Canada Reads 2016: Book #4: The Illegal by Lawrence Hill

My 4th book review for Canada Reads 2016...A sad disappointment. I hope all of Canada doesn't have to suffer through it.

Book summary from Goodreads.com:

All Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland, a fictionalized country whose tyrants are eerily familiar, turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State—a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people.

There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground. He learns what it means to live as an illegal: surfacing to earn cash prizes by running local races and assessing whether the people he meets will be kind or turn him in. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped.

Set in an imagined country bearing a striking resemblance to our own, this tension-filled novel casts its eye on race, human potential, and what it means to belong.

Is it fair to expect a certain quality of writing from a writer who has delivered excellence in earlier work? I say yes. If you know what an author is capable of, then you come to expect a certain level of work. The Illegal is a great example of an author, who is clearly able to write a rich, multi faceted novel, but who opts for a quick, superficial page turner. It's contrived and simplistic. It tells the story rather than shows the reader.

Here's what I posted to Goodreads.com:

Such a disappointment from such a great author. I was expecting so much more, as I know Mr Hill can deliver on all levels when he wants to.
Is seems totally contrived, lazily written with little attempt to really develop characters and rich story lines. This is highlighted by the author inventing the country of origin for the protagonist, and inventing the land that represents freedom and safety. For me, this really undermined the entire novel, and signalled trouble right from the start.
One of the most contrived episodes happens in a popular brothel. While video taping the actions of prostitutes at work, the camera man, who is a young boy, captures footage of the country's Prime Minister engaging in lascivious actions. Rather than exploring this astounding turn of events, the author glosses over it, and leaves the reader hanging.
Mr Hill can do so much better. I expect more from him, because he is more talented that this novel would suggest. 

Inconceivable events take place without a moment's consideration. An example of this is when the
young John Falconer, is hiding with video camera in hand,  inside an armoire in brothel and the Prime Minister of the country walks in as a paying customer to be services by a prostitute. He captures the entire scene on tape and the story continues without appropriate reaction. How ridiculous.

I find it totally distracting that the author has opted to invent the country of origin of the protagonist and also invented the country that represents freedom to him--conveniently names Freedom State.

I wanted this book to end as quickly as Keita could run. I hope it doesn't win Canada Reads 2016. It's not worthy.

It's a Long Story (...And I Read it All...) by Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson...Everything You Never Really Cared to Know...And So Much More!!!

A country music icon with so many stories, he's how WN summarizes his most recent autobiography:

"What I say is that this is the story of my life, told as clear as a Texas sky and in the same rhythm that I lived it. 

It's a story of restlessness and the purity of the moment and living right. Of my childhood in Abbott, Texas, to the Pacific Northwest, from Nashville to Hawaii and all the way back again. Of selling vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias while hosting radio shows and writing song after song, hoping to strike gold. 

It's a story of true love, wild times, best friends, and barrooms, with a musical sound track ripping right through it. 

My life gets lived on the road, at home, and on the road again, tried and true, and I've written it all down from my heart to yours. 

Signed,
Willie Nelson -

Can't say that I'm a Willie Nelson fan--I've enjoyed a few of his songs along the way. I was surprised to learn just how many of the country hits have been written by him. For example; the classic, and maybe one of my top 5 songs ever "Crazy" as sung by Patsy Cline.

He's old. He's stoned. Still writing country music, and still getting thrown into jail for possession of marijuana. Has had 4 wives...at one point he was married to 2 women at the same time, but he dismisses this with a 2 line comment.

That him...WN.

He has 7 kids by 4 different wives...His son from his first marriage died, but WN offers no details, and avoids the entire discussion of his children throughout the book.

The autobiography was like an agenda recap. Tales of gigs, and troubles. However, I found this autobiography devoid of serious self reflection. It's a safe re-tell that glosses over issues that really would be interesting to explore. Compared to Keith Richard's harrowing story in his autobiography "Life", Nelson scrapes the surface and stuffs lyrics after lyrics to seemingly fill the pages.

Not recommending this one...I'm no better for having read it, and I can't get back the time it took to read!

NEXT...

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

87% Quacky Ideas.

13% Good ideas. Sort by category, not room.  Have only one spot for items. Cleaning products in one spot. Personal hygiene stocks in one spot. Designated storage spot for each child and their belongings.

Here's a taste of the crap: Socks should not be knotted. They need to rest and recover when they are not doing their job on your feet.

Shouldn't have bought this one...That's what library loans are for. I re-gifted this one to my mom. Wonder if she'll like it?...Not counting on it!

Give your Socks a Break?...Give ME a Break!!!

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

One of my bookclub selections, this book was not something that I would naturally gravitate towards. I read it over the summer as it was our September meeting's read.

This book was written by a self proclaimed introvert and it was written to make other introverts feel good about themselves. The author claims to sight all sorts of scientific studies that demonstrate the worth and strength of introverts, but her argument is a deeply flawed.  Time and time again, the author uses anecdotal examples in her argument that quiet people are not valued by today's society, and that their contributions are ignored, and neglected.

This novel is like a mini-pity party for introverts. The author claims that extroverts are more prone to alcoholism, infidelity, and dishonesty. She claims that extroverts lack self-discipline and focus.

I thought it was a novel that was written to make quiet people feel good about being quiet. Unfortunately, the author seems to enjoy putting extroverts down in the process.

It was simplistic and tiring. The reviews on Goodreads are surprisingly good...I guess all the introverts of the world came out in droves for this one!  Good luck if you want to read it!!!   

Excrement Disguised as Fiction: The Thin Woman

OK, so I'm not sure how this book made it's way to me, but I guess it has something to do with my book club's reading list for the year. Every year, we put a reading list together that draws predominantly on the Vaughan Public Library's Book Club collection. This title was chosen as an easy read that is suitable for the summer vacation season. Surprisingly, this book turned out to be a tough read, but not for good reasons!

The Thin Woman by Dorothy Cannell, is a mystery set in north England and it the story of a fat woman who stands to inherit her cousin's fortune if she looses 40 lbs in 6 months.  She is called every possible demeaning "fat girl" slander, but because it's written from her perspective, I suspect that the reader is expected to accept this offensive narrative. It is poorly written, slow moving and the plot is painfully simplistic.

When I look at other reviews by readers on Goodreads.com, I lose faith in the abilities of my fellow readers to actually distinguish between well and poorly written material.  It's shocking to find that there are people who rate this as one of their favourite novels...How is that possible? What else have they been reading? Have they spent their lives reading Harlequin Romances, and branched out to this bottom feeding pot boiler? The most disturbing review that I found was written by an adult who's high school teacher recommended this novel to her as a teenage, and that she loved it. What kind of teacher recommends crap to a young student? Don't teachers realize and appreciate the influence that they wield with their students? How could anyone recommend this novel....I suspect, only someone who has never actually read anything that's well written.

We are all free to form our own opinions, and thus I respect other reader's opinions. However, I am really concerned about how this poorly written, and ill conceived novel could ever make it onto the Book Club reading list at VPL. Of all the award winning, well written and entertaining mysteries out there, I have no idea how this could be an offering for reading groups in Vaughan.

On to better reading!!! Please.