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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Swamplandia by Karen Russell

Swamplandia by Karen Russell

The Bigtrees have grown up in the Southwest tip of Florida--in the Ten Thousand Islands--where they have run a unique theme park, Swamplandia. With the exception of Ossie, all of the family members are alligator wrestlers. The star attraction is Ava's mother who dives in a pool of seths, their pet name for alligators.

Their successful business collapses when their star dies of cancer, leaving the business in debt.

Poor Ava Bigtree has been abandoned by her mother; her father; her brother; and her sister, who eloped with a ghost.

No wonder she befriends the Bird Man and jumps at the chance to find Ossie in the Underworld, which coincidently is in the Florida swamplands.

Ava mostly rescues herself by running away from a dangerous situation and the alligator infested swamp. The second rescue in which Kiwi Bigtree, navigating a plane for the first time, rescues Osceola strains credulity. The reunion of the Bigtrees, however, at the Bowl-a-Bed hotel is too good to miss.

The premise is one of the strangest in all of literature but its written with great charm, humor, and insight.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Like a literary archaeological expedition, this sparkling crime novel opens up numerous layers of reality. Nick is the ultimate all-American boy and Amy is the coolest girl around. Reading their accounts gives you that view but then each of them offers their own contrasting view. As it turns out, Amy's diaries were not truthful and Nick's persona is an act. Amy has a few dark secrets and the all-American boy is not as perfect as he seems. Nick looks and act suspicious but did he kill Amy and was she pregnant?

Nick and Amy, who both believe they are New York sophisticates, play complicated mind games and there's nothing more fascinating than a novel that pull off that well. Amy gives her spouse a scavenger hunt each year on their anniversary which always leads to quarrels and hurt feelings. Nick believes that on his 5th anniversary Amy has outdone herself, created an elaborate scavenger hunt, gone into hiding and framed him for her murder. The more he finds out about Amy's past lovers, the made-up testimonies, and broken friendships, the more he believes she is a sociopath who has framed him.

Other novels that use mind games:
The Bellwether Revivials by Benjamin Wood

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