The Gate House by Nelson DeMille

I just finished The Gate House, Nelson DeMille’s long awaited sequel to The Gold Coast. It was slower paced than some of his other novels, especially the ones with John Corey in them, but it was still a relatively good story. Honestly I think he probably could have sped things up a bit and made the book a bit shorter (it clocks in at 688 pages) but I never really felt that this story was dragging. Anyway, this book picks up 10 years after John Sutter’s wife, Susan, had killed her Mafioso lover, Frank Bellarosa. After sailing around the world and then moving to London, John returns to Long Island to settle some business for a longtime client and finds himself living in the Gate House of Stanhope Hall and neighbor to his ex-wife. And who else should have moved in nearby but Anthony Bellarosa, Frank’s son, the new head of the Bellarosa crime family. John and Susan begin to explore the thought of reconciling but there are some things in their way. First, Susan’s parents, the Stanhope’s, hate John and will do anything to keep them apart. Second, and perhaps most importantly, Anthony Bellarosa has a score to settle with Susan for killing his father. Like I said before, the plot meanders a bit getting to the violent and somewhat obvious conclusion, but you’ll enjoy the journey.

Beside a Burning Sea by John Shors

After reading Beneath a Marble Sky a few months ago, my book club was very eager to try out John Shors’ new book, Beside a Burning Sea. Unfortunately, it definitely didn’t grab us the way the first book did. This one is also historical fiction, set in the South Pacific during WWII and tells the story of the sinking of the Benevolence, an American hospital ship. Only nine people survive the sinking grueling swim to a nearby island; Annie and Isabelle, sisters and nurses on the ship; Joshua, the captain and Isabelle’s husband; Akira, a wounded Japanese soldier; Roger, Nathan and Jake, crewmembers; and Ratu, an 11-year old stow away. During the swim to the island, Akira risks his life to save Annie to ensure that she and Isabelle make it to shore. Once on shore, the group of stragglers forms a makeshift camp and tries to avoid drawing unfriendly attention. The overall theme of the story is a good one, but it seems to have lost something in the practical application – the ‘bad’ characters are completely evil and the ‘good’ characters are noble and true. Everyone is so one dimensional and the love story between Akira and Annie is too saccharine. I also didn’t like the Haiku’s throughout the story; I felt it was all too contrived. And if my opinion isn’t enough for you, the book club agreed. Pass on this one, but definitely check out his first.

Novels set in Iran

My previous post covered Afghanistan, so I thought this one could cover Iran.

The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
Isaac Amin, a gem trader, is arrested at work by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards one day in September. His crime? Being Jewish in a country that is becoming more and more fanatically muslim. As Isaac languishes in jail, worried about his family and forced to watch the torture and murder of his fellow prisoners, his wife, Farnaz, struggles to keep their family from going under. Shirin, their young daughter, steals files from a friends home to keep other men out of prison, while in Brooklyn, their sond Parviz struggles to make ends meet and falls in love with the daughter of his Hasidic landlord. The dialogue is a little wooden but the story is nicely told. The end was a little too neatly wrapped up for me, but it didn't take away from the overall plot.

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi.
Azar Nafisi is a brave woman - after resigning from her position as University of Tehran professor, she invited seven of her brightest students to attend a weekly lecture on Western Literature at her home. Only women were invited and since the books they were reading had been banned by the oppressive Iranian government, they were forced to keep their meetings secret and often had to share photocopied pages of the banned books. Through Azar, we come to know her students, not revealed by name so as not to face punishment under Islamic rule. For two years this group met and debated the implications and realities of living under Islamic rule as well as the daily struggle to avoid harassment by the "morality guards." And we also learn a little about each of the novels they chose to read. Some of these are old favorites and you will
enjoy the refresher, others will prompt you to go out and get the book for yourself.

Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner
I don't know if there is anyone who hasn't read this book at this point but I'm going to review it, and recommend it, anyway. The Kite Runner is about Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman, and Hassan, the son of their servant. When they two boys are young, they are inseparable; they
spend their time running kites, spinning stories and being children. Until one day when their bond is broken forever by a horrific act. As Afghanistan becomes more and more unstable, Amir and his father flee to America, but Amir is still haunted by his old friend. It is his quest for forgiveness that causes him to seek out his friend, years later, and return to an Afghanistan that is now under Taliban rule. This book is so compelling and the characters so richly developed, that it is sometimes hard to remember that this is not a memoir. It will probably make you cry and will most definitely stay with you.

A Thousand Splendid Suns
From the author of The Kite Runner comes A Thousand Splendid Suns, also set in Afghanistan but this is the story of two women, Mariam and Laila, the wives of Rasheed. Mariam is forced to marry the 40-year old Rasheed when she is only 15 years old; always a cruel man, he becomes more and more vicious as the years pass and she fails to produce an heir. Eighteen years later, he brings home and marries 14-year old Laila, whose parents have been killed by rocket fire. Forced together, Mariam and Laila join forces against Rasheed, whose systematic beatings were
condoned and blessed by Islamic Law. The novel really gives you insight into such an extremely patriarchal society, where women are completely dependent on their fathers, husbands and sons. The story is so sad but also so powerful and while it wont leave you with the most positive view
of Afghanistan, it will help you realize how strong and resilient the Afghani people are.

The Fire - Katherine Neville

I promised a review of The Fire when I reviewed The Eight and here it is! This novel picks up 30 years after The Eight and is told in two narratives, one set in the 1820's and the other in the 1990's. When we first meet Alexandra, Xie, the daughter of Cat Velis and Alexander Solin, she is a 12 year old chess prodigy who lost an extremely important match due to Amaurosis Scacchistica, also known as Chess Blindness. She is given a second chance with a rematch opportunity in Russia but the game never takes place as her father is murdered after a startling discovery. 10 years later, Alexandra is summoned to her estranged mother's place in Colorado for a birthday party. When she arrives, she discovers that not only has her mother vanished but she left behind a complex series of clues, including a chessboard set up to mimic the last game Xie ever played. With the help of a cast of characters including her best friend, Key, her Basque boss, and some old favorites like Dr. Ladislaus Nim and Lily Rad. The story isn't as complex as The Eight, although that may have more to do with the fact that we now know what the Montglane Service is capable of and how dangerous it can be, but it is still enjoyable. It's fast paced and while it helps to have read The Eight, it isn't required. Although I didn't love this novel like I did The Eight, I was still entertained and would encourage you to read it.