Argo Bookshop

Hard Rain Falling. Don Carpenter. An NYRB Book In the Argo Catalog.

Who amongst us has never fought an institution? Who has never despaired at the injustice of a grade they received from a teacher that just didn’t understand? Who has not howled as they watched their friends destroyed by the madness of society? who, in short, has not raged against the machine? Mr. Carpenter’s is a gritty book. It is a book about how where you start life can truly be unfair. There are certain beginnings that are excessively difficult to overcome. At the heart of this novel is the question of freedom in society.

The main character, Mr. Levitt, fights against society, and so do his acquaintances (one would be hard-pressed to call them friends). They are a group that start behind the eight ball in life and soon find themselves hustling at pool halls. Their anger and their stubbornness cost them a great deal over their lives. Yet we know they are just being true to themselves. It is hard to know if that counts for much when the characters are in prison or involved in hateful relationships.

What strikes me about this novel is that the characters are mostly bad people, selfish and unable to adjust to society, and yet I want things to work out for them.  I have been in situations where I fought systems, I do not think I have ever won. Even so I would not change my position (tactics is another question). By staying true to my stubborn self I have attempted to avoid condoning acts or systems that I find abhorrent. This of course, has cost me some advantages  in life. I think it has worked out for me so far. It is an interesting trick Mr. Carpenter uses in order to get the reader to side with his characters.

This is a clever novel about an interesting question we all face from time to time. Its insights are mediocre, it will not solve any of your problems or answer your questions, and likely will not change you in any meaningful way; but it will show you that many people face dilemmas and it might make you feel good about how you face yours.

Light Lifting. Alexander Macleod. In the Argo Catalog.

Alexander has some pretty big shoes to fill. Him writing is like the Trudeau boy going into politics, it seems like a good idea, it seems like his childhood likely to have prepared him somewhat for the lifestyle. And yet, it is not such a good idea because the expectations are rather high. I mean, it is not like Eli and Peyton Manning whose father was a mediocre NFL quarterback on a less than average team. We are talking about Peyton’s son trying to be an NFL QB. It is asking for trouble. As I read the book I tried to ignore the hype and just consider the book for what it is. I think it is a book that demonstrates his youth as a writer and shows a lot of promise.

The stories that make up the book are very uneven. The first and last are far superior to the others. Light Lifting itself is sort of a let-down of a story, I am not sure why it was deemed the title story. The stories, even the better ones, tend to ramble on much longer than was needed or necessary. I suspect every one of them would benefit from a 25% culling in size. There are blissfully profound lines but they are simply to few and far between, an experienced writer would have recognized the strengths and played off them better.

There are several stories in the book that are very boring, exactly the sort of pedestrian stuff that CanLit haters love to mock. I am not sure why this is on the Giller list. Maybe one day he will win one but not with this set of stories (I hope). I have read superior collections of short stories that are more interesting, more exciting, demonstrating a greater grasp of literary writing, a clearer vision of the world and offering better/deeper insights into human nature by young Canadian writers. Macleod hints towards this but gets stuck in a conservative CanLit format/feeling. He is like a caterpillar that has partly left the cocoon, I hope he makes it the rest of the way with his next book, which I will certainly read.

Friday, Oct. 29 L.S. Cattarini speaks on What Is Future Therapy?, 8 p.m. This event is free. His book will be on sale for only 10$ during the event.

Hi

Argo is proud to have many patrons that are involved in our community. One of them is Patrick Barnard. Embedded below is a report of his regarding several urban developments taking place in near the shop. I hope you enjoy it.

City of Tranquil Light. Bo Caldwell. In the Argo Catalog.

This book caught my attention because I found the title to be haunting. My grandfather passed away recently and I have a 6 month old son that does not feel the need to sleep at night and so I was attracted to a book that had the word tranquil in the title. At times I feel like George Costanza’s father yelling to the sky “Serenity now!” That is an emotion the characters of Caldwell’s novel know well. The book is about two German-Americans who leave their Mennonite homes in America for the unknown lands of China where they will spread the word of the Lord. Caldwell’s grandparents were such a couple and the story was triggered by reading their diaries from the time.

Caldwell did plenty of research reading many memoirs by missionaries and leafing through many histories of China to make sure he got things right. The novel however is at heart a love story.  Will and Katherine love their god, that is why they have met in China. They quickly fall in love with each other and the land and wind up spending most of their adult lives in China. The book follows their love through the trials of living a very dangerous land. China at the turn of the century was home to many war lords, revolutions and anti-foreign sentiments. Regardless of the hardships they managed to build a life there.

Caldwell weaves a good story full of characters that are enjoyable. This is not great literature, the characters are pretty standardized; there are good ones, bad ones and bad ones turned good. The characters are part of amazing moments in history and adventures that seem far-fetched and yet we suspect are true. The book is a reminder of the power of love and the power of living by ones beliefs. It is a book I think my grandmother would enjoy reading at the moment. Hauntingly sad but loving and purposeful this novel is for you if you like historical fiction or tender love stories.

The Ninth. Beethoven and the world in 1824. Harvey Sachs. In the Argo Catalog.

If you read this blog regularly you will be aware that I like books on music. While I have not been educated in music and would be reluctant to call myself anything but the lowest read amateur of music appreciation as I read this book I wondered what it could possibly be adding to the discussion. Sachs sets out to give a history of Beethoven’s majestic Ninth Symphony twinned with a history of 1824 Europe, the year the Symphony was first heard. Read the rest of this entry »