Tag: fiction

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Sunday Spotlight: The Fountainhead

A few days ago, I was talking to someone about The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and how it was bound to be appealing to men even though it has been written by a woman. The book is widely considered groundbreaking and presents a new philosophy called Objectivism, which while panned by academic philosophers, is still followed by a faithful group.

The Fountainhead itself is a book that is more likely to be read by a younger audience, during college years, and early career, when it seems like the ideal text to follow. As they grow older and become more worldly, this idealism seems to fade from the minds of these readers. It is not so easy to read this book once you have left behind your student life. The text is too long and too slow, and the theories too idealist for the real world.

The book traces the life of Howard Roark, architect extraordinaire, and an egoist to boot. He is reviled for his ideas and integrity, and the world in general seems to be baffled by his genius. From humble beginnings, he becomes an architect known for being forward looking, while at the same time he is persecuted by the society for being rigid and unyielding on his principles.

Roark is wired in such a way that he believes that in order to do the most good, a person needs to be the most selfish. This selfishness is the only way to achieve happiness and contentment in life. For him, selfishness is giving precedent to his happiness and not what others think of him. A person wants fame and money because of an unnatural need to be validated in front of the world. According to him, if he changes his work to make others happy, then he is not being true to himself, and if everyone tried to make themselves happy instead of listening to others, the world would be a better place for it.

The Fountainhead presents the ultimate hero, one who is not willing to compromise, even if it means paying hefty fines, going to jail, or losing the one true love of his life to his biggest enemy. We have seen many versions of this hero over the years, both in books and movies; the man who is not afraid to take on the world for the sake of his principles. The only difference is, that these other heroes are all eventually revealed to be altruistic and philanthropic, redeeming themselves in the eyes of society and mankind.

The Fountainhead puts forth the philosophy that an ideal heroic man is one whose purpose in life is to keep himself happy, and his nobility lies, not in doing good for others, but in being productive and useful to himself. It presupposes all humans as rational beings capable of sound reasoning.

On paper, this sounds like the perfect world, more so to the younger reader who immediately casts himself or herself in the role of Howard Roark, standing up for what is right and just in their eyes. What it doesn’t account for, and what these young men and women learn as they grow older, is that it is next to impossible to keep their emotions separate from their reason.

So, while Roark looks like the ultimate hero, who sacrifices his only love for the sake of his principles, it remains subjective which principles to uphold; because every individual has a different moral compass. What is sacred to one man may not be important for another.The drawback of going against collectivism is that it refutes all laws and regulations. By the same token, if everyone started standing up, and there was no compromise in the world, there would ultimately be chaos.

So, it could be that while Howard Roark has some principles that he will fight for till death, why should his principles be important for any other individual, who wants to succeed in his own field? In the real world, this philosophy seems too good to be true, for the simple reason that not all individuals are strong in character. In the book, however, Howard Roark remains the ideal man, a man willing to go to any lengths to uphold his beliefs and not surrendering his convictions in the face of adversity.

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Review: The Chalk Man

Rating: 5 Stars

Finally, a crime thriller that I could really sink my teeth into! The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor is different in that it has a male protagonist and narrator. I have really become disillusioned with crazy females doing crazy shit, trying to become Amy Dunne! Here we have a middle-aged man, battling with his own demons, trying to appear as normal as possible, and failing to do so.

Eddie Adams is a British twelve-year-old in 1986, hanging out in his small town with his four friends, when their lives are changed irrevocably. A new albino teacher, Mr. Halloran, with the help of Eddie, saves the life of a girl after a freak accident at the fair, and from there it all starts unraveling fast as summer fades into autumn and the beginning of the new school year.

Eddie’s mom is a doctor and her newly opened clinic earns the wrath of the local vicar, who happens to be the father of one of Eddie’s group of friends. The vicar is a nasty man, whose own daughter seems to be scared of him. Eddie’s dad gets into a fight with the vicar at a birthday party and things become tense in a previously sleepy town.

The children, aware of the new tensions, spend most of their time trying to get the most out of the remaining summer. This includes coming up with a secret code to send each other messages with. The code involves making different symbols and stick figures with coloured chalk. each of them has a different coloured chalk so they can figure out who sent what message. Soon, however, they tire of this game and move on to other pursuits.

As things become worse in the town, the final blow comes when the dismembered body of a girl is discovered, with her head missing. The main suspect is Mr. Halloran. Eddie is sure of his innocence even as his normally easy-going parents think otherwise. As the police close the case, everyone thinks that things will finally go back to normal.

Thirty years later, Eddie Adams is a middle-aged, single, English teacher with a drinking problem, still living in his hometown. He gets a letter with a piece of chalk. The letter has a stick figure drawn on it. Memories of that long ago summer have left their scars on everyone, and it all starts coming back to Eddie now. When an old friend’s drowned body is found, Eddie realizes that things did not end thirty years ago, and he has to find the truth before another body turns up. The problem is that he cannot trust anyone, not even his closest friends, because everyone in this town has a secret to keep.

The character of Eddie Adams is interesting. The way he narrates the book, you know you shouldn’t trust him along with anyone else in this book. That he is a kleptomaniac, is established early on in the book. On top of that, he is a sleepwalker who has trouble differentiating between his dreams and reality. And his dreams are really creepy. He is flaky and vague, and is in no way a reliable narrator.

The book is fast paced and gripping. It makes you hold your breath and wait for what comes next. There are so many twists and turns that take you by surprise. Even if you’re able to predict some things, there is still a lot that makes you feel dizzy. For a fan of thrillers, this book is the perfect read. It made me remember why I love this genre so much!

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Review: The Immortalists

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin is the sort of book that I hardly ever pick up to read. From all the reviews and pictures on Instagram, I was somehow under the impression that it was a fantasy novel! Yeah, I know. That’s how closely I read all the reviews! Actually, when there is so much noise around a particular book, I try to avoid reading it until it has all died down. The only problem with resisting this book was its cover. I am totally, completely in love with this cover. I can truthfully say that this is one book that I judged by its cover!

The story starts in 1969, when the four Gold siblings Varya, Daniel, Klara, and Simon decide to visit a fortune-teller. There are rumours that this woman can tell the date of your death. The siblings enter her place one by one, and when they come out, nothing is the same ever again.

The narrative spans from 1978 to 2010 as it follows the four siblings, all of them transformed by that one afternoon at the fortune-teller’s. Life takes them all on different paths when their father dies suddenly and they are faced with the question of mortality. Simon and Klara run away to San Francisco, while Daniel and Varya are left behind to take care of their mother.

Simon, who is the youngest and has not even finished high school, becomes a dancer and loses himself in the hedonistic world of San Francisco in the early 80s. His mother, who is already reeling from her husband’s death, is left stunned when her youngest and most favourite child runs away.

Klara, who has always wanted to be a magician, struggles to find a foothold in a business dominated by men. Her struggles to find her place in the world and to keep her demons away lead her to Las Vegas where she dreams of making it big.

Daniel, stays firm on his chosen path, studies medicine, gets married, and goes on to become a doctor in the army in the 2000s. However, even his practicality cannot stop him from regretting the afternoon when he convinced his siblings to go and see the fortune-teller.

Varya, the oldest and the most studious, has to stay at home looking after her mother after Simon runs away. Eventually, she studies science and goes into longevity research, becoming obsessed with finding the secret to immortality.

The conflict between religion and science, faith and proof, is a recurring theme in the book, as all the four children question the faith of their devout Jew parents. It also raises the question of whether the choices you make can change your fate. It tells the story of how sometimes the lines can blur between illusion and reality, and how there are some things that defy explanation. Above all, it is an ode to all siblings, close or strained, who are tied together by an invisible bond of blood.

I love reading books about siblings, because they remind me of my own relationships. My bond with my siblings is something that I hold very dear. This book gives rise to so many conflicting emotions, that you cannot help but feel emotionally drained at the end. I might not agree with a lot of things in the book, but that is only because of my own background and prejudices. For me, this was a superlative read. Oh, and one extra star for that gorgeous cover!
Fair warning: This book has religion, atheism, sexism, racism and homo sexuality. It is an unforgettable book if read with an open mind, and a mine of controversy if read with preconceived notions. It is not for anyone who gets offended by a non-conforming view of religion, or finds homosexuality an affront to their sensibilities.

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Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Rating: 4 Stars

Some books make you think long and hard about what you want to say about them, and it seems impossible to find the words to do them justice. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, is one such book. It made me laugh with its wit and sarcasm, while making me sad at the same time. The mark of a good book is that it makes you think and doesn’t leave you even after you have finished reading it. This is one of those books.

Eleanor Oliphant has no friends, no social skills, and no ambition. She says whatever comes into her mind without any filters, and sarcasm comes as naturally to her as breathing. Her life is fine and she doesn’t know that there is something better than just “fine”. She has had the same job for the last nine years, and she has no plans of going anywhere. Then one day, she sees the man she knows she is destined to marry, and decides to change things so that she can have the family she always wanted.

Alas, her computer decides to give up on her the next day, and she meets Raymond, an unkempt, unfit, smoker with no sense of dressing. Eleanor is ready to forget about him and carry on with her plans, when an old man, Sammy, collapses on the street and Eleanor and Raymond help get him to the hospital. This starts a chain of events that take Eleanor on a completely different path and change her life forever.

Raymond, with his casual clothes, running shoes, and cigarette stink, is the first person to befriend Eleanor and show her how it takes just one good friend to turn your life from fine, to better than fine. Raymond’s kindness and friendship lead Eleanor to finally face the demons she has been running from and realize that she too can move forward in the world.

Eleanor’s struggles with becoming “normal” are what provide the biggest laughs, as does her vocabulary, which is so extensive that I had to look up a few of the words myself. Her way of talking and explaining things left me reeling most of the time. The sarcasm is cutting and on point; and her exasperation with the human race in general, amusing. I think Eleanor Oliphant may well become one of my favourite fictional characters.

However, all through the book you can feel the spectre of Eleanor’s past and how it has shaped her, and you cannot help but feel heavy-hearted. You feel sad for this girl raised in foster homes, with no family to turn to. She doesn’t have any social graces because she wasn’t taught any. There was no one to tell her how to be social, or how to make friends, or even how to expect better from her life. She has some deep scars, both physical and psychological, that have never been healed.

Even with all the baggage, once you get to know her, you cannot help but like her. With her, what you see is what you get. As she interacts with Raymond, Raymond’s mom, Sammy, Sammy’s family and her office colleagues, she realizes that she too can have a life that is better than “fine”. She is after all Eleanor Oliphant and she is a survivor.

An enjoyable, emotional book. A must-read in my opinion.

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