I am easily hooked by books about writing. What Happened to Sophie Wilder is a good one. Christopher Beha deals with why people write fiction, how they write, and the love of reading. But, he also digs into family, love, betrayal, and unthinkable actions. Quite unusual for young writers today, he also links all of this with one character's brief encounter with religious faith. This is done with a deft and light touch, largely from the perspective of the friends on the outside of the experience. What Happened is the story of three friends who have high artistic aspirations during college. After graduation they separate. Charlie and his cousin live the alcohol soaked life of intelligentsia-wanna-be's in NYC, and Sophie lands in an unlikely marriage. They have not yet truly found the level of achievement that they have been passionate about, and some keep trying. The human aspect of the novel really gains traction after Sophie accidentally discovers her father-in-law, who she was told was long dead. She then awkwardly cares for him in a serious illness. This material is a lot to work with, and Beha does pull it off. There are some "first novel" weaknesses, but they can be overlooked given the high challenges Beha set for himself. The ending of the book borrows from a Richard Brautigan motif, which some might find too "writers' workshop-ish", but I enjoyed. Write, read.
I don't read many mystery novels. The ones that I have read have been outside the main footprint, like A Person of Interest, on which I commented in this blog. Nathan Larson's The Dewey Decimal System is way outside the box, and is great fun. It is a dystopian noir mystery set in a tottering New York City after coordinated unidentified terror attacks. Larson vividly creates the vibe of this world and the mind of the noir sort-of-hero, Dewey Decimal. He lives within a system of behaviors that he hopes will keep him sane and safe, and Larson really brings him alive. Decimal, a former soldier, works for the shady D.A. of NYC, doing odd jobs and dirty work. He runs afoul of the Eastern European mobs that dominate the city, as well as ruthless war criminals. They are playing a complex and dangerous chess game, with Decimal caught in the middle. The book does violate the classic noir code, as not everyone is dead at the end. Since a sequel was recently released, this observation is not a spoiler! Larson's writing is edgy without being overwrought, and the story moves quickly. As composer John Adams would say, it's "a short ride on a fast machine". Have some fun, get inside the head of Dewey Decimal.
We recently watched two films, directed by Patrice Leconte, that are a delightful pairing. Both films have charm, grace & humor, and are perfectly cast. After a decade and a strong cup of coffee, I finally realized that their titles share a motif: "The Girl on the Bridge", 1999, and "The Man on the Train", 2002.
"The Girl" is the story of two lost souls plagued with bad luck, who discover, after some difficulty, that they have better luck together. Vanessa Paradis plays a promiscuous, devil may care
woman and Daniel Auteuil plays a knife throwing carnie with some interesting ideas about luck and life. The young Paradis is a gap-toothed, wide-faced, not-pretty beauty, who is tailor made for this part. Auteuil perfectly brings to life the older, world weary, not quite sure of himself fast talker. They meet on a bridge in Paris when Paradis is about to jump off, and is saved by Auteuil, who needs another down-on-her-luck assistant for his act. After some success together, they part company, to their mutual regret. I have one caveats. The film opens with an odd setting, an interview of Paradis which I have always fast-forwarded through. Edit! . I would overlook this and enjoy the rest of the film!
"The Train" also finds two people thrown together. In this case, a twinkle eyed poetry professor and a taciturn bank robber, who meet when the hood needs a room to stay in. Again, the casting is wonderful. Jean Rochefort plays the professor, who wonders if he has let too much life pass him by. He is a delight to watch. Pop singer Johnny Hallyday plays the craggy faced, mostly silent, bank robber. Yes, French pop music is horrid, but Hallyday is perfect here. The two men are great foils for one another, in demeanor and character. A scene in which Rochefort secretly tries on Hallyday's black leather jacket, and imagines himself a bank robber, is a gem. I mentioned a Richard Brautigan motif, in a recent post on Christopher Beha, which is also found in the ending(s) of "The Train". It works well. An English speaking version of the film was made in 2011, which I have not seen. Leconte's film is a treasure.
Alif the Unseen wasn't quite what I expected. It is the story of an outsider Indian-Arab hacker-for-hire in a heavily censored Emirate, on the eve of it's own Arab Spring. This seemed to offer a potent mix that might lend itself to insights on spiritual and political aspects of moderate and radical Islam, and the collision with Internet technology. This is the case, to some extent. However, Alif is more likely described as a Muslim Harry Potter. It is complete with jinns, devious bad guys & secret police, innocent love interests, unlikely friendships, and a bit of Internet hacking. Wilson might have aimed Alif at young readers, so I can't say that it would be everyone's cup of tea. The book's most interesting aspect is the relationship between the structure of an ancient mystical text and a powerful new way of programming. Wilson converted to Islam while at Boston University, and moved to Cairo. There she wrote for several Western magazines, as well as the opposition weekly, Cairo Magazine. Her fiction genre before Alif was the graphic novel, often collaborating with artist M.K. Parker.
