READING UPDATE: KAZUO ISHIGURO, THE BURIED GIANT AND MORE

Hello dear readers, how's life treating you? It's time for another reading update on my blog. You guys know that I'm a bookworm and a reading addict, right? Today I have a couple of book reviews to share with you. I'll be reviewing four books (more precisely: two novels and two short story collections). It's a mixed crowd of writers that I'm reviewing, from Nobel winning Kazuo Ishiguro to some other well known authors. So, let's get started. Scroll down to read my opinion of these books. 

THE BURIED GIANT, A NOVEL BY KAZUO ISHIGURO 5/5

Having seen a fascinating interview with mr. Ishiguro about this very book, I had high expectations for The Buried Giant. I'm happy to report that my expectations were fulfilled. Once again, Kazuo Ishiguro impressed me his subtle and beautiful writing. This novel is a masterpiece. The Buried Giant is very moving tale of an elderly couple in search for their lost past. Axl and Beatrix share a strong connection, but just like everyone else in the novel, they suffer from forgetfulness. They are perhaps more honest than the other people in the small Brit village they call a home so they aren't afraid to talk about this phenomenon. What is causing people to forget things? That's one of the mysteries of this novel.

This novel is set in post- Arthurian England where magical beings are still a part of daily life (ogres. dragons and pixies) and as such can be labelled as a fantasy novel. Sir Gawain is a rather prominent character in this one and the shadow of Arthur (no longer alive) is very present. Some readers were put off by the fantasy element of this novel. Please don't be one of those readers and have an open mind. If you are a fan of Kazuo, this book won't disappoint you. It might be written in a genre this author hasn't reached for prior to this book but it is very much written in Ishiguro's signature style. 

Moreover, The Buried Giant is in many ways similar to other Ishiguro's novels (and I read quite a few of them). His works might differ stylistically but there are some recurring themes in them. Memory is an important theme for Ishiguro and it is a central theme in this novel. The elderly couple is aware that with finding the truth, they might uncover some traumatic things. Is it better to forget? Is forgetting sometimes necessary for our survival? If you know anything about human psychology, you know how selective and fragile our memory really is. We often forget to protect ourselves from psychological trauma, to be able to carry our daily lives and yet we must also remember. Memories sometimes come back when we least expect them to.

“But then again I wonder if what we feel in our hearts today isn't like these raindrops still falling on us from the soaked leaves above, even though the sky itself long stopped raining. I'm wondering if without our memories, there's nothing for it but for our love to fade and die.”

This book speaks about all of that, about trauma of war, about our need to forget and our inability to completely forget. More than about post war medieval Britain, this book is really about us as human kind, about what drives us to war, what makes us to seek revenge. I remember watching some interviews with Ishiguro where he spoke of collective forgetfulness, not uncommon in post -war Europe (or Japan for that matter). It is obviously something that this author has given a lot of thought to. What is the difference between forgiveness and forgetfulness? Can we ever truly forgive? It is also a study of a marriage. In any long lasting marriage, there are wounds.

When you spend all of your time with somebody, you're bound to hurt one another- in one way or another. The same goes for family, it is source of both peace and conflict, for we all carry conflict within ourselves. I found the writer's approach to memory absolutely fascinating. This is quite a psychological novel, don't let the pixies full you into thinking otherwise. There is a great dept to this book, but also great sadness. The ending just broke my heart. It is an ambiguous ending, so there is a way to interpret it that is a bit less heart-breaking, but it still broke my heart. However, I respect any writer that can make me cry and care deeply about its characters. Highly recommended!

“Boatman, I’ve spoken honestly to you, and I hope it doesn’t cast your earlier judgement of us in doubt. For I suppose there’s some would hear my words and think our love flawed and broken. But God will know the slow tread of an old couple’s love for each other, and understand how black shadows make part of its whole.”

VERONICA DECIDES TO DIE, A NOVEL BY PAULO COELHO, 2.4/ 5

 Veronica Decides to Die is an interesting novel about a young Slovenian lady who decided to commit suicide. I admire Coelho for tackling a difficult topic, that of a suicide and mental illness, but I can't say that I was blown away by this novel or even that I liked it a lot. Somehow it felt a bit superficial. Perhaps I expected too much of it. I suppose one always has some expectations. Perhaps because this is such a serious and difficult topic I expected too much. I can't say that my expectations were met. I wasn't able to really get into the story. I read it and enjoyed it to a degree, but I didn't really feel it. It was alright, but nothing special or noteworthy. Perhaps I just had enough of Coelho and I got bored of his style of writing. It is possible that someone else will like and enjoy this book, so don't take my words for it. If you're curious about this novel, give it a read.  

TRA LE RUGHE, STORIE DI NONNI CHE SI FANNO RICORARE 4/5

This is a beautiful collection of short stories written by a number of notable Italian writers. I was familiar with some of these others, while others were new to me. These short stories are set in the last century and quite often in a time period correlating to WW2. Many of these works (as the title indicated) tell stories of grandfathers and grandmothers.  I really enjoyed them all. Moreover, I found most of them very touching. I can definitely recommend this short story collection. I don’t know if an English translation exists, I had read it in Italian. This collection includes works of the following Italian authors: Angela Bianchini, Isabella Bossi Fedrigotti, Marcello Cesa Bianchi, Giorgio Calcagno, Elena Gianini Belotti, Gina Lagorio, Grazia Livi, Giuseppe Lisi, Marisa madieri, Claudio Magris, Ottiero Ottieri, Pino Roveredo, Enzo Siciliano, Susanna Tamaro, Lidia Storoni Mazzolani, Gregor Von Rezzori, Antonio Tabucchi, Giorgio Voghera. 

 MOON-FACE AND OTHER STORIES, A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES BY JACK LONDON 5/5

This is an excellent collection of short stories by Jack London. I was very impressed with how varied they were in terms of writing style. I didn't know Jack London had so many sides to him. Some of these stories are written in his signature 'naturalism', while others are a bit more philosophical, Gothic and mysterious. Some feature strong willed female protagonists (a fact that somewhat surprised me as I wasn't used to strong females in his works). Some of these stories had a bit of the kind of dark and morbid fascination in them that reminded me of E.A. Poe. Highly recommended!

Moon-Face: A Story of Mortal Antipathy 4/5 Superbly written, this is a first person narration of mortal antipathy. The ending was brilliant but on overall, the story was a bit too dark for me. I felt the ending a bit unfinished, but on the other hand that the whole brilliance and novelty of it- the way the story ended.
The Leopard Man's Story Speaker Icon 3/5 Another well written and paced story. Altogether, quite dark and violent. Not for the sensitive souls.
Local Color 3/5 An interesting read but not very memorable. It evaporated from my mind quickly.
Amateur Night 5/5 What makes a good journalist? This story follows a brave young lady who is determined to get into journalism. Now, this is a story that is still relevant. Sometimes you just have to push your way through and be willing to try new things.
The Minions of Midas 5/5 Very dramatic and nerve wrecking, it reads like a murder mystery but it is also an interesting commentary on social classes and changes as well as revolutionary movements of past times. There is also a chilling aspect to it, a feeling of guilt being the underlining tone of it.
The Shadow and the Flash 5/5 The science fiction element to this story really surprised me. Two men in search of invisibility, two chemists battling it to the finish line. I kept thinking about Asimov while reading this one, wondering whether he had read it. Possibly my favourite story in the collection. The science of it is a bit shaky, but why the story itself? It's absolutely amazing.
All Gold Canyon 4/5 This is London as I know him, describing the battle of man against nature. Excellent descriptions in this one, it is easy to imagine everything that takes place.
Planchette 5/5 A ghost mystery of sorts, this story contains a lot of ambiguity. I was mighty impressed with it. Where does science end and supernatural begin? Or are the two somehow connected? I liked the commentary about the twenty century minds and their belief in science. In many ways, the sub consciousness mind is still a mystery. This story made me think about The Turn of a Screw, for there are a few ways to read and interpret it. Absolutely delicious reading!

As always, thank you for reading and commenting. Have a lovely day and a great start of the week!