The Carnivore by Mark Sinnett

Told from the viewpoints of a man and a woman in a troubled marriage, The Carnivore by Mark Sinnett is nothing short of torrential. Ray, a retired policeman, and Mary, a retired nurse, are an older couple reflecting separately on their life together. Ray is dying of emphysema and is trying to relive the heroics of his past through the appearance of a Toronto reporter, who is eager to revisit the events of Hurricane Hazel for the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the disaster. Ray is a hero in the eyes of Torontonians for his actions during the Hurricane in 1954, and is enjoying his last chance at glory. However, he conceals from the reporter the deeper, more shameful story relating to his marriage, his mistress, and the unfortunate collision of the two resulting from Hazel’s arrival in their lives.
Ray and Mary each reflect on the events leading up to, and resulting from, Hazel’s wake and how it left their marriage forever strained. Mary, a devoted and virtuous wife, shows that obligation to beliefs and forgiveness won’t always make things easier and happier in the end. Ray, a man weakened by desire and manipulated by addiction, shows that guilt, regret, and responsibility, aren’t enough to curb you from hurting those you love. Ray never denies his own self-interest and his greed for life, but he also never apologizes for it, even in his final moments.

Suffocation and drowning are recurring themes in the book. They come up repeatedly, especially with the obvious water related deaths due to the Hurricane and also with Ray’s inability to breathe due to his emphysema. But there are also less obvious occurrences of these themes. Most notably, the idea of how both Ray and Mary feel they are suffocating in their marriage to one another.

The story flips from past to present and offers shocking and ironic twists along the way. Sinnett leaves you guessing about the sordid details of the story until the very end. He also successfully paints a detailed portrait of 1954 Toronto for those who may not have been around to see it. The incorporation of the landmarks and events of that time into the novel make the fictional part of the story that much more real.

This story is about human nature and Mother Nature, and the disasters that both can produce, leaving tragedy in their wake. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a realistic look at the sacrifices you should, and shouldn’t, make for a partner, and the importance of being honest with oneself. A good drama and a fantastic first read of this author. I look forward to reading his other work.


Book Information
Title: The Carnivore
Author: Mark Sinnett
Year of publication: 2009
Publisher: ECW Press
Pages: 253
Awards: n/a
Purchased at: n/a
Reading Time: 6h 19m
Rating: 4/5

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Olive Kitteridge is a harsh, opinionated, stubborn woman... alive only through the 13 short stories being told by those around her. She is a retired schoolteacher, a mother, an unaffectionate wife, and a friend to almost no one. While Olive's involvement may only be minor in some of the stories, each still serves a purpose in allowing the reader to know and understand Olive and the small town of Crosby, Maine. Olive Kitteridge is about the intricacies of life; how everyone is connected in ways that seem unexpected, but believable. It's also about growing up, getting old, and the joys and heartaches that come with both. The book looks at the consequences of opening your mind too late and how fateful and tragic that can be. This book also shows that there really are two sides to every story and the necessity of seeing things from all sides. While some parts of the story are overly dramatic, everyone can relate to some or many of the story's characters. All families - and towns for that matter - have skeletons hidden away, only to be revealed by those who are willing to share. This book is about how the picture perfect can be anything but and to stick to your guns, as Olive does. It encourages acceptance of one’s own skeletons and the idea that imperfection really can be beautiful.

Book Information
Year of publication: 2008
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 270
Awards: 2009 Pulitzer Prize - Fiction
Purchased at: Bryan Prince Bookseller
Reading Time: n/a
Rating: 4/5

People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprau

     I was hesitant to start this book because I didn't particularly like the first book in the series, City of Ember.  This book had the same plot outline as many other books.   Also, it had the repetitive messages we find so often in children's literature "treat other the way you would like to be treated" and "war benefits no one", but offered nothing beyond that.  This book lacks fresh ideas.  The People of Sparks starts where The City of Ember leaves off; Lina and Doon escape from their underground city to find a whole new world above with things like trucks, seasons, and even the sky.  They leave instructions for the people of Ember to follow them, hoping for a life better than what they left behind in Ember.  While there are many unknown things in this new world for Lina, Doon, and the refugees of Ember, there are also quite a few things missing.  For example, the city of Ember drew its energy from a large electric generator, whereas Sparks (and the world Sparks is in, presumably future Earth) has no electricity.  Along with many other things, electricity became extinct after what the people refer to as "the disaster".  As Sparks tries to accommodate the 400 or so refugees who have made their way to Sparks from Ember, resources deplete quickly and tensions rise.  There is a buildup of conflict between the two groups which inevitably leads to fighting.  However, long story short, they sort it all out and decide that it's more productive to be nice to each other than to fight.  Needless to say, The People of Sparks is nothing new.  It's unfortunate because Duprau seems to be an imaginative and creative writer, but somehow fails to grab the reader's attention and pique curiosity.  I don't think I will be continuing this series because I haven't really grown attached to the story the way you should by the end of the second book in a series.  There is no intrigue; no hidden plotlines, no unanswered questions, no character mysteries.  It lacks a certain, forgive the pun, spark.

Rating: 2/5

2009 Giller Prize goes to Linden Macintyre!

Congratulations to Linden Macintyre for winning the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize for The Bishops Man.  The ceremonies were held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto tonight.  The cash prize for winning the Giller is $50,000.00.  It is one of the most covoted awards in the Canadian book industry.

For those of you who may be interested, here is a brief synopsis of the book:
" Father Duncan MacAskill has spent most of his priesthood as the "Exorcist" - an enforcer employed by his bishop to discipline wayward priests and suppress potential scandal. He knows all the devious ways that lonely priests persuade themselves that their needs trump their vows, but he's about to be sorely tested himself. While sequestered by his bishop in a small rural parish to avoid an impending public controversy, Duncan must confront the consequences of past cover-ups and the suppression of his own human needs. Pushed to the breaking point by loneliness, tragedy and sudden self-knowledge, Duncan discovers how hidden obsessions and guilty secrets either find their way to the light of understanding, or poison any chance we have for love and spiritual peace."


The competing finalists for the Giller were:
The Bishops Man by Linden Macintyre (Obviously!)
The Disappeared by Kim Echlin
The Winter Vault by Anne Michaels
The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon
Fall by Colin Mcadam

To purchase any of the books, you can visit:
http://community.indigo.ca/toptens/Giller-Prize-2009-Shortlist-Fiction-Editor/566001.html

Push by Sapphire

Push by Sapphire is the unsettling story of Precious; a young, obese, illiterate, black woman who is a long time victim of sexual abuse by both her mother, and father.  The story takes place in Harlem and is told by Precious herself.  The book starts out when Precious is pregnant with her second child by her father.  Someone (a female teacher) refers Precious to an education facility for struggling and troubled teenaged women because of her pregnancy, and also because -- the reader can assume -- Precious is not like other girls her age.  The story goes back in time to detail Precious' earlier years, when people recognized the abuse and wanted to help but couldn't and also when people could help but chose not to.  The author doesn't hold back the horrid details of Precious' abuse. At times you are crying for Precious, but also, for anyone else whose life this story could be based on.  The book is mainly about Precious' realization of her situation and her struggle and determination to escape from it.  While her physical escape happens early in the story, her mental escape is a struggle she is faced with throughout the book.  With the help of an institution called Each One Teach One (a place for troubled young women to learn the basic skills to complete their GED), Precious, along with the other female students at EOTO, learns how to enjoy life, become independent, and most importantly, love herself.  Her teacher, Blue Rain, and her fellow classmates are a driving force in Precious' eventual transformation from a victim of abuse to an independent young mother.  Keep in mind however that this story is a tragedy, and without giving away too much, it's important to know that it doesn't have a fairytale ending. 


The story is tragic, without a doubt.  It will make you cry, hard, but also it will make you laugh.  The book is written as though Precious were the author; with misspelled words and poor grammar to emphasize not only the fact that Precious is illiterate and struggling, but also to make the story more personal; like a journal.  This book is a definite must-read for anyone interested in women's studies. 
 
The film is coming out shortly, but I have to be honest, I don't think I will be able to stomach it.  The truth is, as much as this story is fictional, it is based on reality.  Precious might be a made up character, but she is based on many women whose lives correspond very closely with the horrors in this book.  For those of us who don't live those realities, this book is a bit of a shocker, but also a real eye opener. 

Rating: 4/5

Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair

Just a quick note to everyone who lives in Boston!!!  The Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair is running from November 13th, 2009 to November 15th, 2009.  I will be attending and think this is going to be a great event for book lovers.  It is at the Hynes Convention Centre in Boston.  You can buy your tickets and get more information at http://www.bostonbookfair.com/ .  Also, to book our hotel I used a really great site called http://www.priceline.com/ which has a feature that you can bid on hotel rooms based on star rating, neighborhood, etc.  I have never been to an Antiquarian Book Fair before so I am pretty excited.  Hope to see you there!

Payback by Margaret Atwood

Considering the spotlight on finances as of late, I assumed this would be another book about debt facts on both personal and public levels. What piqued my interest was that the author is Margaret Atwood, who I would have never pictured writing any book about money or finance. The book is actually about debt from a cultural, historical, religious, and moral standpoint. It is a refreshing and unique look at the world of debt throughtout the ages to the present day. It is not only about the value of debt but also the fictitiousness of debt. I have read Atwood in the past, but never any non-fiction. This was very different from her usual work, obviously, but it doesn’t fall short by any means. It shows her ability as a literary genius to take her knowledge of literature and culture, and use that knowledge to analyze debt in north american society today. She uses her knowledge in a way that I don’t think an economist could have and ends up surprising you at the end of the book, when you realize these facts aren’t simply scattered bits of trivia but rather seeds of information to allow the reader to see the bigger picture at the end. Witty, as she often is, and brilliant, as she always is, this book is truly a shining moment for Atwood because it breaks any assumptions about how limited she is in her writing. This book is something I would recommend to historians, economists, environmentalist, and book snobs alike


Rating: 4/5