The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
In a traumatic incident, a young boy ends up with a priceless painting, which he comes to find himself unable to part with. This is the premise for The Goldfinch, a novel that surprised me in a number of ways. I didn’t expect that I would actually become so absorbed. Despite its girth, this novel was a fairly quick read, and closer to the mystery/thriller genre than I expected. I also managed to remain interested and sympathetic despite that approximately 2/3 of the text documented his downward spiral in alcoholism and fairly excessive drug abuse (which, dear reader, are two habits you should avoid), perhaps because, contradictory to what you might expect, the novel remained beautifully written throughout all of this. In contrast to the body, the ending was tidy and perhaps rather cliché, or at least it would have appeared so had it not occurred after such an onerous journey—at that point I believed that both Theo and I deserved a happy ending.
4/5
The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
I was a bit excited when I read the back cover for this novel, as while yes, another dystopian piece of fiction, this one was about an alien invasion. And now, only a couple weeks later, the plot and slightly dull (major) characters (I was fond of some of side characters, like, oh my, Teacup) have faded to a vague, shapeless mass. I expect this is more a consequence of having overdosed on too many dystopian fantasies, but this de-sensitivity does pose useful in finding the novels that stand out from the crowd. For me, this was not one of them. While I was able to read this novel in only a couple of sittings, after I finished it I didn’t feel motivated to read the next volume (I’m getting really tired of series nowadays) nor much interest as to whether these lovely visionary young ones will triumph or gosh, will this star-crossed love work out?
Of course, disparaging questions aside, I always respect these sorts of novels for their intricate plots; these authors really do take on quite a challenge: upending a whole social structure.
3.5/5
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
I could hardly put And the Mountains Echoed away after realizing it opens with a fable. And this charming, storyteller tone is retained throughout the novel as the fable is reflected throughout and the story of two estranged siblings telescopes to a resolution. The inarticulate emotions that many of the characters experience—a feeling of inexplicable lacking, or an inescapable monotony—contribute to the slight mythical air, even as the novel speaks with remarkable clarity on the ambiguity of motivation, far from fairytale expectations.
Finally, there was the exploration of familial relations, duties and expectations. A number of parallels are presented in the variety of perspectives. One man moves to Kabul to escape the burden of his paralyzed sister, only to later find his best friendship and only family lies in his paralyzed employer. Others return to their hometown to reclaim lost property or lost memories, some leave their parents, some parents leave their children and some remain by each other’s sides. It was the sort of novel that you feel quiet after reading–and the sort that you want to look back at and flip through it pages.
5/5