The Soul Thief by Charles Baxter

**This is the second book that inspired me to start a blog. Unfortunately, this one made me want to vent. I tried to be positive, but I was not so lucky, so just be aware of that if you choose to continue reading this entry (it really is more of a rant)...

Synopsis: The general plot is about a graduate student in Buffalo, named Nathaniel Mason, who has had a difficult family life. He meets two people one night: a beautiful girl named Theresa and an odd but supposedly brilliant guy named Jerome Coolberg (called Coolberg). Both are fellow students. Coolberg is an over-the-top intellectual, who seems to know everything about Nathaniel. Shortly into the book, Nathaniel begins having simultaneous sexual relationships with Theresa and a lesbian cab driver named Jamie (who is markedly not pretty). He falls in love with Jamie (surprisingly, but it turns out that Theresa is shallow - surprise surprise). While this is going on, Coolberg seems to be taking over his life. Coolberg even has some of Nathaniel's clothes stolen from Nathaniel's apartment. This makes Nathaniel very uncomfortable (understandably -- although Theresa and Coolberg seem to think that this is not a big deal). Then some violence happens (in regards to Jamie). Nathaniel has a breakdown, and we meet him decades later when he has recovered and is married with children. His past is presumably buried until Coolberg contacts him and asks him to travel from somewhere in New Jersey to LA to see him. Then there is a big plot twist (which isn't that big) and the story ends...rather anticlimactically.

My Thoughts: I really didn't like this book. There were points at which I thought that I might be able to get into it, but then I would (once again) become upset...almost angry, by the language. Every single phrase in the book is overly artful. Every description is trying too hard, and the novel as a whole is trying to be something it can never be. The plot promises to be exciting, which is why I kept reading. I read reviews that promised a surprising plot twist at the end. So I dug myself in deeper (to be fair, it wasn't a very long book), until I got to the end. This was last night. I almost missed the plot twist because at that point I was just so bored. Even worse, though, the chapter after this supposedly mind-blowing moment, the author actually feels the need to explain why the plot twist was an appropriate choice. It is not the only time he seems to explain something he chose to do: on the very first page he almost literally tells the reader why he chose to use the word "aberrant" instead of "abnormal".

I won't say what this anticlimactic "twist" is because I don't want to ruin the plot for anyone reading this and thinking he or she might want to read the book. But it is disappointing. Not as disappointing as the writing, though. It is a specific type of writing, which is not all that uncommon these days (the book was published in 2008 -- so very, very recently). All of his words are too big. He creates characters who use big words and then manipulates them throughout the novel to show off his vocabulary. Let me just mention: I know he's not actually or deliberately showing off; it just feels like he is and it really got under my skin. Many of the images he creates are too artful to even be real. None of the emotions or moods he tries to convey actually make their way through the entanglement of fancy adjectives. I kept thinking, "I know he's trying to create a meaningful image, but his writing is too pretentious." Sometimes the passages even became long winded because of all the self-important metaphors.

Further, the dialogue was forced and unrealistic (for example, an uneducated junkie who burglarizes Nathaniel's apartment says he does not mind if his coffee, "tastes of rust". Even educated people don't say that. No one does, it's unnatural). And, I couldn't have cared less about the characters. Baxter clearly doesn't like his characters, as they are either pretentious and unlikable, or too clichéed to be cared about. At times, I hoped something truly horrible would happen -- even to the main character, whom I'm sure we were supposed to sympathize with.

Up until the end of the book, I thought I could say that I found some merit in Baxter's efforts. I thought maybe the plot would have been well designed, but in the end, even this was a half-hearted effort. I was so disappointed; I really got the impression that this book served more as an ego booster for the author ("look how many words I know and how "artfully" I can put them together"). The worst part is: I don't doubt that he has a lot of talent. There was something about the way the book was written that indicated skill and expertise, but he just didn't follow through. He got lost in himself - in his ego. Maybe if he had cared more, he could have created a really shocking end, edited the dialogue and the obnoxious vocabulary, and created a piece of riveting fiction...

I once had a professor (my favorite professor), who told us, "You're at one of the best schools in the country: I know you did well on the SATs. I know you know those words. So, don't use them in your papers unless there is no other word that can possibly get your point across." I basically paraphrased from memory (although I think I'm pretty close), but that is definitely the point I walked away with, and it's too bad that Charles Baxter did not take such a class, otherwise he may have known better.

Being There by Jerzy Kosiński

Synopsis: A man (we never learn his age, but my guess is that he's in his forties) named Chance lives a solitary life as a gardener in the home of a rich old man (whose character is called the Old Man). When the Old Man dies, Chance is nowhere to be found in the documents of the estate; there is no record of him anywhere and he has no identifying papers/documents. The Old Man's estate is closed up and Chance leaves the property for the first time, is hit by a car, and winds up in the home of a very rich businessman, Benjamin Rand, whose wife introduces Chance as Chauncey Gardiner. Chance is simpleminded, and cannot read or write because, according to the narrator, he was never able to learn. His favorite pass time is watching television, which proves to be a source of comfort, as well as information once he enters the world beyond the Old Man's house. Interacting with elite members of society becomes difficult and almost overwhelming for him at times, and he repeatedly resorts to discussing the way a garden works, because this is all he knows. However, people take his words metaphorically and apply them to the economic (mostly) and political struggles the world is faced with. Chance becomes an overnight legend of sorts, as everyone clambers to find out information about him (although there is none). I don't want to ruin the end, but the book is largely a satirical commentary on society.

My Thoughts: First of all, I mentioned in my last post that I started this blog because of two books. This is not one of those books...I read this book yesterday as a quick respite from the other book (which I am still reading: The Soul Thief). My sister is reading this book in AP English, and I was interested. Not to mention I'll probably have a paper or two of hers to read in the not-so-distant future, so I wanted to know what to expect.

I should probably start by saying that I had never heard of this book before, even though it is apparently pretty famous and, I learned yesterday, it is also a movie. Honestly, though (you know, despite its reputation), I really didn't think I was going to like it. What a nice surprise. I had no idea what to expect, but I sort of thought it was going to be a sappy story about someone who did drugs and recovered. The title gave me that impression, even though this idea was totally off. The narrator starts out in Chance's mind (sort of), but becomes, at certain points, omniscient. This might bother me in other books, but here it was almost necessary because society's reaction to Chance is arguably the most important feature, if not the entire point, of the book.

Although it didn't have everything I was hoping for, the book did produce an interesting commentary about the United States (yes, circa 1970, but much of it could be applicable today). Everyone Chance meets assumes he has a prestigious and successful past because he dresses so well (in the Old Man's suits). Everything he says is literal - from the very first time he talks about his "business" with Mr. Rand, he is misunderstood. He describes his careful devotion to gardening, but Mr. Rand expects that he is discussing business and creates a metaphor between business and nature where there was none intended. This partly attributes wisdom to Chance's simplistic way of thinking, but goes beyond that. People seem to be so desperate for a positive outlook on the economy and on politics that they quickly promote a so-called expert in economics without knowing a single thing about him, simply because he encourages them. At times I wasn't sure if the author is trying to say that people will believe anything, or if people over think and over speak so much that the simplest ideas sound profound. I think it is a mixture of these things. I also appreciated the way the book ended (but I guess I shouldn't spoil that, in case you would like to read it...I do recommend it).

So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell

Synopsis: This is a novella that accomplishes a lot, considering it is only 135 pages. Opening with a memoir of the his childhood, the author establishes a small town in Illinois, where a farmer is murdered. Then, he transitions to the murderer's son's childhood (the author's childhood playmate), and imagines the events that led up to the murder, and the repercussions it had for both of the boys' lives, and their friendship. This book explores the emotions evoked by memories...and vice versa. It's a beautiful exploration of human relationships, and figuring out what we know (and don't know) about other people.

My Thoughts: This is a difficult book to describe in just a few sentences. It's also difficult to write about because I loved it so much and I think it's always harder to write praise than criticism. Also, I haven't written anything in a while so I'm very rusty. This and one other book that I am not quite done reading inspired me to start this blog, because I have so many opinions on them alone. As I was reading So Long, See You Tomorrow, I thought it was trying to take on too much; that the investigation of a murder in a small town, and the tale of how two small town boys come of age, would be too much for a small novella to accomplish. Not so. William Maxwell chooses words so well. Almost every sentence is expertly crafted -- no superfluous words showing off his vocabulary (a pet peeve of mine). Every moment...every detail in the book is carefully planned, every emotion he describes evokes that emotion in the reader. It is an escape to a time period and a way of life that doesn't exist anymore, but that is still relevant and relatable. It is a murder mystery, but the mystery is never, "Who killed Lloyd Wilson?" or even, "Why?". The mystery is one of memory and emotions. The author tries to remember, and largely imagines the details of the days leading up to the murder. The book is partly true and partly fictional -- but it is totally honest.

One Criticism: There has to be one...and there might even be more, and if I think of anything I'll edit this. But I would have liked to see the boys' relationship from the friend's (Cletus's) point of view. We only get an understanding of the author's take on their interactions. It would have been interesting (although perhaps a bit to risky for Maxwell) to learn what Cletus thought of their friendship.