The fifth and final selection from this month's What Should Kester Read? selections was Blankets by Craig Thompson. If there has been a more widely recommended book among my circle of friends over the past 5 years, I cannot recall it. Cp-workers, church members, college buddies, all shocked that I still hadn't gotten around to reading Blankets, all sure that it would quickly become one of my favorite novels of all time.
So, let's get this out of the way. It didn't. Which is not to say I didn't enjoy it. I did. I really did. But the way people talked about it, I was sure it was going to be about far more than it was and that it would touch me far more deeply than it did. That said, I dug it. This book only disappoints due to unreasonably high expectations. If you're expecting it to edge out Infinite Jest or The Brothers K, it didn't come close.
But I really did like it. Here's what I liked. I liked the art. Thompson knows how to make use of his medium better than any of this month's selections (or at least as well as Essex County). Using pictures to tell a story means that the writer can show instead of tell, time passing can be inferred by the reader, if the writer trusts us enough to simply imply it. The transitions between towns or seasons are captured within a few wordless frames. This is why we read graphic novels. Thompson understands that.
He also understands that our ability to fill in the blanks doesn't only apply to pictures, but to words as well. Without specifically spelling out certain events, Thompson hints at them and, by keeping them always slightly hidden, tells us something about fear and anger and secrets. Even the sweetest moments of this story are haunted and without Thompson ever having to tell us that they are.
As far as a story of first love, this is about pitch perfect. This is how it feels to be young and in love, especially when the world doesn't simply go away just because you wish that it would. In some ways, I might have enjoyed this even more if I had gone in expecting it to be a high school first love story. It tells the kind of story it's telling about as well as that story gets told (I honestly can't think of a better perils of growing up/awkwardness of being a teen/loveliness of being in love story than this); I wanted it to be about something more. Still, leaving the reader wanting more means you did something right more than it means you did something wrong. Blankets is a great story, beautifully rendered and brilliantly told.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Buddha, Vol. 1 and Palestine
Well, it was bound to happen. I'm sort of surprised it hasn't happened sooner. Regardless of the generally good taste of my friends, co-workers, and blog-followers, there was bound to come a book or two that I didn't enjoy. In fact, two books. In a row. The third and fourth picks from this month's What Should Kester Read? selections.
I came to Buddha with a personal bias that made for an enjoyment barrier. I don't love manga. And Tezuka is the king of manga. Astro Boy is Tezuka. Speed Racer isn't Tezuka, but might as well be. Which is fine, but it's so distinctive that I end up seeing Speed Racer even when I'm supposed to see the boy who will be the Buddha.
The story doesn't help. Not the story of the Buddha, but Tezuka's take on it. Unless I'm missing something, it's just the classic myth writ "cool" for a new audience. The time and place are right, but the vernacular is updated to the tastes of a 12 year old boy. It's like Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet in reverse. And it doesn't work. It makes the myth less mysterious. It makes it seem like an episode of Astro Boy, starring everyone's favorite action hero, the Buddha.
Palestine I also disliked, but for different reasons that are more difficult to pin down and articulate. It wasn't that I didn't like the art and it wasn't that I didn't like the story, which seem like the main factors in enjoying a graphic novel. This had more to do with layout and form. If Palestine were a film, I wouldn't blame the screenplay, I'd blame the director. The whole thing feels shot wrong, or maybe just not shot in a way I like. Either way, I didn't like it. I'd actually have preferred to have read it as a straight piece of reporting and not reporting in a graphic novel format.
What's sad is that both stories, in different hands, would have made for excellent graphic novels. The story of the Buddha, especially, I would still love to see done as a graphic novel, but done better. Unfortunately, most folks who have read Buddha don't share my opinion of it and won't be clamoring for someone else's take.
Fortunately, my fifth and final selection was better. Blankets.
I came to Buddha with a personal bias that made for an enjoyment barrier. I don't love manga. And Tezuka is the king of manga. Astro Boy is Tezuka. Speed Racer isn't Tezuka, but might as well be. Which is fine, but it's so distinctive that I end up seeing Speed Racer even when I'm supposed to see the boy who will be the Buddha.
The story doesn't help. Not the story of the Buddha, but Tezuka's take on it. Unless I'm missing something, it's just the classic myth writ "cool" for a new audience. The time and place are right, but the vernacular is updated to the tastes of a 12 year old boy. It's like Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet in reverse. And it doesn't work. It makes the myth less mysterious. It makes it seem like an episode of Astro Boy, starring everyone's favorite action hero, the Buddha.
Palestine I also disliked, but for different reasons that are more difficult to pin down and articulate. It wasn't that I didn't like the art and it wasn't that I didn't like the story, which seem like the main factors in enjoying a graphic novel. This had more to do with layout and form. If Palestine were a film, I wouldn't blame the screenplay, I'd blame the director. The whole thing feels shot wrong, or maybe just not shot in a way I like. Either way, I didn't like it. I'd actually have preferred to have read it as a straight piece of reporting and not reporting in a graphic novel format.
What's sad is that both stories, in different hands, would have made for excellent graphic novels. The story of the Buddha, especially, I would still love to see done as a graphic novel, but done better. Unfortunately, most folks who have read Buddha don't share my opinion of it and won't be clamoring for someone else's take.
Fortunately, my fifth and final selection was better. Blankets.
11-17-11
Personal Selections
- Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
- The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
- A Partial History of Lost Causes by Jennifer Dubois
- The Postmortal by Drew Magary
- A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
- The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus
- Jeff In Venice, Death In Varanasi by Geoff Dyer
- Light In August by William Faulkner
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Preludes and Nocturnes
The second selection read in this month's What Should Kester Read? was Neil Gaiman's Preludes and Nocturnes, a compilation of the first eight comic books in his Sandman series. When I read this month's first selection, Essex County, it was because I expected to like it the least. It ended up being one of the best graphic novels that I have ever read. Preludes was my second choice, and for similar reasons. I am not a Neil Gaiman fan.
And yes, before you ask, I read American Gods. Yes, I also read Neverwhere. Yes, Good Omens too. No, none of them did it for me. I don't hate Neil Gaiman. I just sort of "meh" Neil Gaiman.
But I like this. I didn't at first, but I'm used to not liking a series at first. Ever seen the original Seinfeld? Yeah, I didn't like that either. It takes time for a story to find its direction and a character to find his voice. That's true of some of my favorite stories and it is true of Sandman. But by halfway to two-thirds into Preludes, Gaiman is hitting his stride. When you consider that there are 75 total issues in this series (10 collected works), you realize he's got a long way to go. Which means he's got a lot of time to do a lot with this story. Or to blow it. Which he could. I thought I was going to like American Gods too.
For now, at least, I am very much enjoying Sandman. It's just the right mix of dark and comic, it's wry and weary title character the perfect blend of lights and darks, as shadowy as the story he finds himself in. It feels weird to say a story this dark is "fun," but it is. I'm having fun with this story and this character and I am looking forward to reading more.
Fortunately for me, my forward thinking friend and co-worker, Joe Turner, has already picked book two, The Doll's House, as one of his five What Should Kester Read? selections for January. I'm pretty sure I can wait until then.
The fact that I'm not completely sure should tell you something. This series will hook you. It certainly has me.
And yes, before you ask, I read American Gods. Yes, I also read Neverwhere. Yes, Good Omens too. No, none of them did it for me. I don't hate Neil Gaiman. I just sort of "meh" Neil Gaiman.
But I like this. I didn't at first, but I'm used to not liking a series at first. Ever seen the original Seinfeld? Yeah, I didn't like that either. It takes time for a story to find its direction and a character to find his voice. That's true of some of my favorite stories and it is true of Sandman. But by halfway to two-thirds into Preludes, Gaiman is hitting his stride. When you consider that there are 75 total issues in this series (10 collected works), you realize he's got a long way to go. Which means he's got a lot of time to do a lot with this story. Or to blow it. Which he could. I thought I was going to like American Gods too.
For now, at least, I am very much enjoying Sandman. It's just the right mix of dark and comic, it's wry and weary title character the perfect blend of lights and darks, as shadowy as the story he finds himself in. It feels weird to say a story this dark is "fun," but it is. I'm having fun with this story and this character and I am looking forward to reading more.
Fortunately for me, my forward thinking friend and co-worker, Joe Turner, has already picked book two, The Doll's House, as one of his five What Should Kester Read? selections for January. I'm pretty sure I can wait until then.
The fact that I'm not completely sure should tell you something. This series will hook you. It certainly has me.
11-10-11
What Should Kester Read? selections
- Blankets by Craig Thompson
- Buddha, Vo. 1 by Osamu Tezuka
- Palestine by Joe Sacco
- Jeff In Venice, Death In Varanasi by Geoff Dyer
- The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus
Thursday, November 3, 2011
11-3-11
What Should Kester Read? selections
- Blankets by Craig Thompson
- Buddha, Vo. 1 by Osamu Tezuka
- Palestine by Joe Sacco
- Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Jeff In Venice, Death In Varanasi by Geoff Dyer
- The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus
1Q84
"It feels like I'm experiencing someone else's dream."
So speaks Aomame; one of the two main characters in Haruki Murakami's newest book, 1Q84.
The year is 1984, and Aomame is a professional assasin who takes a shortcut to her latest job, only to find that she may have stumbled into a different world, altogether. It is a place she begins to call 1Q84 ("Q is for 'question mark.' A world that bears a question.") Finding her way in this new world is only the beginning to finding her way out. In the meantime, she must discover why it is that she is there.
Meanwhile, an aspiring young writer named Tengo is persuaded to secretly ghost write a novel called Air Chrysalis. it is a novel which contains a world with two moons and spirits known as "the Little People." As Tengo rewrites this world, he finds himself slowly drawn into it.
Fans of Murakami's fiction know that to read his stories is to enter into a dreamworld of sorts; the twists can be confusing, the characters confounding, their decisions complex. But we go along for the ride because we trust that Murakami will get us safely (if not unscathed) out the other side. 1Q84 can be placed alongside Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Hard-Boiled Wonderland as some of his best work. It is strange and sad and thrilling. It feels like you're experiencing someone else's dream.
So speaks Aomame; one of the two main characters in Haruki Murakami's newest book, 1Q84.
The year is 1984, and Aomame is a professional assasin who takes a shortcut to her latest job, only to find that she may have stumbled into a different world, altogether. It is a place she begins to call 1Q84 ("Q is for 'question mark.' A world that bears a question.") Finding her way in this new world is only the beginning to finding her way out. In the meantime, she must discover why it is that she is there.
Meanwhile, an aspiring young writer named Tengo is persuaded to secretly ghost write a novel called Air Chrysalis. it is a novel which contains a world with two moons and spirits known as "the Little People." As Tengo rewrites this world, he finds himself slowly drawn into it.
Fans of Murakami's fiction know that to read his stories is to enter into a dreamworld of sorts; the twists can be confusing, the characters confounding, their decisions complex. But we go along for the ride because we trust that Murakami will get us safely (if not unscathed) out the other side. 1Q84 can be placed alongside Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Hard-Boiled Wonderland as some of his best work. It is strange and sad and thrilling. It feels like you're experiencing someone else's dream.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Essex County
The first book I tackled in this month's What Should Kester Read? was Jeff Lemire's Essex County. Like last month's selections; Sara's five picks for November are all graphic novels. Unlike last month's selections, Sara's five picks are less familiar to me, none more so than Essex County. I went in with no sense of whether this would be funny, gory, mysterious, or what.
What is was was as honest and heartfelt a tale as I have read in some time. I'm not sure why this graphic novel doesn't get more attention (at least from the folks I'm in conversation with), because it's a reminder that a graphic novel can be just as literary and rich and rewarding as standard novels. It was sad without being maudlin, it was sincere without being sanguine. It was what I expect Blankets to be when I read it for the first time, later this month. It was a truly human story. It was proof that real doesn't equal cynical or jaded. It's a beautiful piece of work.
And that's just the story and the writing of it. The art is the other element and it is perfect. Sparse and simple and subdued. Much of it feels like pencil sketches lovingly rendered, but never "fixed." Pages go by without a word being written, a reminder that the great storytellers know when to show instead of tell.
In case you missed it, I loved this book. I started with it, figuring that it would be nothing special and I'd just get it out of the way. Now I worry that the rest of the month won't measure up. I was saving Blankets for last, sure that it would be my favorite. Essex County makes me far less sure.
What is was was as honest and heartfelt a tale as I have read in some time. I'm not sure why this graphic novel doesn't get more attention (at least from the folks I'm in conversation with), because it's a reminder that a graphic novel can be just as literary and rich and rewarding as standard novels. It was sad without being maudlin, it was sincere without being sanguine. It was what I expect Blankets to be when I read it for the first time, later this month. It was a truly human story. It was proof that real doesn't equal cynical or jaded. It's a beautiful piece of work.
And that's just the story and the writing of it. The art is the other element and it is perfect. Sparse and simple and subdued. Much of it feels like pencil sketches lovingly rendered, but never "fixed." Pages go by without a word being written, a reminder that the great storytellers know when to show instead of tell.
In case you missed it, I loved this book. I started with it, figuring that it would be nothing special and I'd just get it out of the way. Now I worry that the rest of the month won't measure up. I was saving Blankets for last, sure that it would be my favorite. Essex County makes me far less sure.
11-1-11
What Should Kester Read? selections
What Should Kester Read? selections
- Blankets by Craig Thompson
- Buddha, Vol. 1 by Osamu Tezuka
- Essex County by Jeff Lemire
- Palestine by Joe Sacco
- Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Jeff In Venice, Death In Varanasi by Geoff Dyer
- The Unvarnished New Testament by Andy Gaus
What Should Kester Read? selections
- Blankets by Craig Thompson
- Buddha, Vol. 1 by Osamu Tezuka
- Palestine by Joe Sacco
- Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
- 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Jeff In Venice, Death In Varanasi by Geoff Dyer
- The Unvarnished New Testament by Andy Gaus
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