Book Reviews: Summer 2020

The following reviews were compiled from my Goodreads account.

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison

Whereas many books start out neutral or happy and end sad, this book starts out sad and ends disturbingly. A black girl strives to conform in a white-serving world, and she is only met with hatred—hatred from whites, blacks, her family, and herself. Morrison left me thinking that no matter what these black characters did, they could never win, and their blackness was at fault. Geraldine, who is black herself, uses “black” as an insult toward Pecola. And the victim-blaming displayed to Pecola, in addition to the book’s pedophiles, made me nauseous. But the fact is, this book reflects realities that privileged people can shield themselves from, realities that everyone ought to acknowledge. “Her poverty kept us generous” is a line that will stick with me.

“Circe” by Madeline Miller

A book great (or, perhaps, required) for any lover of the Classics. In “Circe,” Madeline Miller addresses the ancient Western themes/questions of free will and fate while subverting the male-centric canon that the Classics are typically known for. She does not shy away from the disparity between the sexes (a non-graphic rape is present in the book) and gives Circe the feminist voice the ancients needed to hear.

As for the writing itself, it’s well-written with good intention. At some points I found myself wanting a bit more dialogue, but there was reason for it: This is a tale of isolation and finding oneself in it. Circe’s thoughts matter so much to this plot (and because we rarely hear the exact perspectives of ancient women). Miller’s ability to drift across completely different points of her narrator's life but still give the plot cohesion, meaning, and interest is overwhelming.

One of my favorite aspects of “Circe” is the humanity and fault that even the gods have. This is a theme present through all epics and mythology, and, here, I took comfort from the beauty of this concept. Circe goes through life finding adventure after adventure and love after love, and it’s all normal and constructive. By the end, the past loves are not regretted, for they got Circe to the point she is at now.

Whether you are knee-deep in the Classics, want to learn more, grew up on Percy Jackson, or have never read anything on Greek mythology, read this book! While it deepened my appreciation for the Classics, it is not necessary to begin with a mythological interest.

“Convenience Store Woman” by Sayaka Murata

I had high expectations, and it’s not bad, but ultimately I found it frustrating throughout my reading. This is the story of a nonconformist whose only way to fit in in society is to work in a convenience store. The premise was alluring; most of us have worked in these types of service jobs, and they may not be deemed “respectable” or even “real” to many. The book does a good job of addressing this issue. “When you work in a convenience store, people often look down on you for working there. ... Sometimes even those who are doing the same job are biased against it.” Actually, there were many sections of the book I ended up underlining and dog-earing. Before getting to the flip side of the review, here are a couple of my favorites:

“Normality — however messy — is far more comprehensible.”

“The normal world has no room for exceptions and always quietly eliminates foreign objects. Anyone who is lacking is disposed of.”

“You eliminate the parts of your life that others find strange — maybe that’s what everyone means when they say they want to ‘cure’ me.”

Now, my problem with the book: The main character and narrator, Keiko Furukura, is extremely passive and never felt real. She’s supposed to be strange, of course, but even in the moments where she does stand up for herself against Shiraha, it doesn’t feel genuine. I can’t put my finger on it, but it was unsettling to read about people pushing her around and talking down to her, and yet she didn’t seem bothered. When Shiraha starts working at the convenience store (quite badly), her actions do make her seem annoyed because he’s doing everything wrong. Yet, she tells the reader that she wasn’t really bothered by him. How? It seems so out of character for her NOT to be irritated with someone like Shiraha. There were so many times I had wanted Furukura to voice how she feels, to yell at her sister for trying to “cure” her, but she never did. Maybe there was a point in that, but a lot of Furukura’s character was frustrating and didn’t make sense. Overall, that and the plot around Shiraha really put me off.

“Conversations with Friends” by Sally Rooney

Where do I even begin with this one? What first struck me about “Conversations with Friends” is its satire on the white liberal — a decently wealthy and privileged person who is either communist or leans that way yet still experiences fascination in a life of luxury. These individuals perhaps do not practice what they preach; throughout the book Frances is identified as a communist, yet even more than that, we see her voice her interest in people’s homes and how she wants Melissa’s life. In this way, actions speak louder than words in the book. It’s hypocritically and ironically funny, yet it reflects reality.

The book also questions labels and social constructs by making up some murky situations and relationships between characters. By the end of it, Frances sees how all relationships (platonic or romantic) relate to each other and it’s never just two people involved. What’s interesting here is that Frances and Nick describe each other as a “boyfriend” or “ex-girlfriend” at various points in the book; yet we never see them have a conversation to define the relationship. It’s simply assumed what they are. Contrast this with Frances and Bobbi’s relationship — whose breakup and friendship rekindling we don’t fully understand. Frances and Bobbi do have a conversation about if they are girlfriends by the end of the book, and they agree and tell people they are only friends. Despite this, people like Philip assume they are dating by the way they act (ironically, they have more PDA than Nick and Frances ever did).

Overall, Rooney represents bisexuality and the concept of being able to love multiple people well, and I feel like I don’t read a lot of books with such themes (of course, I read a lot of classics that wouldn’t delve deeply into these topics).

“Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen” by Mary Norris

One word: fascinating. I love Mary Norris’s work, and this book resonated with me on many things — similar life experiences, copy editing backgrounds, and a love for classics (though I study Latin, not Greek). It wasn’t until my last semester at college this year that I realized I should’ve delved into Ancient Greek. Now, Mary Norris assures me it’s not too late and that I can still learn it and live it. This book is definitely not just for those who’ve already studied it! I found it to be a great introduction. Her writing is filled with charisma (as was already shown in “Between You & Me”), and I will continue to rave about her to all of my friends. Now, excuse me as I dig into my tzatziki.

“If Beale Street Could Talk” by James Baldwin

I’m stunned, speechless, and stained with tears. The story of a black man accused of a crime he did not commit, and his family fighting against all odds to save him, told from his pregnant fiancée’s perspective. Pick this book up for not only a great read, but also to learn more on America’s injustices and systemic racism that persist today (it will also show you how pervasive those were for them to still be so present now).

“The Penelopiad” by Margaret Atwood

I read this after having read “Circe,” which I thought was perfect, and was excited to delve into “The Penelopiad.” I haven’t read Margaret Atwood, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from her writing style, but because of her popularity, I really assumed I would love this book. On the contrary, I found it terribly unengaging, and the only reasons I got through the book were that I like Greek mythology and that this was only 156 pages. It reads as more of a summary rather than a real story. There were cool things touched on (the innocence and background of the maids) but never expanded upon. This easily could have been a long novel with dynamic characters, but unfortunately, each character was flat — no character development present and no structured plot line. Just a lot of unexplored potential that makes me sad.