Room by Emma Donoghue

Tedious, absorbing, unputdownable.

About Room by Emma Donoghue: To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

My two cents

Here's yet another book I held off on reading because of the hype. All I've heard are raves; it's gotten so many awards; it's now a movie. I also held off because based on the synopsis, was I ready?

But I decided. It was time. And now I'm glad I did.

This book is unlike any I have ever read. I disliked it from the beginning - the tedium, the child-like voice, the horrors. I remember wanting to stop but Jack's voice, his love for his mother, and his mother's ferocity were so compelling, I couldn't stop until I found out what happened to them. I wanted to know that they would be ok.

This is extremely tense reading. Horrors are revealed in unlikely ways as Jack narrates his day to day. The days roll on and it seems like nothing changes. Repeated names of Things, like Room, capitalized, as this was the only world that Jack knew. Routines being explained from a 5-year-old viewpoint, with five-year-old language.

I couldn't help getting absorbed in getting to know Jack and his Ma. But descriptions of Old Nick made my skin crawl. The simple horror of the situation with the child's voice really messes with your head -- a psychological journey for a reader.

There is nothing pleasant about reading this book. Nothing. But what kept me going was the hope and the palpable love of mother for child, a love that never allowed hope to die.

Verdict: One of the most difficult books I've ever read. If you don't flinch at difficult subject matter, the first person, five-year-old voice in which this story was told will surely make you weep. Highly recommended.

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

If I say I am one of them, will I live?

Synopsis of Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan: Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances.

A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family's struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister cope with their uncle's attempt to sell them into slavery. Aboard a bus filled with refugees—a microcosm of today's Africa—a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes viscerally clear.

Uwem Akpan's debut signals the arrival of a breathtakingly talented writer who gives a matter-of-fact reality to the most extreme circumstances in stories that are nothing short of transcendent.

My two cents

There are five short stories in all, each told from the viewpoint of a child, and take place somewhere in Africa.

An Ex-mas Feast: Jigana is eight and is crammed in a shanty in Nairobi, Kenya with Mama, Bapa, newly-born twins, and his older sister Maisha. It's Ex-mas and they still haven't eaten. When will Maisha come back with their meal for the day? Become privy to the day-to-day happenings of this poverty-stricken family: where a child's normal yet perennial hunger pangs are dulled by sniffing kabire (glue), where a barely-teen girl plies the streets prostituting herself of her family's basic necessities, where the prospect of joining a street gang is more realistic than studying.

Fattening for Gabon: Out of the fire into the frying pan: a horrifying unfolding of events where two young siblings, sent away by loving parents because of AIDs, are prepared by their Uncle to be sold into slavery. The Uncle is initially buoyed by the excitement of a new motorcycle and recognition in the community. His conscience slowly kicks in as he realizes the horror of his actions ... but is it too late to change his mind?

What Language is That? The shortest short story, two young girls who are best friends who live across the street from one another in Ethiopia. Caught in an age-old conflict, these girls don't quite understand why their parents are raising a fuss over their differences in religion: one family is Muslim, the other Christian.

Luxurious Hearses: This is more a novella than a short story, and I felt it was the highlight of the book. It is about a teen Muslim boy named Jubril who pretends to be Christian in order to flee the growing conflict of his hometown. The entire story takes place within a Luxurious Bus, crammed to the rafters with refugees from all walks of life, including their dead, traveling from the north to the safety of the south.

The enclosed space heightens the political and religious unrest across Africa: shown in the power struggle for seats, in heated discussions, of the horrors ongoing on the TV and outside the bus windows. As the drama plays out in the bus, Jubril has flashbacks into his precarious circumstances: born of a Christian-Muslim marriage, yet identifying with the Muslim faith. He bears the telltale mark of a thief in the Muslim tradition: an amputated hand, which Jubril tries to hide from other passengers. Will he make it safely back home?

My Parents' Bedroom: What secrets do their parents' bedroom hold? Young Monique is convinced there are ghosts. A tale of some of the most horrific incidents that took place during the Rwandan genocide, Monique recounts how she witnesses firsthand the Tutsi and Hutu conflict - in the community, and even within the family - all culminating in a shocking resolution.

What I liked:

I read this in way back in 2012. This book very much affected me the first time around and as with most books that I hold dear, I let this percolate and never got around to reviewing it. With my recent re-read, I still feel the same: it seems like an insult to even attempt to review it, to piece together words that I know are will never be enough to express how much this book meant to me.

This collection of short stories is written by a Jesuit priest named Uwem Akpan who was born and raised in Nigeria. He brings out in his calm words unspeakable horrors that the children of Africa face every day, at the hands of adults who are beset by the conflicts wrought by tribe, culture, politics, and religion.

The bottom line: this was very real for me. There is something very chilling about the author's prose and storytelling style; there is a an odd detachment from the terrible things being described.While everything is fictionalized, the characters and their voices evoke a startlingly horrific reality that it's almost too much to bear. All these beg the reader to understand just how depraved these stories are.

Uh-oh's:

I don't think this is going to be a read for everyone. Don't be fooled that these are told from a child's perspective. The stories all have a shock value and if you can't (or are unwilling) to read out of your comfort zone, you may find this disturbing with its graphic descriptions of violence, many of which are inflicted on your children. The fact that these are all rooted in reality makes these stories even moreso disturbing.

There are also sections that are difficult to read because of the lapses into "bad" English, various African dialects, and even some French.

Verdict: While graphic and disturbing, these stories told by children in a conflict-ridden Africa, is a brave voice that speaks of the inequities and the horrors that exist in the world. A short story collection that will challenge and provoke you, I recommend this highly for those who dare to be conscienticized. 

I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Love and loathe.

Synopsis of I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani: Being the opara of the family, Kingsley Ibe is entitled to certain privileges--a piece of meat in his egusi soup, a party to celebrate his graduation from university. As first son, he has responsibilities, too. But times are bad in Nigeria, and life is hard. Unable to find work, Kingsley cannot take on the duty of training his younger siblings, nor can he provide his parents with financial peace in their retirement. And then there is Ola. Dear, sweet Ola, the sugar in Kingsley's tea. It does not seem to matter that he loves her deeply; he cannot afford her bride price.

For much of his young life, Kingsley believed that education was everything, that through wisdom, all things were possible. Now he worries that without a "long-leg"--someone who knows someone who can help him--his degrees will do nothing but adorn the walls of his parents' low-rent house. And when a tragedy befalls his family, Kingsley learns the hardest lesson of all: education may be the language of success in Nigeria, but it's money that does the talking.

My two cents

Set in Nigeria, this is a coming-of-age story of a young man who finds out, the hard way, that money can't buy everything.

Disillusioned that his education didn't assure him of a good job, and becoming increasingly desperate for money, Kingsley decides to sell out: he takes a "job" with his moneyed-yet-uneducated uncle -- his education becomes really handy in the elaborate and complicated business of scamming people through email. 

But you reap what you sow, as the adage goes. While Kingsley's success funds crucial moments in his and his family's life, Kingsley learns that his values and his integrity are all that really matter.

***

This novel has so many things going for it.

The most outstanding for me, despite its sordidness, is a peek into the internet scammers' world. While many will automatically judge this as plainly bad, the reasons for entering this "profession" are rife with poverty, hopes of a better life, and even of desperation. I was fascinated with the resourcefulness, the complexity, and just how 419 scam culture preys on human nature's goodness and psychology. Kingsley's education, people skills and plain hard work become critical skills in his success -- can you imagine if his skills were actually put to good use?

Another eye-opener was to Nigerian culture and way of life: the pressures on a first born, the high value put on education, the price of marrying, the sense of community to a fault. And the unjust yet real picture of the poverty of the majority while corruption happens (and even condoned) in the high places, where what matters to make even more money is who you rub shoulders with. 

Those who haven't lived in or been exposed to cultures where poverty is a given, this may seem a little shocking in places. It's what I liked about this novel -- it tells it like it is, with no romantic or cliched notions about it. Take for example the scene at the hospital where Kingsley and his family had to buy even the smallest medical supplies, instead of the hospital dispensing them. If this happened in the US or Canada, I am betting that people would be suing the hospital for all its worth. In Nigeria (and in many other parts of the the world), you suck it up and do the best you can -- people know that the problem is a given, sadly systemic, and that change is not apt to happen in the short haul.

While the fatalism stressed in this novel seems disheartening, it also plays a huge role in shaping people's attitudes.

Kingsley, and Nigeria as a country, is a bundle of contradictions -- good at the core but driven to desperate measures. Anyone who loves their country or a person but recognizes how wretched it/he is at the same time will love this book. Love and loathe all rolled into one.

Verdict: An eye-opener of a book about the moral dilemma of how poverty can drive people to a resourceful survival at the expense of integrity. While set in a Nigeria, readers will be able to relate to the timeless values of providing for and taking care of family, and the hope for a better life.

I highly recommend this to those interested in other cultures, who like to explore human dilemmas, and who are ready to see the world through another culture's eyes.

Thanks to Debbie of Ex Urbanis for this giveaway copy during the Literary Blog Hop Giveaway!

The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell

 


Like a Breaking Bad fix. 

Synopsis of Death of Bees by Lisa ODonnell:

Today I buried my parents in the backyard.
Neither of them were beloved.

Marnie and her little sister Nelly are on their own now. Only they know what happened to their parents, Izzy and Gene, and they aren’t telling. While life in Glasgow’s Hazlehurst housing estate isn’t grand, they do have each other. Besides, it’s only one year until Marnie will be considered an adult and can legally take care of them both.

As the new year comes and goes, Lennie, the old man next door, realizes that his young neighbors are alone and need his help. Or does he need theirs? But he’s not the only one who suspects something isn’t right. Soon, the sisters’ friends, their other neighbors, the authorities, and even Gene’s nosy drug dealer begin to ask questions. As one lie leads to another, dark secrets about the girls’ family surface, creating complications that threaten to tear them apart.

Written with fierce sympathy and beautiful precision, told in alternating voices, The Death of Bees is an enchanting, grimly comic tale of three lost souls who, unable to answer for themselves, can answer only for each other.

My two cents

Let's stumble into the tragic lives of three very disturbed characters:

Marnie, who at 15, has slept around some, does drugs, makes an extra money by delivering drugs, and is street-wise beyond her years;

Nelly, all of 12, talks like someone's grandmother, is an absurdly good violinist and seems just a little bit different; and

Lennie, their observant next door neighbour, who in his loneliness, turned to some sexual comfort from someone who turned out to be a minor, branding him forever as a sex offender.

Hearing directly from these rather tragic characters, let's piece together how Marnie and Nelly end up burying their parents. Be ready for a gruesome tale of their appalling childhood characterized by neglect, abuse, drug use and promiscuity. But also be prepared to have all that upended with a tale that will surprise you with the capacity of people for goodness and to be so much more than we see them to be.

***

I just couldn't ignore that opening... it propelled me to keep going and as I started reading, I realized that this was not likely some enchanting dark tale a la Coraline. This has a goth feel to it, but it is too real to be dismissed. 

The best analogy I can come up with is my fascination (ok, addiction), to the TV show Breaking Bad. I resisted watching this because I felt it would open up a morbid fascination to the illegal, the gruesome, and the graphic. I watched it with some horror and with plenty of hiding behind a pillow and hubby telling me what was happening onscreen. If you're a fan of Breaking Bad, you may understand my analogy to that show to loving this book.

This is probably one of the most disturbing books I've read in a long while ... but it's addictive. The grimness, the horrors, the gruesomeness, just how twisted this is. Yes, it's all horrible. But that's all context. I loved it because:

The characters spoke to me. They're people painted as oddities, different, non-mainstream, and "bad" by society's standards.

Two young children who despite their seeming immunity to the horrors they live with, are children at heart, looking for some understanding, craving some affection, any attention. Marnie's voice is chilling for someone so young. Nelly's voice, while child like, has a strange old-soul quality to it. They both break my heart.

Lennie, who, heaven forbid all children should steer clear of, reaches out to these children and their unlikely friendship becomes a source of joy for them all. He is in as much pain as the children. A cultured man who had once loved and fell prey to loneliness, finds reason for being in his simple act of caring for the children. He too breaks my heart.

It has a wonderful moral to it. Expect the good in people. Again, the context may distract and even turn off many readers. But this tale showcases how humanity has the capacity for such good. It comes into even starker focus because it is buried amidst so much of the bad.

While I can go on and on about the merits of this book, I'd rather keep this short and sweet. Despite disliking how much bad was in this book, this is among my memorable reads for the year with its unique voice, its tragic characters, and its uplifting moral.

Uh-ohs

If you're squeamish or dislike gruesome, violent and often graphic descriptions, or have problems reading about promiscuity, drug use, and child abuse, please tread lightly.

Someone mentioned that this was classified as young adult fiction. I would caution young adult readers as this deals with very adult themes. While the main characters of the story are teens, they have been subjected to horrors that many adults would have difficulty dealing with.

Lastly, there is a lot of local slang in this. If it's specific to Glasgow or Scotland, I am unsure, but I ended up having to look up a few words here and there as I was unfamiliar with them.

Verdict: Weird, disturbing, often appalling ... I loved it. If you're a Breaking Bad fan, you may find this macabre tale to your liking. I highly recommend this to those not scared to come out of their comfort zone.

About Lisa O’Donnell

Lisa O’Donnell won the Orange Screenwriting Prize in 2000 for The Wedding Gift. A native of Scotland, she is now a full-time writer and lives in Los Angeles with her two children. The Death of Bees is her frst novel and was the winner of the Commonwealth Book Prize.

Visit Lisa at her website, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (October 22, 2013)

Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee

Summary of Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee from Book Depository: A divorced, middle-aged English professor finds himself increasingly unable to resist affairs with his female students. When discovered by the college authorities he is expected to apologize to save his job, but instead he refuses and resigns, retiring to live with his daughter on her remote farm.

My take
I got so much from this slim volume - on middle age, of sex, of racism, of fatherhood/daughterhood. It made me empathic, angry, sentimental. I must read this again.