Ode to Reading: Part 2 - Fiction
New Year’s resolutions can be tiresome and unimaginative. A reasonable expectation is the vast majority of them will be unfulfilled. In retirement, I have become reflective, even contemplative and I embraced developing a plan for 2024 with more enthusiasm and commitment than years past. As I discussed in my recent Ode to Reading posting, I am a passionate reader and my leading de facto resolution for 2024 was to focus on high quality fiction for the next 12 months. I have always prioritized serious non fiction works with an emphasis on history and biography, but unilaterally decided 2024 would be “The Year of the Novelist.” I will share my thoughts with long form reviews of particularly captivating works- supplemented by bullet type summaries on all my reading choices. Bear with me!
I have always understood the importance of high class fiction. However, I generally concluded that real life characters are more complex, nuanced, eccentric, evil and crazy than their fictional counterparts. Why dwell on the pathologies of Sauron in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings when you can read multiple biographies of Adolf Hitler- a flesh and blood evildoer. Wiser people than I have challenged this basic assumption and I will test the proposition with a full throated assault on classic and contemporary fiction this year. As I reviewed my lifetime reading selections in a foundational effort to create my 2024 fiction target list, I noticed a couple of surprising realities. First, my original premise may be flawed. I have read tons of fiction and actually underestimated my historical exposure to the classics. I have not been a purely “non fiction” guy. Second, I loved many of the fiction classics and already understand that fiction can be rewarding, enlightening and even life changing. So, I will abide by my commitment to a fiction centric 2024, but admit it will be less than a “St Paul On His Way to Damascus” moment for my reading habit. Instead, it will hopefully build on an already rich experience.
What are the strengths of great fiction? When does a novel move the dial? First, there are the topics- an unlimited menu covering the full range of human behaviour. Nothing is off limits. Love, loss, betrayal, tragedy, comedy, violence and beauty- the best writers capture it all. Second, cool and multidimensional characters created by wonderful writers, either accomplished craftsman or genuine artistic geniuses. Third, vivid descriptions of an endless variety of locales- both this world and other worldly. Fourth, great storytelling, building complex narratives focused on human relationships, social conflict, injustice and poignant moral dilemmas. The best fiction explores universal themes, but is not limited to particular cultures or historical eras. The imagery of a great novel is a teaching moment- with a vivid clarity dramatically superior to a dry textbook or historical track. So, the bottom line is that I am already a fiction groupie and do not need my upcoming 2024 foray into the genre to be sold on the merits. Another abrupt game time blog decision is to share my fiction reading history. You will know where I started this journey.
I commenced my reading life around the age of 7-introduced to the world of fiction by my mom (Therese) and my Aunt Helene. My cousin Donna was my tutor and provided regular encouragement. I started with The Hardy Boys Mystery Series- House on the Cliff was the first book I read cover to cover. I attacked at least 10 of those volumes, but eventually tired of the rather predictable plot lines. I later learned that the author, Franklin Dixon, was actually a pseudonym- representing a host of writers hired by the publisher to keep the books coming at a rapid rate. My early love of sports fostered my next reading mission- The 23 volume Chip Hilton series authored by former college basketball coach Clair Bee. I LOVED these books. Hilton was the all time All American boy, a great athlete, a wonderful friend, a good student- a role model for ALL! The winning last second shot or game winning home run- weaved into a story about loyalty to teammates and the greater good were inspiring, if unachievable, life lessons. I never matched Chip’s record of excellence, but I remember him and the books fondly. I then moved on to the Readers Digest Condensed book series. The Cry the Beloved Country edition was my favourite. Robinson Crusoe (Daniel Defoe), Around the World in 80 Days and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (Jules Verne), Treasure Island and Kidnapped (Robert Louis Stevenson), Gulliver’s Travels (Jonathan Swift) followed and I was hooked. My Christmas gifts always included books and my parents, aunts and uncles and cousins were extraordinarily delighted by my love of reading, although puzzled by my continuous absorption with the World Book Encyclopedia. I was never made uncomfortable by my dedication to reading and thank everyone for their patience.
Late adolescence and high school broadened my fiction choices. The Hobbit (Tolkien), To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee), Animal Farm and 1984 (Orwell), Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (Twain), Catcher in the Rye (Salinger), Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck), All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque), Brave New World (Huxley), The Last of the Mohicans (Irving), Catch 22 (Heller), The World According to Gap (Irving), An American Tragedy (Dreiser), The Caine Mutiny (Wouk), Advice and Consent (Drury), Roots (Haley), Lord of the Flies (Golding), Gone with the Wind (Mitchell), Day of the Jackal (Forsyth). Teachers at Quigley, particularly Fathers Robert McLaughlin and John Flavin were strong advocates for the joys of reading. Thanks to them as well.
The undergraduate and law school years, culminating in actual adulthood opened up new categories for reading options, generally a step up in complexity and depth, Sophie’s Choice (Styron), Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist and Great Expectations (Dickens), Anna Karenina and War and Peace (Tolstoy), Crime and Punishment and Resurrection (Dostoevsky), The Lottery (Jackson), Breakfast of Champions (Vonnegut), Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury), Pride and Prejudice (Austin), The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls (Hemingway), The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald), Moby Dick and Billy Budd (Melville), The Invisible Man (Ellison). Popular commercial fiction also flourished. Winners included Shogun (Clavell), Hawaii (Mitchener), Trinity and Exodus (Uris).
Post law school time constraints and personal preferences restricted my fiction reading time. However, I did develop loyalty to some world class writers, Gabriel Marquez with Autumn of the Patriarch and One Hundred Years of Solitude, Toni Morrison and Beloved, Pat Conroy with The Great Santini and Prince of Tides and EVERYTHING by John Le Carre. My final burst of fiction consumption was inspired by the enforced idleness of the Covid lockdown. I committed to “cluster” reading. Identify a renowned author with whom I had a limited history and read EVERYTHING they had ever written. It was monumentally ambitious, but I proceeded with resilience and perseverance. Kazuo Ishiguro, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth, John Banville, Anthony Doerr, Colson Whitehead, Sally Rooney, Salmon Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, JG Farrell, Anthony Powell, Colm Toibin, Elena Ferrante, Natalia Ginzburg, Hilary Mantel and Thomas Mann all were victims of the Mahoney full court press. I finally read Middlemarch by George Eliot and loved it. James Joyce remains a bridge too far and I struggled with Faulkner. Overall, mission accomplished. My positive Covid reading experience laid the groundwork for my 2024 commitment.
This blog entry went an entirely different direction than originally contemplated, but I found it therapeutic. You are now aware of my reading evolution and I hope you digest my reviews with kindness, understanding and due consideration of my limitations.
