Book Reviews #9

FICTION

East of the Mountains by David Guterson

A story of one man's dealing with mortality in the face of a terminal illness. Planning suicide in order to preempt a more ignominious death, the main character goes on a journey through the verdant landscapes of Pacific Northwest. The epic-sounding title, however, positions his suicide mission within the bigger and delicately suggested narrative of (religious?) hope in the midst of the perceived lack of personal agency. As in his other novels, Guterson's prose is evocative and gentle, conveying both the sense of frailty of the human condition and the indomitable power of the spirit.

NON-FICTION
Wilderness Seasons: Life and Adventure in Canada's North by Ian and Sally Wilson

First published in the '80s, still brimming with freshness and optimism of two city slickers embarking on a journey into the wild. After reading it I had an overpowering wish to erect my own log cabin, make bannock and adopt several different kinds of rodents, among other things. Thoroughly enjoyable, although the Wilsons' reports make seem living in the harsh conditions of Canada's north perhaps a bit too fun.

FICTION
Quaker Indictment by Irene Allen

Another in Allen's series of Quaker-themed crime novels. Elizabeth Elliot, an elderly Quaker with a propensity for encountering gruesome acts of crime in the most unlikely places, solves another mystery thanks to her power of deduction and devout allegiance to Quaker ethics. Sweet.

NON-FICTION
Antigone's Claim by Judith Butler

One of the leading contemporary theorists revisits Sophocles' Antigone and presents her analysis of the complex intersection of gender, kinship, custom and ethics. Not so much a treatise on Antigone per se, the book is a continuation of gender theories introduced in her earlier works. In a nutshell: power structures and norms function only as long as individual human beings consent to them, there is nothing foreordained and cut-in-stone about them. Plus: universal is actually pseudo and the "genuine" is never really genuine.

FICTION

Fisherman's Son by Michael Koepf

Flashbacks from a difficult childhood merge with the present struggle for life. Numerous elements were employed in the skillful weaving of this story: portrayal of economic hardships, racial tensions, coming-of-age process, paternal absenteeism... There's a touch of certain gender stereotyping in presenting male characters (fathers, more specifically) as grand, stoic figures who withstand it all. Still, a good read.