A (Sort of) Book Review (#2)

The cover of a book that I am reading. 

Tonight's post will be a review of two recent books, but only sort of, because I am going to focus on my experience of reading more than the books themselves. My apologies. However, if you have been reading this blog, you know that I struggle to consume fiction on a regular basis, despite my love for it. Therefore, that I finished a book in three days, and working on a second one, is more important.

It began with a trip to the library, and a simple mission: find a work of fiction! However, I had three rules. Nothing considered a classic. No titles from my reading list. And only one book. In the end, I kept two of those three restrictions. 

Last Monday afternoon, I left the library with two books.  The first I discovered among the general fiction. It was on the thinner side, part of a trilogy, and based on a historical period. While perusing the inside cover, I discovered a connection which motivated me to select it. The author, Diana Gabaldon, had written a bestseller, Outlander, a favorite of a good friend. Since I have been putting off that novel (it is sitting on my Kindle, unread), something in my mind suggested reading one of her shorter works. So, I grabbed Lord John and the Private Matter, which is based on a character from the Outlander series, and headed out.

Unfortunately, some of my childhood habits are rooted deeply in my unconscious. Memories of leaving a library with a pile of thick tomes filled my mind. A single book was not enough. On the way out stood a display of new fiction. One of the covers caught my eye. It was black and white, with a tall, thin ballerina-like figurine posing, her reflection repeated to her left and above. The title was Y/N by Esther Yi. It is her first published work. More importantly, like the one in my hand, it was a slim book.

For the record, I am partial towards voluminous writings. However, this time, I made an exception. My goal was to get myself reading fiction again. Afraid that beginning with a long, complex story and discovering it a slog, would put me off, I settled for simple and short. Well, Lord John and the Private Matter satisfied the criteria. I read it in three straight days. Y/N? Not so much. Although, I am still glad I chose it.

Again, this post is a sort of book review. To satisfy your curiosity, dear reader, I will give a brief reaction to both books. Gabaldon delivered an entertaining and informative work of historical fiction. Although the story moved along quickly, it was at a formulaic and shallow pace. Yet, I still wanted to discover how the story ends. As for the ending, while it wrapped up most loose ends, and left enough for the next installment, it felt like an info dump. However, I did appreciate the historical references, particularly to an element of 18th century London society unfamiliar to me--the author had done her research. In the end, it scratched an itch, and got me excited about reading fiction again. Whether I continue to read the series, is still up in the air. (Oh, if this review sounds formulaic and shallow, well, that was the intent.) 

Now for Esther Yi and her debut novel. For the record, I have only read the first ten pages of this two-hundred page book. Will I finish it? I am not sure. But, for the moment, I have not given up. Y/N refers to a genre of fanfic, in which the author puts "[Your Name]" or "Y/N" throughout the piece, instead of an actual character's name. Yeah, not my thing at all. Fortunately, this novel is not written that way. However, it is first person, and the narrator uses wordy, convoluted sentences. She also sounds pretentious. Her roommate calls her out early on, so I have been forgiving. And did I mention, it starts off about a young woman falling for a K-Pop bandmember after she swore off the idea? Yes, I am referring to that Korean cultural phenomenon that took the world by storm. {Also, it is not lost on me that I tend to use long sentences, speak of complex ideas, and perhaps sound a bit pretentious...) So, at the moment, I am not sure whether the author is cleverly presenting something deep and thought provoking, and I am expected to peel away the layers. Or, if this is just the author's style of writing. At least it is motivating me to read on and find out.

In the end, I am reading fiction and enjoying it, again. I need something to offset all the non-fiction I consume (I am currently working on Our Savage Neighbors: How Indian War Transformed Early America by Peter Silver--yes, I am finding it riveting). Also, exposing myself to different styles and genres of fiction will help my own writing (in addition the above mentioned history book, I am reading a large anthology of essays by published writers covering all aspects of storytelling). Finally, I could use the escape it brings--losing yourself in someone else's world--and how it inspires me to write my own.