Best Reads of 2011

Yes, this is another “best of” list and, either due to my own sense of importance (it’s my blog, humor me) or due to the fact that these books are fabulous, I am adding my list to the rest of those floating around the blogosphere.

So, without further ado, here are my favorite reads of 2011.

The Memory Palace by Mira Bartók is a moving memoir detailing Mira’s relationship with her mentally ill mother. Not only is this a creative and beautifully written story, it is one that contains the most haunting and emotionally accurate death scene that I have ever read. While other scenes depicting the death of loved ones may seem empty or tinged with insincerity, Bartók’s writing is genuine and this scene, in particular, cuts to the core of human emotion.

 

 

Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster is a rich, perfectly crafted story. The two aspects of this story that really shine are the dialogue and the balance of emotions. The book is funny, it’s dark, it’s romantic, and it is the kind of book that can be interpreted in so many different ways. Better yet, it is a book that does not get bogged down in its themes.

 

 

 

Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness was an instant favorite. Not only is this book the first science fiction story that I have read, it is one that speaks more to human nature than any other book I’ve come across–and the characters are not all human! The understanding, compassion, love, and courage of the characters, human and alien, are nearly tangible.

 

 

 

 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is one of those books that makes you look up and go “What?!” Not only does Ishiguro insert a shocking sub-culture, for lack of a better word, into modern society, his writing is so organic that he tricks you into believing it is possible! This is one of those stories that sticks with you long after you read the last page.

 

 

 

 

I fell in love with Graham Greene after reading only one page of The End of the Affair. This book is reflective without sacrificing its pace, it is driven by both the thoughts and the actions of its characters. I didn’t review this book because, quite frankly, I didn’t have time, but it is a must read and instantly became one of my favorites. I was also intrigued by the religious nature of the book and the idea that, in order to hate God, He must exist.

 

 

 

More of a contemporary novel than the classic titles that have so far dominated the list, Juliette Fay’s Deep Down True is fabulous because it is real. This story presents real people who have real problems. They are not exaggerated, overblown problems; they are problems that people face every day. I love the honesty of this story, which is written beautifully.

 

 

 

Wunderkind by Nikolai Grozni is a book that I really savored. Writing about music is not easy, but Grozni made me want to learn the piano. Not only are his characters interesting, they are unique. The actual writing is fluid, it is beautiful, and it puts words to the feelings that music evokes without seeming contrived. Basically, it is an honest, organic story that highlights the contrast between gorgeous music and the difficulties of living in communist Bulgaria.

 

Margaret George’s Elizabeth I does more than simply retell the story of Queen Elizabeth–it brings her to life. I love the many sides of Elizabeth that this story portrays, from her political attitudes to her reflections on love, loss, and the future. There was one scene in particular, when she was looking through her jewels deciding which to sell to keep England afloat, that really brought life to her character.

 

 

Love and Shame and Love by Peter Orner is a series of snapshots over several generations of the Popper family. These snapshots are often short, sometimes sad, sometimes funny, but always striking. Orner’s writing is superb and I did not want to put this book down.

Wunderkind: Brilliance

As someone who was a musician and now is a writer, I have always craved a book that could marry the deep emotions of the two in a way that does not seem pompous. Talking about music is difficult, as any musician can tell you when they try to describe what they feel during a concert, when they finally nail a passage that has been eluding them for days, or when the curtain drops and they realize that it’s over. In Wunderkind, Nikolai Grozni captures these emotions perfectly while weaving in the oppression and dullness of living in communist Bulgaria.

Polar opposites, Grozni’s musical world, encapsulated within the Sophia Music School for the Gifted, foils the gray, cold environment that lies beyond its walls. Wunderkind tells the story of Konstantin, a 15-year-old piano student that is quickly growing up in a world that demands perfection and conformity. A free spirit, Konstantin has a difficult time functioning in both the emotionally and physically promiscuous world of the Music School and the structured world that lies beyond it. After years of practicing his piano, of living within the emotions piqued by the greatest composers in the world’s history, Konstantin still has a difficult time letting these emotions into his own life away from the bench, as he is isolated in a society that shows no love and only scant loyalty among those he deems intelligent enough to deserve it.

Cover and Title: Both the cover and the title are perfect. A “wunderkind” is a child prodigy, which Konstantin certainly is. Capable of understanding the emotions that his music brings to life, yet incapable of finding these same emotions in his own everyday existence, readers may quickly forget that Konstantin is only a teenager. Obviously forced to mature well beyond his years, Konstantin is a wunderkind not only in that he can play the piano like a virtuoso, but that he understands the nature of the ugly world in which he lives. The cover is fantastic; simple yet capturing the isolation that Konstantin endures, it is a wonderful representation of the story and is interesting enough to catch  the attention of those browsing the shelves of their favorite bookstore.

Characterization: Wunderkind contains relatively few main characters, as Konstantin rarely makes an emotional connection with anyone outside of his small group of friends (and his connections with these people seem relatively shallow). However, the growth of Konstantin is clearly evident in both his playing and his understanding of the people around him. His growth is not positive, it carries with it a sad sense of corruption, of innocence lost in vain, but that is what so clearly defines him as a character who understands more than the average person his age. There are two other characters, Irina and Vadim, that also understand more deeply than their peers.

Plot: Moved more by the growth of Konstantin, of his understanding of his music and his awakening to the harsh realities of the world, the plot is based more on ideas that are pushed along by events, rather than large events that spark ideas. Sometimes I found it a bit difficult to remember what age Konstantin was, or what year in school he was, but these small hiccups in an otherwise wonderful narrative did not at all detract from the beauty of the story and of the writing itself.

Writing: When I first opened the book, I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive. I have never read a book about music that doesn’t fall flat in some way, that doesn’t miss one of the many dimensions that music presents. I am amazed at how thoroughly and beautifully Grozni is able to bring the world of music and the world of words into the same space and arrange them into a harmonious narrative. To say that the writing is inspiring is a borderline insult– throughout the entire novel I wanted to learn to play the piano, to feel what Konstantin felt as his hands flew over the keys.

Through his writing, Grozni has shown himself to be a wonderful craftsman, a talented author, and a brilliant musician. Not only does he capture the beauty of both music and literature, he does so in a way that tells a complete story, that conveys the oppression of life behind the Iron Curtain, and that will keep readers focused on the tension between the reprieve that music brings a wounded soul and the dangers that the soul faces once the curtain drops.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.