Look At Me

Read December 2009/February 2010.
Photo courtesy Barnes & Noble.

The Scoop: Written by Jennifer Egan (USA) in 2002. Published by Anchor. Finalist for the National Book Award.

The Ingredients: The main character is Charlotte, a former model, who now has a new reconstructed face after suffering an extreme car crash. The secondary character is also named Charlotte and she is the teenage daughter of older Charlotte's former best friend. Both Charlottes are outcasts in their circles and the stories intertwine as older Charlotte struggles with her identity and younger Charlotte tries to fill a void by forming relationships with two older men. Throughout the story, older Charlotte (the real focus of the novel, as her story is written in first person) gets involved in a search for a mysterious man named Z and a voyeuristic Internet start-up.

Serves: Adult. Some sexual and mature content.

[Part One: Double Life] Chapter One: After the accident, I became less visible. [4/5 Though short and simple, it does make you ask questions and hints at a theme of visibility, literally and figuratively.]

Result: I started the book in December but never got to finish it. It says something that rechecking out the book stemmed more from my need to finish things I start rather than yearning to see what happens in the remainder of the book. It was hard for me to like the main characters, as in, I didn't like them. I would like to give credit for an intriguing idea (a woman whose very life revolved around her looks has her looks completely changed in an instant...think of the possibilities where that could go!) and some compelling themes, like the relationship between identity and appearance, the definition of American (yes, the story works in terrorism), and the commodification of one's self. But all in all, some of the narrative is drawn out and confusing, or simply not interesting. It tries really hard to be multi-layered by delving into a multitude of characters' lives, but that part is overdone, as two Charlottes, a detective, younger Charlotte's parents, brother, uncle, a writer, Z, friends, business partners, and so on, becomes difficult to keep up with. The novel also struggles to be 'deep', because though there's so much to explore, it becomes stuck in cliches and it just never quite gets there. [2/5 Could definitely be better, perhaps if we could feel more sympathy for the characters or if it narrowed its focus a bit more. Conceptually good but doesn't completely deliver or satisfy.]

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Read October 2009.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia.

The Scoop: Written by Larry Doyle, a former writer for The Simpsons. Published by Ecco (HarperCollins) in 2007. Adapted as a Canadian/American film in 2009, directed by Chris Columbus, and starring Paul Rust and Hayden Panettiere in the lead roles.


The Ingredients: Debate team member and high school valedictorian Denis Cooverman, instead of sticking with his prepared speech for their graduation, ends up declaring his love for popular cheerleader Beth Cooper in front of the whole student body and their parents. He also singles out some other notable students in his speech, upsetting them. Beth ends up thinking Denis' profession is sweet, but off-duty soldier boyfriend doesn't. The rest of the novel follows the progression of the night as Denis and his best friend Rich end up joining forces with Beth and her gang, much to Denis' shock.

Serves: High-schoolers/teenagers. Or those who really want to relive high school shenanigans for some reason.

1. The Valedict: Denis Cooverman was sweating more than usual, and he usually sweat quite a bit. [1/5 The first line paints the picture, but not very creatively or eloquently.]

Result: I checked this out from the library on a whim. I just saw the spine and recalled that there had been a recent movie adapted from it, so I wanted to see what it was about. Despite some rather good reviews (the book, not the film), I didn't like it. I struggled to keep reading it and at the end I felt rather bummed that I had wasted time reading it. Admittedly, after reading some positive reviews, I could somewhat see where these readers were coming from, but it still didn't improve my overall feeling. Larry Doyle does have a way of expressing witty observations, but these mildly funny notes were few and far between. I felt the events of the night seemed a bit far-fetched or shocking (though who knows, because I was a very tame and mild-mannered high-schooler). One review also talked about Doyle's uncanny way of imitating the speak of teenagers, but I don't agree. And the plot line just seemed to drag on a bit and got redundant, like (spoiler alert...) how Denis got pummeled by Beth's boyfriend time and time again. And then there are the overdone high school stereotypes - the dorky awkward yet smart boy who has spent a lifetime secretly pining for the cheerleader, and of course the blond pretty popular cheerleader with the older boyfriend, the cheerleader's sidekicks, the closeted gay guy who relies on humor and his schtick of reciting movie lines to draw attention away from his homosexuality, the big jock bully who actually is just acting out on being hurt when he was younger, and so forth. [1/5 I would not recommend this book. Unless...I have no idea. It does seem like some people enjoy this book. Somehow it just was not my cup of tea, or the humor was beyond (or far too beneath) me. It could have been an interesting story, but it did not actualize the way I might've imagined it to. So a 1 for concept, I guess.]

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Read October 2009.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia. 

The Scoop: Thriller novel by Lionel Shriver (US). Published by UK-based Serpent's Tail, first in 2003. Won the 2005 Orange Prize, UK-based prize awarded to female authors of any nationality writing in English. BBC Films acquired film adaptation rights to the story in 2005, but a series of issues and delays has plagued the adaptation. Script appeared on 2008 Brit List, a ranking of the best unproduced screenplays in British film compiled by the film industry. Currently, the film is scheduled to be filmed in 2010, with Steven Soderbergh named as one of the executive producers and actress Tilda Swinton signed on to star.

The Ingredients: In the form of letters written in first-person by Eva Khatchadourian addressed to her husband. Through the letters, Eva attempts to come to terms with her son Kevin and the murders he committed during a (fictional) school massacre. She talks about present events while delving back into their history to try and figure out what happened and what led Kevin to his depraved act.

Serves: Mature readers. Detailed recounts and descriptions of very disturbing and scary acts and events, violence, strong language, sexual innuendo.

November 8, 2000: Dear Franklin, I'm unsure why one trifling incident this afternoon has moved me to write to you.

Result: Absolutely breathtaking. I first heard of this title when I stumbled across a list/article of ten disturbing must-read books or something like that. I wrote down all the titles, but this one in particular jumped off the page for me because I've always found the sort of 'inside the killer's mind' type of thing fascinating and wanted a look for myself. And this book really delivers. Shriver is a stellar storyteller and writer, and her awesome vocabulary is a bonus. I couldn't put this book down, and when I had to, I'd be chilled to the bone and I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd read up to that point and speculating about what would come next. It stirs up incredible emotion and is so intricate that it is easy to forget that this particular story is (thankfully) fiction, though unfortunately, not entirely invented. It is an incredible exploration into the nature vs. nurture debate, though don't expect any clear-cut answers. [5/5 Fantastic writing, gripping story, thought-provoking detail, complex and real characters, strong emotion. This book will definitely leave a lasting impression on you, but be prepared, it may be easy-to-read because it is well-written, but it is not, by any measure, an easy read.]