Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
I think it's safe to say that Lionel Shriver might be one of my new favorite authors. Sorry, Rohinton, but you haven't come out with anything in years, and the whole hiding out and not writing anything isn't sexy.
The thing I love about Shriver is that she really knows people inside and out. She doesn't pretend that her characters are martyrs or overachievers or the handsomest men in all the land. In fact, far from it. The best part of her writing is how flawed she makes each of her characters. In a book about a mother writing about her son who opens fire on his high school, you can't help but flaw your characters. We Need to Talk About Kevin was one of the most riveting books I've had the pleasure of reading. I finished at my desk at work during lunch and after I read the book, I remember breathing out, "huh" closing the book, sliding it away from me and staring at the cover for the next 10 minutes until someone came by to jar me from my thoughts.
The Post-Birthday World wasn't as taxing, in a sense; it wasn't about manslaughter, but about a woman who is tempted to have an affair, and at the same time isn't tempted. The book continues in two halves; one chapter where she does go for it and one where she doesn't and stays with her partner of 10 years. It's unbelievable the way she unwraps each storyline, the way each simple decision impacts something else you never would have thought would have been touched by that. Lionel Shriver is a genius, a true storyteller. I can't wait to tackle her other books which were born before Kevin.
The thing I love about Shriver is that she really knows people inside and out. She doesn't pretend that her characters are martyrs or overachievers or the handsomest men in all the land. In fact, far from it. The best part of her writing is how flawed she makes each of her characters. In a book about a mother writing about her son who opens fire on his high school, you can't help but flaw your characters. We Need to Talk About Kevin was one of the most riveting books I've had the pleasure of reading. I finished at my desk at work during lunch and after I read the book, I remember breathing out, "huh" closing the book, sliding it away from me and staring at the cover for the next 10 minutes until someone came by to jar me from my thoughts.
The Post-Birthday World wasn't as taxing, in a sense; it wasn't about manslaughter, but about a woman who is tempted to have an affair, and at the same time isn't tempted. The book continues in two halves; one chapter where she does go for it and one where she doesn't and stays with her partner of 10 years. It's unbelievable the way she unwraps each storyline, the way each simple decision impacts something else you never would have thought would have been touched by that. Lionel Shriver is a genius, a true storyteller. I can't wait to tackle her other books which were born before Kevin.
