Mexico to Zambia: Two Magical Novels

A MURMUR OF BEES by Sofia Segovia [Translated by Simon Bruni]

THE OLD DRIFT by Namwali Serpell

If you are a fan of the Russian epic, magical realism, or historical and/or geopolitical fiction, these two new novels incorporate the best of those forms. Great storytelling with a solid dose of magical realism or cultural realism and a rich line-up of characters.

Debut Novelist Namwali Serpell

THE OLD DRIFT, which is Russian in scope, tells the tale of three families from Europe, Africa and India, over three periods of time, whose lives and interactions define the formation of a nation. Serpell sporadically adds a most unusual Greek-style chorus [think mosquitoes] to remind the reader that the land has existed forever, and will continue to exist, despite colonists and xenophobia, diseases, and personal and political disaster. THE OLD DRIFT is filled with Homerian journeys and heroes and a large cast of characters that will be daunting, at first, but Serpell does an excellent job grouping their stories to make it easier to follow. She begins way back, in the depth of a jungle, with Livingstone, and carries us all the way to a future ruled by drones and electronic surveillance. To be sure we recognize the epic nature of the novel, she drops in nods to Shakespeare, Milton, and Virgil, and a finale reminiscent of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The ride is fast-paced, filled with what I’m sure most of us never knew about this country, and a style of writing deceptively simple, although she goes in and out and back and forth, and because she is a masterful writer, we follow until we wonder, where does it all go and how did it get to this point? This is the story of a nation – not a kingdom or people – so it begins, of course, with a white man… That introductory colonist tells us, The worst difficulty of exploration, I learned, is that it is a tormenting isolation. There was no chumming it up with blacks, naturally. Although THE OLD DRIFT is fast-paced [despite the length] read it slowly, savor it, tell your friends. Available in hardcover or for your favorite e-reader.

Sofia Segovia

The Mexican writer Sofia Segovia’s sweet novel, A MURMUR OF BEES, her first to be translated into English, was issued recently by Amazon for Kindle as a special event tied to International Book Day, and there is also a hard copy available. The novel is, at heart, a fairy tale – a direct descendent of Colombia’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A baby, smothered in humming protective bees, is taken in by the town wet nurse, a modern day good witch. Named Simonopio [yes, think Pinocchio] his otherworldliness and unusual powers, despite an inability to speak, form the backbone of the novel’s story, from prerevolutionary Mexico during the great flu epidemic of the early 1900s to the cultural and economic struggles of generations. Like Tolstoy, or Marquez, also Isabel Allende, we encounter wealthy landowners surrounded and influenced, often protected, by servants, laborers, priests and magicians. A large cast of characters with a large imprint, but an intimate tone of voice. Along the way, we experience the upheaval and magic of Mexican history – family connections, tragedy, redemption, spirituality and superstition, and the healing bond of love. The narration is lyrical and rich, and you might shed a few tears, all in service to good storytelling. As the boy reminds us, we listen to what life sometimes murmurs into your ear, heart or gut. Or as his friend says, familiar music transports him to warm days swimming in the river, to the toads that croaked at nightfall, to the summertime cicadas, to the orange-tree mazes, to the footstep of a bee on my face, and to its sound when it flew off. Transporting indeed and a lovely read.

A wow debut: ELMET by Fiona Moxley

Now and then a first novel knocks your socks off. In ElMET, without fuss or complexity, and told in humble descriptive prose, you are from the first in the clutch of narrative tension  and you know you’re headed dark places. 

The Guardian called it “an impressive slice of contemporary noir steeped in Yorkshire legend…”

I’m not familiar with Yorkshire legend, but I was able to picture the landscape – the loamy smells, the rustling of the wind – where families live largely off the grid. What we used to call down-home living. A culture of hard work and stoicism. Also an eye for an eye, and a take-what-you-can-get-when-you-can-get-it way of life.

And so it is for this family – an enigmatic father, a mighty independent daughter, and a delicate son, the narrator, who speaks to us now and then from a distance of time and place so we know he survived, but we’re not sure who else might have. Their mother is long gone and although she occasionally makes an appearance in flashback, we learn little of her, and their father, a large looming figure, with nearly mythological strength, is their rock: a surprisingly gentle man sometimes called upon to earn a living as a fighter, also a sort of fixer [that’s where the noir comes in] and a lumberman. A man who respects land and neighbors and tries to do what’s right, with a priority to protect his own, whatever that takes. 

Like many country settings where families are known to feud, he is opposed by another powerful man and his sons. The story revolves around their struggle for control and the inevitably destruction that will be left in its wake. No good can come of this rivalry, not in this landscape. 

I wondered if she thought about it too. Or if the boys did. Or if any of the other small people t the far reaches of my recollection spent the time that I had thinking about the bits in which they played a part. It seems to me that so much of everything came from this, and that if anyone thought about moments like this enough, the future would be done before it had even started, and I mean that in a good way.

Despite the Robin Hood setting and the dominance of malevolence, this is Cathy’s story – a slip of a girl mothered only briefly by a grandmother, determined to survive on her own terms. Cathy is no victim, and not one to play by the rules. She is her father’s daughter. And although [avoiding a spoiler here] there is a moment where the Christ figure enters, it is Cathy who may rise from the ashes.

In this novel, the climactic conclusion, a startling denouement, is secondary to the journey. The reader is voyeur. We make every move with them, and the characters surrounding them, and with each page we hold our breaths a little more until barely breathing. We don’t know what’s coming, but we know enough to fear it.

ELMET is a unforgettable little novel and I suspect we will read more from this lovely writer.

A most unusual ladder to success

A LADDER TO THE SKY
By John Boyne

John Boyne

The Irish writer John Boyne is on a winning streak. Following the commercial success of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, he published a fan-favorite entitled THE HEART’S INVISIBLE FURIES, a charmer. Both are what you might call smart, and poignant, page-turners. He captures the reader’s attention at once and holds you in his tender hands throughout.

Now another, except a change in style: an edgy sharply-observed parody of our celebrity and media-driven culture. 

Boyne tells you right up front that this lead character, Maurice Swift, whose name is scribbled over the author’s name on the title page, is of dubious intent. 

You’ve heard the old proverb about ambition, haven’t you? That it’s like setting a ladder to the sky. It can lead to a long and painful fall. This is a tale about ambition.

This novel is about ambition in a Machiavellian way. Ambition at all costs. 

In alternating narratives by key players – a writer who’s life is destroyed, a brilliant writing-wife, a biographer, and Mr. Swift’ himself, we discover this talented wordsmith is a manipulator without a story of his own to tell, who nonetheless becomes a celebrated author. He also starts and serves as editor of a magazine cleverly named Stori. Over a lifetime, he manages to seduce men and women willing to pave his path and none, except the great writer Gore Vidal, in a razor-sharp scene set in a fabulous villa, of course, are wise to his dark secrets. Boyne does an excellent job capturing Vidal’s perspective when he comments on the public humiliation of a great writer Swift has decimated.

And as far as I can tell, half the world’s novelists have chimed in with their opinions, which has provided each one with their intended few minutes of publicity. How competitive everyone is in expressing their outrage! As far as I can tell, Bellow is the only one who’s said anything sensible on the subject.

Secrets are Boyne’s literary concern – all his books are centered around what people hide, for the sake of salvation as well as opportunism. In a review of an earlier novel, THE ABSOLUTIST, John Irving said, Boyne is very, very good at portraying the destructive power of a painfully kept secret — not to mention the damage done by the self-recriminations (and other condemnations) that are released when that secret is revealed.

Maurice Swift is ruthless to the point of unscrupulous. In fact, diabolical. We slowly, with that pit in the stomach, recognize he is a sociopath. Rare to discover this depth of amorality in a lead character that does not diminish the reading. I imagine my jaw was in permanent drop position through the last third of the novel. He is a fascination. A direct descendant of Raskolnikov, of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, one of my personal favorites, and another of the road-kill genre of literature: you simply cannot turn your eyes away. 

First Readings 2019

Toni Morrison speaks in a new
collection of essays:
The Source of Self-Regard

Many wonderful writers are publishing early this new year – novels, short stories, essays, true crime and memoir – and many candidates for book groups. A sampling.

Tessa Hadley: Late in the Day

A terrific writer, this novel is all about relationships, past and present, and the impact of grief. Reminiscent of Crossing to Safety by Stegner. I’ve also returned to an earlier work, the Marriage Bed, in which she subtly takes you into the mindset of a lonely woman who doesn’t realize how desperately she’s in need of attention.

Dani Shapiro: Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity and Love

Shapiro has mined her life frequently in memoir and fiction, and still new revelations keep it interesting.

Robert Bolano: The Spirit of Science Fiction

For the Bolano fans, from a world far far away.

Elizabeth McCracken: Bowlaway

Might be the zaniest premise of a novel ever – McCracken loves to explore whacky characters. [Remember the Giant’s House?] This one lands on earth with a bowling bowl! She is a true original and lovely writer.

Claire Adam: Golden Child

A wow debut novel of a family coming to terms with twin sons, one of whom is born challenged and stays a challenge, but only when he goes missing do we begin to understand why. A touching and insightful work of fiction that feels like a docudrama.

Leila Aboulela: Elsewhere, Home

A new master of the short story, she writes about what it means to be an immigrant in a wider world. Great characters.

Yuval Taylor: Zora and Langston: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal

Yummy literary gossip.

Karl Ove Knausgaard: So Much Longing in So Little Space 

The title alone makes it a must read, if you like his style and his [incessant] introspection. This tale weaves in the artist Edvard Munch - might make you scream. 

Claire Harman: Murder by the Book

Dickens’ London, literary, and literally, true crime. Might be a curl-up-on-a-wintry-night read.

Dave Eggers: The Parade

In an un-named middle eastern country, a set of conflicted characters confront conflicting agendas, what Eggers does so well in fiction. Reminds me a little of Hologram for a King, one of my favorites.

Siri Hustvedt: Memories of the Future

This lesser-known great-brain writes with longing and imagination, and I look forward to this new novel. [And she’s married to the great Paul Auster!]

Frederic Tuten: My Young Life

I had the pleasure of meeting this relatively unknown but prolific writer some years ago and I was struck by his Chekhovian persona – subtle, stoically quiet and quirky. Now he’s written a memoir that sounds as intriguing as his fiction. [He too was born in the Bronx, so we’re kindred spirits.] If you’ve never read The Green Hour, I recommend. 

Kathryn David: The Silk Road 

Davis' writing is enigmatic to the point of metaphysical, sometimes surreal, 

often allegorical, and I don't always get it, but she's always worth a try. 

Dryer’s English

If you write just about anything, or just have a fascination with the written word, this new take on grammatical correctness is smart and engaging. At the very least, a good book to add to the how-to shelf.

UNCOMMON CAUSE: An uncommonly fascinating memoir of military life

by General George Lee Butler

With illustrations by Victor Guiza

General George Lee Butler

We all assume we know something of military life. We’ve seen lots of movies. Watched documentaries. Read a few books.  Some of us are close to members of the military. Nothing, however, will prepare you for the magnifying glass that 4-star General Butler holds to the military in his memoir. No, you say, not my speed – I promise you, reading UNCOMMON CAUSE is worth your time and terribly important in this day and age of sound-bites and tweets.

            General Butler’s memoir portrays an incredibly expansive military life, but with an eye towards how that life affected family and community, as well as a nation. A one-of-a-kind glimpse into the inner workings of the military well beyond being the defender of the peace.

Turns out, General Butler is a Don Quixote. He doesn’t always choose his battles, he charges ahead with audacity and hope, and, although he invariably creates change for the better, he has often risked his own life and career. He's a true American hero. 

Born to a military family in 1939 [auspiciously, the year Britain and France declared war on Germany] George Lee Butler graduated the Air Force Academy, where he subsequently taught and where parts of the memoir have been incorporated into the training manual. He also found time to earn a PhD in Political Science and was an Olmstead Scholar in France, where he earned a Master’s in International Affairs. A pilot who served in Viet Nam [a war he ultimately challenged] he has logged in over 3000 hours flying time in various places. And, beyond many other accolades and accomplishments, was designated Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Air Command from 1991 – 1994, which means, if you don’t know, he had his finger on the nation’s nuclear arsenal even though he argues for the elimination of reliance on nuclear weapons.

            By and large, the world wants to move away from the nuclear era. The question is how fast and how far. In a world of sovereign nation-states, I can't rationalize any number above zero. If it's more than zero, you have to acknowledge every nation has the right to have them. 

Most impressively, this General is a fine writer. As lengthy as the reading is – two volumes, over 800 pages – it’s a page-turner. Almost impossible to imagine one life as rich and as deeply embedded in 20th century American history as this one. However he will tell you he absolutely owes it all to his wife, and honors all military spouses.

As you will come to understand, she was as much in service to her country as was I, making her mark in every assignment and on everyone privileged to be in her company. 

Volume I deals with the formative years and Volume II with what he calls the transformative and I would call the maturity. From the naiveté and perseverance of a young man to a dedication to the better-articulated high ideals of the older and decidedly wiser.

General Butler said he spent ten years writing the book, with numerous rewrites and readers. When I asked what, if any overriding message he wanted to send, he answered, “the unique risks to life and limb, the primacy of leadership and integrity, and the unrelenting sacrifices demanded of members, their spouses and most especially, their children.” And when I asked him to cite the most life-altering challenge or experience, he replied, “Always do and say the right thing, no matter the personal cost.”

In the interest of full disclosure, I met General Butler some years ago at an event for one of several non-profits he and his family support through their charitable foundation, and his lovely wife Dorene has been a supporter of my fiction. I can tell you in all truth they are quality people and this is a quality memoir.

Take the time to read these volumes. Enjoy each of the many fascinating episodes. When you reach the last page, you’ll be glad you know General George Lee Butler. 

Available in hardcover [a fabulous gift] or for Kindle [and Kindle Unlimited for free.]