The Guardians: An Elegy by Sarah Manguso

The Guardians: An Elegy by Sarah Manguso
 
Release Date: February 28th 2012
Pages: 128
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Also by this Author: The Two Kinds of Decay
Buy It: Book Depository

The Guardians is an elegy for Manguso’s friend Harris, two years after he escaped from a psychiatric hospital and jumped under that train. The narrative contemplates with unrelenting clarity their crowded postcollege apartment, Manguso’s fellowship year in Rome, Harris’s death and the year that followed—the year of mourning and the year of Manguso’s marriage.

So the first thing I want to talk about is what I was afraid of when I first picked up The Guardians; and that was that it might get bogged down in science instead of lifted up by poetry, something Manguso's first memoir The Two Kinds of Decay suffered from a bit too much. And unfortunately it does, sometimes veering into too much fact, like describing side effects of certain anti-psychotics, going into a detailed history of akathisia, even quoting two paragraphs directly from a Czech doctor, Ladislav Haskovec. At the end of the description she links it back to her friend Harris, as the common outcome includes suicide, specifically by jumping, but by that point I was wondering why I was reading all of this info dump of facts.

The other major time info-dump happened was much later in the book, where there are several pages quoting three published cases on the same side effect. The Guardians is so short, barely past 100 pages, so that in a way I felt cheated having to read three full pages that weren't Manguso's; more science, more quotes. She even quotes herself at one point, a page from a novel she didn't finish.

But– the reason I felt the need to detail the fault of this memoir so precisely is that the rest of The Guardians, the part in Manguso's own words, it's absolutely breath-taking and original. There are countless times when I had to pause reading to write down a quote, something beautiful and heart-breaking that twisted inside me. At one point, Manguso writes:

"Then, when he dies, you’ll wonder how his death could have burned you entirely away– yet there you are, walking out of the fire in a form you no longer recognize."

Her powerful description of grief reminded me sometimes of The Long Goodbye by Meghan O'Rourke, another memoir and one I absolutely adored. Both O'Rourke and Manguso have this powerful, sharp and broken way of describing grief, of reminding the reader of the pain. The other author that comes to mind, because of the topic but also the fragmented way of writing, different memories combining into one tragic story– is Joan Didion, who dealt with grief in two memoirs, The Year of Magical Thinking and Blue Nights. It especially reminds me of Blue Nights because it is both the story of the person who died, in this case her friend Harris, and a story of a personal journey– as Manguso marries her husband.

Ultimately, Manguso's poetic prose is what make The Guardians such a wonderful yet heart-breaking book– she has a genuine and beautiful way of capturing moments and feelings, which is why I am disappointed every time she veers off into the scientific instead.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Readin'

 

My computer is filled with files on books I want to read, or own, or series I need to finish. I'm a compulsive list-maker, but it helps with my sense of accomplishment when I finish. Even though reading is something I love and would do regardless of a list or not, I was thinking it might be fun for me to make a record of some books I'd like to read this summer. I'm out of school till September, for the first time in years, and I plan to take full advantage of that! But if I make my list too long, I know I'll end up tempted to stray, so here it is. Ten titles to read June to August 2012, and like always, these are in no particular order. I'll be sure to check back in early September and let you know how I managed!

1. That Summer by Sarah Dessen
It seems like a lot of Sarah Dessen's books take place over the summer, so she seemed like the perfect author to start with. Though I've only read two by her so far Keeping the Moon and Along For the Ride, both were definitely summer books. This was her debut, but I'm still hoping for more of the authentic characters and easy to read writing that Dessen is recognized for.

2. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Two birds with one stone, since one of my 2012 goals was to pick up my first Ockler title. I prefer to read books in the order they were published, even in the case of standalones, so I'm happy to try out this contentious title first. Honestly though, I refuse to pick up a book just because it's been banned a lot, and this is a case where it's really the blogger love and recommendations that have got me eager to read it. 

3. The Last Summer (Of You And Me) by Ann Brashares
I adored the Traveling Pants series, but had less love for Brashares' adult title My Name Is Memory. Still, I'm willing to give this, which was actually her first adult novel, a try and I hope that Brashares takes on adult relationships as thoughtfully as she does with teenagers. 

4. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
This is actually the first in a trilogy, so I'll probably end up reading all three if I enjoy it. I've heard great things about it, and it's bound to be filled with romance, friendship and the usual taste of drama.

5. The Summer I Learned To Fly by Dana Reinhardt
The first book I read by Reinhardt, Harmless, wasn't my favourite but there were some aspects I enjoyed so I'm willing to give her books a second chance. Plus, I haven't even read it and I already feel sympathetic towards the main character, Drew, who has a pet rat and her dad's Book of Lists.

6. Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury
I love Bradbury, and I still think of his novel Dandelion Wine as one of the most perfect summer books there is. When I was checking out books with "summer" in the title I came across this one, and even though I hadn't heard of it I instantly had to add it to my list. Then, I found out it's actually a Dandelion Wine sequel, so I'll probably need to reread that too. Hopefully it has the same whimsy and beauty as the first book.

7. The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoy 
McVoy is one of those authors I've heard great things about (especially from Jordyn) and though, as I said, I prefer to read titles in the order they're published, I'm going to have to make a couple exceptions for the sake of my summery list.

8. Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz 
Another author I've been wanting to read, and though this is her second book, I guess I'll also be reading it first! The description calls it "not your typical beach read" and although the cover sorta argues otherwise, I'm excited to give Moskowitz a try.

9. Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell 
I actually own two books by Mitchell (but not this one), but they're part of a trilogy that hasn't finished yet and I'm kinda waiting for the last book to be published before I read it. So I'll stick with this one instead. It's a summer ghost story, which I'm pretty sure I haven't read anything like before, and it's a tiny little book (less than 200 pages) so I have no excuse for not reading it.

10. A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger
A final "author I've heard a lot about but I really planned to read her first book first" for my list. I'm pretty curious about books with MCs that seem unlikable (at least at first) and I'll be interested to see how Keplinger handles it. And, if I fall in love with the novel, I've got two more by her waiting on my shelves.

Have I got you lusting over summer yet? Have you read any of these books? Are there any I'm desperately missing and should ambitiously add to the list? Do you promise to remind me about this in August so I can scramble to actually read these before my self-imposed deadline? Is this enough questions for ending a post?

If anyone wants to join me on this mini summer readin' challenge, leave a note in the comments. Happy reading everyone, and happy summer :)

It's Monday, what are you reading? (26)

I'm actually moving starting early Monday morning (we have a 54 hour drive ahead of us, back to Nova Scotia from Alberta) so I'm posting this early. I've got a couple posts ready, but if I'm not around much this week it's because of the travel. My boyfriend and I are also stopping by Montreal for a couple days, because that's where my family is. Anyway I'm hoping to get a couple books read anyway, as this list clearly shows, but I'm not sure how soon I'll be able to review them.

Last week I finished reading: 
The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

Definitely liked the first book Peeps better than it's sequel. Somehow Westerfeld makes five points of view work, but the story itself had trouble keeping my interest.

The Guardians by Sarah Manguso

Like Manguso's last memoir, I wish she'd cut some of the science (pages detailing a medication side effect) but it was worth it for the 80% of the book that was pure poetry– a much higher percentage than her first memoir, The Two Kinds of Decay and probably the reason I preferred this one.

Teen Boat! by Dave Roman and John Green

Whoops! When I got this in the mail I thought the illustrations were by some guy named Dave Roman (actually a well-established author of graphic novels) and that John Green, like Looking For Alaska John Green, was the writer. Turns out John Green is also the name of an illustrator, with a few titles under his belt. Once I got that through my head, I was in for a cute and enjoyable boat-ride of a book.

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

I'm not sure how I feel about this one... there were aspects I really liked, and some things I just didn't quite get. I need to ponder it a bit more.

Take A Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Buddy read with Ambur! Even though she hasn't read it yet... she will soon, and we'll discuss it next week. It was cute, it didn't blow me away but it was an easy, fun read.

What I plan to read this week:
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

I read almost half of this one and it's awesome, I wish I had gotten a chance to read more but moving got in the way. Excited to finish it soon.

First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

Another one I expected to finish but got busy with the move, lovely writing and description though sometimes it feels like there is a lot of saying what people are doing and very little of them actually doing it, just a quip or two of dialogue thrown in the mix. But again, only just started so it'll be interesting to see how it progresses.

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

Surprise mailbox ARC, but I want to finish it before I visit my family (this upcoming weekend) because my stepmom is a huge Jodi Picoult fan and I think she might enjoy this. I'm a tiny bit skeptical of the whole "teenage daughter writes book with massively best-selling mother" but hopefully I can read the book without thinking about that.

The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova

I have an ARC of this one and it looks amazing! I wanted to spread out my mermaid reading, but it's time for another one, and I hope it's just as awesome as I think it will be.

What are you reading this Monday? 

I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits

I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits
 
Release Date: May 8th 2012
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publisher: Random House Canada
Buy It: Book Depository

Spanning four generations, from pre-World War II Transylvania, to 1960s Paris, to contemporary New York, Markovits' masterful novel shows what happens when unwavering love and unyielding law clash--a rabbi will save himself while his followers perish; a Gentile maid will be commanded to give up the boy she rescued because he is not of her faith; two devoted sisters will be forced apart when one begins to question their religion's ancient doctrine.

Like the characters it contains, the text of I Am Forbidden is fractured, pieces of a story that sometimes last only a paragraph; a technique that allows Markovits to cover over sixty years in three hundred pages. The concise story-telling means a lot gets covered, but it definitely takes awhile to get used to even if it's technically chronological.

Unfortunately, there were times when the brevity was such that I felt rushed, like the story moved so quickly I could barely get a sense of certain characters, especially in the last quarter of the novel that features Judith. That said, Markovits real talent lies in the ability to immerse the reader, almost instantaneously, in the foreign world of her story. I don't just mean the geographical setting is foreign, though it often is, even when it takes place in New York. What was so foreign to me, even as a Jew, was the Satmar religion, an extremely orthodox sect of Hasidim and one that Markovits herself grew up in and therefore has the kind of insight into that makes I Am Forbidden so authentic and unique.

Overall, this was an incredibly beautifully written book, and once I got involved in it I devoured 2/3rds in almost one uninterrupted sitting. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to grow up in the kind of closed community that these characters are a part of, but the way that Markovits writes it, I was there, I was a part of it, and I knew exactly.

I Am Forbidden is emotional, powerful, original and story is feels like it must have been such a part of Markovits it is hard to imagine what else she could possibly write– though of course, she already has a previous novel published in French, she is just that good of an author, one that makes the reader believe that no other world ever existed, except for one she created.

While He Was Away by Karen Schreck

While He Was Away by Karen Schreck

Release Date: May 1st 2012
Pages: 249
Format: ARC
Source: Raincoast Books
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Buy It: Book Depository

When Penna Weaver's boyfriend goes off to Iraq, she's left facing life without him. As summer sets in, Penna tries to distract herself with work and her art, but the not knowing is slowly driving her crazy. Especially when David stops writing. She knows in her heart he will come home. But will he be the same boy she fell in love with?

This was a story that started with a main character I didn't especially like but ended with one I definitely respected, and I think that subtle but authentic growth is the shinning aspect of While He Was Away.

That said, there are some things that really bothered me about the story. For one, time passes strangely, like Penna will say something isn't as bad as it used to be when she's talking about the past two days, or that the tattoo has suddenly healed when yesterday it was covered with a gauze bandage. In another instance she talks about how absent her mom has been– "It burns me that I've waited for Linda, wondering where she is."– when really she only didn't come home one night. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be teenage exaggeration, but it got on my nerves and didn't help my sympathy for Penna.

Also, when there is even one statement that is factually wrong (as far as I can determine, and from my own personal experience) it really bothers me in a novel and makes me doubt how probable the rest of the story is. In While He Was Away this statement is when a character in the novel breaks a bone, and Penna is told "They have to wait to get all the food out of her system before they set the bone." I've had a few broken bones, and I even did Googling to check, and I've never heard of somebody having to wait to have a bone set because they ate a meal– it seems like cruel and ridiculous punishment. I'm not a doctor and I could be wrong, but it was the sort of thing that nagged at me even after I finished the novel.

Both those complaints are minor in light of what really bothered me about this novel: Penna's relationship with David. I just didn't believe it. Maybe it's because he's around for less than 24 hours in the book, but even the flashbacks didn't give me a good feel for him as a character and made it difficult to care about him on Penna's behalf... which is sorta the point of the book. Penna herself is annoying because of her dependency on David, but as I mentioned, there is some really strong character growth near the end of the novel, and it was great to see her become her own person. There was also a bit of a twist near the end regarding David and Penna, that I definitely didn't expect.

I really liked the interactions between Penna and the friends she makes, and the grandmother storyline was interesting, when it came to her family history not her own personal romance which was so incredibly cheesy at points that it felt nauseating and also way too convenient to be believable. Penna had some darker past hinted at a few times, and I wished it had been developed further because I think it would have given her character the depth it felt like she was lacking, at least at the beginning.

Another aspect of While He Was Away that I liked was the relationship between Penna and her mom Linda, which was complicated and broken at times, but ultimately very powerful. Penna's relationship with her mom was one of the major ways she grew, and I was pretty touched by how things worked out for them. The Oklahoma setting was also well written and unique to read about. However, in the end, it was Penna herself that saved the novel. Somehow Penna slowly blossomed into a strong and confident young woman by the end of While He Was Away, one that I never could when I first began reading but the transformation that Schreck wrote was admirable, believable, and something I really enjoyed reading about.