daughter of Jacob, until I picked up The Red Tent. The novel re-imagines the story of Jacob through the eyes of women, in the process painting a fascinating picture of women in antiquity.

The backbone of Diamant's narrative employs several often ignored Old Testament anecdotes involving the women surrounding Jacob. After finishing the novel, I actually dusted off my Bible and read some of the chapters n Geneiss from which Diamant gleans her material. Sure enough, many of the stories were there. Diamant does change a few details. For example, she completely discards the idea that Jacob had to wait seven years before marrying Rachel, then another seven when he found he had been tricked into marrying Leah. She does this, most likely, to advance the plot, although I consider it an improvement, as I always found that particular detail of the Biblical story difficult to believe. Also, in Diamant's story, all four of Jacob's wives - Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah - are sisters by the same father. Diamant characterizes the relationship between Leah and Jacob as a passionate partnership, rather than a distasteful marriage. However, the primary arc of the story, and the details involving Jacob and his sons, are largely unchanged. Jacob gets very little face time throughout the book, and events are never told from his point of view. This story is about the women and their lives together.

The Red Tent includes several details about women in Genesis that are either glossed over or completely ignored in modern religious tradition. For example, the fact the women worshipped and treasured the gods of their childhood is, for doctrinal reasons, never metioned in Sunday schools, but is a prevalent characteristic of womens' lives throughout the book. Diamant also fills in the details of female tradition and day-to-day life in ancient times, culminating in the tradition of the red tent. The red tent exclusively serves the women as an abode of rest and fellowhip during their monthly periods. It fosters female community and companionship, and allows Diamant to weave a beautiful and nuanced narrative for her characters.

The entire novel is told from Dinah's point of view, divided into the three parts. In the first part, Dinah relates the stories told to her by her four "mothers", encompassing the tales of the four wives of Jacob and their early experiences. Part II tells Dinah's story from childhood, culminating in the events of Genesis 34. In the final part of the story, Dinah relates her experiences in Egypt, and tells of her family there. If you are unfamiliar with the story of Dinah, I highly recommend reading Diamant's novel first, then comparing it with the Biblical text afterwards. I found that this made the impact of the story all the more powerful.

*Note: According to Bart D. Ehrman, a Biblical scholar and professor, the evoltion of the New Testament Biblical texts can be charted through surviving documents. In some passages, we have proof that the words of the passage were changed by the scribe copying the document, likely to have the text better represent their interpretation of the meaning. Ehrman is a New Testament scholar and, to my knowledge, make no claims about the book of Genesis. However, after reading The Red Tent, I began to think of the events in the Biblical version of the story, particularly the use of the word "rape". I'm inclined to think that either the word "rape" was later inserted, or that the meaning of the word has changed since the story was written. What do you think? Am I forcing my own interpretation onto the text? Or do you think Diamant's fictional story is a better representation of events?

My Rating: 5 stars

Re-readablity Rating: 4 stars

The Indian Bride By Karin Fossum (translated by Charlotte Barslund)

What first attracted me to Karin Fossum's The Indian Bride was not only the fact that it was a murder mystery, but that is was originally written in Norwegian. I am a fan of the major English language mystery writers: Agatha Christie, Mary Higgins Clark, etc; but I am unfamiliar with those mystery writers inaccessible by distance and language barrier. When I heard about this book, I immediately wondered whether Norwegian mysteries were the same as English mysteries. Not that I expected them to be different from what a typically read, but as with anyone from an unfamiliar country, exposure to their ideas can present you a new perspective. Regardless, I was intrigued, and Ms. Fossum did not disappoint.

As is indicated from the title, the novel follows the murder investigation of Poona, an Indian woman recently married to a lonely Norwegian man. Gunder, a meticulous but unremarkable 50 year-old farm equipment salesman, decides one day to find a wife in India, to fulfill some of the empty corners of his life and make his future whole. He succeeds, and returns to his home town to happily prepare his home in anticipation of his wife's arrival. But on the day her plane arives, a family emergency prevents him from retrieving her at the airport, and she is found murdered the next morning. Cue in Inspector Konrad Sejer, Fossum's lead detective and in most respects the main character of the book, to solve the case.

From English mysteries, I have come to expect a twist at the book's end; the culprit tends to be someone other than the prime suspect. In this respect, Fossum takes a new approach. Rather than crafting the story in favor of a few likely criminals, Fossum strictly follows the evidence. She gives the reader a peek into the minds of Gunder, the police, the witnesses and suspects, but only in terms of the evidence they present. The police and witness accounts are crafted in such a way that the reader only knows the detail of the crime scene itself, and the witnesses that come forward. Although the story is told in 3rd person omniscient, we are never given a peek into the mind of the killer. Unlike so many American mysteries, we never witness the thoughts of the perpetrator as the crime is being committed. This particular style makes the novel truly feel like a mystery, in which the reader barely knows more than the police do. It gives the entire story an air of authenticity.

I get the sense that perhaps Fossum is familiar with the criminal justice system, for although the crime is eventually solved, there is no sense of closure. There are many unanswered questions, extraneous facts, and inflated memories that do not tie up neatly at the end of the day. I finished the book with the sense that really anyone in that quaint little Norwegian town could have committed the murder, given the right conditions. The book is completely engrossing and intriguing from start to finish, a mystery in the truest sense of the word. I am curious to know if all of Fossum's books end with this sort of eerie, tragic feeling, and I plan to read more from her in the future.

A few things to note:
***The Indian Bride was originally published in English with the title Calling Out For You.
***The book mentions the "Norwegian National costume". I had to look this up on Wikipedia, since I wasn't sure what Fossum meant. Basically, every district or town in Norway has its own version of traditional clothing that is worn on special occasions, the way a Scotsman might wear a Kilt during a parade, etc.


My Rating: 4 stars
Re-readability Rating: 3 stars

Dead Until Dark, Southern Vampire Mysteries series, By Charlaine Harris

Due to the current vampire media saturation (to which I have fully bought into - I'm a Stephenie Meyer fan) and the True Blood HBO series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books (of which I have heard good things), I decided to read the first of the Southern Vampire Mysteries series. Gee, pop culture. Twist my arm, why don’t you?

Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series immediately thrusts the reader into a not-so-distant future where vampires and humans coexist. Due to the invention of synthetic blood, vampires have “come out of the coffin” and live their own lives among humans at night. It's definitely a new twist on some otherwise cliché subject matter, which makes the story instantly intriguing. Harris increases suspense and curiosity by introducing the rules of this new social dynamic bit by bit, assuming the readers know just a little more than they actually do, using action and character dialogue to expand this new world. It’s a good set-up, and it makes the book a page-turner.

Sookie Stackhouse, the main character, is a 25 year old girl with a “disability” – she can hear other people’s thoughts. Sookie explains that this ability make her socially awkward and an outcast. I have to admit I didn't really buy into this "disability" thing. Being a mind-reader clearly puts her at an adavantage, I don't care how many random and disturbing thoughts she has to listen to in a day. Luckily Harris doesn’t dwell on the disadvantages of Sookie's powers too much, or I would have been annoyed. But as it stands, the book has too much action to waste time on character pity.

Sookie's non-nonsense attitude and compassionate personality soon lead her to investigate a string of disturbing murders, with the help of Bill, the new vampire in town. Of course, Sookie's actions soon make her the next target on the killer's list, and its up to Sookie and her friends to discover who it is, before its too late.

I won’t turn this into a Twilight vs. True Blood post, but I will say that if you are looking for a Twilight follow-up, this series may not necessarily be your cup of tea. Yes, there are hot Vampire men. Yes, there is love, lust, and excitement. But if you’re looking for a young adult romance, prepare to get a bit more than you bargained for. Twilight was fairly virginal (there were definitely a few Mormon undertones), and the majority of the action Bella saw revolved around kisses and “hot electric touches” that lead nowhere. Not so with Sookie, whose escapades are described in full-blown romance novel fashion. But if you don’t mind the erotic detail (or if you consider it a big plus) then you can look forward to a book that has never a dull moment and lots of sensual and supernatural action.

The first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series mixes murder-mystery, romance, and Gothic fantasy genres to create a wholly unique class of paperback fiction. If you're planning on picking up Dead Until Dark get ready for a quick, exciting romp through the supernatural.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Re-readability Rating: 2.5