Catch The Sydney Writers Festival

Update: The annual festival will be held from May 20-26 at Walsh Bay and throughout the city. To see what’s on Check out the events schedule

The Prisoner Of Heaven – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Rating: 8.5/10

Ruiz’ next instalment is equally as mesmerising as his last. The deeply realistic and thought out characters of ‘The Angels Game’ and ‘The Shadow Of the wind’ return in this new novel which will delight both readers of his previous works and newbies to the collection.

Continuing on from where things left off in the intricate last novel, ‘The Prisoner Of Heaven’ fleshes out the previously blurry and suspiciously mysterious story of Fermin Romero De Torres – or at least the man who adopted his name to begin a new life free from his past.

The protagonist Daniel finds himself in a chance meeting with a strange and unusual character searching for “Fermin Romero De Torres, who came back from among the dead and holds the key to the future.”

Fermin finally tells his story; one of a man convicted, and a man escaped. Ruiz portrays the harsh grittiness of prison life, from the manipulative villain of a governor, the sympathetic prison guard and the questionably sane inmates, all while maintaining Fermin’s witty and intellectual character. He introduces connections to Daniels own story which readers of the other novels will appreciate because it somehow strengthens the relationship and experiences shared by these two likeable characters.

The novel reads beautifully and fluidly, it flows so well that the page numbers and amount of time spent reading become irrelevant. Ruiz does a masterful job of switching between the past and present of his characters with ease. His writing effectively describes a huge amount of detail, pulling the reader into 20th century Barcelona while never tripping over itself or becoming needlessly lengthy, confusing or complex. It’s just simple good writing, and the pages fly.

 

Before I Go To Sleep – S.J Watson

Rating: 7.5/10

Named the UK Crime Thriller Of The Year in 2011, ‘Before I Go To Sleep’ has some high expectations to live up to, but as far as impressive crime novels go it falls short of the mark – not quite flat on its face – but still slightly disappointing.

S.J Watson presents an interesting concept which looks at first like it has all the hooks, suspense and twists of a good old thriller; but he doesn’t quite manage to pull it off in the usual way that would leave the crime fanatic glued to their armchair until the last page.

The plot details the life – and the missing details of the life – of amnesiac Christine Lucas. Following an ‘accident’ her ability to remember and recreate new memories becomes complicated and every morning when she wakes, the majority of her life remains a mystery.

The gaps are filled in by her husband Ben, but she begins to distrust his word as fact and seeks the truth by keeping a secret journal to slowly record what she learns about the missing parts of her life and uncover the truth.

It’s the struggle of a desperate and confused woman, but as a character Christine isn’t exactly likeable. Some feeling is lacking, there is no emotional connection to her plight and it’s difficult to empathise with her at points. Watsons writing is concise, but perhaps too much so. Staccato sentences abound, but they lose their dramatic effect because they’re always there; often working not to add impact but rather to create clunky and messy sentences which lose their appeal.

While it’s initially an interesting idea, the intrigue is often lost in repetition. It would be an interesting task to count how many times Christine explains “I felt my body go cold.” While it’s worthwhile getting to the final pages for what they offer, the rest of the novel seems a bit disproportionate in comparison and could have better developed suspense, drama or curiosity.

‘Before I Go To Sleep’ is not one of those crime novels which you literally feel the need to – or can’t prevent yourself from – finishing before you go to sleep. It’s entertaining and original, but it definitely has its flaws.

Women’s writing rises to the occassion

The Uk’s only literary prize offered exclusively to female writers has announced its shortlist for 2013. For the first time, two previous winners of the award, Barbara Kingsolver and Zadie Smith, are once again in the running to win the 30 000 pound prize to be presented on the 5th of June.

The full list of nominees includes:

Life After Life – Kate Atkinson
May We Be Forgiven – A.M Homes
Flight Behaviour – Barbara Kingsolver
Bring Up The Bodies – Hilary Mantel
Where’d you go Bernadette – Maria Semple
NW – Zadie Smith

The award, which began in 1996 and was previously known as the Orange Prize For Fiction, can be considered the equivalent of Australia’s brand new Stella Prize which declared its first winner, Mateship With Birds by Carrie Tiffany just last month.

This new addition to international literary awards comes following distinctly female dominance within the historic Miles Franklin award, and is another positive movement towards improving and promoting women’s writing. In its first year running it met with a good start, 200 entries consisting of both fiction and non fiction books published in 2012.
Amongst those shortlisted were:

The Burial – Courtney Collins
Questions Of Travel – Michelle De Krester
The Sunlit Zone – Lisa Jacobson
Like A House On Fire – Cate Kennedy
Sea Hearts – Margo Lannagan

It’s a Stella tradition set to continue next year. For more info see:

The Stella Prize
Women’s prize for fiction

Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell

Rating: 7/10

British author David Mitchell has created a compelling story which surpasses time itself with his 3rd award winning novel ‘Cloud Atlas’.

A major motion picture as of last year and starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugo Weaving, Cloud Atlas is a novel of clever complexity. It combines the lives of six very different but inescapably linked people across the years; from the near past to the looming apocalypse.

Cloud Atlas begins with the tale of lawyer, moves through the lives of a composer, a journalist, a publisher and a clone worker in a grim and unusual future, before ending with a tribesman living in post-apocalyptic Hawaii. Although the book becomes a little dry and hard to follow in the middle, Mitchell really succeeds in using language to individually characterise each of these people. When the perspective of the novel changes, the language shifts with it so that the reader can really imagine beginning a new conversation as it were, with someone completely different, and you really get a feel for who they are and what they are facing in their life.

The book reads at points like a high IQ version of a join the dots puzzle. Sometimes you can’t quite spot the next connection in the sequence, but when you do, it’s totally momentous, exhilarating and leads you on to the next section. Mitchell slips in little clues and commonalities to draw lines between the characters – which by the way share the same soul. Interesting isn’t it?

Other novels by this author:
Ghostwritten
Number9Dream
Black Swan Green
The thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet

Movie trailer:
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The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

Rating 10/10

Scheduled to be released as one of next years big movies, with ‘Downton Abbey’ director Brian Percival and ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ star Geoffrey Rush, Markus Zusak’s ‘The Book Thief’ is a memorable and intoxicating read.

The Australian author paints a vivid picture of an entirely different but very real time: Nazi Germany, 1939 and death is lurking. No, literally – death is the narrator. In an utterly original way, Zusak pulls this off and the result is fantastically suspenseful; the book gains so many dimensions it becomes more of an effort to stop turning pages then to keep reading.

“I witness the one’s who are left behind, crumbling amongst the jigsaw puzzle of realisation, despair and surprise. They have punctured hearts. They have beaten lungs. Which in turn brings me to the subject I am telling you about tonight, or today, or whatever the hour and colour. It’s the story of one of those perpetual survivors – an expert at being left behind.”

The novel follows the life of the young book theif Liesel Meminger, who unknowingly crosses paths with death. She’s just lost her brother and her life is shaken when a wanted jewish man becomes a permanent fixture in her families basement. Intrigued by her ability to withstand life, death begins to tell her story.

The language is beautifully moving, the structure unusual but definitely successful. It’s a book to get lost in, and shed tears over, and read again because the emotion created is real and breathtaking and when you look up life isn’t quite the same.

Other books by this author:
The Messenger
When Dogs cry
Getting the Girl
Fighting Ruben Wolfe

The Shadow Of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Rating: 8/10

Spanish author Carloz Ruiz Zafon has a new book on the shelf to entice fans of his previous award winning numbers. Question is, will newbie ‘The Prisoner of Heaven’ live up to the magical complexity of ‘Shadow Of The Wind’? If you haven’t read this classic bestseller, buckle up for this review and track it down before you read the glossy new novel.

The ‘Shadow Of The Wind’, or La Sombre Del Viento in its original Spanish language, shares its name with a rare book which the main character Daniel finds at the age of 10 in what is known as the cemetery of books. As Zafon’s book progresses, Daniel devotes his time to discovering the mystery surrounding the author of his adopted book, Julian Carax. Little is known of the missing man, except that all his other works were burned, and there’s someone lurking around to finish the job.

The book spares no detail, but once it unravels itself, Daniel realises that the life of Julian Carax whose mysteries he is chasing, is not so dissimilar to his own. They share a complicated and forbidden relationship with their best friends sister, narrow escapes from a brutal lieutenant, and frequent run ins with a man called Lain Coubert, the name for Satan the Prince of Darkness in Julian’s novel.

It’s a slow paced read, and much time is spent developing various subplots such as Daniel’s first love Clara, the articulate beggar Fermin and his law enforcing friend Fumero. However, the language is intelligent, detailed and over all well thought out. The novel has depth, a depth which pulls the reader into the lives of its characters, provides their history, their essence, their fears, and makes them friends. It’s intricacy makes it interesting, Zafon creates a rare story which twists the lives of its characters together and examines them one by one. It’s a book that requires time and contemplation to appreciate, but is worthwhile if you can be patient.

Other books by this author:
The Angels Game
The Prince Of Mist
The Prisoner Of Heaven

New Top 101 list released

The literature lovers best friend is back, as popular Bookstore Dymocks releases its top 101 list for 2013. The list lives up to expectations and its previous counterparts, with this years edition consisting of a great mix of classics such as ‘The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy’, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’, with more recent award winning works such as Tim Winton’s ‘Cloudstreet’ and Stieg Larrson’s ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’. J.K Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ series still maintains its first position, closely followed by the new ‘Hunger Games’ Trilogy and Markus Zusaks ‘The Book Thief.’

Following the demise of Angus and Robertson, Dymocks now seems to be a rare specimen among the remaining bookstore chains, but Australia’s literature lovers aren’t ready to put down their paperbacks or stop searching for the greats. 7000 people voted this year to have their say about which books deserve a spot on the list and the title of one of the best books ever written to date. Chosen annually by voting booklovers, Dymocks top 101 is the place to go when in search for some popular, varied and award winning fiction; ticking them off your list of things to read is also pretty special.
You can see the full list at: http://www.dymocks.com.au/Booklovers/101club.aspx

Life Of Pi – Yann Martel

Rating: 9/10

What do you get when you combine a boy, a lifeboat, a hyena, a zebra, an orang-utan and a seasick Bengal tiger?  One great story which is unbelievable in the best way possible.

Sixteen-year- old Pi lives contently alongside the animals of his family’s zoo; but he is forced into death-defying adventure when his family leaves India to seek opportunity across the Pacific Ocean. Disaster strikes and Pi finds himself adrift, fighting for space, food and authority in a lifeboat with curious mix of zoo animals.

Martel’s imagination really hit the jackpot on this one. The Australian author manages to create a story which is so unlikely yet so very believable. The way he is able to communicate a story composed of one characters perspective on his greatest journey is fascinating. As a storyteller he’s so convincing that his authority is not questioned, but after everything – every storm wave, every roar of the Bengal tiger, every tear shed by Pi – what really makes the story brilliant and refreshingly different is the way he is able to question reality and challenge the view of the reader.

Be patient at the books beginnings, its a gradual start but one which will be appreciated later when suddenly your mind is capsized at sea with Pi and his unusual animal companions amongst the churning waves. Martel creates a story which spans 227 days of survival in the harshest of circumstances, and his character development and honest description makes it all too easy to get lost in Pi’s plight.

Pi’s voice itself is not complex, and pages fly by like an interesting conversation with a friend. The directness, the bluntness, the staccato sentences full of raw feeling, really express the essence of the story well. It’s like a one on one interview with the main character, except you’re too hooked on his story to say anything except ‘tell me more, tell me more.’

The story itself seems extremely visual and genuinely heartfelt – it doesn’t hold back. The novel was awarded the Boeke prize and the Man Booker Award for good reason and it remains on best seller lists. The film adaptation released at the end of last year, is now an Oscar Winning Blockbuster.

Other books by this author:
Self
Beatrice and Virgil
The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios

Markus Zusaks New Novel announced

Award winning Australian author Markus Zusak has fans on edge in anticipation of his new book ‘Bridge Of Clay’.

Mystery still surrounds the recently announced novel which has two hard acts to follow: Markus’ first two awe inspiring novels ‘The Book Thief’ and ‘I am the Messenger’.

For those who allowed Markus’ charmingly original writing to hook them into his fictional world, it’s been a long ten year wait. It’s no wonder there’s so much hype about the much awaited cover art and release date – Markus is certainly keeping us in the dark for now. But just as a tease, what we do have is a characteristically simple and elegant blurb:

It’s about a boy.

His name is Clay.

He’s building a bridge.

And he wants that bridge to be something truly great and miraculous.

Originally thought to be released in September 2010, the novel is yet to hit – and be quickly swept off – the shelf by adoring fans. It’s highly anticipated with a huge presence on social media sites where fans have taken to discussing their love for his work while they wait; we can only hope that this one is as brilliantly as impressive as his last works and that the delay in publishing serves to make it perfect.