When the shortlist for the Tournament of Books was posted in January, I had read exactly zero of the sixteen books listed. That’s right. 2011 was evidently not a good reading year for me. Seeing as how I tend to ruminate as I read, there’s no chance that I will finish all of the books before the judging begins March 7. I read on regardless. Once more unto the breach and all that. I’ve finished three of the books so far.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
I started with State of Wonder mainly because the hype around the book suggests that it has a good chance to go far in the tournament. It is a modern Heart of Darkness-style journey into the jungle by a middle aged pharmacologist to find an elusive doctor working on a wonder drug for her pharmaceutical company. The pharmaceutical company wants to know when they will see a return on investment. Though the concept borrows from Conrad, the details and Patchett’s prose are original enough to make the journey-into-the-dark-in-order-to-find-one’s-self all new and interesting. The setting and atmosphere are engrossing. There were a few too many deus ex machina, but that is typical in adventure stories. Overall, I enjoyed the book.
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
I never imagined reading a literary book about baseball, campus life, and literature. Of course, The Art of Fielding isn’t really about baseball, campus life, and literature. It just uses those things as metaphors for life… or something. There were parts of this book that I enjoyed, but overall it just felt overly contrived and way… too… long. As a former high school coach, I can say I have never met a baseball player who would be accepting of a openly gay teammate who reads books in the dugout with a booklight on his cap. It just wouldn’t happen. The book seems to move between wanting to be a satire and a serious drama. Overall, I thought it was likeable but uneven. It’s paired against Open City in the first round, and then it will likely face The Marriage Plot. I haven’t read Green Girl or The Marriage Plot, so I’m making that assumption based solely on Eugenides’ reputation. As always, much depends on the TOB judges.
The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht
Of the three contenders I have read so far, I like The Tiger’s Wife the best. As the protagonist, Natalia, searches for meaning in the circumstances of her grandfather’s death and his love of tigers, she finds a mix of stories within stories, folktales, Balkan history, and a cast of intriguing characters. It becomes difficult to tell what really happened and what has been imagined through time and lore. I think it is a beautiful book. I’m afraid its downfall in the tournament may be a judge who doesn’t like the fable and allegorical qualities of the book and would rather choose something grounded in realistic circumstances. The Tiger’s Wife faces The Stranger’s Child in the first round.
I’m working on The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes now.
