The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

The Silent Wife 
by A.S.A Harrison
ISBN: 9780143123231 Paperback
Penguin Books
June 2013
Barnes and Noble - IndieBound - Powell's


Boy, it's been quite a long time since I've read a contemporary novel for adults. For fiction, I mostly read classics (for my classics project) or books for children and young adults (for my job). And outside of that my reading mostly consists of non-fiction. Needless to say, it felt really really good to pick up a contemporary novel and just lose myself in it.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison follows the relationship between couple Jodi and Todd which, after 20 or so years, is quickly beginning to unravel. Because of Jodi’s hesitance, they have never married nor have they any children. Both are in their mid-to-late 40s and Todd is in the throws of a mid-life crisis. He has taken up a torrid sexual affair with Natasha, the college age daughter of his best friend Dean. The affair is successfully kept secret from both Jodi and Dean until Natasha becomes pregnant and insists that Todd leave Jodi and marry her. While it takes some prodding from Natasha, Todd is happy to embark on this new journey in life. He’s finally going to get married and be a father, two life events that Jodi has denied him during the twenty years they were together. But Todd’s new life isn’t perfect and his abandonment and betrayal is destroying Jodi.

Its not a spoiler to say that Jodi will end Todd’s life because that’s made clear at the very beginning of the book. The plot basically follows the events that lead up to his inevitable demise and what happens immediately after. I glanced at some negative reviews and found that most were disappointed because the book wasn’t a psychological thriller, that the comparison to Gone Girl others have made was inaccurate and that the plot was very slow. After reading those reviews, I’m glad that I didn’t expect a rip-roaring thriller and found that I enjoyed the book immensely and not having certain expectations helped I’m sure.

When I intially read the book description, I saw this more as a book about an unraveling relationship more than a psychological thriller. And that’s what it was. However, that’s not to say there aren’t some psychologically thrilling moments. The climax of the book was so disturbing to me that I had to put the book aside and relay my thoughts to happier things so I wouldn’t be too emotionally unsettled to continue. And yes I am a sensitive reader, more so than most, but it doesn’t discredit the power of the climax which I thought was particularly well done. The pace of the book worked for me. Jodi moves slowly and methodically and Todd’s life moves like he had just pressed the fast forward button. The 28 chapters in Part 1 go back and forth between Jodi (Her) and Todd (Him) until it reaches Part 2 where it is all about Jodi and the aftermath of Todd’s death. I’m a big fan of alternating chapters, especially when what they’re alternating between opposites (present/past, him/her, good/evil, etc.) or two different perspectives (Jodi/Todd). The alternating chapters worked particularly well in this book.

The book, while very enjoyable, wasn’t without its flaws. I didn’t feel much of anything for Jodi but then again I’m not really sure we are supposed to. Jodi is a psychologist and is calm, reserved and methodical. I found it hard to connect with her but also felt remorse for her situation. I didn’t have much in common with Todd either but I felt he was a much more interesting character than Jodi. Their relationship and the events that unfolded were fascinating to watch. I didn’t quite get why the author focused so much on Jodi’s relationships with other men (her two brothers and psychologist Gerard). Jodi’s conversations with Gerard about her brothers are given plenty of attention but I couldn’t quite connect that to Jodi’s relationship with Todd. Maybe someone else could appreciate this where as I didn’t.

If you are looking for a exciting psychological thriller, look elsewhere. If you want a thoughtful read that really explores the nuances of human relationships, then this book is for you. Unfortunately, the author A.S.A. Harrison passed away before the book’s publication. Its too bad that she couldn’t enjoy her book’s release to the world or follow it up with more insightful fiction.

Note: When I first came across this book, I noted some similarities with the Jodi Arias case. Both women are named Jodi, both had unraveling relationships and both killed their romantic partner. Other than those similarities, the two stories, the fictional one and the real life one, couldn’t be more different!

Classics Project Book #5 ~ The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

The End of the Affair
by Graham Grene
Audible
6 hours 28 minutes
Originally published 1951

Years ago I remember catching snippets of the 1999 film adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel The End of the Affair. The film starred Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore and there was one scene has a permanent spot in my memory. It’s when Maurice Bendrix (Fiennes) puts stockings and shoes on Sarah Miles (Moore). He tells her he’s jealous of her stockings, of her buttons and of her shoes and it’s one of the most romantic and heart-wrenching scenes I’ve ever been privileged to witness (you can read the lines from that scene here ).

Fast forward to 2012 when Audible announced their A-List line of celebrity narrated classic and literary audio books. I signed up for Audible so I could download Anne Hathaway’s narration of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (read my review here) and Colin Firth’s narration of The End of the Affair. Both proved to be incredibly listening experiences!

The film plays up more of the love affair between Maurice and Sarah. The book stays true to it’s title and focuses strictly on the end of their affair. The story takes place during World War II in London. Maurice will do anything to possess Sarah. He’s a novelist who has more control with the imaginary worlds he creates in his writing than with real life. Sarah Miles is a gentle woman, in love with Maurice but still devoted to her mild-mannered husband Henry. Sarah abruptly ends their affair when in a moment of despair she promises God she’ll end the affair if only Maurice survived the bombing. Maurice doesn’t know this and is convinced that Sarah is having an affair with someone else. He hires a detective, reads her diary and is constantly obsessing over every minute detail of their affair and of her life.

“We are possessed by nobody, not even by ourselves.”

We as the reader are drawn in to Maurice’s story of jealousy and obsession. This novel is taut with emotion and we become fully enveloped in this beautifuly written yet haunting and dark story. The prose is magical, the characters feel real and the story is exquisite. Colin Firth’s narration is one of the best I’ve ever heard. He won the Audie Award for Best Audio Book of 2013 and it’s well-deserved (it was also nominated for Best Solo Narration - Male and Best Literary Fiction Audio). Die-hard Firth fans will swoon when they listen to this!

The End of the Affair is referred to as one of Graham Greene’s Catholic novels and religion, personal belief, tradition and atheism are all explored. The theme of religion becomes much more important at the end of the novel. I didn’t quite understand why this was considered a Catholic novel until I got to the last third of the book. The book is also loosely based on Graham Greene’s real life affair with Lady Catherine Walston as well as his own struggles with converting to Catholicism.

I highly recommend this book if you like beautiful prose with intense emotion. The scene I loved from the movie ended up not being in the book which I didn't mind. The movie played up the romance and the book focused on the end of the affair which seems to be fitting for both mediums.

This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

I was at Book Expo America last week and couldn't resist browsing this Penguin truck. It was parked in the lobby of the Javits Convention Center and the books were being sold through McNally Jackson. I wasn't planning on picking up any books at Book Expo because I go there for work and also there wasn't a lot I was interested in. However, I really needed some reading material for the tail end of my train ride (I knew I'd finish my other book before we arrived in Boston), so I indulged myself and bought a copy of This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz.

The book has been out for a while and I really wanted it but was trying to delay the pleasure of reading it until it came out in paperback. But I really couldn't resist and picked it up and started reading it right away.

As someone who is both Dominican and an intellectual, I find that I am part of a secret club; a small subset of people who can really connect with Junot Diaz and his writing. His books are very special to me and I treasure them. I feel that being Dominican, I have another layer of understanding of Diaz's writing that others who are not Dominican do not have.

Being Dominican is unlike anything else. I know that can probably be said for a lot of cultures but something about being Dominican is different. I'm half Dominican, half Portuguese and was raised in the United States. Of the Dominican, the Portuguese and the American (heck even the Lebanese that comes with the Dominican), it's my mother's Dominican culture and heritage that I am the most connected with. It's the loudest, most passionate, most complicated and most frustrating of all the elements of my upbringing. Sometimes being Dominican angers and confuses me but I am still fiercely proud to have Quisqueya blood running through my veins.

This is How You Lose Her is a series of short stories about different Dominican men who have troubled relationships with women. There is one main recurring character Yunior, who alongside his ailing brother Rafa, appears in most of the stories. Dominican men are notorious for philandering and sex is a big part of being Dominican. While some may say this is a stereotype, there are too many real life examples in order to just cast it off as a generalization. I can point to my own maternal grandfather, Dominican to the core and none of us in my family know how many relationships he's been in nor do we know how many children he has had. I'm sure I have many more cousins than I think I do.

I can tell that Diaz is an observant and receptive person. He hits upon a lot of the struggles and emotions that Dominicans deal with. He gets what it means to be part of the Dominican Diaspora. When I was in grad school, I wrote a non-fiction essay about my hair. Dominicans have a very complicated relationship with their hair. My mother has always envied my more European hair because she has always hated the coarser more African hair she inherited from my grandmother.  In fact, I have never seen my mother's hair in its natural state because she is in a constant battle to make it look smooth and straight. What took me several pages of writing to explain, Diaz did in a couple glorious sentences in This is How You Lose Her. That is what is so brilliant about Diaz's writing. He conveys so much with few words.

It's hard for me to talk about Junot Diaz' work without going on and on about my Dominican heritage and upbringing. I guess that's why I love Diaz' writing so much. It gives me an opportunity to really think about what it is to be part of the Dominican Diaspora that he writes about. Even though I'm not a hot-blooded Dominican man who constantly cheats on the love of his life, as many of the characters in This is How You Lose Her do, I still feel an immense connection to this book.

I don't think This is How You Lose Her is for everyone. Feminists might hate it or they might love it for its portrayal of various men who cheat and lose their women in the process. People might be turned off by the swearing or the frequent use of Spanish terms or Dominican slang. If that is going to scare you away from Junot Diaz's excellent writing, then you don't deserve to read his books. But don't fret, there are many of us around that will cherish his writing in your place.

Classics Project Book #4: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Woman in White 
by Wilkie Collins

I am very behind in my Classics Project reading. Out of 50 titles I have only read 4, eek! I listened to The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins some time ago but hadn't had a chance to review it until now. The audio book was great. It was narrated by Ian Holm who is one of my favorite actors. He did a wonderful job with the narration and the different voices and his voice suited the book very well. However, I struggled with finding time to listen to it. I only had access to it on my iPhone and had no way to listen to it in my car without blasting my iPhone's speakers. This  made the sound quite terrible and on the highway I could barely hear it. So I would mostly listen to it on walks. It was over 20 hours and it took me so long to read. I dreaded abandoning the characters so many times. In hindsight I should have either listened to it on a CD rather than an Audible download or read my physical copy of it.

The Woman in White is a well-written mystery with a terrific cast of characters. I especially enjoyed spending time with Walter Hartright, his love interest Laura Firlie and her spinster sister Marian Holcombe. And of course the mysterious woman in white, Anne Catherick. I liked all the twists and turns the story took and the writing was elegant yet very simple and direct too. It made me more interested in reading other novels by Wilkie Collins. Collins is a favorite among many readers I know who are fans of classic literature. I think The Woman in White would be great to recommend to someone who is not familiar with the classics and wants to tackle a longer read that will capture their imagination.

I plan to read this again and to allow myself more time to read big chunks of it rather than it little snippets. It really took away from the experience. When I do read it again, I want to do a more thorough review!

The Disenchanted by Budd Schulberg

The Disenchanted by Budd Schulberg
9780816679355
University of Minnesota Press
Originally Published 1950

"... a fugitive from the Twenties... you jokers went off on one long tear and left us to pay the check. And you don't seem to know yet that the party is over."

Budd Schulberg was a screenwriter known for his screenplay of the critically acclaimed film On the Waterfront (1954). Schulberg also wrote novels including The Disenchanted which was published in 1950 and recently reprinted by University of Minnesota Press. The novel is based on the experience Schulberg had working with the troubled genius F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Producer Walter Wanger hired Budd Schulberg to assist F. Scott Fitzgerald in writing a screenplay about the Winter Carnivals at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Schulberg was a recent alumni. The movie was to be Winter Carnival (1939). The whole experience made quite an impact on Schulberg that he decided to fictionalize the experience in The Disenchanted.

In the novel, Shep is a young writer in Hollywood who is still wet behind the ears and has just been assigned to work with the great T. Manley Halliday (known as just Manley Halliday) on the collegiate winter romance Love on Ice. Manley is a prestigious writer with numerous successful novels and screenplays to his credits. But by 1939, most of his books are out of print and he's hanging by a thread: the fleeting recognition of his name and illustrious career. Manley is working on a manuscript for his next great novel but he's in desperate need of money to buy him the time to finish it. So he reluctantly takes on working with Shep on Love on Ice and is officially hired by producer Victor Milgrim.

Manley is diabetic and has been on the wagon for a few years. He's been divorced for years from the love and scourge of his life Jere. His assistant and sort-of mistress Ann Loeb helps him daily and keeps him on the straight and narrow. When Manley boards the plane with Shep from L.A. to N.Y. and Shep pours the first glass from a bottle of champagne, it's all over. Manley goes on a bender and Shep assumes various roles of assistant, writer and parent to Manley. Shep struggles between the feelings of admiration for Manley's magnificent literary and movie successes and the shell of a man he sees before him. Throughout the novel we follow Manley and Shep on their crazy adventure to get Love on Ice written before they arrive on location for filming. There are also flashbacks in which we learn more about Manley's life. His early career, his love affair with the troubled Jere and the days just before he leaves L.A. on the trip.

The Disenchanted is a captivating novel about a doomed project between two writers at opposite ends of their careers. I highly recommend this novel to classic film fans especially those who love fiction. It's fun to spot the names of real actors, actresses and films as well as to figure out the reference made by fictionalized ones. I really loved the theme of old versus young as I think that is a conflict that is very relevant today especially with new technology making age gaps even bigger. Reading it was at some points a bit of a drag mostly because of Manley's antics. But I think what I was experiencing was a bit of the same emotion Shep was feeling towards Manley: frustration and disenchantment.

Read my more movie based review at my classic film blog Out of the Past.

Disclaimer: Thank you to the University of Minnesota Press for sending me this book to review!

Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth Von Armin

Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth Von Armin

From Goodreads:
"May 7th—There were days last winter when I danced for sheer joy out in my frost-bound garden in spite of my years and children. But I did it behind a bush, having a due regard for the decencies..." In this novel, Elizabeth's uniquely witty pen records each season in her beloved garden, where she escapes from the stifling routine of the indoors—servants, meals, domestic routine, and the presence of her overbearing husband.

I came upon this title when I was listening to one of NPR's weekly book podcasts. It was presented in the segment Cowslips to Kingcups: Finding Joy in the Garden and I was won over immediately. I downloaded the audio version from Audible and listened to it. What hooked me in about the book was the presenter's claims that the book represents happiness in solitude and overall contentedness in a way that virtually no other book can.

I was disappointed with the book possibly because of my high expectations. Elizabeth and Her German Garden has no plot which for my intents and purposes is fine but may be difficult for others. The book is a year in the life diary and reads more as slice of life than as a complete story. It's a semi-autobiographical tale of a woman named Elizabeth who lives in a country side abode in Germany and has a delightful garden. She lives simply and in happy solitude. It's the presence of her misogynistic husband the Man of Wrath, her children who are all referred to by the months they were born in and her two visitors that poke a hole in her bubble of happiness. If they would just let her alone to be with her garden, her birds, her salads and her solitude, she would be the most content.

What made me unhappy while reading this was the Man of Wrath's proclamations of what he considers the ineptitude of women. He basically thinks we are all morons who can't form intelligent thoughts and only want to gossip, sew and cook.  It's comforting to see that the three women who are listening to the Man of Wrath's rant are horrified and know that what he is saying is based on male chauvinism rather than accepted ideas. Also, it greatly disturbed me that Elizabeth would capture a family of owls just because she can (they eventually come to a tragic end). It shows the mindset of the 19th century (the book was first published in 1898) in which man plays god with nature.

I love 19th century books and can usually place ideologies in context but this book was plain boring. I wanted it to be poetic prose about the solitude and splendor of living in the country than about the year in the life of Elizabeth and her motley crew.

On the audio version: I listened to the Blackstone Audio version narrated by Nadia May. I was disappointed in the narration. There were many (many many many) pauses in between sentences. It felt as though they recorded the book sentence by sentence and pieced it together. Nadia May does a good job with the German accents but otherwise it was a poor narration overall. This is one of the few times that I think it would have been better if I read the printed version instead of the audio.

The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates

The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates

An innocent tax collector visits the home of a family of tax-evaders in rural England. He has no clue what he is getting into. Will he make it out of the home alive? Or will he stay in their clutches forever?

You could spin the concept of the book as a dramatic thriller. But really The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates is one of the most charming novels you'll ever read. It follows the story of Charlie (Cedric Charlton) a young man who works for the local tax office. He's been sent out to the Larkin's home in Kent to talk about their taxes. Or for that matter, the income taxes they've never paid. Ever.

A visit that was only supposed to last a couple hours ends up lasting an entire month with Larkin's luring him in to their country ways. There is Pa Larkin, a farmer who knows how to barter and to mix a very strong cocktail. His income primarily comes from trading goods. In fact, he's not sure what income really is. To him it's all "out"come! The Larkin's are very well-fed bunch, feasting on full English breakfasts, desserts and heavy dinners. Not to mention all the alcohol. Make sure you don't read the book on an empty stomach or you might start salivating.

The book starts when Ma Larkin tells Pa Larkin that their eldest daughter Mariette (of 5 children) is pregnant. And not only is it out-of-wedlock, Mariette can't figure out who the father is. That's pretty darn scandalous even for today. But the Larkin's are free-thinkers and don't care to judge their daughter. Pa thinks it's purrfec' (his favorite word) either way.

When Charlie comes to visit the Larkin's have a dilemma. They like the guy but they don't want to pay taxes. A series of events that both charm and confuse Charlie send him on a whirlwind. He's stuffed with food, given too much alcohol and the beautiful and nubile Mariette is hypnotizing him. The novel introduces you to a lovely bunch of characters and a look into the charmed world of the Larkin's.

What impresses me about H.E. Bates' novel is how seemingly innocent it is. For a moment, you are entranced, much like Charlie is, with the family and their unconventional ways that you forget what society told you was wrong and you just have fun. When you read this, you want to move in with the Larkin's! I love Bates' prose. He refers to the romantic elements of nature in the prose to enhance the bucolic setting. I love the last line in which the four main characters are looking out the window onto the property while listening to the nightingales in the background.

There really is no plot or rising action in the book. It's really just a slice of life kind of tale. You follow their adventures. The only real tension one can find in the book is whether Charlie will leave the Larkin's or if they will convince him to stay.

I first became familiar with the story of the Larkin's and Charlie through the British TV mini-series from the early 1990s by the same name. Each part of the mini-series is devoted to one of the 5 books in the Larkin family series. I have to say, I'm impressed with the producers of the mini-series as they kept very true to the original books. The charm, the dialogue, the characters, nothing is changed. It's all is how H.E. Bates presents it in the book. The American film version The Mating Game (1959) however is a very loose Americanized interpretation of the book and makes a lot of changes so it could pass the censors strict guidelines.

I listened to this book on audio. It was read by Bruce Montague who I think did a superb job with the narration. Even with his somewhat deep British voice he managed to do well with the female characters. His voice was soothing which complemented the book quite nicely.

There are five books in the series as listed below. A few of them are available on Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com but not all. You'd have to order from Amazon.co.uk if you want the complete set. The first book The Darling Buds of May is available on audio from Audible.com.

The Darling Buds of May
A Breath of French Air
When the Green Woods Laugh
Oh! To Be in England!
A Little of What You Fancy

If you are a fan of books like I Captured the Castle or Cold Comfort Farm , then I would recommend you read this. If you are a fan of the series, then you MUST read this. I had such an enjoyable time with the book that I didn't want it to end. I hope I can manage to get all the books in the set. The Larkin's made me want to stay with them forever.