Hangman, Housewife, Soldier, Psycho (part 1)

 

No, no I’m not talking about “Game of Thrones”; but I might get to those later.  No, I wanted to give a glimpse into the first handful of books that I’ve worked through thus far this summer, and as you may have gathered from the title, they were a bit of a mixed bag.  These four tomes have been wildly different, and have also varied enormously on my very own personal scale of likeability. SO, since I know you are all breathless to hear my thoughts...here goes!

 

The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch: I know, I couldn’t pronounce his last name either- but seriously don’t let that stop you!! This is a murder mystery pure and simple.  Only not really. It’s actually a murder mystery set in seventeenth century Bavaria, in a little village that has survived its share of hardship.  You know, like the bubonic plague, a scourge of ‘witch burnings’ a generation or two back, etc.    The town has a very real sense of order and tradition about it, and is held on course by the councilmen who oversee the laws, the merchant/tradesmen who guard the trade (and thereby the livelihood of the villagers), and the Hangman, who carries out the just punishments meted out by those who govern. 

As you may gather from the title, our Hangman is the linchpin upon which the story rests.  Far from the hulking, axe wielding, belly-baring sycophants who tend to bear the moniker in popular legend, Jakob Kuisl is a quiet, God-fearing man who loves nothing more than tending his family, studying science, and plying his side-trade of medicine man.  But suddenly, orphans from the village begin disappearing, and turning up dead.  Fingers are pointed at the village midwife who spent time with them, and suddenly, the witch hunts from years ago begin to foment again.  In order to save lives, and seek out the truth amidst rumors, superstitions and evils real and imagined, Jakob must work together with the village doctor to find the true culprit, and thus restore peace to their village.  I have to say, I have not read a mystery that was this much fun in a long time.  Potzsch manages to deal with some very dark themes, and creates a multi-layered scenario, populated by believable, three dimensional characters who are various parts believers in faith, superstitious of evil, truth-seeking, manipulative, and desirous of justice…and that’s just on the town council!  Do yourself a favor, and pick this one up.

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: this is one of those books that I grabbed because I was seeing it everywhere.  NPR covered it more than a few times, there were excerpts posted, author interviews, and rave reviews.  So, having had my interest piqued, I ordered it from the library and sat down to see what the hype was all about.  Was it engrossing? Yes. Was it well-written? Yes.  Did I like it? Not remotely. 

Based on the sudden disappearance of Nick’s lovely wife, Amy, the pages begin to spell out what looks to have been the rise, and pitiable fall of the marriage of a young couple who have it all together.  Set in the muggy Mississippi we learn of the slow crumble from the ivory tower experienced by Nick and Amy, and then are brought face to face with Amy’s abrupt erasure.  She is simply…gone.  Suspicion, of course, immediately falls on Nick (isn’t it always the husband? At least when there is no butler?) who must do his utmost to prove to both the law and the reader that  he didn’t do it!  But as lie begets lie, we are confounded again and again by damning revelations, false facades, and human error.  I’m not gonna lie, there were a few instances where I literally breathed out “idiot” under my breath.  And then we get to hear Amy’s side of the story.  

And here’s the rotten part; I can’t gripe sufficiently about how I feel without ruining the surprise for you!! And boy oh boy, where there surprises!

So, one might assume that this would be a winner- engrossing story, empathetic characters, tightly wound twists and turns….but I have to say unabashedly that I pretty much hated it.  If you decide to try for yourself, I’m sure you’ll see why.

Yes, yes, I know that’s only two out of four! If you’re not sick of me yet, the other two will be forthcoming soon J

Have Library Card, Will Travel

So, I’m in situation that I’m sure many individuals can relate to.    While I would LOVE to spend my summer reclining in the sun, with a cool, frosty beverage in my hand, a warm wave slipping up to rinse the sand from between my toes, it’s just not in the foreseeable future.    It appears that someone lost the necessary paperwork on my trustfund, and well... (sigh...)This makes me a bit sad, but, as I’m not destined for faraway climes anytime soon, I’ve decided to make the best of it by curling up my pasty-white self into a corner of the couch (or stretching on a deck chair- life’s really not that bad J ) and diving headfirst into a plethora of promising looking tomes that I’ve heard of, read about, or inadvertently discovered.  

Truth to tell, my journeys have been pretty exciting;  So far this summer, I’ve been to Mississippi, France, Bavaria, New York and quite a few other uncharted regions!  Now, that being said, some of those journeys that I’ve taken haven’t ended up how I would have picked, and there were a few that had me downright irate…when you travel by book, you have to travel by the book, if you catch my meaning.  You can’t alter an ending just because it displeases you; you can’t change an outcome to save a beloved character (even if you see their fate descending on their heads like the snapped string of the sword of Damocles), and no matter how hard you slam a book shut and then proceed to rant, rave, and lose sleep over a rotten ending, you must accept the simple fact that the book doesn’t care.  

 This can be a hard truth to face, especially when we invest our time (and sometimes our emotions, if the author’s gifted) in pouring ourselves into a story, grow attached to the characters (some of them, anyway), who, either in spite (or because) of their flaws and foibles still manage to speak to us and draw us in.   It can be a bit of any unrequited love, you could say; or maybe a single sided infatuation.  Even if we invest ourselves in a promising book, we can still end up being betrayed, enraged, outraged or just feeling downright gypped. 

 Luckily, this is not always the case!  In fact, more often than not, we as the readers end up awash in a sea of tranquility that stretches around us as a story takes hold.  A great author can navigate us through the ebbs and swells that batter our vessels, steering through the salty depths of an experience by the guidance of universal truths that speak out as constellations to sailors amidst a black night.  When you are lucky enough to journey into a book like that, my friend, don’t let it get away.  Keep it, buy it, shelve, save it; and when necessary, take that trip again when your life needs a respite.

What books steer you true?   What speaks to you, guides you, refreshes you?  What have you found that, unlooked for, makes you laugh while reading in the doctor’s office, or cry on the subway, or cuss at the culmination?  In addition to those that can guide us, I feel (and some may disagree) that any book that slips off the page and pulls a human emotion from the depths of your heart is a book worth having read.

Happy travels!