fiction – Page 8 – Finding My Wings

Seeking and Finding ‘In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist’

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In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist by Ruhama King Feuerman (The New York Review of Books, 2013)
In 40 words or less: A rebbe’s courtyard in Jerusalem and a shard of pottery discarded on the Temple Mount are catalysts for life changing experiences for three lonely people.
Genre: Fiction
Locale: Jerusalem
Time: 1994
Read this book for a well-crafted story bringing in the many different peoples that make up Jerusalem.

There is a timelessness to Ruhama King Feuerman’s novel despite its contemporary setting. The courtyard of the title, on Nineveh Street in Jerusalem, is a place where seekers of all sorts congregate. A wise and ailing rebbe and his wife offer guidance and soup to an array of regular and occasional visitors. Isaac, a former haberdasher from the Lower East Side, arrives in the courtyard while looking for a new direction in his life. As luck would have it (and out of the goodness of their hearts), Isaac becomes the assistant to the rebbe, ferrying messages, keeping order and conversing with the visitors.

Among the visitors is Tamar, a young American who has moved to Israel and become more religious. She is effervescent in personality and dress and is in search of her bashert, the person who’s destined to share her life. She asks the rebbe’s guidance in finding him.

On the Temple Mount, Mustafa toils daily as a janitor, sweeping, washing, and hauling trash to maintain the holiness of the site. Mustafa has been an outcast from birth, his head awkwardly twisted almost over his shoulder. Rejected by his family who are concerned about the negative influence his condition may have on the marriage prospects of his siblings, he lives narrow existence of work, dinner and sleep with little human contact.

In the course of clearing out buckets of debris from questionable digging on the Temple Mount, Mustafa finds a shard of pottery that appears to have some value. Mustafa sees Isaac as someone who can explain what he has found. Looking for answers endangers Isaac and Mustafa but they are resolute in what becomes a quest for both. As with almost everything in Jerusalem, religious and political controversies, control of holy sites and distrust among groups become obstacles in their path.

Over the course of the novel, these three lonely, family-less people find connections with each other. The story has ample twists and turns, but it is the blossoming of the people and their friendships that gives it lasting strength. This is a slim book, tightly written and very well-suited for discussion among book groups.

Americanah: An oh, so contemporary novel

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Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Alfred A. Knopf, 2013)
In 40 words or less: A story that gives life to the personal struggles two young people in contemporary Nigeria, America and Britain. Through their eyes issues of immigration, racism and multiculturalism are brought forward. Long but well worth the effort!
Genre: Literary Fiction
Locale: Nigeria, United States, Great Britain
Time: Contemporary
Read this for a meaty story of generations adapting to change and confronting change delayed.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is deservedly a darling of current literary circles. Each of her novels has won numerous awards and her recent book length essay, We Should All be Feminists, which started as a TEDx talk, is considered a seminal work (pun intended) on the topic. Her novel Half of a Yellow Sun, brings to life the devastating Biafran conflict that tore apart Nigeria in the late 1960s.

In Americanah, Adichie introduces Ifemelu and Obinze, bright, loving young Nigerians who must leave their homeland to seek opportunity abroad. While college students, Nigeria is ruled by the military and universities are often closed due to strikes and other disruptions and prospects for success afterwards are few. America post-9/11 is particularly unfriendly to young men from Africa so, despite his love for all things American, Obinze ends up in England. Ifemelu secures a partial graduate school scholarship and joins family in Brooklyn. Soon on her own in Philadelphia, she struggles – making ends meet, understanding American-English and norms, and confronting racism for the first time. Her connection to Obinze is her beacon. At her lowest moment, she cuts off communication, though never relinquishing the connection.

Ifemelu had a keen eye for cultural and political nuances of being an African woman versus an African-American woman in America. Arriving in the US a couple of years before the election of President Obama, her experience is imbued with the changes his candidacy and election brings. Throughout her time in several cities on the east coast, her warmth and wit bring her friends and rich relationships. Initially as a lark, she turns a blog into a forum for discussions on race, politics and people. Eventually leaving school behind, Ifemelu becomes a full-time blogger. After several years she makes the choice to return home.

Obinze’s acclimation to England is more difficult. Without family as a touchpoint and school as a focus, he scrambles to find work without a visa and gets drawn into the British equivalent of the green card marriage scam. Throughout he remains in love with Ifemelu and can’t understand the silence. Forced to return to Nigeria, there he achieves all the outward symbols of a very successful life.

There is a very contemporary feel to this novel. The characters are working to launch their lives in very uncertain times. Without the internet, they’d be unable to maintain and fracture connections. Politics has a role but is not all-pervasive. Religion is only mentioned in passing. This measured attention allows day-to-day life to shine through.

This is a long book, at 588 pages almost twice the length the book groups I work with typically choose. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie not only tells a story but informs the reader as well. Her characters are smart and expressive. Her descriptions of places and situations are vivid, almost as if a movie camera is panning the scene. The novel deals with immigration, multiculturalism, racism and the haves and have-nots. The view of daily life in Nigeria before and after her time in the US is so detailed that you can feel the heat and smell the food. And throughout there is the universal draw of family, both by birth and by choice. Consider the time required to absorb this novel an investment well made.

Weekend reset with Galbraith/Rowling’s ‘Career of Evil’

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Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (Little Brown, 2015)
In 40 words or less: To solve their latest case, private detectives Strike and Robin must face up to people and situations in their pasts. This third mystery written by J.K. Rowling under the pen name Robert Galbraith is a worthy addition to the series.
Genre: Mystery
Locale: London and other locales in Britain
Time: 2011
Read this either as a stand-alone mystery or to follow Strike and Robin as their professional and personal relationships evolve. This isn’t a British cozy, so expect descriptions of violence and aberrant behavior.

On Friday my number came up at the library for the newest mystery by J.K. Rowling, writing as Robert Galbraith. Career of Evil is an apt title. Cormoran Strike is a private detective who learned his trade as military before losing a leg to an IED. With the help of his assistant, Robin Ellacott, he has established his business with a mix of jealous paramours and major criminal cases that have stymied the London police.

When a woman’s leg is delivered to the office, addressed to Robin, Strike immediately puts together a short list of men who would do almost anything to get back at him. As Robin continues to hone her skills, it becomes clear the perp intends to get to Strike by harming Robin. Further complicating everything, Robin’s wedding is approaching and her unsettled relationship with her fiancé is put further to the test.

It is hard to imagine that on a weekend when all eyes were turned to the horror of the attacks in Paris it would be calming to read of fictional crime and mayhem. But it is just that — fiction, and the beauty of a well-written book of whatever genre appeals to you is that it can provide that escape. After the first rush of news on Friday evening, I turned off the TV and took in the news in small bites online or from the newspaper. That freed up plenty of time to read. And so I did.

With Strike and Robin I travelled across London, to Scotland, and Yorkshire and beyond. New details were revealed of their backstories and each experienced personal and professional growth. One mark of a successful series is ongoing development within the characters. This informs the storyline and brings the reader back for more. Whichever name you choose for the author of this Cormoran Strike novel, it is well worth a weekend’s read.

Jazz, gangsters and booze in a novel of 1920s Chicago

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The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris (Nan A. Talese – Doubleday, 2015)
In 40 words or less: Chicago in its strength and grit comes to life in this jazz age novel. Figures such as Al Capone and Louis Armstrong add an authentic flavor to the story. If the development of jazz speaks to you, this is your book.
Genre: Fiction
Locale: Chicago
Time: 1915-1927

There is nothing like a real life disaster to capture attention. On the shore of the Chicago River, author Mary Morris introduces two families touched by tragedy in 1915. That summer the S.S. Eastland, an excursion boat chartered to provide factory workers an outing, tipped over, drowning 844 people, about a third of those on board.

Benny Lehrman was out delivering caps from his father’s factory when he came upon the disaster. Guilty over the loss of his youngest brother during a snowstorm, Benny jumped in to try to save others. And here his path crossed the Chimbrova family. Three of the Chimbrova brothers died, their young sisters scarred by what they witnessed and their mother destroyed by the loss.

Chicago was an industrial, cultural and social hub in 1915. It was the center of the railroads, a city of factories with immigrants jostling for jobs and housing, each group protecting its people and territory. At the same time Chicago was drawing African-American musicians from the south as part of the Great Migration. Jazz and the blues had taken root in New Orleans and Biloxi and its stars were taking the train north in search of money, fame and a safer life.

After the end of WWI, the South Side of Chicago became a honky-tonk paradise for the growing African-American community with live musicians and dancing, drinking and brothels. The North side had a similar mix for the white community. Both were under the watchful eye and protection, at a price, of the growing gangster presence which included Al Capone.

Up from the South is Napoleon, a man as physically impressive as he is talented with the trumpet. His music is his life, fine clothes his obsession, and he pushes the envelope in pursuit of both. Despite the risks, he searches out opportunities to play across town and musicians worthy of partnership.

As the oldest child, Benny’s family rests its hopes on him. By making deliveries, rather than working in the factory he has some leeway and can follow his beloved White Sox, mired in scandal. Convinced he has musical talent, his family sends him for him weekly classical piano lessons. Though he does play Beethoven for his mother, Benny is consumed by jazz and dedicates his free time to writing and playing this music, leaving the lessons behind. His pursuit of this passion further alienates him from his family.

It is the Chimbrova sisters and their club, the Jazz Palace, that brings these men together and can tear them apart.

Mary Morris’s The Jazz Palace is a true period piece. She captures the excitement and the grit of Chicago as the jazz age comes in, followed shortly by Prohibition. Her characters reflect the aspirations of working class immigrants and those seeking more freedom from the discrimination of the South. The pull of Lake Michigan and the brutality of the Chicago winters play a role in the novel. All these together paint a portrait of the City of Broad Shoulders during this transformative period.

Whether film or novel, Emma Donoghue’s ‘Room’ will grab you

Having just seen a preview of Room, the movie Emma Donoghue brought to life from her novel, I’m not surprised the process took five years. As a fan of the book, I was waiting to see how a story told through the eyes of a five-year old could be transferred successfully to the screen. Jacob Tremblay as Jack and Brie Larson as Ma made believers out of me within minutes. Lenny Abrahamson’s direction brought the difficult juxtaposition of home/prison to life.

My companion at the theater had not read the novel but was familiar with the real life situation in Cleveland a couple of years ago. We were impressed with how regular each of the characters appeared even in the midst of extraordinary circumstances. The acting was so persuasive I was still grabbed emotionally despite knowing exactly what would happen. The only jarring note was William H. Macy as Joy’s father, but he fit the role to a tee.

For those easily spooked I’d likely choose the book over the movie. While there is little violence, the story is about physical and emotional abuse and the most vulnerable. Room in both versions is a story very well told.

******** From October 16 **********

Five years ago, during one of my Book Expo America forays into the larger world of soon-to-be published titles, I picked up Emma Donoghue’s novel Room. With its colorful and childish lettering on the cover, it gave off a simple, calm impression. Was I wrong. It was Room that brought home the wonder of reading a title months before it hits the stores and the critics have at it. This book made such an impression that I seek it out every time I pass the shelf. So why write about it now? Today the movie version of Room is opening in New York, Los Angeles and other select locations. It will have wider distribution beginning next week.

Room is Jack’s story. Jack is five years old and lives with his mother, Ma, in a single room with no view of the outside world. Ma has been a prisoner for seven years after having been kidnapped. Jack is her captor’s son. As a reader, there is magic mixed with horror in Jack’s description of his world. Under the worst of possible circumstances Ma is nurturing a funny, bright boy while hiding from him the unending terror that is her life. When I read it back in 2010 the story was almost unimaginable. Two years ago, a reality all too similar to Donoghue’s fiction was uncovered in Cleveland. Three young women, and the daughter of one, were held in a similar fashion for up to ten years. The tragedy of life imitating art.

Emma Donoghue could have taken the easy way out and ended the novel with Jack and Ma’s escape. At that, it would have been a searing story of love and creativity under dire circumstances. Jack is to all appearances an active, inquisitive, normal boy, albeit a boy with inanimate objects for friends and no conception of the world beyond his walls. Instead Donoghue touches the world anew through Jack’s eyes – the bright vastness and the feel of the breeze in the open air. New people, new sounds, new experiences – all overwhelming at times. Too often we are desensitized by the common and everyday. Room brings back the mix of excitement and trepidation of the unfamiliar.

Having read the book in advance, I am now lucky to have snagged preview tickets for the film. I plan to assiduously avoid reviews until after I bring fresh eyes to the screen on Wednesday. For now, I can wholeheartedly recommend you read the book. Next week I’ll see if the movie can capture Jack and Ma’s world.

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