Numb by Sean Ferrell
ISBN: 978-0061946509
Fiction, 278 pages
Harper Perennial

FTC Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher

This story is a lot stuffed into a small package. Don’t let the page count fool you, this book will make you think – and feel, like you’ve read a substantial tome.

The story seems simple enough, an amnesiac who feels no pain searches for his identity, literally and spiritually.

I watched a piece of cork float around in my wine. It clung to the side of the glass. Grabbed and carried away by the wine, it stuck somewhere else and hung there for a moment before swirling away again. I knew how the cork felt. I swirled the glass, to give it a chance to get away.

At some point in our lives, we may see ourselves as that piece of cork just like Numb does. So really, what is identity anyway?

Is it defined by ourselves, others, society? Aren’t identities merely varied perceptions of reality? Of all of them, which one is the most true and accurate?

When mulling over these questions, it becomes clear that in a sense, Numb’s story is the story of us all. Searching for ourselves, understanding who we are, defining our place in life and amongst society is an ageless theme.

Ferrell gives it a new face and twist in this intriguing story meant to leave you wondering about what really matters: in terms of who we are and how we live our lives — how important is it really to know where we came from or who we might be?

Doesn’t it matter more to simply be in the moment so we can see, and enjoy, what is right in front of us every moment of every day?

I was left with the thought (helped along nicely by the last line in the book), that life must be met half-way. You don’t chase it and it doesn’t come after you if you try to run from it. Most importantly, It takes effort to make it work and make it whole.

I loved this book and highly recommend it. This is one that will remain in my library. Just not sure I ever want to loan it out. Ever.

In The Wake of the Boatman by Jonathon Scott Fuqua
ISBN 978-1890862-42-8
Fiction, 305 pages
Bancroft Press

FTC Disclosure: Review copy provided by publisher

In the wake of the boatman. The boatman being a father, husband, role model. Or is he? His son isn’t so sure.

Neither is the father:

Over and over, his mind fastened on the fact that he had no idea how to give his son a hug. It seemed a completely different act from hugging his wife or daughter…Suddenly, he felt old, warn, and permanently immovable.

There is a lot of angst in this book. Much of it related to relationships both personal and familial as well as toward gender and identity.

Pretty powerful stuff. Let me tell you, this is not a light read.

But I enjoyed it. Even though I struggled a bit to understand the depth of the father-son relationship, which is what this story is primarily about.

Not to get too personal, but it’s a dynamic I am just now discovering through my marriage. I had never seen one in action, and it still remains somewhat of a mystery.

Carl and his son Puttnam (the protagonist) are not characters that endeared themselves to me. There were a few times that I really disliked both, intensely.

I believe this is because the characters dislike themselves a great deal, and this shines through and glares upon their fatal flaws. Imperfection is put on display in a harshness that is only tempered by the relationships each man has with the women in the family.

The roles of women in this book are subtle, but important. Like the men, they are flawed. However they are the strength and the glue that keeps the family together and moving forward toward a resolution.

The author doesn’t end the novel in a way that redeems Putt or his father. Not completely. This is not a bad thing. He does leave the reader with hope  that Putt will become a likeable person, not only to us, but more importantly, to himself.

As I said, this isn’t a light read, but by no means is it a challenging one. Just like Goldilocks, I’m gonna say it’s juuust right.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Historical Fiction, 304 pages, Advanced Reader’s Edition
Ballantine Books an imprint of Random House Publishing
Available in book stores end of January 2009

I’ve just finished reading this book by Jamie Ford in one sitting. Okay, okay, I did need to make some coffee, grab a nibble, and take care of a couple other necessities. But otherwise my butt was firmly planted into the cushions of my comfy sofa and it never once complained about the hours of inaction or went numb from lack of shifting.

It is that good.

The only negative? Unless you get your hands on an Advanced Readers Edition, you have to wait until the end of January 2009 to read it.

Here is an excerpt you can read on the author’s web site, but I’m not sure if sharing it is beneficial or cruel and unusual punishment as it will leave you wanting more and not being able to get that fix satiated until the book hits the shelves.

It was a roller coaster read; my emotions the only thing that held me back from completing the book sooner. This period in American history holds a special meaning for me as my grandfather was in the war and taken prisoner by the Japanese. For many years he was listed as MIA until his camp was liberated and his name was listed as being among those that survived.

However I’ve never held one iota of ill will toward the Japanese people – ever. It was a different time, a different mindset than one I grew up with, my mother instilling in me a strong sense of acceptance of all peoples regardless of their ethnicity. People were to be judged individually, for themselves and their actions, not ever as a group; that the actions of one do not represent those of the whole.

Reading this novel brings home the fact that how I think now, is not how many others thought then. It was a challenge to stifle my indignation at the actions of our government; but I had to, knowing that Mr. Ford writes about people and events that happened in a time I cannot relate to – not completely.

Thus I cannot judge the characters, only try to understand them as best I can. With a gift of story-telling beyond what I’ve experienced in some time, the author gives us the opportunity to see that mindset, live those experiences, and judge for ourselves the good, the bad, and the ugliness of what occurred during “the war years”.

This is a work of fiction, but one that is infused with the reality of one of the darker moments in American History. One of the passages that affected me most was when after many members of the Japanese community were arrested and taken away, others began to destroy anything that appeared to tie them to Japan, trying desperately to show how American and loyal they were. Clothing, photos, precious mementoes thrown literally upon the fire. And all the time while reading this, I knew these were useless acts. They could no more erase their ethnicity than they could change the color of their skin or the shape of their eyes, because that was how they were perceived and defined.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is so many things: historical fiction, a love story, a coming of age story – all wrapped up in a beautifully told tale, one that is at times sentimental and sweet, but without ever becoming maudlin.

I especially like how the story is told in a “split-narrative” allowing us to see Henry, the main character as he witnesses, then looks back upon, his life and history, dealing with the fall out of those decisions he made, and didn’t make.

To go on (and on as I know I could right now) may mean giving too much away. I would love to quote passages to showcase the beauty of this story and the skill of the author, but cannot due to the fact that this is an advance edition. I would hate to share something that may not be in the final copy, although except for a typo or two and some formatting issues (as the case with ARC’s), I see absolutely nothing wrong with the writing or the story: technically or otherwise.

This is definitely getting a 5 Star Rating, and a place on my TBRR (To Be Re-Read) and SDI (Stranded on a Deserted Island) lists.