LaGizma reviews the latest and greatest in literary fiction
Rattled by Debra Galant
4/5: Deliciously over-the-top satire of modern suburban sprawl
Rattled is a story of opposing viewpoints. The tale is set in the idyllic countryside of New Jersey's Hebron Township. Historically a farm village, over the last decade, Hebron Township has been overtaken by wealthy NY and CT commuters looking for spacious McMansions. Main characters include Harlan White, the five-decade plus bench warmer at the country store. While others have sold out to greedy developers, Harlan has kept his land. He's discovered a market for expensive organic and free-range eggs (with all the hip new residents), and he lives off his chicken farm despite the fact that he could pocket a huge sum if he sold it. The reader is also introduced to Heather Peters, a stereotypical chick-lit narrator. She's the master of complaints, calling any merchant or developer on the chopping block when they don't meet her ridiculous requests. When she spends a night in jail on trumped-up charges, she demands an accommodation-evaluation form so that she can lodge her complaints about the facility. The third main character is a ruthless real estate developer who built Heather's 200-house paradise, failing to mention that his ultimate plan was to buy out Harlan White and build another 800-homes, ruining Heather's illusion of countryside isolation. Oh, and there appear to be some dozens of rattlesnakes living in the housing development area.
Yes, Debra Galant's characters are over-the-top, almost to the point of being self-caricatures, especially in the case of Heather. That just makes this book all the more delightful! The action is larger than life, but Galant manages to execute a resolution in which the good guys win, the bad guys lose, and the characters on the fence manage to change the course of their lives for the better. Pick this novel up for a light, fun read. There's still time to take this one to the beach in 2006!
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
5/5: Brilliant modern gothic. Prepare yourself to get lost in the labyrinth of The Keep.
Jennifer Egan's third novel opens with neo-punk cyber-junkie main character Danny arriving at his cousin Howie's dilapidated European castle. Howie couldn't even pin down which country the castle is in--Austria, Germany, or the Czech Republic--"because the borders are constantly sliding around." Howie's dream is to create the ultimate spiritual retreat, a place to escape from modern conveniences and telecommunications and commune with higher powers. Lost soul Danny is not receptive to this idea; at least until he spots a young, blonde apparition in the Keep, the inaccessible tower of the castle that serves as "the last stand, the final holdout. It's what you protect, and where you run to when the walls are breached." Danny accepted plane tickets from his cousin as an escape route from his troubles with mobsters back in New York, but he rejected the physical isolation of the castle by bringing along his own bulky satellite phone.
Howie and Danny have a tumultuous past relationship, ever since Danny played a childhood prank that went terribly wrong. Danny has nagging doubts about Howie's motives for summoning him to his castle-in-transformation, and as strange events unfold, he's not sure who to trust and what is authentic. (It doesn't help that he's naturally predisposed to paranoia, of course.)
Early on, Egan tosses in another aspect to the story: it is actually a creative writing task for a hardened prisoner. Our author, Ray, only joined the writing class to escape his cell, but his fictional work takes on a life of his own, especially after he develops a connection with his fragile, recovering teacher. He empathizes his character Danny, but he makes it clear that Danny isn't a self-portrait.
The narrative about Danny and the ghosts of the Keep smoothly parallels Ray's struggles in prison, and subtle connections can be made between the plot twists in both Ray and Danny's lives. The stories converge in a natural manner (yes, Egan can make the supernatural entirely real). The Keep is one of the best books of the year, and it's nearly impossible for a reviewer to re-create the experience in a few short paragraphs. Go ahead and pick this one up to see for yourself!
Target Underwear and a Vera Wang Gown: Notes from a Single Girl's Closet by Adena Halpern
5/5: Give Halpern a chance to win your heart over; you'll bond with this fun-loving, self-satirical narrator
Halpern will win you over if you give her a chance. From the title and the cover art, I wasn't sure if this book would be my cup of tea. The opening chapter is a grandiose attempt to define an entire life by formative childhood experiences in elegant downtown department stores. It's a forced thesis about an entire life via a shopping metaphor, but, fortunately, it is the weakest link to the whole book. The following essays really pick up and let the reader bond with Halpern.
Bonding is precisely what this book is about. I bonded with Halpern on her specific body flaws, her ridiculous attempts to compensate for her height with platform shoes and hooker heels all throughout her adult life, her female friendships, her off-the-wall dot com job, and her relationship struggles. Despite the cover and the subtitle, don't expect this to be a whiny female rant about personal flaws and interpersonal drama. It's a witty, over-the-top, self-satire that any modern gal will relate to. Halpern writes with the wisdom that comes from experience, so she is able to analyze the flaws in her logic during her younger years.
One of the turning points in the essay collection (which follows Halpern's life in a chronological fashion)
is her long-term relationship with a down-to-earth, fun-loving guy. Obsessed with presenting a perfect image for him and meeting his every need (or her imagined version of his needs), Halpern buries her true self so deep that the perfect man breaks up with her due to her superficiality. After a year of depression and unemployment, Halpern picks herself up and makes positive changes. Upon reading about this period in her life, I thought, a-ha! Creating that perfect image was exactly what Halpern tried and failed to do in her opening essay. She's not cured, after all, and I'm even more endeared to her as a result.
Halpern writes about depression with wit and candor, and not a trace of self-pity. In fact, she never uses the word depression, and it was only in writing this review that I realized there was no other word to describe that period in her life.
The collection concludes with Halpern's marriage to a high-profile film industry member. One could take away the message that single-life is full of trials and tribulations, and all your problems are solved if you just snag Mr. Right, but I'm hoping that Halpern just found that to be a convenient stopping place for volume one of her life story. Adena, I'll be here, waiting to hear more.
4/5: Deliciously over-the-top satire of modern suburban sprawl
Rattled is a story of opposing viewpoints. The tale is set in the idyllic countryside of New Jersey's Hebron Township. Historically a farm village, over the last decade, Hebron Township has been overtaken by wealthy NY and CT commuters looking for spacious McMansions. Main characters include Harlan White, the five-decade plus bench warmer at the country store. While others have sold out to greedy developers, Harlan has kept his land. He's discovered a market for expensive organic and free-range eggs (with all the hip new residents), and he lives off his chicken farm despite the fact that he could pocket a huge sum if he sold it. The reader is also introduced to Heather Peters, a stereotypical chick-lit narrator. She's the master of complaints, calling any merchant or developer on the chopping block when they don't meet her ridiculous requests. When she spends a night in jail on trumped-up charges, she demands an accommodation-evaluation form so that she can lodge her complaints about the facility. The third main character is a ruthless real estate developer who built Heather's 200-house paradise, failing to mention that his ultimate plan was to buy out Harlan White and build another 800-homes, ruining Heather's illusion of countryside isolation. Oh, and there appear to be some dozens of rattlesnakes living in the housing development area.
Yes, Debra Galant's characters are over-the-top, almost to the point of being self-caricatures, especially in the case of Heather. That just makes this book all the more delightful! The action is larger than life, but Galant manages to execute a resolution in which the good guys win, the bad guys lose, and the characters on the fence manage to change the course of their lives for the better. Pick this novel up for a light, fun read. There's still time to take this one to the beach in 2006!
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
5/5: Brilliant modern gothic. Prepare yourself to get lost in the labyrinth of The Keep.
Jennifer Egan's third novel opens with neo-punk cyber-junkie main character Danny arriving at his cousin Howie's dilapidated European castle. Howie couldn't even pin down which country the castle is in--Austria, Germany, or the Czech Republic--"because the borders are constantly sliding around." Howie's dream is to create the ultimate spiritual retreat, a place to escape from modern conveniences and telecommunications and commune with higher powers. Lost soul Danny is not receptive to this idea; at least until he spots a young, blonde apparition in the Keep, the inaccessible tower of the castle that serves as "the last stand, the final holdout. It's what you protect, and where you run to when the walls are breached." Danny accepted plane tickets from his cousin as an escape route from his troubles with mobsters back in New York, but he rejected the physical isolation of the castle by bringing along his own bulky satellite phone.
Howie and Danny have a tumultuous past relationship, ever since Danny played a childhood prank that went terribly wrong. Danny has nagging doubts about Howie's motives for summoning him to his castle-in-transformation, and as strange events unfold, he's not sure who to trust and what is authentic. (It doesn't help that he's naturally predisposed to paranoia, of course.)
Early on, Egan tosses in another aspect to the story: it is actually a creative writing task for a hardened prisoner. Our author, Ray, only joined the writing class to escape his cell, but his fictional work takes on a life of his own, especially after he develops a connection with his fragile, recovering teacher. He empathizes his character Danny, but he makes it clear that Danny isn't a self-portrait.
The narrative about Danny and the ghosts of the Keep smoothly parallels Ray's struggles in prison, and subtle connections can be made between the plot twists in both Ray and Danny's lives. The stories converge in a natural manner (yes, Egan can make the supernatural entirely real). The Keep is one of the best books of the year, and it's nearly impossible for a reviewer to re-create the experience in a few short paragraphs. Go ahead and pick this one up to see for yourself!
Target Underwear and a Vera Wang Gown: Notes from a Single Girl's Closet by Adena Halpern
5/5: Give Halpern a chance to win your heart over; you'll bond with this fun-loving, self-satirical narrator
Halpern will win you over if you give her a chance. From the title and the cover art, I wasn't sure if this book would be my cup of tea. The opening chapter is a grandiose attempt to define an entire life by formative childhood experiences in elegant downtown department stores. It's a forced thesis about an entire life via a shopping metaphor, but, fortunately, it is the weakest link to the whole book. The following essays really pick up and let the reader bond with Halpern.
Bonding is precisely what this book is about. I bonded with Halpern on her specific body flaws, her ridiculous attempts to compensate for her height with platform shoes and hooker heels all throughout her adult life, her female friendships, her off-the-wall dot com job, and her relationship struggles. Despite the cover and the subtitle, don't expect this to be a whiny female rant about personal flaws and interpersonal drama. It's a witty, over-the-top, self-satire that any modern gal will relate to. Halpern writes with the wisdom that comes from experience, so she is able to analyze the flaws in her logic during her younger years.
One of the turning points in the essay collection (which follows Halpern's life in a chronological fashion)
is her long-term relationship with a down-to-earth, fun-loving guy. Obsessed with presenting a perfect image for him and meeting his every need (or her imagined version of his needs), Halpern buries her true self so deep that the perfect man breaks up with her due to her superficiality. After a year of depression and unemployment, Halpern picks herself up and makes positive changes. Upon reading about this period in her life, I thought, a-ha! Creating that perfect image was exactly what Halpern tried and failed to do in her opening essay. She's not cured, after all, and I'm even more endeared to her as a result.
Halpern writes about depression with wit and candor, and not a trace of self-pity. In fact, she never uses the word depression, and it was only in writing this review that I realized there was no other word to describe that period in her life.
The collection concludes with Halpern's marriage to a high-profile film industry member. One could take away the message that single-life is full of trials and tribulations, and all your problems are solved if you just snag Mr. Right, but I'm hoping that Halpern just found that to be a convenient stopping place for volume one of her life story. Adena, I'll be here, waiting to hear more.