by Cindy Co and Claris Ng
IN BERTHA Henson’s piece on the National Reading Movement, she discusses her habit of carrying books around with her, to foster her love of reading. While this is by no means supposed to be an ‘abridged’ version of the books she mentioned in her article, check out the synopses of the various titles in the article:
Featured image atonement by Flickr user Brian Drew. CC BY 2.0.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
A highly literary novel, Atonement revolves around the themes of love and war, childhood and class, and guilt and forgiveness. Set in three time periods, beginning from 1935, the three characters Briony, Cecilia, and Robbie commit a crime, and the consequences echo deeply throughout the rest of their lives.
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
While on their honeymoon trip - which later turns sour, Florence and Edward, who both had traumatic childhoods, are hesitant on embarking on their first sexual experience. They reveal their pasts to each other, and the differences in their upbringings and social classes pull them apart, fracturing their marriage. Florence suggests to Edward an unconventional arrangement in which he is allowed to sleep with other women - except her. He rejects the idea, and their marriage dissolves, with both going their separate ways.
A Very Long Engagement by Sebastien Jasprisot
Upon receiving a note from a dying soldier, Mathilde Donnay, unable to walk since birth, embarks on a journey in search for her fiancé, who was supposedly “killed in the line of duty”. This novel tells a moving and analytic portrait of life through the period of World War I, along with a romantic tale which sheds light on the beauty of love. As her search comes to an end, a web of deception and coincidence emerges, enlightening Mathilde’s understanding of the compassionate acts and brutal truths of war.
The Sleeping Car Murders by Sebastien Jasprisot
A young and beautiful woman is pronounced dead in the sleeping car on a night train to Paris. However, as police detective Pierre Emile Graziano begins his investigations, he is appalled to discover other dead passengers. As he fights against time to save the two remaining passengers, he ends up becoming a victim himself.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
In a post-apocalyptic world, a father and his son journey through the remnants of the ‘old’ world and find themselves fighting for survival. The father wants to protect his son; however, he fears having to kill his son in order to spare him from the torture of road agents. Winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Literature, the novel touches on issues of humanity, compassion, and the tight bond between a father and his son.
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
A fast-paced crime thriller begins as a local welder, Moss, stumbles across dead bodies of drug runners – and a satchel of two million dollars in cash. Unaware that the satchel contains a radio transponder, Moss flees with his wife from the drug dealers’ boss, a psychopath named Anton Chigurh. The killer uses homemade weapons, such as a sawed–off shotgun with a coffee-can silencer, as soon as someone interferes with his pursuit of the thief. Sheriff Bell, with his experience as a war veteran, oversees the investigation, but fails to crack the case, as Moss is found murdered. Feeling defeated, the novel ends with him retiring from his position.
Featured image The Road: Cormac McCarthy by Flickr user Melissa. CC BY-ND 2.0.
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
Fever Pitch is an autobiography by Nick Hornby, dating from his childhood to his early thirties, where he describes his relationship with football and Arsenal Football Club. Each chapter revolves around one football match that he watched, and he relates it to significant events in his own personal life.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
After his girlfriend, Laura, leaves him, record shop owner Rob Fleming remembers his five most memorable break-ups, seeking to get in touch with his ex-girlfriends. Through his search and the death of Laura’s father, he is reunited with Laura, and realises that his fear of commitment and his tendency to act on his emotions are the reasons for his many failed relationships. He then makes a commitment to Laura.
Featured image Vintage Austen by Flickr user kate hiscock. CC BY 2.0.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice details the lives of two girls - Jane and Elizabeth Bennet - from an impoverished gentry family, after the arrival of two wealthy gentlemen in their neighbourhood. Mr Bingley is friendly and charming, and immediately takes a liking to Jane. Mr Darcy, on the other hand, is rude and standoffish, and his slight against Elizabeth turns the entire community against him. Later, Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth, and Elizabeth has a chance to change her opinions of him. Both couples end up getting married, and they live close to each other in matrimonial bliss. Adapted for the screen many times, its most famous are the 1995 BBC series starring Colin Firth, and the 2005 movie starring Keira Knightley.
Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
The winner of the 1984 Booker Prize, the book tells the story of Edith Hope, a writer who leaves for Hotel du Lac after being banished by her friends for having a secret affair with a married man. While she swears never to change, her experiences with the occupants of Hotel du Lac – a mother and daughter pair, a woman who lives alone after expulsion by her son, and an attractive, married Mr Neville, cause her to reflect on her actions and question her identity. Mr Neville asks for her hand in marriage; however, she rejects him for being a womaniser, realising what she truly wants her life to be, and leaves Hotel du Lac.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
An epic book series that covers the events on Westeros, after King Robert Baratheon’s death, and the subsequent implosion of the continent into war. Though the series begins with the Stark family, which has seen numerous casualties since, it has an ever-increasing cast of characters of which many are given their own point-of-view chapters. Some fan-favourites of the series: Tyrion Lannister, the disfavoured third son of the ruling Lannister family; Jon Snow, the bastard of the Stark family; and Arya Stark, the second daughter of the Starks. The first season of the HBO series was broadcast in 2011.
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
The narrator, Edward Norton, is suffering from insomnia. His doctor advises him to visit a support group for testicular cancer victims in order for him to understand what suffering is like. He meets Maria Singer, another "tourist" who pretends to be a fellow sufferer to gain entrance to support groups, and Tyler Durden, a mysterious extremist. Over the course of the novel, Norton gets into a relationship with Maria, and sets up an underground fight club with Durden, which quickly attracts many young men. Durden uses the fight club to spread anti-consumerist ideals, and sets into motion a plan to bring down corporate America. Some prevalent themes in the book include: the crisis of masculinity, alienation, and dissatisfaction.
Featured image I Am Matthew's Book by Flickr user Matt Chan. CC BY-ND 2.0.
Damned by Chuck Palahniuk
His characters are in hell. A 13-year-old girl overdoses on marijuana and dies, entering the underworld following her death. The story weaves around the main character seeking the Devil’s attention, discovering classic tortures found in hell, and having a tour of the ‘attractions’. By the end of the book, she becomes the most popular kid in hell.
Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk
As a sleeper agent for a totalitarian state introduced as “a mash-up of North Korea, Cuba, Communist-era China, and Nazi-era Germany”, a 13-year-old boy named Agent Number 67 goes on an exchange programme to live with an American family. His instructions are to execute a terrorist attack on the United States, called “Operation Havoc”. He is introduced to American life by his adoptive family. A satirical novel, Palahniuk attacks many aspects of American life, including religious institutes, American xenophobia, and a school’s Junior Swing Choir.
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Will Freeman, a 36-year-old bachelor who spends most of his time drinking, abusing drugs, and pursuing women, joins a single parents’ group as a way to pick up more women. There, he meets Marcus Brewer, a schoolboy, and his mother, Fiona, quickly striking up a friendship with Marcus. Will teaches Marcus to fit in 1990s American culture, and also falls in love with another single parent, Rachel. By the end of the novel, both Will and Marcus begin to fit into their age groups, with Will settling down with Rachel, and Marcus growing up as a typical teenage boy.
Featured image Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (ARC) by Flickr user DefeatEd2k4. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
A novel that details the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, in an unusual setting of a zombie plague in Britain. The story revolves around Mrs Bennet, as a determined mother to wed off her five daughters amidst the zombie mayhem. The issues of class and wealth begin to take precedence over love, and women’s equality is also brought up as Elizabeth and Darcy begin their battle against the zombies.
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters and Jane Austen
Thrown onto a mysterious land of savage creatures such as two-headed sea serpents and rampaging octopi, the Dashwood sisters are embroiled in relationships – involving both human and man-monsters. Written by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters, the fictitious novel depicts the tale of how only the fittest will survive and emerge to find true love.
Brief Lives by Anita Brookner
In Brief Lives, Brookner examines the unlikely friendship of two women: modest and reserved Fay, and the flamboyant and egocentric Julia, brought together by their husbands’ business partnerships. It’s a novel of reflection, one that takes a look at the declining years of Fay and Julia’s lives, and the loneliness that they carry with them, even as they navigate their troubled friendship.
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Buried Giant is a fantastical novel; set around the sixth century AD in Britain, elderly couple Axl and Beatrice notice the amnesia that seems to be affecting members of their community. Concern for their son in a neighbouring community leads them to embark on a journey where they meet various characters, including Sir Gawain, of Arthurian legend. The book examines the idea of collective amnesia, and whether this can be justified if it means that people would no longer seek vengeance.
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Told through a series of letters, We Need to Talk About Kevin depicts the attempts of a mother, Eva, to come to terms with her son’s school massacre. She looks at her relationship with Kevin’s father, her estranged husband Franklin, the events of Kevin’s life, and her thoughts on her relationship with her son. The novel examines the debate between nature vs. nurture, and wonders if Eva’s coldness towards Kevin as a mother may have influenced him to commit the murders.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
The Age of Innocence describes the lives of upper class New York citizens at the close of the 19th century. Newland Archer, the protagonist, is set to marry the lovely May Welland; an encounter with May's cousin, however - the mysterious Countess Ellen Olenska - causes him to question his assumptions about his life and position within his community. Though Newland and Ellen fall in love, it is never consummated. Weaving a tale of romance and restraint, Edith Wharton's novel is noted for its intricate depiction of the conventions and rituals of Old New York that governs the lives of its esteemed members. The Age of Innocence is a nostalgic look at Wharton's childhood, and won her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1921.
Featured image Edith Wharton: The Age of Innocence by Flickr user Wolf Gang. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
Written in a form to resemble “parallel worlds”, the story begins with the protagonist, Irina, as she is struck with the temptation to kiss another man, despite already having a long-term partner. The book diverges here, as Shriver considers two outcomes – one in which Irina kisses the other man, and one in which she doesn’t.
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Translated to The Miserable Ones in English, Les Misérables is a tale of suffering and poverty in France for the period from 1815 to 1832. It follows Jean Valjean, a convict caught for stealing bread, the people he encounters as he tries to escape his past, and his later redemption and death. It’s a weighty tome, logging in at 2,783 pages, with 955 dedicated to digressions that expounds on a moral point or Victor Hugo’s encyclopaedic knowledge.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
North and South is the story of 19-year-old Margaret Hale, as she moves into the industrial town of Milton. Initially disliking the town, Margaret is at particular odds with one of her father’s pupils, Mr John Thornton. However, she grows to love the town, and Mr Thornton begins to fall in love with her, despite and because of her pride. Though Margaret scorns Mr Thornton’s love, she later grows to appreciate him, and they marry at the end of the novel. It was adapted into a BBC TV series in 2004. It has drawn many comparisons to the popular drama series, Downton Abbey.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Narrated by Gabriel John Utterson, a London lawyer, the novel follows the strange relationship between Dr Henry Jekyll, Utterson’s old friend, and a Mr Hyde, an evil, vile man who appears to be an associate of Dr Jekyll. Utterson is concerned that Mr Hyde is blackmailing Dr Jekyll; however, he soon discovers the truth that Mr Hyde is Dr Jekyll, created through an experimental draught to allow Dr Jekyll to indulge in his vices.
Featured image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Treasure_Island-Scribner%27s-1911.jpg
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
This is a coming-of-age novel that centres around Jim Hawkins, an innkeeper's son, and his search for buried treasure. When an old sailor dies, leaving behind a treasure map, Jim, the local physician Dr Livesey, and the district squire Trelawney, enlist the help of "Long John" Silver, in order to find the treasure. Surviving a mutiny and pirates, they discover a chest full of gold, which turns them into rich men.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The titular protagonist, Robinson Crusoe, is shipwrecked on an island, during an expedition to bring slaves from Africa. He builds a life for himself on the island, living there for years, discovering native cannibals, and even acquiring a companion he names ‘Friday’. Crusoe is ultimately rescued by an English ship, after he helps the captain retake control from a mutiny. He later goes to Brazil to claim his wealth, accompanied by Friday.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
A social commentary on the condition of the poor in Victorian London, Oliver Twist is the source of the famous line, “Please sir, I want some more.” The story follows the orphan Oliver Twist as he starts at a workhouse at the age of nine, is apprenticed to an undertaker, and joins the Artful Dodgers, a gang of thieves led by the elderly Fagin. It has a happy ending, however, as Oliver is found by his wealthy relatives, and lives happily ever after in the countryside.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong
One of the four Chinese classic novels, it is a historical novel set during the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. It chronicles the lives of the three bastions of power that emerged from the collapse of the Han dynasty, led by Cao Cao of Wei, Liu Bei of Shu, and Sun Quan of Wu. The story begins in 169 AD and ends in 280 AD, when China is reunited. The first translation of the novel was by John G. Steele in 1907, and the series has been translated numerous times since.
Featured image by Najeer Yusof.
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The post So you’ve seen the movie, have you read the book? An overview of books referenced. appeared first on The Middle Ground.