Adam Johnson has written a superb novel. The subject is the theater that is North Korea. Through the character of Pak Jun Do/Commander Ga the reader is taken on a journey through the depths of cynicism and horror that reside under the reign of Kim Jong IL. It is a political system were having one’s own identity is a crime against the state. Though this is a work of fiction it is a shocking portrayal of North Korean society and a grim reminder of what can happen in s country ruled by xenophobic megalomaniac who has scripted the everyday life of his people and has forced them into an existence of phony emotions and relationships. The author is able to integrate somewhat normal human interchange as he weaves his way through the travails of his characters. It is a riveting read and I would recommend it to Secretary of State Kerry as he tries to make rhyme or reason as to decision-making in Pyongyang.
Historical Fiction
THE COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM by Matt Rees
As a voracious reader of mysteries that have a contemporary political bent I always look forward to title suggestions from others. Last week a friend introduced me to Matt Benyon Rees and his protagonist, Omar Yussef. After reading THE COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM the first of four “Yussef” books, I am sold. Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell and others of their ilk have nothing on Mr. Rees who has created an evocative character that allows the reader to enter the byzantine politics of the Palestinian movement and its war against Israeli occupation by employing a newly created detective investigating his first crime. In reality, Yussef is a school teacher who is being forced to retire at the age of fifty-six and due to events he is forced, as a matter of honor to try and assist a former student who is falsely accused and arrested for collaborating with the Israelis. The story follows Yussef’s journey to free his protégé and the murderous events that ensue.
Mr. Rees is a superb writer who possesses a strong knowledge of Arab and Muslim traditions which he weaves throughout the narrative. The accuracy of the background political and social mores and institutions provides the reader their own education to try and understand why peace has been so difficult to achieve between Palestinians and Israelis since 1948. The author covers the gamut of issues that confront Israel and the Palestinians today; suicide bombings, corrupt leadership, the “iron fist” of Israeli occupation, and the effects of these policies on the Palestinian people. I recommend this book very highly and I look forward to reading the next one in the series, A GRAVE IN GAZA.
TATIANA by Martin Cruz Smith
“What do you want? The murder of journalists, the beating of protesters, corruption at the top, the rape of natural resources by a circle of cronies, a fraudulent democracy, the erection of palaces, a hollow military. If you had been a source, the mention of any of this could earn you or someone close to you a bullet in the head. It’s all here in single-spaced articles.” (237) What follows is the culmination of Martin Cruz Smith’s eighth installment of his Arkady Renko series, TATIANA, a story that encapsulates the rot that exists in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Arkady Renko is an investigator attached to the prosecutors office in Moscow who has survived the old Soviet Union and and finds himself in the “New Russia” under very similar circumstances. In his other adventures found in Smith’s earlier books, GORKY PARK, STALIN’S GHOST, POLAR STAR among others we meet a stubborn man who believes in the truth, in a society that does not. According to Smith during an interview on NPR’s Diane Rhems program last Monday, the character of Tatiana Petrovna is modeled after a Russian journalist who was murdered because her writing exposed the corruption that dominates the oligarchy that now controls Russia. That journalist was “Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist who was a strident critic of the Kremlin, who was murdered in 2006…Amid international clamor for answers regarding her death, Mr. Putin…noted caustically that ‘the level of her influence on political life in Russia was utterly insignificant.’…Ms. Politkovskaya’s editor at Novaya Gazeta, Dimitri Muratov, has maintained from the beginning that she was killed because her investigations were threatening the financial interests of figures within Russia.” (New York Times, June 26, 2009).
The storyline in TATIANA reads as if it were another contemporary plot that was unfolding in Russia, this one centering on oligarchs or gangsters who hoped to reap millions of rubles involving a Chinese shipyard repair of a Russian submarine. Arkady Renko’s investigation includes; the Russian Defense Ministry, various Russian billionaires, details of high end cycling, and a number of unsavory characters that are based on Smith’s extensive research in Russia. The book begins with the murder of Tatiana and evolves from there. The usual twists and turns that one comes to expect from Smith permeate the plot carrying Renko from Moscow to Kaliningrad as he investigates the murder of Tatiana who supposedly jumped from her apartment and committed suicide. Renko learns that when she jumped that she screamed, something people who are taking there own lives do not usually do. With his interest peaked Renko is off and the reader is now engaged in another thriller that will keep them enthralled through the final page. I really do not want to give any more details because it will lessen the reading experience, but I guarantee if you enjoy international mysteries and want to gain insight into Putin’S Russia this will be a good read.
After completing the book I thought of the upcoming winter olympics in Sochi that had an initial budget of $12.5 billion that has now ballooned to over $50 billion. When Renko finally traps the perpetrators of the swindle which is the core of the novel, Ape, the nickname for one of the characters, responds to Renko’s concerns about having a Russian submarine refitted in China and the overall cost of $2billion, “Yes. It’s called outsourcing…Business costs. Totally normal. Administration of a task of this magnitude is often fifty percent of a budget.” (275) I guess that Sochi overruns are somewhat larger than expected, even by Russian standards
NEW YORK: A NOVEL by Edward Rutherfurd
Over the years I have grown more impressed with the historical novels of Edward Rutherfurd. Beginning with SARUM years ago to the present novel, NEW YORK: A NOVEL I read the last page of each book with a feeling of satisfaction that I have just completed a remarkable blend of historical license and impeccable research. In his latest effort Rutherford presents another “Michneresque” type journey, this time through the history of New York City from the 17th through the 20th century. What drew me to the book was recently viewing the Martin Scorcese film “Gangs of New York.” The description of the draft riots in New York in 1863 during the Civil War were very poignant, but historically accurate. Through the descendants of the van Dyck and Master families the reader becomes engrossed in the important historical events that are explored in the narrative. Whether the main characters are confronted by the political machinations of Tammany Hall, the disastrous Triangle Shirt Waist Fire or economic catastrophe the reader becomes fully absorbed. Mr. Rutherfurd has become one of my favorite practitioners of historical fiction and I am thrilled that his latest effort, PARIS will be released next month.
HHhH by Laurent Binet
Recently I read Robert Gerwath’s HITLER’S HANGMAN: THE LIFE OF HEYDRICH. It was an amazing biography of a person described as “Himmler’s Brain.” Reinhard Heydrich was the Chief of the Nazi Criminal Police, the SS Security Service and the Gestapo, also the ruthless overlord of Nazi-occupied Bohemia and Moravia during World War II. In addition he was the leading organizer of the “Final Solution” until May 27, 1942 as well as the “host” for the Wannsee Conference that many believe set up the infrastructure for the Holocaust, quite a resume! Heydrich was one of the most important figures in the Nazi hierarchy and quite possibly would have worked his way up to be Hitler’s successor had he not been assassinated by a Czech and a Slovak as part of a British secret service plot in May, 1942. Since Heydrich was such an important historical figure I was fascinated by Laurent Binet’s remarkable book, HHhH translated from French into English by Sam Taylor and published last year. Binet’s work is a combination of historical fiction and historical narrative, a process he describes as an “infranovel.”
This book is an unusual combination of impeccable historical research and prose. The author seems to meditate over his material as he presents it in the form of a conversation with himself. His application of subtle sarcasm exists throughout and his descriptions of his characters are hauntingly accurate. The first half of the book presents the background in the form of a bio-fiction of Heydrich’s life and then the author moves on to discuss his main concern the assassination of the “Butcher of Prague.” The reader is provided an interesting portrayal of Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis the British trained assassins, who are parachuted into the Prague area in May, 1942. The reader is taken for a chilling ride with these partisans as they carry out their mission, the Nazi reprisals resulting in the massacre of the Czech town of Lidice, their own deaths and the eventual extermination of all individuals who are linked to the plot by the Germans. Binet is irreverent in his descriptions, be it social situations or ideological debates to the point that some of the scenes seem farcical. The author’s blend of historical accuracy and fictional musings draw the reader in with his commentary, i.e.; in dealing with Anglo-French sellout of Czechoslovakia in September, 1938 he states, “at this level of political stupidity, betrayal becomes almost a work of art.” The book is truly an accurate portrayal of history presented in the form of a novel. As a historian I wish he could have provided footnotes and a bibliography!
DISSOLUTION: A NOVEL OF TUDOR ENGLAND by C. J. Sansom
In DISSOLUTION: A NOVEL OF TUDOR ENGLAND, C.J. Sansom introduces the character of Matthew Shardlake, a reformer who is summoned by Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII’s vicar general. Employing the skills of a professional historian and novelist Sansom takes the reader on a journey through sixteenth century England, at a time when the kingdom was split between those who supported the Tudor monarchy and those who supported the Catholic Church. Shardlake is charged with solving the murder of a royal official on the south coast of England. During the investigation what emerges is the paranoid nature of English politics of the period, the byzantine workings of the Catholic Church and its corruption, in addition to the accurate portrayal of the historical characters on display. The book has many plot twists and keeps the reader engrossed as the author exhibits a superior knowledge of Tudor England, the inner workings of Henry VIII’s court, worthy of Hillary Mantel, and it is well worth the read. Fortunately, DISSOLUTION is the first in a mystery series that continues with DARK FIRE, Matthew Shardlake’s next challenge!
BETWEEN SUMMER’S LONGING AND WINTERS END by lEIF G. W. PERSSON
Recently I was in a bookstore in Stockholm and when I inquired about Swedish mystery writers other than Henning Mankell. The owner of the store suggested I purchase BETWEEN SUMMER’S LONGING AND WINTER’S END by Leif G.W. Persson. I did just that and finished reading the book which I found interesting in terms of plot development but not as satisfactory as I would have hoped. The story revolves around a plot to kill the Swedish Prime Minister who in real life in 1986 was assassinated after attending a film in Stockholm. The Prime Minister who was assassinated was Olof Palme and to this day the assassin remains at large. Persson explores the workings of the Swedish justice system leading up to and after the supposed suicide death of John P. Krassner, an American who was writing a book that linked the fictional Prime Minister to the CIA and KGB following World War II. Thus the mystery begins presenting many strands that are woven throughout the narrative carrying the reader through the Post War period, the Cold War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Persson’s plot organization is somewhat convoluted as it presents a confusing chronology and a story line that jumps back and forth. The characters are developed fully but I got the feeling that when the author switched characters he did not identify the new person he was introducing clearly. Since the narrative lends itself to an actual assassination the book is worth reading, despite the fact that it does not flow freely at all times. What emerges from the story is Persson’s theory of who killed Olof Palme in 1986. Not being fully versed in Swedish politics his theory sounds very plausible. In the end I am glad that I have read this work of fiction because it has spurred my interest in Swedish foreign and domestic policy, but I do not think the book lived up to my expectations.
A MAN WITHOUT A BREATH by Philip Kerr
Philip Kerr’s latest Bernie Gunther novel, A MAN WITHOUT BREATH is set in the Smolensk region of the Soviet Union in the spring of 1943. The ninth in the Gunther series the story involves the usual twists and turns of Kerr’s approach to the World War II noir, this time using the Soviet massacre of Polish officers in 1940 at the Katyn Forest as background. Kerr weaves in the NKVD, Abwehr, and German SD. Many of the characters are historical figures such as Joseph Goebbels and Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. The historical background is accurate as Kerr weaves in a love interest for Gunther and a number of other subplots. On the whole the book is a good read, though not up to Kerr’s usual quality. The snappy and sarcastic Gunther is ever present, but this time is a bit too preachy. The story is believable, that an NKVD agent has wormed his way into the good offices of Field Marshall Guenther Hans von Klug and tries to block the investigation of the Katyn massacre and provide intelligence for the Soviet Union as the Battle of Kursk was about to begin. The story revolves around a series of murder investigations and if you are a fan of this series I think you will enjoy it.
A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA by Anthony Mara
What is a constellation of vital phenomena? According to Anthony Marra’s character in his new novel of the same name it is an “organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation,” all words that conform to a remarkable set of individuals set in Chechnya from 1994 through 2004, a period of rebellion and warfare on the part of the Chechen people against the now truncated Russian Empire. A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA is Marra’s first novel and he has produced a marvelous book that carries the reader on an emotional roller coaster as each character is carefully crafted as the narrative unfolds. The story immerses the reader in the Chechen civil war as the Chechan people jealous of other former Soviet Republics that have gained their independence fight for their own following collapse of the Soviet Empire by 1994. The fictional characters are improbable recreations, who perhaps on a more psychological level than one might expect, try to navigate the psychic and physical minefield that their lives evolve into. The narrative brings together Muslim rebels, Russian Federal troops and a remarkable cast of characters centered in the village of Volchansk’s Hospital No. 6.
As one begins reading, the works of Alexander Solzhenitsyn come to mind. The Soviet Gulag appears in part as the Landfill that brings about the death of so many Chechens and other nationalities who are in the wrong place at the wrong time. The character of Khassan emerges as the institutional memory of the Chechan people. A historian who tries to write a complete history of Chechnya is thwarted repeatedly as he must past the muster of several editors as Soviet history evolves through the 1970s to the 1990s. Through the travails of Khassan we peer into the inner workings of Soviet publishing as there is little consistency as to what can be read by the public. As each General Secretary dies, from Brezhnev through Chernenko, the editors keep altering their standards pertaining to how conservative or liberal the prevailing winds of change might be. Once the Berlin Wall comes down Khassan refuses to publish until Chechnya’s battle for sovereignty is included. For Khassan who eventually publishes part of his work, “everything did change, faster than his fingers could type.” (80) Khassan uses his writing as a means of escapism from a dysfunctional family torn apart by the Chechan Wars as he interacts with the other characters in the story.
Marra creates numerous relationships and themes for the reader to think about. Obviously wars cruelty is paramount, but within the context of never ending war the relationship between father and son is explored in all its dimensions. Khassan’s son becomes an informer resulting in the shunning of the family by the rest of the village; this creates a crisis his father must learn to cope with. The dichotomy between childhood and adulthood is seen as one relating to wisdom, trying to determine which has more despite the age differential. The relationship between sisters, one a successful surgeon and another tries to find herself as she emerges from drug addiction, slave prostitution and battles other demons. The friendship between two men who love the same woman and the daughter that is born from this triangle leads the reader on a journey as the characters try and understand their feelings and what they have become. Finally the relationship between a man and a woman reflected in a number of emotional unions that transverse the novel will finally become clear at the end of the narrative.
The fragility of life and the inevitability of death permeate each page. As the different characters try to relieve the suffering of others Marra produces scenes that only make the reader wonder if anything can be done to offset the misery that is Chechnya. As the characters seem to hang on to life by a thread even Sonja the stoic hospital surgeon and Ahmed, the “pseudo doctor” come together in a relationship that was difficult to fore see, or how Natasha, Sonja’s sister tries to cope with life’s inadequacies as she struggles to survive her situation. There are many other examples throughout the book that reinforces this theme and it is to Marra’s credit that he weaves them throughout a somewhat confusing chronology that once the reader adapts to enhance the narrative as a whole.
A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA is an exceptional work detailing the travails of war and how people try and adapt and overcome. The topic here is the Chechen Civil War, but it could be any other violent strife that seems to burden the world each day. For a first novel this book reflects mastery of language and character development integrated into an accurate historical setting. Further, the author applies sarcastic humor that tries to humanize the experiences that his characters are faced with. I would conjecture that once you start reading you will not be able to put this book down.
THE TEMPLAR LEGACY by Steve Berry
THE TEMPLAR LEGACY begins Steve Berry’s succession of historical novels featuring his character, Cotton Malone. The story seems at times like a poor man’s Dan Brown story as it evolves with its religious symbolism and nasty characters. It is a well written story beginning in Copenhagen and progressing to the religious sites in France. Malone, a former U.S. Justice Department agent, now a retired bookseller becomes involved in a quest by his former boss and the plot evolves from there. It includes the reemergence of the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon or the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Templars. The book has a somewhat overdrawn concept dealing with Christ and some of the the characters are the typical wise cracking types that are common in this genre. There is a serious component and if you are taking a long plane ride it might be a useful companion.
Doc's Books 