I realize that since the first of the year, I’ve read a number of books whose titles have been the name of a character. I’ve been meaning to write about the books for some time now. I told myself initially that I didn’t really like them, so I wasn’t going to write a post about any given book. But, now, months later, I find that I still think about them. So . . .
The Book of Aron: A Novel by Jim Shepard. It is about a child, Aron, in the Warsaw ghetto of 1938 or so. More interesting to me is the character, Janusz Korczak, a real-life doctor “renowned throughout prewar Europe as an advocate of children’s rights who, once the Nazis swept in, was put in charge of the Warsaw orphanage.” The story is well-told by Aron as his world is increasingly shrunk by Nazi politics. As a child he has a knack for adaptability that is canny but also heartbreaking. At the end of the book is suggested reading for those who want to know more of Dr. Korczak.
Eileen: A Novel by Otessa Moshfegh. One review says it is “dark and funny and full of oft-queasy truths.” I would elaborate on that by saying it is light on funny and heavy on dark and queasy. Eileen grows up as the child of an alcoholic. Probably, consequently, she has her own issues with alcohol. This is a story of consequences. I found it disturbing.
My Name Is Lucy Barton: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout. One review says “It is both a book of withholdings and a book of great openness and wisdom.” For those of you who have been in the book club for some time, you may remember Strout’s Olive Kitteridge. ‘Lucy Barton’ is not a collection of short stories, unless you count the stories that Lucy’s mother tells her while Lucy recuperates in hospital. It is from Lucy’s reflections on and memories of these stories that we get another perspective. There is darkness delivered in unanticipated moments. There were times I thought, “wait, did she just say that . . .?” This book stayed with me a while and I also found (parts of) it disturbing.
A Man Called Ove: A Novel by Fredrik Backman. Backman is a Swedish author and the story takes place in Sweden. The synopsis says it is about a curmudgeon – Ove. That alone made me hesitant to read it. And, it took some getting into the story because I didn’t like the premise. But, I’m telling you, I cried at the ending. It’s a simple, predictable, well-told story.
