March's Pick: On Beauty

March's Book Club selection is On Beauty by Zadie Smith.

Review: Lamb

Lamb is a clever, funny, intelligent look at the person Jesus Christ might have been. Moore fills in the gap left by the gospels, namely the 20 years between a story about Jesus teaching in the temple at age 10 and the beginning of his spiritual mission at age 30. Moore uses an unnamed disciple named Levi (who is called Biff) to provide the information. Biff is Jesus's best friend; he calls him "Josh." Biff recounts Joshua's pilgrimage to find his destiny as God's Son. The journey takes them through the Middle East, Afghanistan, China and India, all the while absorbing knowledge and preparing for his final purpose. The last part of the story unfolds as expected, with a twist or two to add extra details - for instance, Lazarus needed a couple of hours to recuperate after being raised from the dead; the smell was just too much for the disciples.

Moore handles the subject matter deftly, keeping (roughly) to the timeline of the existing texts of the gospels and adding his own touches consistent with the tone. He is neither irreverent nor disrespectful to Christians, instead suggesting what Jesus might have been like as a person. The result is an great novel. It is well written, intelligent, and engaging. He is extremely funny, but provides well-timed scenes of intensity to drive the plot forward, making for an excellent read. Highly recommended.

March's Pick: Lamb

This March, we are going to read a book that has been on the "to be read" shelf for a long while: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. I thoroughly enjoyed Fool, and I’m told that this one is his best. If the subtitle doesn't sum it up enough for you, perhaps the "Author's Blessing" will:

If you have come to these pages for laughter, may you find it.

If you are here to be offended, may your ire rise and your blood boil.

If you seek an adventure, may this song sing you away to blissful escape.

If you need to test or confirm your beliefs, may you reach comfortable conclusions.

All books reveal perfection, by what they are or what they are not.

May you find that which you seek, in these pages or outside them.

May you find perfection, and know it by name.


Check out more books at his website. It’s taken me a long time to get to this one - enjoy!

Review: Through Black Spruce

Joseph Boyden’s follow-up to critically acclaimed Three Day Road does not disappoint. Told from the point of view of alternating narrators Will Bird and his niece Annie, Boyden’s tale unfolds from end to beginning – we see the present before the past, leaving only the why. The two stories are interwoven seamlessly, each narrator providing a unique voice to the events that transpired. Will’s story is about redemption, as he finds his true self among the trees and traplines of his younger self, coming to terms with past events that set his life down a predictable and tragic path. However, he does so while in a coma, reciting the story in his dreams while his family and friends wait patiently for him to wake up. Annie tells her story to Will during solitary visits to the hospital, coming to terms with her past by reconnecting with her roots – the old traplines, the hunting cabin, the ice road. Her life is just beginning – she has yet to make any decision that cannot be remedied.
Boyden gives the physical environment a prominent role just behind the characters, making its place in the story as important as it would be in actuality to the characters. It is part of the way of life for these characters, living off the land. Annie seems most ill at ease when she’s in New York, spending money and dressing to the nines, but when she’s back in Moosonee, living in the winter cabin, trapping and hunting, she’s comfortable. Will, too: he can be ready to live off the land in a short time, settling his affairs and relying on the things he learned from his father. The title phrase “through black spruce” comes up again and again, a metaphor for many aspects of Aboriginal life, from literally returning from the bush and wilderness to experiencing personal revelation and understanding.
Boyden’s beautiful prose style only adds to the gripping story. It is a great read, and he is a great Canadian writer, taking features of the Canadian landscape such as thick spruce trees and polar bears or the effect of residential schools on the Aboriginal population and telling a poignant and forceful story. Four and a half marten pelts out of five.

March's Pick: Through Black Spruce

The poll is closed and the results are in - Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden has been selected as March's book club pick. The timing is great, as Through Black Spruce is available everywhere due to its popularity due to awards and such (it's also on sale at Chapters). Through Black Spruce follows two characters, Will and Annie, in an examination of disappearing culture: Will reminisces the past in small-town Ontario, while his niece, Annie, tests her resolve in New York, where traditions merge into ubiquitous stereotypes. Most reviewers liked this book, Quill & Quire did not, oddly. Perhaps they were worried about bandwagon-jumping. At any rate, it is our March pick: I'm expecting some heated discussion over the next few weeks.

March Picks

With only a week left of February, it's time to pick a book for March. What will it be? So far we've read three Canadian books, an American "book", an award winner, and a memoir, so what's next? A classic? Perhaps an Irish pick to celebrate St. Patrick's? Decisions! But not much time: let's get some suggestions in so we can vote and get reading. I'll set up the poll by Friday.