Capsule Reviews

In the last week or so, I've read three books that deserve capsule reviews (or longer reviews, if I had time).

James Hynes, Kings of Infinite Space (St. Martin's, 2004). An interesting take on "cubeland" that makes the movie Office Space seem rather tame by comparison. The protagonist, Paul, is a failed academic (a term I despise) forced to work in a Texas state bureaucracy with an odd assortment of characters. There's a ghost story, a number of Hamlet allusions, including the title, a love story, and action, along with a lot of dark humor. There are actually a lot of literary references here, from Faulkner to H.G. Wells (indeed, a good part of the plot could be a spoof on sections of The Time Machine). Not the best book I've read, but certainly a fun read.

Dominic Sandbrook, Eugene McCarthy: The Rise and Fall of Postwar Liberalism (Knopf, 2004). Already mentioned in the blog, an interesting if highly critical account of McCarthy's political career. After reading this book, you won't hae many good things to say about McCarthy. Worth a look if you're interested in the 1968 election.

Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (F.S.G., 2004), winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. This is a great book, captivating, even hypnotic to read. The narrator, John Ames, is dying of a heart condition in a dusty Iowa town, Gilead. The book takes the form of a long letter written by Ames to his young son, born late in Ames's life. The letter tells the story of three generations of John Ameses, all preachers, from the pre-Civil War violence in Kansas to 1952 (the year in which the novel is set). The story is really one of fathers and sons, including Ames's friend, Boughton, and his son, John Ames Boughton, the narrator's godson (and symbolic prodigal son). The novel includes very interesting discussions of Protestant theology and moving images of a dying man describing the wonder of the world he has known. Probably the best book I've read in a very long time, and a worthy Pulitzer winner.