reading notes

by Richard Flanagan
ISBN: 9780330423557

At first, I thought I understood that this book was a very different sort of book than Gould’s Book of Fish, an earlier novel of Flanagan’s I read and thought was remarkable.

Then I remembered this quote from Fish:

“Once upon a time, terrible things happened, but it was long ago in a far-off place that everyone knows is not here or now or us.”

The same sentiment applies to this book, only the bitterness is more intense, so much so that the whole point is that this is here, is now, is us. (Us being Australia, but American readers really should take no comfort in the hysteria not being here, because it recognizably is.)

Flanagan has written a thriller that is an indictment of govermental overreaction to terrorist acts. He’s also making uncomfortable points about lack of innocence and pervasive complicitness. The most outrageous things aren’t the lies, but choices we make out of convenience and fear, and our seemingly inescapable collective need for sacrifice.

The writing is sharp, and kept me wincing and turning pages. It was obvious from the very beginning it would not be an easy read:

“The idea that love is not enough is a particularly painful one. In the face of its truth, humanity has for centuries tried to discover in itself evidence that love is the greatest force on earth.”

Not an easy read, but ultimately a worthwhile one. I admire Flanagan’s ability to write a novel with serious messages without writing a Serious Message Novel. I’ll keep an eye out for his other books, and look foward to what he’ll do next.

by Chip Kidd
ISBN: 9780061673245

This is the second novel from graphic designer Chip Kidd, who is better known for his work on book covers than his writing.

If you read The Cheese Monkeys, you’ll recognize Happy, no longer an art student but a young man who lands his first job at the firm of his favorite yet feared professor. (No, reading the first book is not necessary to understanding or enjoying the second.) The book is, yes, a primer on graphic design and typography, but really it is a disturbing story about how we can or cannot live with ourselves.

Happy winds up participating in the infamous Milgram obedience experiment. He is appalled yet fascinated by the design of the experiment, and seeks to understand how it works in hopes of coming to understand his own participation. Despite his effort, it isn’t as easily understandable as the choices he made laying out the newspaper ad calling for volunteers.

Kidd’s story is about change, uncertainty, and wanting to do great things but not knowing what that means. I wonder if Kidd will write a third novel, and if he does, if it will be about Happy figuring out how to live with himself. I sort of want Kidd to write that book, but I’m also leery of that kind of effort — this piece is so well done, it might just be done.

I hope he’s not done writing novels, though, as I’ll be looking for the next one.