Book Review | Book Chatter

The City & The City
By China Mieville
(Del Rey, Paperback, 9780345497529, April 2010, 352pp.)

The Short of It:

Not your typical murder mystery.

The Rest of It:

Mieville’s writing has always intimidated me. In the past, I have tried a couple of times to read this one, only to put it right back down again. However, Care and a host of others decided via Twitter to read it together, and since they made it sound so doable, and not at all intimidating, I decided to join them.

This time around, I was not intimidated and in fact found myself marveling over the world Mieville created. This is really a murder mystery at heart, but it’s such a unique setting, that you can’t help but wonder what is going on in that mind of his.

I have to include this blurb from the publisher because describing it it too difficult:

When a murdered woman is found in the city of Beszel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks to be a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. To investigate, Borlú must travel from the decaying Beszel to its equal, rival, and intimate neighbor, the vibrant city of Ul Qoma. But this is a border crossing like no other, a journey as psychic as it is physical, a seeing of the unseen.

Focus on that last line because these two cities share the same geographical space. They are differentiated by the clothes that people wear and the language that they use, but they walk alongside each other and choose to “unsee” the other. That’s right… you are walking in what is essentially a different city, yet you choose to unsee it, so therefore, it’s not there. Got it?

For the world building aspect, I give it many points but I still found myself lost at times. The vocabulary was hard to grasp and I often had to go back to re-read what I had just read. For a murder mystery, I still have yet to really understand what went down. To me, it just seemed as if the same thing was being said over and over again and that I was making little progress.

This aspect was of course, very frustrating and will probably keep me from reading any of this other books, but there was something to this one that made me want to finish it. Mainly, the respect I had for the idea itself. I felt as if I owed the author something since he constructed such an incredibly complex story for me to read.

As for the discussion, there were some Tweets along the same lines as mine (head scratching) but not much was said. Hmmm.

That said, I am glad I read it but now I am ready to move on.

Note from Ti: I also listened to this on audio in addition to reading it in print and it had the same, head scratching effect on me.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
By Cheryl Strayed
(Knopf, Hardcover, 9780307592736, March 2012, 336pp.)

The Short of It:

Disappointing and at times utterly ridiculous. I had no idea that the adventure I’d get would include a sexcapade in the forest. Apparently “WILD” has multiple meanings.

The Rest of It:

This is not one of those times where the hype ruined it for me because I picked it up before Oprah selected it for her book club and I went into it with a completely open mind. BUT…it was a complete fail for me.

After losing her mother to cancer and divorcing what seemed like the most supportive husband ever, Strayed decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. The idea comes to her after seeing a book on the subject and since she doesn’t seem to have anything else going for her, why not? She is essentially homeless as she can’t figure out where she wants to settle down and without a job to tie her down, the decision is easy. She’s in her mid-twenties and healthy, it can’t possibly be that hard, right?

It’s not unheard of for a non-hiker to hike a trail like this one. Lots of people find closure and peace of mind on the trail. Stripping yourself down to the bare essentials, pain and hunger all have their place in clearing away the cobwebs so Strayed’s decision to hike the trail, was not that unusual. However, I expected her story to be about her coming to terms with her mother’s death. After all, that is why she set out for the trail in the first place. Instead, what I got is a silly book about a woman who is just a little too full of herself.

Here are just a few reasons why this book falls into the ridiculous category:

The contents of her pack included an entire package of condoms. Really?
Her decision to hike alone. Really not safe and in fact, stupid.
Her care packages to herself included sexy lingerie for her potential hook-ups with strange men. Okay, she said it was for her to feel good but when you pack an entire box of condoms you’ve got to to wonder.
The possibility of sex on the trail is of great concern to her. Not her shredded feet or the lack of boots that fit.
The actual sex that takes place and her getting a kick out of being able to attract smelly men on the trail. Ick.
Ahem, the drug use. She was a hard-core heroin user before the trip and if my memory is correct, manages to find drugs at least once while taking a break from the trail.

Clearly, there was not enough hiking and true self discovery for me to take this book seriously. It veered off into numerous directions and although I felt for her at the beginning of her story, I had lost all respect for her by the end of the book. The writing is choppy and I didn’t care for her self-absorbed nature. Every thought seemed to turn towards sex or the possibility of sex or had something to do with her looks. I got tired of it. You are hiking and haven’t showered in days. How can you be concerned with your looks? Seems like more important things should have been a concern.

I can’t recommend this one. It’s not what it’s described to be. I don’t feel that she really got the closure she needed and it angers me to see it flying off the shelves just because Oprah picked it for her club.

Trust me, it’s not all that.

Note from Ti: I checked out some of the interview footage on Oprah’s site and Strayed is not at all the person she appears to be in the book. Maybe it’s just hard to write about yourself. Maybe it’s a case of horrible editing. Needless to say, if she stumbles across this review I hope she doesn’t throw a boot at me.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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