Abrupt Disappearance

Into the Blue 

by Robert Goddard

“The dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.”  --- Robert Goddard

The protagonist of the story is Harry Barnett, a middle-aged, run-down Englishman who looks after a friend's villa on the Greek island of Rhodes and leads a somewhat unsuccessful life. He is frequently characterized as a flawed but tenacious "underdog" who finds meaning in his pursuit. The abrupt and unexplained disappearance of Heather Mallender, a young visitor to the villa, while out on a mountain hike serves as the plot's impetus. Harry turns into the main suspect.

Harry, who is obsessed with the mystery and determined to clear his name, starts tracking Heather's whereabouts, which brings him back to England and makes him face a previous scandal involving the Mallender family. Heather takes a series of photos that contain clues that help with the investigation.

The narrative delves into themes of identity, confronting the past, hypocrisy, and how long-forgotten events can still impact the present. The plot involves a web of betrayal, political connections, and long-buried secrets. I would recommend this novel as an excellent, literate, and engrossing mystery/thriller that highlights a character study of a flawed hero with its expertly constructed, twisting plot

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Hard Blows

Headshot 

by Rita Bullwinkel

"It's a hard blow that the judges call a hit immediately. The score is yelled loud enough so everyone can hear it. This is a point hitting game after all." - Rita Bullwinkel, Headshot

The absence of dialogue in this book is noteworthy. The "omniscient narrator" of the story immerses the reader in the thoughts of the competitors, their coaches, and onlookers. The story alternates between elegant depictions of the physical combat and in-depth examinations of the characters' motivations, histories, and even prospective futures throughout the book. In keeping with the fast-paced, exhilarating nature of the boxing matches themselves, the writing is frequently muscular and sharp. The boxing ring serves as the setting for nearly the whole book, which creates a tense, enclosed atmosphere.

Although the book is about boxing, the eight young women's inner lives are its main focus. It looks at their traumas, desires, and fears as well as why they chose this cruel and private sport. The author's ability to highlight the notable psychological distinctions among the competitors—all of whom were pursuing the same objective—impressed me. The book explores themes of self-discovery, sacrifice, and the fight for acceptance in a world dominated by men as it explains what it means to be a female athlete.

Each character is driven by a different purpose, such as dealing with a personal tragedy, proving themselves to family, or just trying to fit in. The "madness and sheer physical pleasure" that can spur young women to fight are examined in the book. Overall, the book offers a "dignified and critical treatment" of boxing while addressing its brutality in a novel way, emphasizing its "artistry, strategy, and brutality."

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An Unfinished Life

Weir of Hermiston 

by Robert Louis Stevenson

"and he went on through life with a mechanical movement, as of the unconscious, that was almost august." - Robert Louis Stevenson, Weir of Hermiston

The book's plot revolves around the long-standing conflict between a sensitive, idealistic son and his strict, unforgiving father. Because of his brutal application of the law, the father, Lord Justice-Clerk Adam Weir, is infamously known as the "hanging judge" or "Weir of Hermiston." Young law student Archibald "Archie" Weir, his son, is appalled by his father's ruthlessness, especially when he finds a man guilty and sentences him to death.

Archie is banished to the family's Hermiston estate in the moorland after openly denouncing his father's actions. In this isolated location, Archie finds comfort and develops feelings for Christina "Kirstie" Elliott, a local. Although their growing bond is essential to the story, the fragment ends suddenly.

The psychological study, Weir of Hermiston, is different from Stevenson's adventure novels. It is a foray into a more realistic style of writing that influenced later authors like Joseph Conrad. The novel, as I read it, presented strong characterization and a nuanced portrayal of the moral and social landscape of 19th-century Scotland.


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Modernist Gothic

Light in August 

by William Faulkner

“a fellow is more afraid of the trouble he might have than he ever is of the trouble he's already got. He'll cling to trouble he's used to before he'll risk a change. Yes. A man will talk about how he'd like to escape from living folks. But it's the dead folks that do him the damage. It's the dead ones that lay quiet in one place and dont try to hold him, that he cant escape from.”   ― William Faulkner, Light in August

Light in August, written by William Faulkner in 1932, is a difficult yet important piece of Southern Gothic and modernist literature. Faulkner's writing is characterized by a disjointed structure and an intricate prose style, which address weighty subjects like racism, identity, and the lasting effects of the American South.

Through the character of Joe Christmas, a man of ambiguous racial heritage who is shunned because of what others believe to be his Black ancestry, the book examines the terrible effects of racism. It also delves into themes of identity, the struggle between fate and free will, religious fanaticism, and the past's persistent influence on the present. A key point is made by contrasting Lena Grove's unwavering, nearly transcendent journey for her child's father with Joe Christmas's tragic journey.

Faulkner's writing is frequently characterized as dense and challenging, with lengthy, convoluted sentences and a non-linear narrative. Using a technique known as stream-of-consciousness, he alternates between the viewpoints of various characters and time periods. The reader must gradually piece together the story's mosaic of events, which are told in multiple voices and through flashbacks. If you succeed in this process, the rewards from reading and rereading Faulkner are immense.


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Freshness was Gone

The Dry Heart 

by Natalia Ginzburg

“How easy life is,” I thought, “for women who are not afraid of a man. I stared for a long time at my face in the mirror. It had never been very pretty, and now it seemed to me that every trace of youth and freshness was gone.” 

 ― Natalia Ginzburg, The Dry Heart







Natalia Ginzburg's brief, impactful novella, The Dry Heart, which explores themes of loneliness, desperation, and the intricate dynamics of unhappy relationships, is acclaimed for its spare, straightforward, and eerie prose. It was a prose style that demanded my attention with its flat directness. The narrator tells the story of a loveless marriage that ends in murder. The narrator's carefree admission that "I shot him between the eyes" sets the stage for a taut examination of marriage's realities, turning an ordinary, uninteresting story into a psychological thriller. I appreciated the work's psychological depth, unexpected power, and feminist undertones. Throughout, the writing is white-hot, unmannered, elegant, and masterfully understated, with a deceptive simplicity.

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Exquisite Memoir

The Snows of Yesteryear 

by Gregor von Rezzori

“To recognize what is absurd and to accept it need not dim the eye for the tragic side of existence; quite on the contrary, in the end it may perhaps help in gaining a more tolerant view of the world.”― Gregor von Rezzori, The Snows of Yesteryear

This is one of the most exquisite and profound memoirs I have ever read. Gregor Von Rezzori has a remarkable talent for crafting exquisite metaphors that evoke a feeling of location and history. This is what distinguishes his memoir from others. A subtitle for the memoir reads, "Portraits for an Autobiography." As a result, Von Rezzori organizes his memoir around his family, dedicating chapters to "The Mother," "The Father," and "The Sister." These are his portraits, and he only gave them the names "Cassandra" and "Bunchy," which were their childhood nicknames, when he wrote two chapters about people who were close to him but not related. This arrangement by family portrait creates a chronological mosaic composed of short stories that are connected by his recollections.

When the Second World War broke out, his cherished homeland vanished, marking the end of the memoir. Originating in the years following World War I, this gives his personal narrative a historical backdrop. As a result, the memoir's themes are based on the idea of a world that has been destroyed, collapsed, and faded into what is now his "yesteryear." In "The Mother"'s opening, von Rezzori uses a metaphor to explain them: "The mermaid is blind; her world has turned to rubbish." The tinsel from a long-forgotten carnival is inside the chest. Additionally, the mermaid is decaying.(p 55)

The "golden mists" of the past are the expectations that were so bold and vivid when he was younger. Nevertheless, there is a lot of humor and beautiful detail in this tale of decline because the author captured the Rabelaisian joy of spending time with his father, the pride he took in learning to hunt, and the rare but sweet times when his mother lavished him with all the love she had kept hidden from him due to her habitual neglect of her family. "I envied her for being our father's favorite; she despised the blind infatuation my mother showed me, suffered maternal injustices with mute pride, and devalued her mother's preference in my own eyes," he says, describing his sister and himself sharing intimate moments. When I was a little oaf, she was a graceful girl; when I was still a lout, she was an exceptionally good young woman." (p 204)

The memoir ends with a short epilogue where, among other things, the adult Gregor Von Rezzori (who became an accomplished journalist, media personality, and author) shares his personal return to his birthplace of Czernowitz and found that "it wasn't the Czernowitz whose vision I had carried in me for half a century." He found, like so many who grow up and leave their home of birth, that you literally cannot go home again, for the place you left is different than the myth your mind has created and hidden by the mists of time. The story told in this memoir is ultimately one of dissolution of both an idea and an ideal. It is memorable for the beauty and love that was experienced by this often lonely man. It is this that shines through and creates a glowing memoir of a yesterday that will remain forever impressed upon all who read it.

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Island, Boy, Innocence

Arturo's Island 

by Elsa Morante

“You’ll always return, yes; but I would add: you’ll never stay long. About that, dear little master, I have no illusions. Men like you, who have two different kinds of blood in their veins, never find peace or happiness: when they’re there, they want to be here, and as soon as they return here immediately want to flee." - Elsa Morante, Arturo's Island

A boy, an island, innocence, and more is found in this brilliant evocation of a utopia that develops cracks. A haunting coming-of-age story: This bildungsroman follows Arturo, the main character, as he transitions from his happy and lonely upbringing into the difficult realities of puberty. The story, which is set in the Bay of Naples on the remote island of Procida, depicts the confusion and tumultuous feelings of youth, especially as Arturo's utopian world is upended.

Arturo's vivid imagination, which is stoked by his reading of chivalric romances and his heroic fantasies about his frequently absent father, Wilhelm, shapes his early years. The central theme of the book is Arturo's slow and cruel disenchantment as he learns the unpleasant realities of his father and the intricacies of interpersonal relationships, especially after his young stepmother, Nunziata, moves in.

The book is more of a psychological analysis of a lonely, unloved child, despite its seemingly straightforward plot. In-depth examination of Arturo's inner life by Morante reveals his fears, his desire for affection and acceptance, and his battle to balance his idealized dreams with the harsh realities of life.

Arturo's Island is written in a unique, frequently "operatic" style. Despite the fact that some critics consider Morante's writing to be "baroque" or "overwritten," I found it to be lyrical, intuitive, and incredibly insightful. The epic feelings of the teenage narrator are frequently perfectly matched with the book's style.

Several authors have translated the book into English, including Isabel Quigly and Ann Goldstein, who is best known for translating Elena Ferrante's writings. The merits of the various translations have been debated among literary critics; some have praised Goldstein's version for capturing the novel's original beauty and power, while others have criticized it for being "overly literal."

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Unlikely Friendship

The Fortress of Solitude 

by Jonathan Lethem

“You could grow up in the city where history was made and still miss it all.”― Jonathan Lethem, The Fortress of Solitude





This ambitious and expansive work is organized as a semi-autobiographical epic about memory, race, and class. The unlikely friendship between two boys, Dylan Ebdus, who is white and Jewish, and Mingus Rude, who is Black, is the main focus of the book. They are neighbors growing up in a gentrifying area of Brooklyn in the 1970s.

The intricate and changing friendship between Dylan and Mingus serves as the main plot point. Their bond successfully negotiates the racial tensions of their neighborhood and the larger social landscape of the late 20th century, and Lethem is commended for his nuanced and genuine depiction of their relationship. The self-assured and culturally aware Mingus provides Dylan, a "funky white boy" who feels alienated, with a sense of belonging.

There are two major sections to the novel. The first, which centers on the boys' early and teenage years, is superb because it tells a story in great detail and with a lot of emotion. Nonetheless, the book's second half, which centers on Dylan as an adult and his attempts to understand his past, shows a decline. This section is frequently characterized as feeling hurried, less coherent, and lacking the earlier section's momentum.

It is a "big, personal, sometimes breathtaking" book that deftly and nuancedly addresses difficult and significant subjects. The novel's strengths are its sensitive examination of friendship and race, its skillful evocation of a time and place, and its potent use of language.



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