The Constant Gardener by John le Carré

The Constant Gardner by John le Carré

My biggest sin is that I saw the movie version first. ( thanks to my Business Ethics book that listed the movie, not the book under extra reading at the back.) I mean it's not a bad movie by any means, in fact, it's a brilliant movie,rightly deserving all the praise it garnered over the years, including an Oscar-winning performance by Rachel Weisz. She was good. I mean really good. I was so moved by the movie that I couldn't  resist the urge to read the book, despite knowing the story.

But after reading, you tend to think  even for someone of his caliber of Fernando Meirelles(the director of the movie)had little to contribute in making it as highly effective as it is. The book provided everything. I guess it one of the complete true to book adaptation of a novel into a movie. This book is just world class. My first ' le Carré ' and I am already a huge fan that  just the thought of so many unread books by the author gives me goosebumps.

The book starts with the gruesome death of activist Tessa Quayle along with her driver in a remote landscape somewhere in Africa. Initially believed the missing native doctor friend of Tessa, Arnold Bloom with whom she undertook this journey to be the murderer, the plot soon takes sinister route when Justin Quayle a shy, genteel diplomat and part-time gardener husband of Tessa starts his own journey to uncover the truth. The dangerous truth his wife sought. The truth so vile and immoral that would plummet you to the underbelly of ugliest human nature, wherein the mad quest for multi-millions are trodden above the dead bodies of the deprived.

With his new found courage bestowed on him by his dead valiant wife Justin embarks on a relentless journey that brings him close to his wife like he never was while she was alive. 

I don't know how this book compares it to his other books for which the author is quite known for. But to me, this book with a deadly mix of literary writing with a soul-stirring plot vaults it to the top of my masterpiece shelf. I don't care if all his renowned books are  the spy thriller. I begin to believe with Le Carre, the genre doesn't mean shit. 

Freedomland by Richard Price

Freedomland by Richard Price

Like many, I got acquainted with Richard Price after watching the TV series'The Wire'. Like many, I got hooked to the authenticity and its realistic approach and scoured around for every writer that supported 'David Simon'in writing it. I knew many names that popped up; one of them was my favorite as well. Except this guy.

'Freedomland' starts with a white woman, entering the emergency room, all bloody and claims she was carjacked by a black man, and almost emits a crucial piece of information, until the case in charge detective Lorenzo Council coaxed it out of her. That her four-year-old son was in the rear seat and has now disappeared. What follows is the all-out search for the missing child and the cacophony of racial tensions erupting sky high as police go bullying though the minority group, which intensifies even more when a black man is arrested out of suspicion. It's usual time conditioned response to which no one bats an eye when the protocols are being followed even the protocol means to charge through the houses of black people disrupting their peace, but when strong suspicion lingers around in your mind about the complainant herself and the whole supposedly carjacking story things get a lot more dubious and edgy, specially for Officer Council.

This is my second Richard Price book that I read now, ‘ The Whites’ was the first. I knew the guy had mastered the street dialogues and the black Amercian lingo and you can see that he has relayed all his mastery in this book to near perfection.

But dialogues won’t fill 700 pages; it’s the description of the grim environment, the desolate state of minds and inescapable world of rage and despair that gets into you. It’s fascinating how the author has got literary equivalent words to describe every expressions and action the characters exhibit. I guess you can see why he is an Oscar-nominated screenplay writer; every sentence creates a vivid description of the mind and the mood.

It’s a fiction book written with great concern and care to be close to its real world situation with a scant hope of betterment some day.
Only a few writers could excel the way Richard Price did, considering the high strung nature of the chosen plot. Writing this book is not everyone’s cup of tea, likewise reading as well. 

The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney

I quite like the notion of the writer, which pretty much acts as a mainstay in this particular book, that the human brain holds on to some images pertaining to some random lackluster events that happened in past, without the person being aware of it consciously at the surface. But when coerced or  in some vague context, the blurry images of the event that happened a long long time ago, just flashes in front of your eye, harvesting some additional- previously unknown or ignored details in the process. A new detail emerges every time you think about it.

Year 1986, Incident 1- three deadbeat guys storm the movie theater with guns,with intention to rob it.  End up killing every employee working inside except a little boy. An event which will rewind again and again for rest of his life, wondering why the hell was he spared.

Incident 2-   A girl named Genevieve, jonesing for some dope wonders away in Oklahoma state fare promising her younger sister Juliana that she will be back in ten. But she never comes back.

Fast forward

Year 2012, The boy who was spared in theatre carnage is working as PI as Wyatt Rivers  in Vegas and he stumbles across a case, which takes him back to Oklahoma. Someone is harassing the owner of a music club, a lady named Candance in the most weirdest and sinister way, possibly to pressurize her to sell the place and she seeks Wyatt’s assistance in finding out the culprit. But Wyatt, haunted by the place sizes up to search for the answers to the question he had been asking since the theater massacre.

“Why is he alive while all others are gone?”

Juliana the little sister after 25 years is still looking for answers to her question. “What happened to her sister?”

The Author Lou Berney, effectively juggles three different mysteries without cluttering any of them and ensures the reader is engrossed form start to finish. As if a worm is crawling inside your head, you will rack your brains for the answer so much so that the long description of places and historical facts starts to annoy you a bit.  

Although the two main mysteries occurred in past takes the center stage in most part of this book, author never fades away in giving a very interesting mystery in Candance case as well. I thought even that was pretty good.

Overall a well crafted book with interesting characters, decent humorous writing and a nail biting story. Highly recommend.  

American Tabloid by James Ellroy

James Ellroy explains in one of his interview how he was bummed down when he read the book, 'Libra' by Don Dellilo which deals with the assassination of JFK, told from the killer's perspective. He was unhappy for two reasons, one for not thinking of that one first, second he felt Libra was an astounding book, and deemed it as a perfect in all ways which cannot and should not be retold.

But the book triggered the idea to approach the subject in different perspective by keeping JFK assassination in backdrop and concentrate on the vast history that involved leading to the fateful day.

The idea was simple enough, take all the real life heavy weights from particularly juicy part of American history, ranging from presidential candidates, to LA mobsters, to FBI director, to singers and film actors and strip them all naked sparing no one with the loads of available real life info on these characters. Their perverted desires, their hankering for power and money, their animosity towards each other and weave a colossal plot, conspiracy ridden, that will blow a hole on all other conspiracy theories involving JFK's death.  

But The wheels of this thrill ride  are the three equally commanding and impressive characters as their real life counterparts, introduced by James Ellroy, that pretty much carries the entire load of making it a believable and riveting fiction. They do the job to acute precision, that you almost feel as if the characters, Pete, Kemper and Ward once roamed along side with the Kennedys, the Edgars or the Howard Hughes.

It’s a book with a shit load of characters, interwoven with a plot denser than the Amazon, with trademark James Ellroy staccato style that sure as hell keeps you engrossed but asks a lot from your brain. Some part I had to just read mechanically without giving much thought to its connection with the story. But I felt it being the first book of 2016, it’s a perfect start like a moped with changed oil that prepares you for the long journey ahead. 

I will always retain James Ellroy in high regard, for  his book  'The Black Dahlia'  which  enlightened me about the real art of crime writing. No one does it better than him. Will soon check out the other books in series. 

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

 Slaughterhouse 5 is satirical version of authors experience in World War II, centered primarily on the Dresden firebombing which wiped out the entire city centre. Narrated through the life of a disoriented and ill trained assistant to chaplain named Billy Pilgrim, since his unfortunate incarceration by Germans to the bombing day and its aftermath, author uses nonlinear narration to steer the story forwards, using satire dark humor to explain the devastation and absurdity of war, and uses his early Sci-Fi writing skills to explain the fatalistic nature of it.

It is something beyond the spell of ordinary writers to see the potency of using two dissimilar categories of writing, to tell a story of war. I might think it’s a catalyst for disaster, but in hands of Kurt its creation of history.  

War is fought by babies, a children’s crusade, but Billy who traversed the entire book referred as child ill trained, innocent war-not-ready-or-likely –to be kind of guy, who emerges as the enlightened one, who quite early learns the trade of avoiding the frenetic nature of war with his ability to time travel, and sulk in unknown world, there by remaining blind eyed to the surrounding madness. It’s a profound way to describe a war, with absence of all the hormones thumping actions and devastation, trying to glorifying the war, the machines and the trigger happy action junkies with uniforms and guns.

Just like Billy, author has surrendered to the insanity of war, and he is powerless to do anything about it.

   

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.”

It’s also remarkable where in author, refuses to judge anyone involved in war, no blames are passed, no questions are asked, no one held responsible. Is just how the war is, we will continue to do what we do to each other. There were deaths, there are deaths, there will be deaths and so it will go on.

I highly recommend this book, irrespective of what genre you like.

I will also recommend the Israeli animated movie, “Waltzwith Bashir” which shares a striking similarity to this book. About a soldier in search of his lost memories of his experience in Lebanon war. Often times it’s even referred as Israeli Slaughterhouse.  Yeah it doesn’t have that bling of World War, but hey war is war, there are deaths, desolation and birds which will have its say. Poo-tee-weet?

The Drop by Dennis Lehane

The Drop by  Dennis Lehane

I know Dennis Lehane can weave stories like no other writers that he has proved time and time again. But I consider  the author  in high regard for his ability to bring out the raw emotion out of the characters involved, predominately pulled towards the dismal side of life, depiction of loss, despair, hopelessness of hope, question about haves vs the have-nots, class system, loneliness in case of this book. For a crime writer, I consider it as a major asset, where in you dive deep into troubled minds of the character and find the clear-eyed rational reason for their actions, however violent the action may be.  Not many writers can do that.  

Another notable feature in his books is that not a single character goes wasted and every one of them however minor the roles may be add to the success of the book. For instance there is a scene involving old lady named Mille ( who does nothing more than getting drunk in the bar) wherein she takes out a blank photo frame where once resided a photo of her family, while she ruffles in her bag in search of money to pay for her earlier due of drinks. The wretchedness of life explained in photo frame, very subtle. I mean you will be showered with such instances while reading his books including this one and that makes this short book a reason to rejoice and yet another accomplishment on writers part.

Cousin Marv’s bar is widely known for many things other than the service it offers.  Primarily for its ownership which is in the hands of Chechen mob, who use the joint for money drop that is accumulated form illicit business done during the day.  Bob is our lonely bartender, who works at the bar, like clockwork, drowned with the weight of loneliness, often searches for a reason to resurface with a guileless purpose. He finds it when he comes across a puppy beaten and left to die in a trashcan. With compassion swelled form likeness of both their current plight, Bob rescues the dog, and in turn that helps him in meeting a girl named Nadia, and Bob remotely just remotely senses that the life he always wanted is finally within his grab. But things takes turn when the bar is robbed one night, and Bob becomes a fluttering red-light on the radars of police, Chechen gang and a jailbird who alleges to be the owner of the dog and wants it back.

It’s a shame when book readers of my country frown their eyebrows in ignorance when mentioned about Dennis Lehane, to me he should be the most celebrated writer in here. Well I did my part.  Will check out the movie version sometime in future. 

The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

For someone residing in India, you can totally relate to Inspector Montalbano and his police unit. In here you may find a police playing snake in his cracked phone, while a corpse is rotting to his side. You may find them arguing over a brand of whiskey they would have after shift or you may find two PC’s enacting Star Wars on the crime scene with their batons. Ok the latter one is gone too far, but the point is no one gives a hoot about the crime until a high brass asks them to do so. Most of the characters in this book, especially in the police unit have some kinda indolent attitude and everyone works in very lethargic manner yet they deliver what asked of them when they are railroaded.

So when city’s big-shot politician is found dead in his car, in a place called ‘Pasture’, with his pants down it doesn’t come as a surprise to Monatalbano, when everyone of his unit concurs with the idea that the old man died of stroke whilst stroking a prostitute, going by the sordid reputation of the place where he is found.  It’s a comically ironic to find a man of such repute to die in way he did.

But for Montalbano who although is dying to go along with the herd and wrap the case to avoid the great deal of effort to act otherwise, seems to differ in his mind that everything is not as innocent and straightforward as it seems it is. Why then the most reputed and powerful person of the city, negligent to his social image, strolls in a place like Pasture in search of prostitute. Surely he is not short of better place to carry out the task than inside a car however pimped the car maybe. Surely he can get a class-A sex worker at his doorstep in just a call. No- Someone is pouring water to crafted jar, to take the shape one desires. Surprisingly these thoughts tickle the brain of the Montalbano alone although he himself is not surprised by it and probes on the case a bit more, when everyone else has returned to their merry world.

It’s my first Andrea Cammilari book, and it ticked all the boxes of my checklist that I thought before buying it. It’s got raw sardonic humor, convincing characters, good dialogues and a great story.

Author in his forward at start of the book tells us how he defied everyone who told him that Sicily is not a perfect backdrop to set a detective story in and how it went on to be a major hit. Glad he was so adamant, because you have here a very good detective book, which treads its own path, in an already populated genre.  Although I do think that some of its authenticity is lost in translation, nevertheless its job well done. Eagerly looking forward to read other books in the series.