This is a work in progress, so please be patient while I complete it! Keep checking back for updates and such.
Legend of a Suicide by David Vann
OMG! And I do NOT say that lightly! I read this book as part of a 49 Writers book club and was simply stunned. I highly recommend this book! It is innovative, compelling & though provoking, an incredible bit of writing, and simply one of the best books I've ever read.
There are two main innovations in this book: the first is that it it a collection of short stories and a novella that weave in and out of the main event (the suicide of his father) in the story. The second innovation is that Vann uses his real-life experiences with his family and father's suicide to write a fiction that explores the impact of that one decision. The result is thought provoking and original.
The writing itself is sensational. The style and voice change throughout the stories to suit their situations, and Vann is a master at employing figurative language, voice, and descriptive detail. He sprinkles these in at just the right moments.
Finally, it's the story itself that compels. Suicide as a subject is incredibly difficult to talk or read about, but as someone who had a dear friend commit suicide, it needs to be talked and thought about. Vann does so in a way that is touching, painfully honest, and really thinks through all of the consequences. All to that a stories that hook you in and leave you wanting more, and you've got a top 5 book!
Rock, Water, Wild: An Alaskan Life by Nancy Lord
Some of my favorite essays were the one about the Denina language, one on how she and her husband spend their Christmas vacations (our family can blame her for us deciding to spend our in a similar manner instead of traveling with half the state down to the lower 48), and one on a river trip she took down a river right before it changed drastically due to mining operations that were set to start along it.
Ok, so I neeed those essay titles and some better description and explanation, but you get the idea. Overall I recommend this book, especially the essays I wrote about above. Some of the essays are a little less engaging, but overall this is a nice peek into An Alaskan Life.
A Man of His Village by Tanyo Raviez
This is a fictional account of Florentino Cruz--a migrant worker from Mexico who ends up in Alaska on a almost a whim.
The story is a little hard to get into, but has a lot of depth that isn't necessarily apparent at first. I was really bothered by the fact that it is written in a telling, rather than a showing style, but as the character and his tribulations grew on me as I forged into the heart of the story.
Florentino leaves his village at age 16 to make his fortune in the world, and we get to grow up with him as he experiences both life's cruelties and luminous moments. Raviez is spot-on when he discusses Florentino's life as a migrant, and understanding his perspective alone was, to me, worth reading the book.
The last third of the book was the best part, and the story really picked up and became a page turner at the end. I enjoyed the main character and his journey and think this is a pretty worthwile read.
Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs: Family, Friendships, and Faith in Small-Town Alaska
by Heather Lende
"That night the northern lights flashed and swirled above the roof of our weathered shingle home near where the Chilkat River meets the sea. Some of the white, swooping, teardrop-shaped lights tumbled like ghosts. Others spun in colorful hurricane swirls with long blue, gree, and pink ribbons trailing off into the navy blue night. One golden banner above Mt. Ripinsky moved up and down in an electrocardiogram way, graphing the beating of so many hearts. I had never seen alight show like it. My husband, Chip, came out to look, too, and we calle the kids: our teenagers Christain, J.J., and Stoli. . . . By the time everyone made it outside the show was all over, without a hint of what had been there. Nothing remained except the stars shyly blinking. It was cold again; no doubt we'd have at least one more frost. I had on a down coat so, as the rest of my family went back instide, I stayed out a little longer, all by myself, standing in the gravel drive, looking up, watching and waiting.
"The stars expanded and contracted. I thought I saw a shooting star, but it may have been a satellite. I wished I knew more about the night sky. I wished I knew more about a lot of things. At the Blessing of the Fleet, the Men of Note also sang the old verse "Grand us wisdom, grant us courage / For the living of these days / For the living of these days." At the end of a gentle, not cruel, April day, a day so full of joy and sorrow, to ask for a little wisdom and courage seemed reasonable and possible. The best kind of prayer. "What the heck," as Becky would say, why not ask? It can't hurt.
"So I did, humming ever so softly to whoever might be listening."
I love it. I like that she takes inspiration from nature. I like that she is so reflective. And I like how she pulls it all together. Highly recommended.
Weiss writes about her first year as a Homer, Alaska resident. Her writing is incredible (phenomenal figurative language, great depth and insight, and an unflinching ability to look at aspects of life that most authors just skip over, and fascinating natural, environmental, and historical details). The ending seemed a little abrupt and wasn't very fulfulling, but the book was still entirely worth it. Highly recommended.
The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Ramano Lax
This is my current read, but so far I am very impressed.
