Review: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

Tea Obreht's The Tiger's Wife has literally been everywhere for the longest time. This in itself is not surprising - Ms. Obreht is the youngest-ever winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, and this fact is even more fascinating considering that The Tiger's Wife is her debut novel. Furthermore, she has been chosen as one of New Yorker's 20 Under 40 (aka, 20 promising authors who are younger than 40).  Not to mention, everyone and their mom bought a copy of The Tiger's Book, its exotic-looking cover beckoning from the shelf of your friendly neighborhood Barnes and Noble.

On the one hand, I am glad Tea Obreht sold so many books. She is a talented writer, and I am sure she is bound to be a great one after her skills receive some more polishing. Her prose has an ethereal quality about it, which is fitting for a book that revolves so much around folklore and magic. Its elements are deeply engrossing - whether its the contemporary story of a young doctor from a worn-torn Balkan country facing the horrors of war while seeking answers about her grandfathers' death, or the two myths that talk of a mysterious tiger and his human companion, and a man who has been denied the right to die.

It is all very fascinating, however the book ends up being less than the sum of its parts. Much of it has to do with the structure - Obreht's prose is quite wordy, and as soon as you get engrossed in one of the three prominent plot lines, the chapter finishes and you are forced to plunge into another one. I found this to be a particular problem, as I felt quite distanced from the majority of the book. I also couldn't but mentally compare it to Katherine Neville's The Eight, a book quite unlike The Tiger's Wife, for sure, but one that handled multiple storylines more than skillfully, building one on top of the other for a unity of effect I'm sure even Poe would be thrilled with. Obreht, on the other hand, simply meshes them together which, unfortunately, results in an ending I found very underwhelming and honestly, quite confusing.

Another thing that I feel inclined to speak when it comes to the novel is its treatment of the ex-Yugoslavian countries and the warfare that serves as its background, particularly since I happen to come from these parts. Obreht consciously misnames (or flat out refuses to name) geographical locations, which, coupled with anachronisms and fabrication of myth and folklore, effectively reduces the unfortunate history of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia to legend, producing a sense of all-pervading vagueness and distrust of history. While I may feel inclined to reason that this particular instance of Orientalization (or Balkanization, if you will) works toward painting a version of history blind of national and ethnic particularities, underscoring the essence of humanity, pain and loss, I can very much see how some, especially those that like to keep their hold on history firm and as unambivalent as possible, will and have found this irritating and even disrespectful.

The Tiger's Wife is a mixed bag for sure. The book is almost saved by its enchanting eloquence and prose, which effectively overshadows what its trying to do and how it comes close to failing at it miserably. I think it is interesting to compare it to the prose of Anne Rice, which, although quite purple at times, never really detracts from the experience, as the author's intents mostly lie in the realm of entertainment. However, even if one gets the sense that Tea Obreht bit off more than she could chew, her debut novel makes for an often-mesmerizing reading experience and has made this blogger excited for the young author's sophomore effort.

RATING: 4/5

Review: Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl

I was really excited when my request to Harlequin through NetGalley resulted in an ARC of Close Enough to Touch on my e-reader. Thank you, Harlequin! Victoria Dahl has quite a following, and I was excited to read a book by an author so many of the people on GoodReads seemed to have loved!

I walked away from the book satisfied, but also with a feeling that I could have loved it had it been a bit "tighter." But first, what is it about? It follows the main character Grace Barrett, who reluctantly moves from the hustle and bustle of LA to a small Wyoming town due to a painful past that is a mystery to the reader until later in the novel. There, she is put up by her aunt, who owns an apartment building also known as Stud Farm, due to a number of studly cowboys inhabiting it. The narration shifts between that of Grace and Cole Rawlins, the romantic interest, who is one of the people in the apartment building and who has a painful history of his own. As Grace is adjusting to her new surroundings, she is introduced to a plethora of new friends and starts a new job, all the while negotiating the magnetic pull of Cole and the dilemma of whether she should follow her heart of her head.

The book basically has two protagonists, whose pasts are slowly revealed to us. Their interweaving narratives also provide a glimpse into their psychology - and this is where the story's conflict comes from. I was instantly smitten with Cole - apart from being gorgeous, a cowboy and a sex machine, he is also incredibly sweet and tormented. I thought that his torment came from a very real place that involved his teenage years, his family and his brief time in Hollywood. The mystery of what happened to Cole is mixed with his current problem, which is an injury that prevents him from working on the farm toward his dream of owning it. These were all very real, difficult conflicts and I was with Cole every step of the way.

On the other hand, Grace was challenging for me to root for. While her spunk was initially amusing, it soon became more akin to a personality disorder. Her reluctance to make friends and get involved romantically far eclipsed the necessity of creating an obstacle between Cole and her - it was an abyss which took a while for me to get used to. Due to her own past (much less riveting that Cole's), she fears being "soft," which translates into keeping Cole at a distance - even though he literally keeps her from starving, saves her ass from being fired from her job and doing everything he can for her to feel good. This left me thinking he might just be better off without her. On the other hand, Grace's job problems, coupled with the reason she moves from LA to Jackson, Wyoming, somewhat redeemed the character in my eyes, since this made her relatable.

The secondary characters are really well handled - they are colorful enough to be memorable, but the details of their life are well measured and do not drag down the story. I was particularly fond of Eve, Grace's new boss, as well as of Cole's best friend Shane, as well as the character of Lewis, who appears very briefly. And since I've just learned this to become a series, I am hoping for spin-offs featuring at least some of these characters. Another thing I really appreciated was the blending of the contemporary and western genres (the book cover may be a bit misleading in this respect, but it is really sexy, so I don't care; on the other hand and upon close inspection, what happened to Cole's big toe?), as well as the sex scenes which were scorching hot, but also contributed to the development of the story.

I am definitely not giving up on Victoria Dahl, but I am not all too sure about Close Enough to Touch. There is a definite sense of authorship here, and Dahl handles the pace of the novel masterfully. It never drags, and it balances a spectacular amount of characters flawlessly. However, the somewhat annoying heroine definitely affected my attitude towards the central romance, even though the character of Cole was worth the price of admission himself.

RATING: 3/5

Review: Metroland by Julian Barnes

Oh Julian Barnes, how I have a love-hate relationship with you.

My readers may remember my glowing review of Barnes' brilliant A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, a book so hard to define when it comes to form and genre, it makes for a completely unique reading experience. On the other hand, there's Flaubert's Parrot, which is really Barnes' master thesis thinly disguised as a novel that everyone seemed to love and I couldn't get past the few first pages - though, in the spirit of full disclosure, I never really gave it a chance either.

So although I have great respect for the man, I don't approach Barnes' novels easily. In the case of Metroland, it is a mostly superb reading experience (and a relief in that). A coming-of-age novel about a boy, Christopher, from the suburb of London called Metroland, who with his best friend Toni escapes the monotony of home by reading French writers and philosophers is adorable and profound and grounded in a very realistic depiction of adolescence and young adulthood.

There are three parts of the book. The first, set in Metroland, finds the 16 y.o. characters dreaming of adulthood; the second finds the protagonist living it up in Paris during his college years; the third sees him back in Metroland, with a wife and a daughter. It is also this third part where the real conflict begins, with Toni feeling betrayed for Christopher's normative life choices while he is still obsessing about art and philosophy and being a free spirit.

Since there is no plot to speak of (and the novel is in fact a collection of vignettes), I guess the reader will naturally gravitate to their favorite section of the book based on the time period they cover. I myself enjoyed the adolescent part, but absolutely loved Christopher's years in Paris, where we read about his sexual awakening and first love(s). I also found the conflict between him and Toni surprisingly poignant and gripping, which gave the book an overall nostalgic, somewhat sad, feel. I could have gone without some of the cutesy, boys-will-be-boys type writing in the overlong first part, as well as some slightly homophobic comments, but all in all, I am very happy with Metroland - it is a really good, poignant novel, though it is definitely no History.

RATING: 4/5

Trivia Bit #1 - There is a film adaptation of the book, starring Christian Bale, and it seems like a colossally bad idea. Naturally, I got my hands on a copy and will hopefully watch it soon and post about it.

Trivia Bit #2 - I am obsessed with the Russian cover of the book, because: a) it is obviously marketed as a YA novel, which it obviously isn't, and b) it features the English model and musician George Craig (of Burberry and One Night Only fame; he also dated Emma Watson) on the cover, for no apparent reason.

Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

You didn't think I left the blogosphere for good, did you? Good, 'cause y'all would be wrong. :) It's been a while since I posted, but I've had a year full of excitement, all sorts of different experiences and keeping a book blog just couldn't fit in it. And how I've missed it! So I'm back now and I hope to catch up with all my favorite bloggers and authors ASAP.

As for one of my recent reads (more reviews coming soon, of course): It's the book on everyone's lips, a book that I think has been making the rounds so much, everyone is sick of it, regardless of whether they've read it or not. It's Fifty Shades of Grey, otherwise known as mommy porn, a feminist's wet dream, a feminist's nightmare, a book that will change your life, a book that shouldn't have happened...

What's important is that it's the best-selling book of all time. Period.

(And if you've read the book, that last word will surely have another layer of meaning for you.)

The Fifty Shades trilogy is a story of one Anastasia Steele, who gets involved with one Christian Grey. It's actually a smorgasboard of every known romance cliche convention known to man. Anastasia is, for one, ridiculously inexperienced - she has never had sex, never masturbated, never thought about sex... Which, for a 21st century twenty-something girl seems highly unlikely, even in the improbable case that she's Amish. Furthermore, Christian Grey is a gorgeous, wealthy businessman who finds Ana's not-so-particular mix of klutziness, innocence and "spunk" (I use the term very loosely) simply irresistible. The thing is, he's into the bondage lifestyle, and wants Ana either as her sub, or not at all. Yet, Ana wants "more," and although she's desperately inept at what exactly this "more" means, she's not ready to give in completely to Grey's desires... Except when she does, because otherwise there would be no book.

Oh, and if you just called Ana Bella, and Christian Edward, you'd be about right, since Fifty started off as Twilight fanfiction. In all fairness, while it's easy to spot certain similarities while reading Fifty, it is its own book entirely.

The truth is, it's a page-turner. While she certainly doesn't come close to such chick lit icons as Sophie Kinsella or Hellen Fielding, E. L. James certainly knows what to sell. And while Anastasia Steele is not a particularly interesting heroine (in fact, she's more of a caricature of a chick lit heroine), the dynamics between her and Grey, both in and out of the bedroom, sometimes border on truly fascinating. I can honestly say that I groaned and rolled my eyes, but finished the book in record time. Take that as you will, but keep in mind that page turners sell, and if that's anything to go by, it's one of the factors of this book's success.

Also, there's the sex. Quite simply, this is erotica, and if you've read erotica before, I'm sure that nothing here  will shock you (although there is one particular scene, hinted at above, that I'm sure is contrary to most erotica submission guidelines). There is sex, and lots of it, and more often than not, it does not serve the story. I say more often than not, because there are certain sex scenes that are crucial to the plot, and when this happens (mainly the loss of Ana's virginity, as well as the very last scene in the novel), they are truly gripping. Also, when the sex scenes serve the story, they escape the trap of being pornographic, which is a slippery slope for James, who tends to write as if her life depended on the next orgasm, of which Ana experiences an extraordinary amount.

All in all, it's a book more interesting to me as a pop culture phenomenon and the fact that it's outselling even Harry-freakin'-Potter means that there is something here that the world wants to read. And whatever you feel about the book, you cannot deny that it's (become) relevant. I just wish it wasn't as terribly written.

RATING: 2/5