The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien
I said in my last post on "the list" that I was going to read "House of the Spirits" or "Beloved" next. They fall a bit into the "requires mental effort" school of fiction, although not in the "Ulysses" category, of course. I wasn't really in the mood for mental effort, so I picked up The Things They Carried at lunch time yesterday, and I am just about finished. One thing (the ONLY thing) I like about commuting again is that I get uninterrupted reading time each day, time that I don't have to feel guilty about. So between lunch yesterday, the subway/train ride home last night and the subway/train ride in this morning, I'm just about finished.
Great book. Not a novel. Supposed to be a collection of short stories, but does not read that way at all. Called a work of fiction, but feels more like non-fiction. I think it is a mix of all of those. Not a novel because there is no "plot" so to speak, but all the "stories" are connected and refer back to each other, involve the same characters, proceed in essentially, although not strictly, chronological order. Non-fiction, plus. Calling it fiction gives the author power, power to shape the stories as he sees fit, to alter them here or there, to make them tell the story of the Viet Nam war the way he wants to tell it, without fear of being called out on for failing to tell the "truth." Allows the author to step in and out, as in the Notes to Speaking of Courage. Powerful and moving. So glad I read it.
I hate to give this "list" so much power or credibility. It is hardly definitive, it includes many minor works, too much recent fiction, no drama, leaves off great books, etc. But it is giving me direction, leading me to gems I would otherwise have missed. I walked past this book at the bookstore, and vaguely remebered that it was on "the list" so I picked it up. Most likely would not have even paused on it had it not been on "the list." So thanks, list.
Also finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" a week or so ago. Don't have it here, so I forget the author's name. Another book that I had seen sitting on the shelves for a while, but never felt the urge to pick it up. They carried it in the newsstand in my old office, which sometimes was my only source of books for lunchtime reading. I saw it was on the list, so I bought it. Enjoyed it immensely. Definitely falls into the "not much mental effort required" category. I don't mean that label to diminish this or any other book. Not at all. I just mean that the story grabs you quickly, the structure is linear and easy to follow, not too many characters to keep straight, etc. Sometimes straight out is the best way to tell a story.
Curious Incident is written as if by a boy with Aspberger's syndrome, which is a high-functioning form of autism. I found it quite compelling. I did a little reading afterward, and found that people in the Aspberger community found it to be an inaccurate portrayal. Not sure if they are just nit-picking, or if the book is totally off-base. I enjoyed it either way, on a lot of levels. I wish I had the time and energy to write full-blown reviews of the books I'm reading, but honestly I had only meant to keep a list of what I was reading and when so I could go back and look at it someday. So I'll leave it at these brief remarks.
Probably should focus more on my work, so off I go.
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