Chris Krupa: September 2011

Here is a list of novels I've read this year so far, each has a star rating and a mini review:

The Truth – Peter Temple

** Overrated murder mystery/police procedural following a secondary character from the more brilliant ‘The Broken Shore’ (by the same author)

Cloudstreet - Tim Winton

*** Sprawling family drama with genius prose

Wetlands – Charlotte Roche

***.5 Racy, saucy tale about a girl and her ‘habits’. Sold millions in the authors native Germany, apparently...

The Shadow Year – Jeffrey Ford

*** Fascinating yet ultimately nonsensical story about kids ‘controlling’ their neighbourhood with a scale model

Turtle Moon – Alice Hoffman

****.5 Well written tale based in Florida about a stoic ex cop and a woman who’s son goes missing, Hoffman is a very unique writer who draws you into her worlds

The Help – Kathryn Stockett

** Sanitised version of race relations in 60’s America about African American maids

The Cement Garden – Ian McEwan

**** Brilliantly written story of a group of siblings left to fend for themselves in the UK after their mother dies at home. Touches on brother/sister ‘relations’ in a very real convincing way.

When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead

**** Excellent young adult mystery novel that features time travel in the background

Wonders of a Godless World – Andrew McGahan

***.5 Cryptic esoteric curio about a mental patient on a volcanic island and her relationship with a mute, motionless man who can transmit his thoughts

Carter Beats the Devil – Glen David Gold

** Overly long narrative about a magician in the 30’s with touches of whimsy, romance, and action

Heart Shaped Box – Joe Hill

* Dire re-tread of horror staples that amount to nothing

The Naming of Tishkin Silk – Glenda Millard

**** Touching portrait of loss and acceptance in a rural family, for young adults

Lullaby - Chuck Palahniuk

*** A journalist learns a ‘culling poem’ that can kill people, even if he thinks it. A fantasy piece anchored in reality with an out there ending. By the author of Fight Club.

Disgrace – J M Coetzee

**** Well written mediation piece about a middle aged lecturer and the ramifications with his daughter after a dalliance with a student and a violent incident

How to Make Gravy – Paul Kelly

***.5 Great insight into Paul Kelly’s life (not necessarily about how he wrote his songs)

Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami

**.5 Bizarre road trip story dealing with cat killing demon named Johnny Walker and a man trying to close a portal to another world...the author admitted he wrote the novel without an outline and it shows!

After the first death – Robert Cormier

*** Some middle eastern men take a school bus hostage, gritty and real and as pertinent today as when it was published

The Outsiders – S E Hinton

**** A group of youths (including 3 brothers) fight another gang where one is killed. Hinton portrays the brothers in a very compassionate way and all 3 are very distinct

The Harp in the South – Ruth Park

*** Family drama set in Surry Hills at the turn of the century dealing with growing up, first love, loss, and coping as Irish immigrants in Oz (they laughed, they cried...)

Dirt Music – Tim Winton

** Somewhat meandering journey of a woman lost with herself and in her relationships with two men

Chocky – John Wyndham

*** A boy in the UK communicates via his mind with a benign alien. An interesting story about our place in the universe.

Blaze of Glory – Michael Pryor

**.5 Young adult mystery story about an alternate world where magic is real and two friends try to solve a murder

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

**** Moving and original story narrated by Death during World War 2 following the adventures of an adopted girl in Germany

Black Swan Green – David Mitchell

****.5 The misadventures of a 13 year old boy in the UK in the 1980’s. The deterioration of his parent’s relationship is made real via the excellent dialogue, and made sadder by the fact that the boy doesn’t realise his parents are splitting up

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

*** A small tale of two friends in 30’s America, a ‘simpleton’ who accidently kills and his brainier friend. This one will stick in your mind.

The Forgotten Children – David Hill

* True story about UK kids being sent to Australia in the 1950’s. Good story, wrong author.

In My Skin – Kate Holden

**** Fascinating memoir.

Triptych – Karin Slaughter

**** Excellent murder mystery with three dimensional characters and unseen twists

Portnoys Complaint – Philip Roth

***** There is so much truth in this novel that I commend the author for writing what people (mostly men) only think about!

The Passage – Justin Cronan

** The first 200 or so pages of this 700 page behemoth is a good action thriller, within the next 500 pages the novel regresses into 'zero care factor' territory. It's an end of the world allegory with vampire-like beasts and a virus set loose.

Past the Shallows– Favel Parrett
**** A poignant and haunting tale of 3 improverished brothers in the south of Tasmania, their violent father, and a mystery surrounding the death of their mother. This one has stuck with me.

The Finkler Question – Norman Jacobson
** There is a powerful insight into humanity in this novel however there is far too much navel gazing for this reader.

The Handmaids Tale – Margaret Atwood
***** Perfect and believable speculative fiction showing how women could plausibily be stripped of their freedoms and forced to breed for 'Commanders'. Not as science fiction-y as it sounds, a great sense of menace. Highly recommended.

The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
** Books. A 'ghost'. Elements of Jane Eyre and a mystery novel - for 3/4 of the way anyway. An easy read although not involving or immersive, the last quarter lets it down.

Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
*** An excellent yarn about an elderly man recounting his time in a travelling circus in the 30's run by a sadistic egomaniac, ignore the Hollywood tripe and read it.

BONE - Jeff Smith
***** FINALLY managed to read all 1500 or so pages of this epic tale of Fone Bone and his cousins. True character development, great action scenes and one of the best climaxes I've read in a graphic novel for ages.

The Comfort of Strangers - Ian McEwan
**** A macabre tale whereby each turn of character tightens a noose. I had no idea this had been adapted into a film with Chris Walken! MUST HUNT DOWN!

The Regulators - Stephen King
** People in a suburban street are shot by creatures in vans. Unfortunately the plot is given away within 100 pages so the rest was a skim read.

My Darling, My Hamburger - Paul Zindel
**** Zindel uses minimal words to evoke great, believable characters. Everyone could relate to this story of teens and first love.

The Last Werewolf - Glen Duncan
**** Duncan does for werewolves what True Blood did for vampires. He provides new insights into 'the transformation' and suggests that werewolves inherit people's lives when they eat them. Hard to put down.

So there we have it! The most novels I have ever read in a year.
Total count = 39!

Woo hoo!

Now to compile my list of mini novel reviews for 2012.....