Manhood for Amateurs – Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon is best known for his offbeat novels – such as ‘The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay’, and ‘The Yiddish Policemen’s Union’ – but here he is in self-reflective mode as he sets out his thoughts on the male condition.

The sub-title says it all – the pleasures and regrets of a husband, father and son. And in a sequence of forty or so short essays he covers a lot of ground, extrapolating from his own experiences to reach conclusions, or inconclusive bewilderment, as appropriate.

Although he’s Jewish (albeit secular) and American, his experiences resonate with this British, slightly older, atheist – maybe because I too am a son, husband and father. Even where the common language divides our nations (a murse turning out to be a man’s purse, i.e. a manbag) the observations are spot-on.

To give a flavour he writes of childhood passions (Lego & comic books) and adult dilemmas (what to do with your children’s all too prolific but largely bad artwork); first loves and lasting loves; and the pains and pleasures of growing up and growing old.

The style is understated and the humour wry and self-depreciating, earning this volume a deserved and not inappropriate permanent place on the bookshelf next to the similarly gifted and perceptive Alan Bennett and Bill Bryson.

The Vesuvius Club – Mark Gatiss

This tale of derring-do is narrated by Lucifer Box – artist of repute, well known dandy about late Victorian / early Edwardian London, and less well known secret agent of HMG, reporting to head of service, one Joshua Reynolds RA.

His new assignment is to investigate the deaths on consecutive days of two eminent scientists in Naples, which were swiftly followed by the demise of the local British diplomat, Jocelyn Poop.

A trip to Naples for Box then, but before he can set off other distractions crop up: the delightful Miss Bella Pok who comes for art lessons but seems interested in more; the disappearance of Mrs Midsummer Knight in which a friend is implicated; and the strange goings-on at Tom Bowler & Co, purveyor of superior funerals, that involve unorthodox practices that threaten to provide additional custom.

Notwithstanding those distractions, Box finally gets to Naples and discovers, mainly through the obliging (in more ways than one) Charlie Jackpot, vital clues that lead to the mysterious and exclusive Vesuvius Club. The club resembles a circle within Dante’s vision of hell with all types of debauchery and excess on display but, behind and below this show, even worse is being planned, constructed and set in motion. Box’s ingenuity, cool head and strong thighs will be needed to prevent death and destruction.

Gatiss was of course instrumental in the creation of the cult TV series “The League of Gentlemen” and has put his talents to use in this self-confessed ‘bit of fluff’. It reads as a cross between Rider Haggard and Terry Pratchett – a fiendish plot with villains and heroes (equipped with outlandish names) peppered with witty asides and naughty nuances.

A diverting bit of fluff, just right for that flight or train journey.

The Eustace Diamonds – Anthony Trollope

In this, the third of the “Palliser” novels, the focus of attention is Lady Elizabeth Eustace, “Lizzie” to her friends, who are few and diminishing. She is young, clever and attractive, which helped her make the advantageous match with the hard-living Lord Eustace for whom she rapidly produced an heir before being predictably, and non-too sorrowfully, made a widow; thus adding rich and available to her already considerable charms.

As for the diamonds, they constitute a fabulous necklace in the possession of Lady Eustace – but are they hers or do they belong to the estate, held in trust for the heir? She claims her husband gave them to her to keep; the estate solicitor says prove it, and in the meantime hand them over. For Lizzie, possession is ten tenths of the law and she holds them close.

The dispute divides society opinion and provides complications for Lizzie as she casts her net for a fresh husband. First choice is her cousin Frank Greystock but, while he supports her claim to the necklace and could do with her money, he is otherwise engaged to the sweet but penniless Lucy Morris. Second choice, Lord Fawn, is initially keen but then unwilling to be compromised by the dispute. Others hover on the fringes, both fascinated and worried by the dangerously feisty widow.

Around the central bone of contention Trollope weaves his usual narrative of social niceties, gossip and innuendo, spiced up here and there with larceny as the criminal fraternity get wind that the diamonds are being hauled around the country in a strongbox as part of Lizzie’s entourage. Other side plots abound to give variety and light relief, particularly Lizzie’s relations with Mrs Carbuncle, symbiotic to begin but increasingly acrimonious.

Perhaps longer than necessary, it remains a pleasant read provided you have the time to enjoy the unhurried prose. What drive the reader on are the questions – who will end up with the diamonds and who will end up with Lizzie?

I Am Pilgrim – Terry Hayes

The man with the code name Pilgrim, Scott Murdoch to use one of his better names, is a one-time ace undercover agent for a branch of the US state security that polices, among others, the CIA. As the cold war gave way to the war on terror, he quit the service and penned, under a pseudonym, a seminal text book on investigative technique that, while not being a best seller, was admired by his peers.

The publication also had a couple of unwanted consequences. First a New York detective, Ben Bradley, recuperating from his experiences on 9/11, reads it and as a therapeutic exercise tracks down not only the author’s real identity but his location too – quite a shock for Scott Murdoch who thought his current cover was impenetrable.

But Ben is a good guy, a hero, so becomes a trusted friend, who calls on Murdoch’s expertise in particularly interesting or tricky cases. One such case – at the Eastside Inn – gives rise to the second consequence. A murder has been committed and the techniques in his text book have been used to remove nearly all evidence. All that can be retrieved is a fragment of a phone number and a library ticket, used once to borrow that book.

In parallel to that of the Pilgrim we get the story of the Saracen (a name subsequently bestowed by Murdoch). Born in Saudi; his radicalisation supercharged by the unjust execution of his father, he goes to Afghanistan to sign up and fight as a mujahedeen, and to learn from experience that ultimate victory against the enemy could only come from a lethal strike at the heart of America.

So his long game plan begins, which if it comes to fruition spells death and destruction in the US on an unimaginable scale. It is only late in the day that a scrap of intelligence alerts the powers that be, who then haul Scott Murdoch in from retirement as the only man for the job – as Pilgrim.

Over 900 pages the various stories play out: Murdoch’s theories on the Eastside Inn murder; his back story as an agent and his new mission as Pilgrim; and Saracen’s obsession, ruthlessly pursued, to destroy the western hegemony over his native region. Inevitably the strands converge, intertwine and crash towards a climax.

Though lengthy, the prose is pacey, fortunately leaving little time to ponder credibility. Action, tension and ingenuity abound; though worryingly the quest to save the west seems to hinge mainly on coincidences to give Pilgrim his breaks.

Of its type it is good, very good.

The Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger

At the end of World War two, in Pennsylvania USA, Holden Caulfield is at Pencey Prep School, but not for much longer. This is his account of the night he walked out and how he spent the following few days.

He is due to get expelled at the end of term but he doesn’t give a toss, and decides to take off early (before the letter home reaches his parents) and head for New York and just “take it easy for a few days” before heading home.

Easy doesn’t come easy to Holden; aggravation does. He gets into a scuffle before he even leaves the college, then once in the Big Apple he has bother with cabbies, barmen, an ex-girlfriend, and even a prostitute and her pimp.

Through it all we get his commentary on events, coloured by some back history details. In his version everyone else is a “phoney” while he is merely being himself - obnoxious, pretentious or honest but misunderstood? Is his behaviour a cry for help, a desperate search for an anchor to halt his hedonistic, self-destructive drift – a catcher in the rye to stop him going over the cliff?

The writing is convincingly smart-arsed adolescent and to me portrays well a loner who really wants to belong but can’t dissemble the way society demands. If I had read it (as I should have) in my late teens I may have been able to identify more with Holden Caulfield, but now in my dotage I just wanted to give him a shake and tell him to get over himself.

Review of 2015

Bibliodyssey managed to continue to produce a post most weeks in 2015, including reviews of 48 books read, my choices only slightly skewed by attempting, and with a few minutes to spare achieving, the Popsugar reading challenge for the year. From the titles reviewed the following dozen are picked out as the books of my reading year and so are particularly recommended (full review in bracketed month).

General Fiction:

Heart Shaped Box – Joe Hill (May) – Well constructed horror where the action only pauses to heighten the next twist in the spiral of terror.

The Girl with a Clock for a Heart – Peter Swanson (Aug) – Impressive debut novel where a blast from the past puts the hero in unfamiliar and violent territory.

A Day at the Office – Matt Dunn (Sep) – Frothy and funny account of Valentine’s Day as experienced by six work colleagues each with issues to resolve.

Raven Black – Ann Cleeves (Oct) – Atmospherically set in Shetland where the local DI tries to unravel two murders, one current and one historic.

Books for serious readers:

Bring up the Bodies – Hilary Mantel (Feb) – Thomas Cromwell’s career continues in this follow-up to Wolf Hall, equally brilliant and with less confusing pronoun usage.

Started Early, Took My Dog – Kate Atkinson (May) – Richly layered mystery featuring the familiar but still incompletely charted Jackson Brodie.

Harvest – Jim Crace (Jun) – Lyrical tale set in a village undefined in space and time as the microcosm undergoes seismic change.

Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell (Aug) – Ingeniously strung together set of six stories written in different styles/genres to produce a masterpiece of writing.

Short Stories:

Stone Mattress – Margaret Atwood (Aug) – Mature work from the author, with the focus on men and women in their later, but darkly fascinating, years.

Nonfiction:

The Railway Man – Eric Lomax (Apr) – Understated but heartrending account of one man’s PoW experience and its legacy of withdrawal, rediscovery and redemption.

Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi (Dec) – Graphic (literally) account of a spirited young girl’s experience of growing up during the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Feet of Clay – Terry Pratchett

The third book in the trilogy finds the Ankh-Morpork City Watch on the up and expanding, mainly through recruitment from the ethnic minorities, with dwarfs like Cheery Littlebottom, trolls like Detritus, and even Downspout the gargoyle, joining the familiar corps of Vimes, Carrot, Colon and ‘Nobby’ Nobbs.

Commander Vimes is called in by the Patrician (the de facto civic leader who maintains order, and his position, through skilful balancing of the vested interests of the Guilds and the Nobility). Lord Vetinari is unwell and foul play is suspected; but how is the poison being administered and by whom?

Captain Carrot is more concerned with the rash of Golem related incidents; the clay-baked, mute giants are running amok, self-destructing, and most strangely, producing anguish-induced graffiti.

Meanwhile Sergeant Colon is eyeing up retirement and Corporal Nobbs’ hard to credit genealogy attracts the attention of a cabal seeking to restore the monarchy. What they need is an easily manipulated figurehead and Nobby fits the bill.

Investigating and plotting proceed haphazardly in typical Discworld fashion, in strange locations with bizarre characters whose motivations and machinations however would be recognisable in any universe.

With the usual wit and invention the strands come together to conclude matters and also bring to the end an enjoyable trilogy.