The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
Captivating, Charming, Enchanting! I read this novel some time ago, but it’s eerie tone and colorful characters have stuck with me ever since. This is definitely among my all time favorite reads and recommendations. The review below is taken from Book Page, May 2006 by Rebecca Stropoli. Her analysis is what impelled me to read this book and I hope it does the same for you:
The Stolen Child was a poem about changelings written by William Butler Yeats in 1889; now, this novel by the same name expands on the theme in an enchanting way. Keith Donohue’s debut immediately intrigues the reader with the tale of Henry Day, a seven-year-old boy kidnapped by a band of forest-dwelling changelings (mythical miniature creatures who never age and form a secret society on the fringes of the human world) after he runs away from home. Henry is replaced in his own home by a changeling boy tapped to re-enter the real world. Henry is now a hobgoblin, and the hobgoblin, a child. But can this carbon copy, who is identical yet so different for example, he suddenly displays extraordinary musical talent truly become another? The reader is treated to two narratives one by Henry Day himself, who has to adjust from the human world to the changeling one, and one by his duplicate, who is readjusting to the human world after more than a century spent as a changeling (for he was also once a real boy). As the years pass, both Henry and his double struggle to come to terms with their true identities. And as the modern world (the book opens in the 1950s) impinges upon the covert changeling sect, their very existence is threatened.
Donohue seamlessly blends the fantastical and the real here, with a matter-of-fact approach to the magic that exists on the edges of everyday life. This is a mysterious journey told in lyrical prose.
RECOMMENDED BY: Stefanie Edwards, Library Associate II
Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
“Begins here first account of operative me,
Agent number 67 on arrival Midwestern American
airport greater _____ area. Flight _____. Date
_____. Priority mission top success to
complete. Code name: Operation Havoc.” ~Pygmy
Summary:
The plot revolves around a 13-year-old exchange
student Agent Number 67. He is one of a dozen
sent to America from his totalitarian homeland
to infiltrate American families under the guise of
“exchange students”and engage his home country’s
agenda of “Operation Havoc”.
Nicknamed Pygmy for his diminutive size, Agent
67 arrives in the United States from his
totalitarian homeland, into the welcoming arms
of his Midwestern host family the “Cedars” who
introduce Pygmy into the rituals of postmodern
American life. Pygmy, along with his fellow
operatives are tasked to embed themselves into
their host families and to complete their
heinous operations. Will they be stopped before
they can achieved their evil plan or will the
Agents “go native” once out of the ever
watchful eyes of their moderators?
Thoughts:
Let me start by saying I am a huge Chuck
Palahniuk fan from the first novel that I ever
picked up (“Lullaby”). Since then I have proceeded to acquire
every novel he has written. He
has yet to disappoint. With “Pygmy” it seems
that Mr. Palahniuk has taken a new, and very
interesting direction.
“Pygmy” is very different and at many times a
laugh out loud read.
The syntax, however was a bit difficult at
first, and although the broken English prose
took some getting used to, after about 10 pages
of the first chapter I could easily understand
what was going on in the story.
The writing style (although similar to his
other “diary style” novels) has the unique
distinction of being written in the character’s
“native speech”. This style forces the reader
to actively read by paying attention instead of
passively read and skim. A trick that allows
the reader to get a better understanding of the
character and a deeper appreciation for the
story. And what a story it is! Filled with,
unfortunate Walmart bathroom breaks, a baptism
gone horribly wrong, Model UN melee and prom-fu,
“Pygmy” is sometimes disturbing, hilarious,
and heart-wrenching but always over the top as
only Chuck Palahniuk knows how to do it.
“Pygmy’s” view of America and its citizens
serves as a brilliant, hilarious (albeit
sometimes biting) social satire. An excellent
read.
RECOMMENDED BY: Tiffany Chacon, Library Associate II
Poe’s Children: The New Horror: An Anthology by Peter Straub
“Poe’s Children: The New Horror: An Anthology” by author Peter Straub is an amazingly diverse collection of short stories by many of horror’s favorite sons (and daughters). This is Straub’s attempt to show case what he considers “the most interesting development in our literature during the last two decades.” Included in this fantastic smorgasbord of the outré are:
The Bees Dan Chaon
Cleopatra Brimstone Elizabeth Hand
The Man on the Ceiling Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem
The Great God Pan M. John Harrison
The Voice of the Beach Ramsey Campbell
Body Brian Evenson
Louise’s Ghost Kelly Link
The Sadness of Detail Jonathan Caroll
Leda M. Rickert
In Praise of Folly Thomas Tessier
Plot Twist David J. Schow
The Two Sams Glen Hirshberg
Notes on the Writing of Horror: A Story Thomas Ligotti
Unearthed Benjamin Percy
Gardner of Heart Bradford Morrow
Little Red’s Tango Peter Straub
The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet Stephen King
20th Century Ghost Joe Hill
The Green Glass Sea Ellen Klages
The Kiss Tia V. Travis
Black Dust Graham Joyce
October in the Chair Neil Gaiman
Missolonghi 1824 John Crowley
Insect Dreams Rosilind Palermo Stevenson
Many of these titles would not generally be classified as “horror” per say by purists of that genre; however those that did differ lent a very special flavor and an almost ethereal theme to the other more classic horror titles in this collection. One of my favorite stories was Stephen King’s “The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet” (1984)—this story features a writer who suffers from the paranoid delusion that an imp inhabits his typewriter. It illustrates the infectious nature of insanity and the danger and devastation that it awards to those unlucky enough to have caught this contagion.
All in all the collection “Poe’s Children” is an excellent anthology.
If you liked this title you might want to try:
“History Is Dead: A Zombie Anthology” edited by Kim Paffenroth
“Dark Delicacies” edited by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb
“The Years Best fantasy and Horror” by Kelly Link, Gavin Grant, and Ellen Datlow
RECOMMENDED BY: Tiffany M. Chacon, Library Associate II- Circulation Supervisor
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Relating the experience of a nine year old boy named Bruno in 1942 Nazi Germany, Boyle attempts to show what the events of the time might have looked like through the eyes of a child. This was one novel I couldn’t quite get a grip on. While I understand what the author was trying to do, I was left empty and unsatisfied.
With the first third of the novel Boyle introduces the various characters, Bruno’s family: Father (high ranking official in the Nazi army), Mother, Gretel (eleven year old sister), along with the various help that is employed to maintain their five story home in Berlin. When the family leaves their home to accompany Father at his new assignment in a place called “Out-With”, everyone must adjust to the new surroundings. While young Bruno can sense the cold, harshness of the environment, he doesn’t understand why. Why a fence divides his family from all the other children. Why everyone on the other side is wearing the same “striped pajamas”. My dilemma with this scenario is buying into the complete naivety and ignorance with which Bruno is portrayed. The gimmick with his not being able to pronounce various words and ideas of his native tongue (such as “Out-With” in place of “Auschwitz” and “fury” in place of “Fuhrer”) is an absurd attempt at irony, especially considering that the pun only works in the American language which they were obviously not actually speaking.
The tedium of listening to a nine year olds narration began to set in as I reached the second third of the novel, but I admit I was curious enough to want to finally meet “the boy in the striped pajamas” who finally was introduced far too far along in the story. Meeting young Shmuel, sitting on the other side of the fence during an exploration of the grounds one day, turns out to make the long, lonely days in this new place more bearable and even pleasantly exciting for Bruno…and the reader. After many days of meeting and long talks at the fence, Shmuel and Bruno learn that they have many things in common and begin to question why a fence should come in the way of their newfound friendship.
It becomes pretty predictable where the story is going at the last third of the book but I felt too committed in the story to stop. Considering the subject matter of Boyle’s fable, one obviously expects a heart-wrenching, tear-jerking experience. Now, I am by nature an empathetic person who admittedly will readily express such feelings even for fictional characters. The characters in this story are not only supposed to represent a possible reality; the final fate of the two young boys was a terrible one to consider… yet I felt nothing but a matter-of-fact sense that this was “sad”.
Ultimately Boyle failed to develop the characters in a way that I could truly relate with and in turn become truly emotionally invested in. Apparently Boyle wrote this novel in its entirety in only two and a half days on an impulse… perhaps this lack of considerable thought is why there is something missing.
NOT RECOMMENDED BY: Stefanie Edwards, Library Associate II
The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
As a neighbor responds to the anxious, curdling howl of Lexy’s beloved Rhodesian ridgeback, Lorelei, Lexy’s body is found at the base of an overgrown apple tree in her backyard. The investigation rules out suicide and concludes that the incident was an accident. Struggling to come to terms with this untimely death of his wife, however, an unsettled feeling leads Paul Iverson to begin an investigation of his own. Searching for answers, he replays and analyzes any conversations, events, or signs that Lexy may have been trying to give him. Upon this candid reflection we find that his life was based on seeing things the way he wanted to rather than the way they really were. Now he must decide whether it’s better to live with the fond memories he had created on the surface or to dig into the ugly truth.
Iverson determines that the only way to know what really happened is to ask a witness, someone who was with Lexy before, during, and after that horrifying afternoon…Lorelei. A linguistics professor, Iverson comes up with the idea of teaching his dog to talk. Despite the dismay, ridicule, and expressed concerns of his friends and coworkers, Iverson becomes consumed with this undertaking.
The reading becomes a bit disturbing when Iverson learns about and meets with an underground organization that experiment with animal linguistics. While artfully capturing your curiosity to discover the possibilities of science, Parkhurst reveals the dark extremes to which man often takes it. I personally was horrified when a spectacle of a “successful” experiment was finally unveiled.
Between Iverson’s reflections of memories with Lexy and his obsession with getting his dog to speak, Dogs of Babel ultimately boils down to a brilliant narration of a man’s realization that some questions are best left unanswered.
RECOMMENDED BY: Stefanie Edwards, Library Associate II
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
I started writing, “the Gargoyle is the story of…” and realized that the narrator has no name. It just now occurred to me. That gives you an idea of how deeply engrossed I was in this story. The narrator is a burn victim, but a very unsympathetic one considering his accident occurred while driving under the influence. He’s an unrepentant pornographer, atheist, drug addict and womanizer. While recovering in the hospital he gets a visit from a woman who claims to have known him before…in the 1300s. She has been searching all her life to find him. Because he has nowhere to go and is more than a little curious about Marianne, he moves in with her. What proceeds is a love story unlike any other. Not only does she tell the story of their life and love, but she shares four different love stories that bolster her belief in love and redemption.
Although this story has been told before: remorseless man meets woman who changes his life and he’s no longer remorseless…it has never been told quite like this.
RECOMMENDED BY: Linette Neal, Librarian I
Tortilla Curtain by T. Coreghessan Boyle
While a noble notion to claim that Prejudice in America is dead, it is one that unfortunately reflects the naivety of those either too aloof to care or too sentimental to admit. As T. Coreghessan Boyle addresses the realities of class distinction and the stereotypical barriers that feed our ignorance, it is evident that prejudice is still very much alive. Told from alternating viewpoints, however, Boyle tactfully stays neutral as he draws attention, not to the rightfulness or wrongness of the characters actions, but to the concerns and views of each character in this sensitive matter.
We find Candido and America, two Mexican immigrants, homeless and camping in the Topanga Canyon area of Los Angles, in pursuit of just a modest piece of the American Dream. It is clear Candido loves and cherishes his young new bride and prides himself on taking care of her the best he can. Still their everyday reality is: Will we have anything to eat today? Will we find work today? Will we get deported today? They cannot even trust those of their native country, who in their own struggle to survive, have learned to become savage and brutal. Matters are made even more complicated when they find out America is pregnant, soon to bring a delicate, innocent life into the squalors of their makeshift “home”.
Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher are upper class suburbians who are consumed with maintaining their comfortable lifestyle and keeping out “undesirables” who will only bring down the value of their community. They are not bad people; they have just become accustomed to a standard of living that somewhere along the way has caused them to lose touch with common humanity without even knowing it. They justify their actions with the excuse of being proactive against “illegal immigration”. The ugly truth that becomes apparent, though, is that it’s not about being illegal, it’s about being different.
At some point the reader comes to identify with one side or the other and roots for the vindication of the ones they decide are the “victim”. My position was clear from the beginning: Yes, illegal immigration is a crime, but immigrants are more than a label, a statistic, or a nuisance, they are people and families searching for hopes and dreams. Maybe your emotions will become attached to a different character or you’ll better relate to the opposite side of the issue…Boyle ever so eloquently leaves that up to you.
When these two very different lives become intertwined by one fateful day, they find in the end that they are not as different as they think.
RECOMMENDED BY: Stefanie Edwards, Library Associate II
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee
One might assume that The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee is solely the story of Claire Pendleton, a naïve young English bride newly arrived in the colony of Hong Kong in 1952. However, there are other richly drawn characters that are instrumental to the story.
In 1952, Claire arrives in Hong Kong with her new husband, a rather boring engineer tasked with working on Hong Kong’s water infrastructure. To earn some money and to keep busy, she agrees to take a job as the piano teacher to Locket Chen, the young daughter of a wealthy and influential Chinese family. It is not long after that she meets and starts an affair with Will Truesdale, the Chen’s enigmatic chauffeur. Unfortunately for Claire, Will is haunted by events that took place in 1942 Hong Kong. At the eve of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, Will finds himself in love with Trudy Liang, a Eurasian socialite who because of her mix race was able to keep herself out of the Japanese camps, but not necessarily out of Japanese hands. The difficult decisions made by Will, Trudy, and others, including the Chens, during this time, are what haunt Will and won’t let him move on. When the sins of the past are abruptly revealed in the present, Claire finds herself in the middle of devastating revelations that force her to see Will for who he clearly is and in the process, finds who she has become.
There is very little about this book I didn’t like. It had romance, mystery, and best of all, history. I know very little about Hong Kong and the Japanese invasion during World War II. One of the things I loved best about this book was that it made me want to read more about that time. There were so many fascinating historical details that Lee touched on: the role of the British in Hong Kong, the Japanese invasion, mixed marriages, etc. I immediately looked up some books on the Japanese and World War II. After reading The Piano Teacher, you might want to too!
Some titles here at the Spring Lake Library include:
Blood, tears and folly by Len Deighton [940.54 D]
The war : an intimate history, 1941-1945 by Geoffrey C. Ward [940.5373 W]
And don’t forget DVDs on this topic!
Flags of Our Fathers [DVD F] Letters from Iwo Jima [DVD L]
RECOMMENDED BY: Linette Neal, Librarian I
