Two small books

I've read two books recently that don't have a big page count. In fact, none of them reaches 200 pages, and that is why I've decided to group them in a single post. Thus, they remain registered in the diary, but to be honest I don't have much to say about them, so this post choice is handy.
I'm including the Portuguese covers of the editions I've read.

A Catastrophic Visit to the Zoo by Joel Dicker is the author's most recent release, not yet translated into English. I've literally translated the title of this small story, which I think would be best labeled as a juvenile story. Or, if readers prefer it, a story for children. The author apparently wrote it precisely for it to be read by different people, of any age. 
The plot is quite simple, the narrator Josephine shares the events of how a field trip to the zoo, organized by the school, happened after a series of other seemingly catastrophic situations. 
I cannot say this is a bad story, but it certainly wasn't what I imagined when I knew the author had writen it. True, the cover is incredibly ridiculous and should have been enough of a clue, but.... well, it was fun and I got the book at the library, so no loss to me at all, but the decision to go into it blind didn't truly pay off in this case.
Grade: 7/10

White Nights by Fiodor Dostoevsky is a novella sized story that the author originally wrote for a magazine. This book was gifted to me by a friend who loved the story and I can see why. The narrator is a dreamer, who shares his views of what it means to live in Saint Petersburg and why those who live there are special and unique and then he meets a young woman and falls in love with her, despite her telling him he shouldn't. Of course, he does, but in the five nights they meet one another to talk, she shares her story with him, which leads him to consider happiness is in their path. Things don't end up in happiness for him, though. 
I can see the point of the novel and why it is a literary jewel, but I was not convinced. As it happened with other Russian novels I tried, the writing was too moody and vague for me to really appreciate the drama of the story and the main character's stat of mind. It definitely helped this was short and I might try something else by the author one day, just to compare.
Grade: 6/10

Joel Dicker - The Final Days of Our Fathers

Portuguese cover

Comment: I have checked and it seems this book by Swiss author Joel Dicker has not been translated into English yet. Since it was his first published book, I've decided to read it, so that from now on I can try to go through the rest of his back list in order.

This is the story of a group of people who meet each other while training to become part of the Resistance forces against the Nazis. Although most are from french nationality, they all meet in England, where soldiers and officers will teach them how to infiltrate the war zones and be active in defending the Allies. While they all have specific skills and prefer certain duties, their friendship and understanding of what is at risk means they now have an eternal bond that not even love for their parents, nor death, can ever erase...

This is the third book by the author I read and, as I've said above, it's his first published book. This is not translated into English, no idea why, but it is in Portuguese and I purchased it last year at a book fair. This is not a thriller nor has a mystery oriented plot as the others I had read by him, which, I assume, most readers also expect the author's genre to be, considering most of the titles released by now. This is a book set on WWII and the content is both a dedication to one's parents and another ode to the sad state of lives lost at war...

I think this is quite an exceptional first book for any author. The story is emotional and based on a well known reality, with tales of friendship and bravery and innocents being killed unnecessarily, if one thinks any war is pointless. I had read two other books by this author, so comparing the writing seemed simple I could notice that there was improvement and change. Perhaps the change in skill is more obvious because the author only wrote thrillers after this first book - that I know of - and there's a somewhat specific set of skills for mysteries to work out, but I think it shows Joel Dicker learned from this first experience.

The plot is centered on recruits becoming part of the Resistance, training to be skilled officers in certain fields and then spies, while still maintaining their friendship throughout the war period. There are several characters to keep track of, some more than others, all with different backgrounds, different personalities and so on, but most are easy to distinguish. Of course, I've rooted more for some than others, but to be very honest, I wasn't that emotionally invested in the story.

Perhaps, in part, because the plot moves on very quickly, we are never still in any situation for long. I cannot say this is bad because I certainly would not wish to languish in the awful side of war, on the deaths or the sad parts, but it did mean the emotional involvement was also quick, and apart from a few sentences or scenes, I wasn't truly dedicated to these characters. I could easily keep reading and my only real sadness was over one of the characters' father, whom we see as frail and a little forgetful, an innocent victim somehow manipulated into thinking his son is coming to take him away.

Another detail I've found to be a little disappointing was the lack of real character development. The good guys are all great people and they are on the "right"side but even when they make understandable mistakes or act closer to realistic, I still found them all to be a little to simplistic and without much room for improvement. I think I can see what the author wanted, that war changes everyone and that good people suffer too, sometimes without taking into consideration who is left behind, but the (possible) book's message and the sometimes poetic wording were not enough to make me see it as very engaging.

The idea of clashing a war caused by men being sometimes fought by young adults and even teenagers - in life experience it might as well have been - can certainly seem unfair and unethical and I do think the author had an interesting point in trying to convey the innocence vs honor thing here, but... the result was not as well structured as it could. I wonder if, now that he has more years of writing and being successful, Joel Dicker could write this novel again, how alike it would be?

Grade: 6/10

Joel Dicker - The Enigma of Room 622

"One night in December, a corpse is found in Room 622 of the Hotel Verbier, a luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps. A police investigation begins without definite end, and public interest wanes with the passage of time.
Years later, the writer Joel Dicker, Switzerland's most famous literary ingenue, arrives at that same hotel to recover from a bad breakup, mourn the death of his longtime publisher, and begin his next novel. Little does Joel know that his expertise in the art of the thriller will come in handy when he finds himself investigating the crime. He'll need a Watson, of course: in this case, that would be Scarlett, the beautiful guest and aspiring novelist from the next room, who joins in the search while he tries to solve another puzzle: the plot of his next book.
Meanwhile, in the wake of his father's passing, Macaire Ebezner is set to take over as president of the largest private bank in Switzerland. The succession captivates the news media, and the future looks bright, until it doesn't. The bank's board, including a certain Lev Levovitch-Geneva's very own Jay Gatsby-have other plans, and Macaire's race to the top soon becomes a race against time... A matryoshka doll of a mystery built with the precision of a Swiss watch. Joel Dicker presents a diabolically addictive thriller where a love triangle, a power struggle, shocking betrayals and dangerous envy play out against the backdrop of a not so quiet Switzerland, where the truth twists and turns into something no reader will see coming. A European phenomenon, Dicker's latest page-turner is his most personal novel yet"

Comment: Months ago, I've agreed to read this book along with two other members of a GR group I belong to. We've agreed to the beginning of January and I was quite eager because I had read the author's greatest hit, which I didn't find perfect but compelling and I was curious to see if the same style would be found in a different book by the author, which it did.

In this book, the author himself is a character and he is telling us how he came to be convinced, while on holidays at the Hotel Verbier, to write the story of what happened years ago at that hotel, on room 622. The author is given room 623 and he notices there's room 621 and 621 bis, not the 622. Along with Scarlett, another client of the hotel, who recognizes him as a famous writer, they investigate why this came to be: someone had been killed in that room. The more they investigate, the more confusing the clues are regarding the members of a very important bank in Switzerland who had a huge weekend event which resulted in murder. But since the lives of everyone have moved on, will Joel and his now fellow friend Scarlett find the truth?

This is yet another big book (my edition has more than 600 pages) by the author and I've ended up thinking the exact same thing about it as I had about the other book I had read by the author, the story is addictive to read but some plot choices felt a little contrived.

The story takes place mostly in the Verbier hotel and that alone helps create a certain vibe, as if people are in a world of their own and it's easier to imagine scenarios and possible mysterious circumstances... however, as it had happened with the other book and, I assume, it's the author's style, there is a lot of going back and forth between what is happening now, described by the author and what his investigation consists of and what happened in the characters' past, which helps to conduct the reader into knowing some details but also creating certain expectations.

Portuguese cover

The whole thing works out quite well and the chapters aren't too big, meaning we get the feeling things are moving on quickly and that we turn the pages easily. But I must say there were times this alternating of the narrative moments felt a bit tiring and repetitive. Some passages felt like they were being forced on the reader too much, I had to suppose because it mattered or to reinforce an idea which would be key at the end but... it made for a few repetitive situations and that made some chapters boring.

The plot is, at its chore, truly creative. The author must have plotted and imagined things for a long while before putting things into writing, there's a lot of detail to bear in mind, too many small things, apparently mundane which end up being more important than what I anticipated. I would say, however, that when we get the final explanation, the resolution of the mystery, after many twists and counter twists, some things were a little too hard to believe. Not impossible, as the author so cleverly developed, but a bit far fetched... In a way, this is why the story works and impresses, but on the other hand, it made me think "really?"...

The characters seemed to be very predictable in some moments. I think their characterization wasn't too deep nor psychological on purpose. We are made to think their actions and decisions are based on obvious things, like being well in life, having power, having money... it does seem they aren't too complex besides easy human emotions (love, greed, desire, need, congeniality, friendships) but deep down, there's more to them after all. I can't say I liked any without reserve but I liked knowing what happened to some at the end.

The murder in the hotel, in my opinion, wasn't actually the most decisive moment of the whole thing. The author planned things in such a way that what the reader discovers now isn't a big deal, the real mystery happened for a very simple reason and the base of it wasn't as violent as one might imagine. I think the book is very easy to read and that helps but I would say that, apart from the flashy and original twists, the actual story line isn't that complicated or ingenious. It's like a good disguise: if done well, deceives one well too. 

Grade: 8/10

Joel Dicker - The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair

August 30, 1975: the day fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again; the day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence.
Thirty-three years later, Marcus Goldman, a successful young novelist, visits Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of the country's most respected writers, and to find a cure for his writer's block as his publisher's deadline looms. But Marcus's plans are violently upended when Harry is suddenly and sensationally implicated in the cold-case murder of Nola Kellergan - with whom, he admits, he had an affair.
As the national media convicts Harry, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through his mentor's books, the backwoods and isolated beaches of New Hampshire, and the hidden history of Somerset's citizens and the man they hold most dear. To save Harry, his own writing career, and eventually even himself, Marcus must answer three questions, all of which are mysteriously connected: Who killed Nola Kellergan? What happened one misty morning in Somerset in the summer of 1975? And how do you write a book to save someone's life?
A chart-topping worldwide phenomenon, with sales approaching a million copies in France alone and rights sold in more than thirty countries, The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is a fast-paced, tightly plotted, cinematic literary thriller, and an ingenious book within a book, by a dazzling young writer. 

Comment: This was quite a hyped book some time ago, especially when it was known there would be a mini-series adaptation too. I knew some friends have read it and some comments were quite positive so I stayed away from more reviews so that when I could read it, I'd go into it with no presumptions. I saw this was available at my local library and for months I looked for it until this one, when it was finally free. I had good hopes for it but being free from influences made me go clean slate and just appreciate the twists as they were revealed...

In this book we have the story of how the investigation of the disappearance of Nola Kellergen in 1975 finally has a new chance of being solved after her remains are found in the propriety of famous writer Harry Quebert.

As the country becomes more and more shocked such a beloved author is possibly guilty of her death an his prized and canon book is now considered evil for everyone realizes is was based on Harry's love interest for Nola, who was only 15 at the time to his 34, Harry's most dedicated student Marcus Goldman, now an author of his own, sets to discover the truth.

The problem is that the more Marcus uncovers from the fateful day of Nola's disappearance and all the little settings that made it happen, the more confusion he finds. Who is telling the truth about the whole affair?

I had a great time reading this book. This is a big book, in my Portuguese edition more than 600 pages but I felt I was reading full speed because the writing felt fluid and the graphic text (how the chapters were divided and so on) made it easy to turn the pages. The mystery itself was not such a surprise in this big publishing world where suspense and thriller stories present amazing twists and plots all the time but it was certainly entertaining for me.

The story is based on an investigation and how the players in current time remember what happened in those days close to the crime. This means a big part of the book is flashbacks to the past and how the characters describe what happened, why they acted a certain way, and how Marcus picks all these clues and adds the pieces to come up with a solution, especially because he has the help of one inspector from the police.

At the same time we are privy to the thoughts and doubts of Marcus and what goes on in his personal life, his own issues when it comes to write a new best seller to follow his first book, which was a huge success.

I suppose part of the appeal of this book is what has hooked me in other crime/suspense books in the recent past: how the authors mix the investigations and the stuff related to that as well as the domestic lives of the characters and their personal things. Very often the focus is so much in the crime that it could be anyone investigating but when we have a stimulating cast involved in it and we can see what is happening with them as well, for me this adds points for certain.

This said, I must add Marcus as a character was a little irritating at times. His attitude towards some situations felt really childish but we get an idea why as the story moves along and we get to know how he has behaved as a kid, then as a student and so on. It will be interesting to see in future books with him as a protagonist how his character develops (there is one more book with him as far as I've seen) but then, as an investigator and defendant of his friend and mentor Harry, he was superb in how his belief was rock solid. I guess the issue is how the author wrote some passages and it seemed to me he was made to look a bit too naive in some assumptions.

The main interest in the story is, of course, the investigation of what happened in the past because until now everyone assumed Nola has disappeared but it wasn't possible to prove she was dead.

As the story moves along we get to know many new details, some of them obviously red herrings in the big picture, but all of the clues that start to pile up make some sense. It was quite engaging how we got some surprises here and there and there is at least one big twist I didn't see coming  but when everything is finally known and explained, of course there two or three things that could only be pertaining by a severe case of extreme coincidence but whatever. 

The fact 34 year old Harry and 15 year old Nola were in love was quite the shock factor and that was why the case was even more fascinating to people as well as why it repulsed them. I must say, though, nothing explicit ever happened as I got the sense the author wanted to give this relationship that feel of platonic love, where the feeling and the love are higher aspirations for the two involved and not the carnal aspect of it. I liked how the focus was constantly changing to let the reader get new impressions as things got known and the sexual part of the story was not important at all.

Then the explanations are revealed and I finished the book with the sensation of sadness. the reason for the crime, the way it happened was only the sequence of misunderstandings and avoidable things that escalated into an impossible situation. There isn't one single shocking nor tangled factor behind the reason why Nola was killed after all. But that's life, I guess. People often exacerbate things when the cases/situations aren't immediately or easily presented. It's a lot more exciting to create an outrageous situation to "sell" rather than keep it to its minimum explanation and I think this whole plot was a bit like that: a simple mistake and misunderstanding created a crime which was exploited later on as a shock value piece without having to be.

As a whole, I liked this book even though some details, paths taken didn't seem to be the best the author could have chosen. Still, I'll try something else by the author, if the opportunity arises.

Grade: 8/10