The Deportees
by Roddy Doyle

In 1989 when Roddy Doyle started writing stories about Dublin, Ireland was at the bottom of the economic barrel in Europe and for the previous hundred years had experienced large scale emigration. Things have changed and today Ireland is an economic leader in Europe. Now, from eastern Europe and Africa, immigrants are moving into Ireland. The Deportees gives us eight wonderful short stories about the relationship between the old established life and culture and the new immigrant population. Most of the stories involve some kind of discrimination; some involve danger and threats of violence; some re-introduce characters
from Doyle’s earlier books.
Almost all offer large helpings of Doyle’s forte: humour. He is a wonderful writer of character and has a great way of leading us into the lives of his subjects. A quick and easy read and lots of fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shut Up He Explained
by John Metcalf

This is an impish book of literary criticism. Like a Mahler symphony, it appears daunting, but given time and attention, it is an accessible and wonderful experience. Melcalf gives us a series of scholarly essays on writers, travel, books, and in particular, the Canadian short story canon. In a final chapter he offers what he considers to be the forty best Canadian short story collections of the twentieth century, and includes a critical exposition and sample reading for each. At times it may seem that Metcalf has lost his way; actually he is illustrating
his literary arguments from his
own writing. Considered a gadfly by some, an iconoclast by others, he is always a force to be reckoned with in the field of Canadian literature. The book is academic but is written in a very personable,
intimate voice. If a serious
appreciation of Canadian literature is your cup of tea, this book is for you. And how can you not love the title!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exit Ghost
by Philip Roth

In 1979 Roth began a series of novels using Nathan Zuckerman as his protagonist. In the first, The
Ghost Writer, Zuckerman was 23. We are told that Exit Ghost is to be the last. Zuckerman is now 71. He has survived prostate cancer
and is incontinent and impotent. In reaction he moved to the country and chose a life of writing and solitude. While not entirely happy with this, he became resigned to it. Now, as he returns to the world he no longer knows or even recognizes, we have one of the themes of this multi-layered book. What is it like to be isolated? What does it mean to be engaged? What is the difference between the two? And which is the better choice given the uncertainties of modern life? The book offers a little love (or is that lust), peeks briefly at the impact of 9/11, and comments on changes in social mores resulting from recent technological development. In a novel that scrutinizes modern North American society, Roth explores these and many other issues with wit and skill. Over his lifetime, he has earned a raft of awards, including a Pulitzer. In my opinion, Exit Ghost stands up well with his earlier work.

 

 

Life on the Refrigerator Door
by Alice Kuipers
The title says it all. This book consists entirely of messages left on the refrigerator door by a mother and daughter. That may sound like a book based on a gimmick: it is anything but. It is a daring and dynamic use of an
unusual technique to tell an all too familiar story in an honest and transparent way. It is filled with
emotion. You will laugh. Most likely you will also cry. Shallow read: deep feelings.

Silk
by Alessandro Baricco
If you have an ounce of romance in your soul this book, a novella,
will sing to you. It is beautiful, enchanting, full of life, love and
humour. It is sensuous and at moments, erotic. Yet there is an
innocence to it - the innocence of love. Baricco’s writing is delightful, amusing, ironic. His style is
sparse: not a word is wasted. It is like a minimalist painting: not a word is out of place. Read it not just with the eyes and the mind,
but with the heart. Sometimes things translate well from one
medium to another. This book was made into a movie. Judging by Roger Ebert’s review, the transition was not successful. Stay with the written version. In case
my opinion is not entirely clear: I loved this book. I bet you will too.

Bridge of Sighs
by Richard Russo

I need to say right off that this novel is not perfect, but it is so
exceedingly good that I have no hesitation recommending it. Russo is a master in
his prime. The story is the day to day stuff of ordinary life, perhaps
yours and mine. I found myself internalizing its emotions as I read it, a sure sign of skill in writing and in expressing the human
condition. The plot revolves around Lucy Lynch, now sixty, as
he looks back and recounts his life
history. In an interesting and complex technique, Russo uses three
narrative voices: Lucy speaking in the present; his written story; a third person authorial voice. As in
previous Russo work, geographic place has the power of a human character (in this case the town of
Thomaston and its contaminated
river, which directly or indirectly have damaged everyone in the story). The New York Times says this book belongs in the genre of the ‘Great American Novel’. It
depicts US society, revealing issues and truths in a fresh and
cogent manner. The Catcher in the Rye came to my mind as I read it. A few of its many themes include: free will and determinism, the role of art in expressing
the shape of our lives, violence and anger as opposed to passivity, ‘Sense and Sensibility’, the role of
the environment in shaping us socially and physically. A deep and rewarding book which I found totally engaging.