Alice Munro did a terrific job giving each character a disctinct voice, and the relationships and motivations sublty unfold as the plot carries you along. I think though, that I didn’t really ‘get it’. I think Alice Munro has an incredible ability to fit an entire lifetime in a fraction of the sapce of most novelists, but by the end I had a hard time connecting the stories as a whole, or finding a truth or message to come away with. While the stories mostly involved the same central location, I kept looking for more overlap or cohesion. I didn’t find satisfaction, but that is most likely a problem with my own expectations and not the collection.

I would recommend this book if you love Canadian authors, or if you only have time to read about 40 pages in one sitting.

Open Secrets

Alice Munro. Vintage 1995, Paperback, 294 pages, $8.44

Wow, I think I may have a hard time trying not to gush about this book. I loved it. It was written in a way that was interesting, the writing style was different and the words were beautiful. You know when someone is telling a story and they sometimes trip over their words? Well there was some tripping in this book. Just a enough to keep it interesting. The style was different from what I am used to, and it took me a while to get into it. Once I was accustomed to the way the story was told, I flew through it. Couldn’t put it down. It was so moving. I guess I should tell you what it’s about.

This is a story narrated by Death. He is telling the story of a young girl in Nazi Germany during the war. Already you should know that this book is not going to be a happy go lucky kind of book. How could a book narrated by Death be anything but depressing? Yet the book is not all grief ridden. It has it’s moments, but there are also moments of fun and humour. It managed to make me laugh and then subsequently, cry. But by the end of the book, I was satisfied.

For your reading pleasure, here is a small excerpt from the book, just to show how beautiful the words are:

When Leisel left that day, she said something with great uneasiness. In translation, two giant words were struggled with, carried on her shoulder, and dropped as a bungling pair at Ilsa Hermann’s feet. They fell off sideways as the girl veered with them and could no longer sustain their weight. Together, they sat on the floor, large and loud and clumsy. I’M SORRY (p. 146).

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak. Alfred A. Knopf 2007, Paperback, 576 pages, $5.68

I think the author masterfully showed the passing of love and personal history from mother to daughter. Anita Diamant writes in the voice of Dinah, “Like any sisters who live together and share a husband, my mother and aunties spun a sticky web of loyalties and grudges. They traded secrets like bracelets, and these were handed down to me the only surviving girl. They told me things I was too young to hear. They held my face between their hands and made me swear to remember.” Remembering women’s earthy stories and passionate history is indeed the theme of this magnificent book. I wish all the characters that were so alive and loved in the beginning of the book were followed through to the end. I know Dinah’s story moved away from them, but I was sad to hear of their fates from such a distance. I will remember this book for a long time to come. There were a few sexual scenes and some people may not agree with Anita Diamant’s interpretation of the biblical text.

The Red Tent

Anita Diamant. Picador 2007, Paperback, 352 pages, $6.88

The characters are compelling, well rounded and well written; each with a distinctive voice. The incredible imagery and humor woven through this book make it a pleasure to read. You can taste Barcelona in every scene and the great city almost becomes its own character. The deliciously rich language manages to stay sharp and witty without any obnoxiously long descriptions devoted purely to atmosphere. I read the English translation by Lucia Graves. I would love to compare it in its original Spanish (if I could read Spanish) but feel there was little lost since the prose and dialogue are fantastic. It left me wishing I had copied many of the passages, just so I could read them again and feel their savory velvet roll off my tongue. My only disappointment in the book is Nuria’s letter, which while important, seemed slightly too long (at around 88 pages) and sort of disrupted the flow and cadence of the narrative. The novel was well paced, and I found myself constantly torn between being engrossed in the characters motives and lives and wanting the mysteries of the plot to be unraveled immediately. This is a great book for anyone looking for entertainment that isn’t just fluff. There is some language including the f word. I considered the sex scenes tastefully done.

The Shadow of the Wind

Lucia Graves (Translator). Penguin Press 2004, Hardcover, 486 pages, $12.00