Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

Tyler, Anne. Noah's Compass. New York: Knopf, 2009.

Submitted by R. Stuhr

I was excited to see this in the South Bay train station in Boston and bought it to read on my six hour train trip. (See the previous post to learn that Anne Tyler is a favorite author of mine.) I didn't read it for the whole six hours, I needed to spend a fair amount of time looking out the window too. If you are familiar with Anne Tyler, this new novel will not disappoint and despite the familiar tone, it is a new story with fresh insight and new characters. A divorced and solitary father of two grown daughters and one teenage daughter finds himself unemployed. Thinking that he can pare his life down to the very minimum he leaves his elegant apartment in the middle of Baltimore and moves into a new characterless apartment in the county. He is attacked his first night in his new spartan apartment and winds up in the hospital with no memory of the attack. He becomes obsessed with trying to regain this lost piece of his life and in the meantime finds his life suddenly less solitary as his daughters and ex-wife step in to keep an eye on him as he recovers. Relationships are reinforced, as well as newly formed and broken; insights are gained, and modest improvements are made. The concluding pages are filled with phrases such as "good enough job," "solvent, if not rich," "okay place to live." But a man with his Socrates, his rotisserie chicken, his solitude and his family relationships in place, can live without the fireplace.

Slowly making its way to the Grinnell College Libraries.

Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Nocturnes. New York: Knopf, 2009.

Submitted by R. Stuhr

Ishiguro is a favorite author of mine and so I read everything that he publishes. The great thing about liking the works of living authors is that you get to look forward to new books. This year has been good to me so far with Ishiguro, Anne Tyler (coming up next), and soon, Chang-Rae Lee. There is more, but this winter is clouding my brain and these three are foremost in my mind. The first two I have actually already read and enjoyed. My favorite Ishiguro novel is The Unconsoled, a Kafkaesque, anxiety dream that never ends. The main character is a pianist, who among other things, is finding it hard to find a room to practice in. It is dark and hilarious at the same time. Nocturne is a collection of short stories all of which have something to do with music and maybe self-confidence: lovers of music, musicians trying to make it, musicians trying to make come backs. Every single story was excellent and a perfect snapshot. Even Ishiguro's first person narratives seem to keep their distance from the reader, but I find the style appealing and somewhat mysterious. The characters don't reveal everything, and they are often confused and trying to figure out what is going on as well as the reader. Please read! I love Kazuo Ishiguro. If you have only read The Remains of the Day, you don't have a complete picture of everything he has to offer.

The Unconsoled
Burling 3rd Floor PR6059.S5 U53 1995

The Remains of the Day
Burling 3rd Floor PR6059.S5 R46 1989

Nocturnes
(on order)