Her Fearful Symmetry

After The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger's second novel was quite a disappointment. I loved her first book, so I faithfully trudged through the dry non-events of what could have been a beautiful ghost story, certain the final unraveling of the mystery would be my reward. But, the twist turned out to be exactly what I'd (jokingly) thought it would be by page 6. In fairness, the end did unveil a second surprise, but by that time I had already formed my opinion. The novel is full of inaccuracies and improbabilities, and after enduring endless chapters of twins Julia and Valentina doing nothing more than exist in London, the stories of all the characters end abruptly with little conclusion. I love to read, but this was just painful. In my opinion, the best thing about the book is the pretty blue metallic dust jacket.

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On a more positive note, last week I submitted several of my own children's book manuscripts to carefully selected publishers. I won't hear anything for awhile, but keep your fingers crossed for me!

Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies is a disturbing, but not entirely surprising, account of human nature at its worst. William Golding gives us the tale of Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon, who are among a group of young British schoolboys stranded on a desert island. At first the island appears to be a delightful, unsupervised game, but soon becomes the setting for mutiny, terror, and murder. After weeks, or even months away from civilization, the children are discovered, interrupting a savage killing game. When he learns that they are at last rescued, Ralph sheds his first tears for "the end of innocence, and the darkness of man's heart". (I'm hoping I choose something more cheerful next time.)

Little Bee

Chris Cleave tells the story of Little Bee, a refugee from Nigeria seeking asylum in England. I can't give any more away because the story grabs you and drags you along as it unfolds. It is inspirational and heartbreaking at the same time, and it terrifies me that so many women have actually lived Little Bee's tale. The book is creatively written, and it is not a story I will soon forget. Personally, it intensified my desire to never visit Africa.