'2030' by Albert Brooks

2030, Albert Brooks (3.0)

The basic premise of this book is very interesting: what happens when cancer is cured, people live much longer and the population ages accordingly?  Albert Brooks looks at a possible future where the youth resent the ‘olds’ as a group that lives too long, no longer contributes, but has the voting power to keep all benefits for people their age.  How would youth react, given they can’t afford insurance, owe for their large college bills and overall appear working to pay for the care of the older citizens? Add to his premise, a major earthquake that decimates LA and you have the setting in ‘2030’.  My main issue with this book is that it’s an interesting premise, but it doesn’t seem to have a suitable resolution.  I felt a quick rush at the end to tie things up, but while the pace accelerated, the old vs young quandary remained.  Maybe I missed something? The other parallel story had to do with China’s involvement in rebuilding LA, which had an interesting path, but ignored the main issue of the aging population.

'Shadows in Flight' by Orson Scott Card

Shadows in Flight, Orson Scott Card (3.0)

While Orson Scott Card’s ‘Ender’s Game’ is a true Sci-Fi classic, I can officially say he is milking it for all it is worth.  The fact that I read this 237-page book in less than 4 hours show’s how little was actually in it.  As a continuation to the whole Ender’s series (the 11^th book??), it is more of a long chapter than a full book.  There is no doubt that Mr. Card has a very clever overall story with this series, but I was very disappointed in the brevity of plot in this installation.  It also ends with obvious room for the next chapter!  My other complaint is that, while having good long-term plot lines, his writing mechanics and style are just not comparable to really talented storywriters. I envied S. finishing Stephen King’s amazing prose in ‘11/22/63’. I’m not sure how long Mr. Card will milk the Ender families, but I’m not sure I have the patience for another short chapter.

'Then Again' by Diane Keaton

Then Again, Diane Keaton (3.5)

Of the various memoirs and autobiographies I’ve read recently, Diane Keaton’s stands out for two reasons. Firstly her focus is much more about her family, specifically her mother, with many passages from her mother’s journals included. Secondly, her humility and insecurities are a big theme and they are very believable. Many memoirs read as a who’s who and can be entertaining for that very reason.  While she give personal insights to some of her very famous co-stars in movies and life (Woody, Warren, Al), you are struck more by her focus on the every day challenges and her family relationships.  I found a lot of sensitivity in her telling of the loss of both her father and mother specifically what she regrets not having said.  As opposed to the usual Hollywood ‘tell-all’ this is a thoughtful love letter from daughter to mother.

'She's Come Undone' by Wally Lamb

She’s Come Undone, Wally Lamb (2)

Notes on the cover of this book mention ‘a touching journey’, ‘a heroine to cheer for’, and ‘an often stirring and hilarious book’.  My trouble with those accolades is that I had a hard time seeing any of it through the dark blanket of depression stifling the book.  The main character, Dolores, comes undone throughout the entire story.  It is the story of her childhood and coming of age filled with rape, bullying, abandonment, and death.  I think my main problem is that there are very good books that deal with these issues (such as ‘Push’ and ‘Lucky’), but they are clear about the depth of the subject and their darkness is obvious.  This book seemed to try to straddle the dark with humor and it felt mildly uncomfortable to me, as if it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be.  The gender of the author was not brought to my attention until I was done with the book. Oddly, given the high praise for a male author writing such a personal emotional story from a woman’s view, I have to wonder if that is why I felt such conflict, like a man in woman’s clothing?

'Cain' by Jose Saramago

Unfortunately for those of us who appreciate this Portuguese Nobel Laureate, this was his last novel as he died in 2010. Two of his most famous and profound books are 'Blindness' and 'The Cave'.

Cain, Jose Saramago (3)

Once again Jose Saramago shares his irreverent and ironic take on biblical tales, in this case the Old Testament from Adam and Eve to Noah.  He follows Cain, after he kills Abel and the Lord lets him live, albeit to wander the earth with some odd time travel apparently to allow him to interact with the big names of the Old Testament (Job, Noah, Abraham) as he would not have been their contemporary.  Throughout the book Cain points out to God, and us the Lord’s failings both in logic and in heart (such as how many innocent people died in Sodom).  Shockingly the brother killer comes across as more sympathetic than the all-knowing (and supposedly all loving) God.  If you can get beyond the sacrilegious flavor of the book, it can be very funny. I laughed out loud when Cain tried to explain to God that Noah’s ark would sink – using Archimedes’ Principle, and calling it ‘Archimedes’ Principle’!  While his playfulness with timelines such as that (also Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden and meet a bunch of other people??) keep the book from taking itself too seriously, this may be hard for anyone who holds the Old Testament with particular respect and homage.  It may be hard for them to appreciate Saramago’s style and irreverence.