The Fight between Survival and Morality

Here’s the cover to David R Gillham’s novel, City of Women. I love how provocative it is – for me, it evokes both sadness and sensuality.

In David R. Gillham’s novel, City of Women, Sigrid Schröder starts out as the ideal ‘army wife.’ Berlin has become a city of women, children, the elderly, and the disabled – all of the able-bodied men have been drafted into the military. After her husband’s draft to the frontline service, Sigrid lives with her irritable and cantankerous mother-in-law, which only heightens her sense of claustrophobia. In order to escape, Sigrid finds refuge in the cinema and meets a man that changes her life just as much as the war does.

As the war builds, so do Sigrid’s secrets. This mystery man that Sigrid meets in the cinema becomes her lover. As if that wasn’t enough, this mystery man that Sigrid can’t get off of her mind is a Jew named Egon Weiss. As Sigrid lives her life in a slowly deteriorating society and city, she can’t help but become involved in the Jewish cause by hiding a Jewish mother and two young daughters, who she believes are her lover’s family.

Although the premise of a German hiding Jews during World War II isn’t exactly a new one, Gillham tackles this theme with gusto. In contrast with other authors, Gillham approaches his novel from a strong, liberated, and female perspective. Aside from her bold personality, Sigrid’s entire world is made up of women. She lives with her mother-in-law, she has strange encounters with her neighbors’ daughter, and she resides in a city that is bereft of men. Literally, everyone she meets, knows, and sees is female. And, as both the war and the novel progress, Sigrid transforms from an oblivious housewife into an aware critic of her government and her complacent community.

Interestingly, I found myself sympathizing with Sigrid despite her reluctance to involve herself in anything dangerous. In fact, Gillham made it very easy for me to understand why she resists joining the Jewish cause. Although I hoped that Sigrid would risk herself for those being persecuted by the Nazis, I still could easily understand her anguish and anxiety. It was refreshing to see how Gillham develops Sigrid’s changing psychological standpoint without writing off her initial reluctance as selfishness. Thus, Gillham constructed a protagonist that is complex, layered, and resistant to clichés.

The novel as a whole progresses in a slow burn, milking every moment of heart-racing suspense. It is most definitely not a fast-paced thriller, but I appreciated it even more for its unhurried pace. Gillham knows how and when to take his time, but he never allows the reader to become bored with the plot or the characters. His minute care in developing Sigrid’s character is especially impressive – by the end of the novel, I felt like I knew Sigrid intimately and like she had been telling me her story in person despite the third person narrative.

It came as no surprise to learn that Gillham was trained as a screenwriter. His description of an almost abandoned Berlin is impeccable. I could almost see the camera sweep across a scene of the city in a cinematic arc. With accurate and vivid historical details, Berlin itself became its own character, sometimes overriding Sigrid’s plot within its own inevitable trajectory.

The only aspect of the novel that left me dissatisfied was the lack of a glossary of German words. Throughout the novel, Gillham used German words in order to lend authenticity to his writing and to his reader’s experience. While most of the time I was able to glean meaning from the words’ contexts, I think that a glossary would have streamlined the reading process. I didn’t want to have to struggle with German words while trying to keep all of the characters and subplots straight.

Although on some levels City of Women is a simple book to describe in terms of Sigrid’s individual plot, it is really about the greater choices that must be made in impossible times. If good people act amorally in the name of self-preservation and survival, are they no longer good? If a bad man makes a righteous move, is he no longer bad? Even characters refusing to recognize their decisions is cast as a choice in and of itself. Thus, Gillham forces his reader to reconsider the fuzzy boundaries between right and wrong and our classifications of such actions and people. His details and artistically delineated dilemmas make City of Women a novel to be read and to be remembered.

 

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Divergent Duties

So although there are only two of the three books published to date, I decided to forge ahead and read Veronica Roth’s Divergent Trilogy. The first two books, Divergent and Insurgent respectively, introduce us to a dystopian world of strict classifications, duty lines, and distinctions. While this world may not be the most realistic (no one is going to sit there and say “wow, this is really where our world is going to be in 50 years!”), Roth created an alternate reality that is both spooky and fun. Overall, I give the two books 3.5 stars. Maybe 3.75…

I can’t help but admit myself disappointed by these covers. I read both of them on my Kindle, so I didn’t see them until now…maybe a good thing?

Ok, let’s start with the spooky. First off, Roth makes it very clear that our heroine, Beatrice Prior turned Tris, is very very different. She does not fit in with her classmates, her community as a whole, or even her immediate family. Her closest relationship, which is with her older brother, is quite sad. All he does is show her up on being ‘the best’ in their community. And apparently, this separation from other individuals is typical of their faction, Abnegation (aka the act of denying oneself some rights, conveniences, etc. à more simply put, the act of being completely and utterly selfless). I know that heroes/heroines of dystopian novels are usually separated from most intimate relationships and interactions, but something about Roth’s descriptions makes Beatrice’s isolation all the more disturbing. She’s 16 years old and her entire world tells her that her very personality and way of thinking is wrong. Talk about screwing with some important development years.

Secondly, Roth’s construction of this dystopian world highlights contemporary issues of xenophobia. The entire society is set in future Chicago that is completely divided into different factions (Abnegation, Dauntless, Candor, Erudite, Amity, and factionless). It was interesting, though perhaps not all together convincing, to see Roth conceptualize a futuristic society that continually emphasizes categories, separations, and differences. She’s not exactly giving our world much hope here, is she?

But let’s jump to the fun parts now…both of the novels have loads of action, both the “on-screen” and “off-screen” types, if you know what I mean. Obviously, there’s a lot of fighting, both physical and verbal. When Beatrice chooses Dauntless over Abnegation at ‘The Choosing Ceremony,’ she has to change her entire outlook on life and embrace a part of her personality that she was forced to suppress previously. In this new faction, traits such as courage, fearlessness, and physical prowess are admired – so our characters’ pastimes include getting tattoos, learning how to fight and shoot guns, zip lining from ridiculously high places, and jumping on and off of moving trains. Basically, I would describe the Dauntless as a mix between a group of adrenaline junkies and a bloodthirsty gang. Although is bothered me that Beatrice, now called Tris, blindly accepted most of their truly idiotic behavior, it was fun to see her join in on the craziness.

As a whole, I would have to say that I have mixed feelings about these books. I’ll read the third just because I feel like I have to, but Roth left some major holes in her world building and her plot. I can look past the flaws in world building, but I happen to be really good at suspending my disbelief. However, there were some plot points that just left the reader confused and/or frustrated. And while I enjoyed Beatrice’s character for the majority of both books, she does get just downright annoying sometimes.

Ok, so I know I’ve left you guys with a less than clear review here. Let me try to clarify for you…I enjoyed my read a lot, but probably only because I was on vacation. I recommend it if you are looking for an easy, entertaining read and if you are willing to suspend your disbelief and just go with it.

Does that make more sense? Have I convinced you??

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Dance Dance Dance – No Dancing Allowed

In Haruki Murakami’s novel “Dance Dance Dance,” there is no actual dancing. I see what you did there, sir!

This is my second Murakami novel and it did not disappoint. After reading “Kafka On The Shore,” I wasn’t sure that this one would live up to my first experience. Now, although I did ultimately prefer “Kafka,” reading “Dance Dance Dance” was a true pleasure. All of the characters are deeply detailed and honestly realistic in a world of magical realism. Murakami flawlessly molds these characters in a realistic world that just happens to have magical secrets, including a Goat Man, a high tech hotel with a between-worlds floor 16, and a prostitute that may or may not be dead/murdered popping up in Japan and Hawaii. Get it?

 

This may sound convoluted and confusing, and it is, but in a good way. Murakami exhibits his characteristic humor and surrealism in everything from his descriptions of capitalism to his characters’ individual quirks. However, underneath this lighthearted side lies a darker undertone that criticizes both urbanization and capitalism. Throughout the novel, the unnamed protagonist laments capitalism’s influence on everything from business to personal relationships. He is constantly commenting on this theme, both internally to himself/the reader and conversationally with other characters. He prefers his used Subaru to his celebrity friend’s Maserati. He prefers his small apartment to his ward’s father’s opulent home. And he prefers the rundown, small, dirty Dolphin Hotel to the fancy, huge, streamlined l’Hôtel Dauphin. He is representative of the working class in Japan, but diverges from the norm in his disdain for his work, seeing it as a means to an end that he doesn’t really appreciate, and in his difficulty in connecting with others. Although he encounters many characters in the 393 page novel, he really only establishes meaningful connections with three of them: firstly, a hotel clerk at l’Hôtel Dauphin with whom he falls in love with; secondly, a thirteen year old girl who transforms from a reluctant ward into a close friend; and thirdly, a childhood classmate and TV celebrity who shares the protagonist’s connection to a disappeared protagonist. Out of these three characters, I believe that the protagonist’s relationship with the thirteen-year-old Yuki (means “snow” in English) is the most meaningful. With Yuki, the protagonist finds a different kind of soul mate – although she thinks he’s weird and he thinks she’s spoiled, the two strike a up a friendship that catches both of them off guard. Yuki reconnects the protagonist to the world that he has fallen away from while the protagonist provides Yuki an escape from her majorly dysfunctional family. Together, the two bond over music and ultimately save each other from themselves and from their respectively failing lives.

 

After reading “Dance Dance Dance,” I was simply affirmed in my appreciation for Murakami’s style and writing aesthetic. His characters and descriptions are stunningly detailed and his portrayal of the protagonist’s mind and voice is both convincing and enthralling. I definitely recommend this read – you’ll get social criticism, psychological exploration, and humorous surrealism all wrapped up in one!

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The Morgan Library, NY – Can I Have One Please?

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, guys – I have been on vacation in New York. I’m pausing my vacation to write this because I just had to share an experience I had today…

This morning, I visited The Morgan Library & Museum. It was JP Morgan’s (yes, that JP Morgan) personal library. He built it as a lavish getaway from his hectic life and thus satisfied a lifelong passion for books and history. The displays are changing all the time and they usually have one or two special exhibits going on as well.

Entering his personal library is like walking into a king’s private quarters. The first room is decked out in red silk “wall paper,” personal portraits, artwork, and huge stone fireplaces. Mr. Morgan’s giant desk and red velvet chair sit grandly before more red velvet lounge chairs. I mean come on – who wouldn’t want a room like this?? The bookshelves are this gorgeous dark wood and are stacked with books on books on books – and I don’t mean regular, run of the mill paper backs. Every single book in his library (consisting of two main rooms and connecting room) is an historical treasure. I’m talking about first edition Gutenberg Bibles and manuscripts of Charles Dickens novels. But that’s just the regular bookshelves – attached to this first room is a secret vault (with steel, re-enforced doors and everything) that holds the really important stuff.

This is the vault in the first room – it is a lot larger than you can see here, going up another story and deeper in to the left.

So then we move into what I am calling the “passageway room.” This room is made completely of marble and it holds about three items on display at a time. Most exciting for me was to see a manuscript in Noah Webster’s own hand of the first ever English dictionary! His handwriting is like beautiful, if a little cramped, calligraphy.

Here’s a page from Noah Webster’s first manuscript – his dictionary is not only the first English dictionary, but it’s also the only dictionary ever to be compiled by a single person

And last, but perhaps most impressive, is the third room. This is where most of the books are stored. The room again houses an enormous stone fireplace, capped with a giant tapestry. The books are arranged on shelves in panel-like cabinets, covering the majority of the room and each of the three stories. Of course, the bookcases are protected by glass so that they can be better preserved in temperature-controlled environments. But as a stood there in awe, I realized something — there was no way to get up to the second and third floors! The docent saw me gaping like a fool and enlightened me thus…One of the panel-like bookcases actually doubles as a door! With a discrete handle and hidden hinges, this corner panel swung outward to enable access to a hidden stairwell that goes up to the top two floors and down to more book storage. I mean are you kidding me?? Unfortunately, only certain privileged staff members can open this bookcase-door-panel at certain times, so I could only see the stairwell through the small gap between the door and the perpendicular (and real) bookcase. What I did see reminded me of the passageway room – all white marble and dark wooden railing.

This gives you a view of one of the corner’s of the third room – as you can see, there is no external staircase. Behind my grandfather (the one that seems to touch his back) is the bookshelf that leads a double life as a hidden doorway to the secret staircase.

Another highlight in this room struck a personal chord in me. In the center of the room are display cases, which allow us Plebians to gain an intimate look into some of the books, sheet music, letters, etc. in the collection. On display today, side by side, were a letter written by Ernest Hemingway and an original manuscript of Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Grey. In his letter, Hemingway declines an interview George Plimpton, editor of The Paris Review, by blunting stating, “I might say ‘Fuck the Art of Fiction’ which would give a wrong impression as what I would really mean was Fuck talking about it. Let us practice it and shut up.” Amazing to see Hemingway’s characteristic bluntness written in his own hand!!

Hemingway’s letter – written on March 5, 1954. His handwriting is exactly as I expected!

Have any of you visited The JP Morgan Library & Museum? What’d you think?  What’d you see?? If you haven’t had the chance to visit yet, GO!! And then, GO AGAIN!!

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