White Teeth

White Teeth by Zadie Smith


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Zadie Smith (amazingly 24 years old when she wrote this in 2000) took a subject that has been written about so frequently in recent years -- ethnic identity and confusion/colonialism (in this case British) and the long term personal outcomes/first generation versus second generation/ethic and religious stereotypes, et. al -- and makes it original. Think 'Crash' meets 'Babel' meets 'Towelhead'. But even that does not do the book justice. Smith uses humor and satire, stereotypes mixed with such dead on linguistical prose (her 'slang' is absolutely dead on accurate), characters who just barely cross the line between being believably realistic and representations of racial biases. I was completely smitten by Smith's style, humor and originality.

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Perfect Fifths

Perfect Fifths: A Novel by Megan McCafferty


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
*sigh*...I wish I could have given this book a higher rating. I've always thought that McCafferty's Jessica Darling books were touching, honest, heartfelt and extremely fun to read. Sadly, Ms. McCafferty (who has so much talent as a YA author and created probably the most realistic and believable characters since Judy Blume) completely phoned this one in. 'Perfect Fifths' was rushed, forced and eventually a huge let down for any reader who has been following the trials and tribulations of Jessica and Marcus over the years. There was some clever and funny dialogue, reminiscent of her earlier books, an attempt to recapture the nature of her fabulous characters, but overall the ending fell flat.


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The Four Corners of the Sky

3 out of 5 Stars
The perfect summer beach read. Con artists, airplanes, lovable characters, romance, family sagas, and even a touch of melodrama.

Last Exit To Brooklyn

5 out of 5 Stars
I find it extremely difficult to write about Hubert Selby Jr.'s books, let alone 'review' them. He is one of the few authors who I find so honest, so original, so heart breaking, so grotesque, and so 'anti mainstream'. Which is ironic now in 2009 -- the world has changed, people have changed, NYC has changed, society has become so divided between extreme liberals and extreme conservatives. I guess 'Last Exit To Brooklyn' will probably become 'trendy' soon, among Brooklyn hipsters, angsty 20 somethings, college students, and recent NYC implants. But one of the things I find so absolutely astonishing about 'Last Exit To Brooklyn' is that Selby wrote it (semi autobiographically) in 1964.
This book (or what is actually a poignant collection of short stories that tie together) made me empathize, sympathize, cry, laugh, cringe, and become transported to what I always assumed was 'life' in NYC in the 50s (unlike 'Revolutionary Road' where I felt no compassion to any of the characters).
Selby's characters are not always easy to like. Rapists, drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes...but through his writing he is able to (if only for a page or two) find a way for the reader to connect to and understand.
I guess what strikes me the most about this novel is that while it was written almost 50 years ago, very little has changed. And thank you, Mr. Selby, for documenting reality and not being afraid show the truth.

The Room

The Room by Hubert Selby Jr.

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is one of the only books I have ever read that made me outright nauseous. Selby's violent and brutal and graphic descriptions of revenge were so real and vivid that I had to keep putting this book down to clear my head. But the fact that an author is capable of making me feel such a strong and real queasiness makes me completely in awe of him. He holds nothing back in this book. Selby makes Bret Easton Ellis's writing seem PG 13. If I was forced to choose between being locked in a room with Patrick Bateman or the 'protagonist' of 'The Room', I'd take Bateman any day. There is absolutely no element of satire in 'The Room'. While the narrative switches from the reality of the protagonist (who remains nameless throughout) to his fantasy world of beating the system as a hero to his graphic and horrific revenge fantasies, he remains completely serious amd dead pan throughout. There is no sense of humor in the character, and while the novel does provide social commentary and critique on the justice system in America and police brutality, there is nothing humorous or tongue in cheek about it. It's difficult to say that I 'enjoyed' this book -- I wouldn't even allow my mom, who is also a big Hubert Selby Jr fan, to borrow it. I didn't want her to share the repulsion and nausea that I felt while reading it. I am in awe that a writer can make me feel such physical emotions from his words. I can't say I 'recommend' this book, but I do believe that it one I will keep in my library forever.


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