The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales - Oliver Sacks

A rather odd book choice on reflection, but the title was too intriguing to pass this one over. Admittedly on scanning the blurb a case of medical histories is not exactly what I was expecting…though I’m not really sure what I was expecting with a title like this I suppose! That said, the account of case histories that unfolded, bizarre, devastating and fascinating in equal measure, most certainly did not disappoint.

Neurologist Oliver Sacks has collated a series of truly extraordinary case histories which recount the experience of patients battling various neurological disorders. Meet Dr P. the man who mistook his wife for a hat. Dr P. whose life has progressed into one of abstraction fails to see the whole person, the whole scene and the whole world in general. Instead he must use music to feel, to recognise and to survive. The ‘Disembodied Lady’ feels she has lost her body and must ultimately learn to be again, while Mr MacGregor, living life at a twenty degree tilt, has to learn to live and to see the world from a whole new angle.

These are just three from a host of fascinating cases, each of which has in some way served to advance the course of the medical profession. Sacks seeks to herald the return of a humanistic element, of interaction and engagement with the individual behind the illness. Sacks also raises a series of uncomfortable thoughts on the one hand; the fragility of the mind, the lack of control and questions of the future that awaits. On the other however, he presents a group of individuals who each testify to the endless possibility of the human mind and imagination at overcoming adversity, the benefits of persevering, and the ingenuity with which we may each approach the world around us.

With very little in the way of biological or neurological knowledge, I was initially concerned this was going to be a struggle. Fear not! Sack's skill at storytelling eases the reader right into the neurological world he is concerned with. His aim is to reveal the deeply human element behind the cases, and in this he is altogether successful. In all, a fascinating read not to be passed over!

On short stories - Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

I have never really been a fan of short stories. Even as a child one story at bedtime was never quite enough, which of course always led to a round of unsatisfied pleas for just one more story, just one more to send me off to sleep. My issue has always been that short stories can be rather bitty and snippety, a rather brief and superficial dip into someone else’s life before you are rather abruptly thrown back out before the story has even taken off. With more questions than answers, and very little in the way of character or plot development I tend to be left feeling either unsatisfied or to be very honest, just bored. However, I am gradually being persuaded that this is only the case when short stories are poorly written. As I get older and life gets busier  I am certainly starting to appreciate the value of a well-written short story. When I need a literary fix but have only half an hour on a bus journey, or in fact can only stay awake for this long at bedtime, I’m increasingly seeing short stories as a worthy alternative to an entire book, complete with the satisfaction of a full story in a short time. 

This is of course when short stories are written well. One such successful venture I have recently come across is Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘Interpreter of maladies’. This debut series is based on the theme of Indian exiles, of individuals who must balance tradition and heritage with the new in their lives. These work particularly well because there is no big aim to the stories, no quest or grandiose plot, but rather we receive unobtrusive snapshots of the ordinary.

‘When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine’ for instance, is a story within the series that depicts the life of an Indian family living in America, as told by ten-year-old Lilia. Mr Pirzada has been awarded a grant to study for a year in America while his wife and seven daughters remain at home in Dacca, East Pakistan. He regularly joins Lilia and her parents for dinner at their home, where they watch the news together as tensions unfold in Mr Pirzada’s hometown amid the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide. Lilia perceives Mr Pirzada to be Indian as well; he looks the same, dresses the same, laughs at the same jokes and eats the same food. Her father explains that this is not the case, that partition in 1947 means Mr Pirzada is now considered Bangladeshi. Ultimately nothing of huge consequence happens but Lahiri subtly deals with the complex issue of identity, of the juxtaposition of two different cultures, and of a little girl becoming more socially aware. It is the way in which the ordinary in life is taken and considered which stands as the foundation of these short stories and is behind why they work. They are snapshots into plausible lives, into the familiar, and are therefore inherently intriguing.

Written well I must concede that short stories are in fact an art form, a challenge to capture, engage and satisfy the reader in a small window of time for storytelling. Any recommendations will be very well received! 

It's all about the cover...

‘Never judge a book by its cover’ is the age-old adage we hear again and again. But let’s be honest, it’s rather difficult not to. If I’m browsing a shelf of titles I’ve never come across, the most natural (and in fact the most time efficient) thing to do is to look at the cover. If that grabs me, then sure, I’ll pick it up and scan the blurb. Otherwise, to be honest, a book has no chance of making it onto the pile.  While it is certainly nice to be surprised on occasion - having persevered through a recommendation - by how good a book turns out to be, more often than not, the cover will factor in on my choice. In fact, even when I have gone out in search of a particular book, and found myself presented with choice, the reality of having chosen the one which looks best stands to evidence that in fact, a cover really does matter.

What is interesting then, is the variation in book covers internationally. This convention suggests that a certain look will sell more readily in one country than in another. I imagine this must be quite an interesting and fun (though challenging) aspect of publishing; ensuring that a book cover captures the spirit of the book and that it does so in a way which is aesthetically pleasing and interesting to consumers. Much of the hype often exists around the variation between UK and US covers: so let’s consider a few side by side. US on the left, UK on the right.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s (Sorcerer’s) Stone – JK. Rowling.

The UK cover is taken from an event within the book whilst the US version depicts items from the book. Note as well the change in title, a convention not altogether uncommon in publishing. US publishers substituted ‘philiosopher’s’ for ‘sorcerers’ in order to deal with a difference in meaning to and thereby to help US readers pick up on the magical connotations of the book. In this instance I much prefer the UK version. For me the US version has a more masculine feel about it and therefore I'd have been much less inclined to pick it up (pre the cultish status subsequently bestowed upon the series that is!). The UK version is more vibrant in terms of colour and design and this wins my vote!

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

As one of my all time favourite books there is no competition in this one. The original US version above has become the iconic image associated with the book, and indeed has been reprinted into posters and all varieties of other merchandise. It really seems to capture the heady, frivolous excessive feel of the 'Roaring Twenties' which the book addresses. As well as this it manages to depict core themes of the book. The current UK cover simply pales in comparison.

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D Salinger

Oddly, whilst the US version is the iconic cover in this instance, I rather like the UK print. Having read the book it is somehow in fitting with the feel of the private journal and thoughts held within. However, in terms of compelling me to pick it up off the shelf with no prior knowledge, the US print would probably win purely because it is a more interesting cover.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? - Maria Semple

Here we have a variation, but with both based very closely on the same idea. There really isn't much between them, as you can see, but I much prefer the colour and font style of the UK version. Clearly though, what sells isn't always so different!

Let me know if you've been surprised by particular cover changes, or have any particular favourites!

The world is your library!

There is something great about hunting around for nice books. So when this caught my attention I thought it was worth a share. Sophie Pearl Edward from over at imitationisthegreatestformofflattery (definitely worth a peek if all things fashion/beauty take your fancy!) stumbled upon this:

After a bit of googling I discovered that this is actually a rather unconventional library! In a bid to deal with the combined problems of losing both their mobile library and their red phone box, the residents of a Somerset village, Westbury-sub-Mendit, took matters into their own hands utilising this old phone box as a rather unconventional library. This struck me as a really great idea. And indeed on looking into it some more it seems many people agree. It turns out this isn’t so rare, but somewhat of a growing trend with somewhere in the range of fifty phone box libraries having popped up across England! While the majority of these exist as mini-libraries, others act to facilitate book swapping or exchanges where people will leave one book behind and take another away.

 I quite like this book exchange idea. While there are some books that inevitably we just grow too attached to to part with, I’m a firm believer in sharing a good story. As this very blog might suggest, I rather enjoy exclaiming over something I've read and enjoyed, and I certainly take a quiet pleasure in recommending books I know someone else will enjoy! I also like the aspect of novelty in finding books in odd places just waiting to be read. Picture sitting down at the train station, and there on the bench next to you, a nice little paperback just waiting to be opened. Or, on the coffee shop table, the bus seat, the park bench. Books enjoyed by many, set free to be enjoyed by many more.  So you can imagine I was even more intrigued when some further googling, clicking, link following and general procrastination led me to the bookcrossing website. I have on occasion heard tales of people leaving books in odd places, but I had no idea there was an organised means to do so, a whole online community of people willing to trade! Bookcrossing offers exactly this. You just sign up and are free to start hunting for books that have been 'released' in your local area. If you think about it, (minus a language barrier here or there) the world literally becomes a giant library, a network of hunting for, swapping, recommending and discussing literary finds, a network to avail of wherever you are! Genius! 

So what are you waiting for!? Get swapping - an exchange revolution awaits you! 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer

First published in 2005, this one received hugely mixed reviews. While some declared it a masterpiece others were left feeling downright confused. Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I grabbed myself a copy and delved right in.

The book follows Oskar Schell, a nine-year-old boy who has lost his father in 9/11. We learn early on that his dad was forever entertaining Oskar with treasure hunts or mystery challenges and the like. After discovering a key in a vase that belonged to his father, Oskar takes to the five boroughs of New York on a quest to solve one last mystery. Along the way he meets a host of odd characters and we gain snapshots of their lives in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The risk in setting 9/11 as the context for the plot was that the story could ultimately end up lost among a heap of many others trying to do the same thing. Foer succeeds however in doing something a little bit different. Foer’s tackles the subject matter from the perspective of a child. Oskar is a precocious and funny little boy, a self-proclaimed inventor, astronomer and all round Stephen Hawking fanatic. Foer uses this characterisation to great effect, juxtaposing the innocence and astuteness of the child with the messiness and complexity of the adult lives he encounters.  Moreover Foer taps into the voices of ordinary people; a mother unable to grieve, a son confused, and a grandmother trying to hold it all together. The result is a story of very real people coping and dealing with the aftermath of events.

There was admittedly an odd accompaniment to the story. A counter narrative runs off alongside the main plot, which focuses on the past of Oskar’s grandfather. I presume this is the cause of much of the confusion the book is sometimes criticised for, as this wasn’t always a straightforward meander to follow.  While not vital to the plot, it did add a human depth to the story, a history and testimony to time moving on.

I will warn as well that the ending is not conventionally happy, but then nor is it particularly sad. While Oskar manages to solve the mystery, the end discovery is pretty mundane. The wonder of it is not in the detail though, but in the journey Oskar and his family have made in dealing with and accepting their personal loss. What we ultimately receive is a poignant reminder that life continues all around us, even in the aftermath of chaos.

While on the face of it this one doesn’t sound like the jolliest of reads, Foer gets the balance just right. With an element of mystery and the enthusiasm of Oskar the story is kept successfully moving and in the end we are left satisfied.

 I haven’t yet gotten around to watching the film version (TRAILER) but I shall let you know what I make of this as soon as I do! Do let me know how it’s compared if you’ve already watched it!