Book Review- Jhumpa Lahiri's The Clothing of Books

Thank You to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of Jhumpa Lahiri's, The Clothing of Books, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- In this short, non-fiction book, award-winning author, Jhumpa Lahiri, explains the process that the publishing industry uses to create book covers. She explores her own feelings on book covers, as both an avid reader and famous author. 

LIKE- I'm a huge, huge fan of Lahiri, and I was thrilled for the opportunity to review, The Clothing of Books. As a book lover and hopeful author, I found her take on book covers to be both informative and thought provoking. Although my manuscript is far from ready to even send out in search of agents, I'm well aware of the book cover process, how the author may have very little say, with the publisher picking the cover that best fits their vision for marketing. Lahiri writes about this process, confessing that some of her own covers did not fit with her  personal vision of her stories. She writes about her experience of having her books translated and how publishers in other countries, would pick covers based on what works for their culture. A popular cover in one country, could be disastrous in another, even though the book is the same. 

Lahiri relates the theme of book covers, to her own cultural background. She was born in England to parents from India, but immigrated to the United States as a small child. Living in America, she attended public schools, without a dress-code. On her summer trips back to India, she envied her cousins who attended schools with uniforms, wishing that she could wear a uniform in America, so that she wouldn't stand-out so much. Making matters more difficult, were her parents didn't quite understand her wish to fit-in, and would purchase American style clothes for her that was budget-friendly, not trendy for teens. They had her dress in traditional Indian clothing for occasions spent with other Indian immigrants. Lahiri never felt like she belonged anywhere. To layer this further, she speaks of her father, a librarian, and how her childhood experience with books was all at the library, where the covers are often removed. 

Lahiri writes about the beauty of covers. On her recent move to Italy, she could not bring many of her possessions, so she used books, facing the covers forward on her shelves, like pieces of art, to breath life into her rented home with its generic furniture. She mentioned never having spent so much time admiring covers, as when they were displayed in this fashion. 

DISLIKE - Only that it was too short. 

RECOMMEND - YES!!! If you're a reader, writer, artist, et.., The Clothing of Books is a must-read.  Really, anything by Lahiri is a must-read. She's brilliant. 

Book Review- Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang

PLOT- Annie and Baxter Fang are middle-aged siblings attempting to create their own artistic identities, but are constantly plagued by a childhood of trauma inflicted by their parents, Caleb and Camille. Caleb and Camille are famous performance artists, who never intended on having children. Initially, they feared that their children would negatively impact their art, but they decided to turn it around, and use their kids to make artistic statements. The Fangs were famous for creating improvised events at places like malls and restaurants, inflicting uncomfortable scenarios on unwitting suspects, including sometimes their own children, when they wanted to get an authentic reaction. 

Adult Annie and Baxter have each hit a snag in their careers and need their parents help. They've returned home for just a few days, when Caleb and Camille disappear. Could this be another performance, or are the elder Fangs in danger?

LIKE- The premise and characters are quirky in a way that's similar to a Wes Anderson film. Anderson did not have anything to do with the film adaptation of The Family Fang, but the story has his off-beat vibe. 

Wilson's story has a very poignant moment midway through, when Annie and Baxter, who have initially eschewed police help in finding their parents, certain that it is another game their parents are playing, realize that they might be wrong. They both have a turn, when they not only want to find their parents, but are starting to think about life without them. Annie and Baxter own the wrong that their parents have inflicted on them, but also feel a sense of loss. I intensely related to this moment, it made me think of when my aunt passed. We had so much conflict in the years before she died, but I also loved her so very much. This turn is the most emotional point in novel.

Many of Camille and Caleb's stunts are unimaginative, stuff like making a scene at a store in the mall. Their confidence and snobby attitude about what constitutes art, coupled with their feelings towards their children, immediately put me on the side of Annie and Baxter.  Admittedly, at first, I was wondering why their art projects seemed so simplistic and dull? Couldn't Wilson come up with anything better? But no, that wasn't it at all. I was missing the point that Camille and Caleb are ridiculous. They have these very regimented ideas of what it means to create art and they value it above all else, including other people. They force their ideas on others, force reactions. It also dawned on me that most of their art is done in the 1980's and 90's. The need for intensity and extreme, wasn't what it is now. 

DISLIKE- Through a majority of the story, I felt a disconnect. I wasn't gripped and although I read it in about four days, I did read other books at the same time. I know I'm grabbed, when I refuse to put a book down until I finish it. This was not the case. 

RECOMMEND- Maybe. Wilson has created a quirky world and even if I felt a disconnect, I'm still thinking about, The Family Fang. I'm curious enough to check out the film adaptation, which stars Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman as the adult Annie and Baxter. 

Book Review- Christopher Merkner's The Rise & Fall of the Scandamerican Domestic

PLOT - In his short story collection, The Rise & Fall of the Scandamerican Domestic, Christopher Merkner uses humor and satire, to peel apart relationships and family dynamics, with a heavy emphasis on people living in the midwest with scandinavian heritage. 

LIKE- The Rise & Fall of the Scandamerican Domestic came my way via the book fair at the 2016 AWP Conference. I love small presses and discovering new authors. My method was to go up to a booth, in this case the booth for Coffee House Press, and ask the seller what they recommended. "Hey, I don't know you, you don't know me, but what is your favorite book at your booth." This method works surprisingly well most of the time. The Rise & Fall of the Scandamerican Domestic came enthusiastically recommended. 

I got a kick out of recognizing my relatives in Merkner's characters. I have Norwegian heritage on both sides, with my great grandparents having immigrated to the mid-west region of the United States. Although I was born in Southern California (my parents were mostly raised here too), they still clung to many of the traits and overall way of thinking that they inherited from their parents; stoic, passive aggression, and exceptionally well-mannered while in public. Merkner uses these traits against his characters, forcing them to confront the negative results of their behavior. The funny thing is, even if they understood the moral lesson, I doubt any of the characters would admit it. Stubbornness is another trait. 

 One of my favorite stories was, Last Cottage, in which a poor lake resort community, decides that it will try to force the Larson family, to sell their land. The Larson's visit their cottage only in the summer and they are the final family that hasn't sold to developers. Rather than speak to the Larson's directly, community members first vandalize their house, damaging the roof during winter, so that they will get interior water damage. When that doesn't make the Larson's leave, the entire community, including law enforcement, pitches in to electrocute fish in the lake and purposefully directing the mass of rotting fish to the small patch of beach by the Larson's cottage. Up until the very twisted end of the story ( No spoilers), both the Larson's and the community play a game of passive aggression and manners, even as the stakes rise. Merkner excels at increasing the tension and keeping the suspense.

Another favorite was Of Pigs and Children. This one is memorable for its imagery. It's gross and weird, but also visceral, and it would not leave my mind. It's the first story in the collection, making it a great litmus test. If you can handle this story, keep on reading, if not, Merkner might not be your cup of tea.

One more stand-out was We Have Them to Raise Us. The concept behind this story was intriguing; a wife tells her husband that she would like to invite all of her former lovers to her thirty-first birthday party. She asks her husband to help plan it, and he can be there, as long as he doesn't make overt references to their marriage or new baby. What is most fascinating is how the husband responds. It's unexpected, however it also plays right into those themes of manners and passive aggression. 

DISLIKE - I found myself disconnected from many of the stories, almost skimming them. 

RECOMMEND-  I would definitely recommend the stories that I liked, Merkner has a vivid imagination. I love his balance between wit and truly dark, horrific material. However, I can't recommend, The Rise & Fall of the Scandamerican Domestic, as a collection, too many of the stories were a disconnect.