2010 Indie Lit Fic Shortlist Finalist | Book Chatter

Great House
By Nicole Krauss
W.W. Norton
October 2010
289pp

The Short of It:

With its winding, spinning narrative, Great House manages to pull you in, only to be pushed away with a firm hand later.

The Rest of It:

I have mixed feelings about Great House. The story centers around a desk as it travels from owner to owner. To some, the desk is just a mere vessel to write letters at. To others, it is a more important piece, vital to the creative writing process. This wooden desk is quite unique, in that it contains 19 drawers which allow the owner to secret away little bits of life. Large and imposing, this desk seems to loom over its owners when they are in possession of it, and remind them of their past lives when it’s gone.

Krauss weaves in and out of different narratives going back and forth in time. The structure of the novel is quite complex and takes some time to get used to. It took many passes at reading the novel for me to get a feel for her style. I find this to be the case with most Literary Fiction, but with Great House, the extra effort didn’t reward me in the way that I expected it would. The story fell flat and the some of the characters lacked depth.

The one storyline that I was very taken with, is the one where Lotte’s husband finds out that his wife has secrets. I was completely absorbed by that story, but with the weaving narrative, once you find yourself absorbed, you are then suddenly pushed back into a different narrative. This gave the novel a disjointed feeling. Not to say that the transitions weren’t smooth, they were, but it’s like watching a riveting TV show while your children are yapping incessantly at you. You simply want to go back to the story… not be pulled away from it and forced to look elsewhere.

After re-reading the last third of the novel three times, I did experience the sense of loss that I felt the author was trying to convey. The desk becomes a Jewish symbol of survival and serves as a reminder of love and loss. The last third of the book is very powerful and thought-provoking but the novel as a whole felt a bit jagged around the edges. I didn’t feel that the stories were fully explored and it left me with an empty, unfinished feeling.

I read this for the 2010 Indie Lit Awards and although I do have some issues with how it was pieced together, I appreciate the complexity of the novel itself.

Source: Purchased

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
By Helen Simonson
Random House
November 2010
384pp

The Short of It:

Full of charm and delightful in many ways, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand manages to entertain while dealing with some heavier themes.

The Rest of It:

Major Ernest Pettigrew lives alone in the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary in the English countryside. His brother, who lived very closed to him, passed away suddenly and he is left with a deep sense of grief. Having lost his wife only a couple of years before, the Major finds it incredibly hard to deal with the sudden loss of his brother.

The local shop owner, who lost her husband a few years before, befriends him. Jasmina Ali is charming and exceedingly thoughtful. She takes him under her wing, so to speak. They enjoy walks along the waterfront, many cups of tea and conversation over books they’ve read. Their friendship is quite endearing and slowly evolves into something more.

As pleasant as their relationship is, it’s marred by racial tension as Jasmina is Pakistani and the quaint village they live in, is not willing to accept the possibility of a relationship between the two. Additionally, the relationship is tested by family members on both sides. What was at first charming, becomes quite challenging as they attempt to navigate uncharted territory.

I’ve heard many great things about this novel but I was under the impression that it was a “light” read so I wasn’t planning to read it. However, it was chosen for the *Indie Lit Awards Lit Fiction Short List so as I judge, I am required to read it. I’m very glad I did.

Although very readable, I wouldn’t call this a light read. There is quite a bit of racial tension throughout the novel. Money is a large theme as well…the haves and the have-nots are present here as well as commercialism, religion, etc. In between all of this is a pleasant story with an endearing protagonist.

What I enjoyed the most were the descriptions of the village and the houses within it. The mention of the grounds, the china, the description of meals eaten and enjoyed. Simonson is brilliant with setting.

However, as charming as it was, there were a few passages that seemed a bit far-fetched and sort of took me out of my comfy spot. Overall though, I enjoyed it and fell in love with the Major.

Have you read it? What did you think of it?

Source: Purchased

*The literary fiction winner will be announced in February 2011.

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