We Were Here: a novel by Andrea Augustinas (that's me!)

I wrote a book and it's available NOW in the Amazon Kindle store!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSTBBZ4

Read about it here:
www.wewereherenovel.tumblr.com

Book Review: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

So I finally read it.  I've had many a female friend/acquaintance spend considerable time gushing to me about this novel over the years, and I decided (primarily to get them to stop) that I'd put it on the ol' list and give it a chance.  Two things, ladies, for reference:  first, you were right that this book is absolutely beautiful in so many ways; second, telling me how much you cried over a book is not typically a ringing endorsement to me, so this would fall under the category of an exception.

First, I think it must be said that this book is pretty structurally amazing.  For me the ideal novel has a story that sprawls over space and time without feeling like I've picked up a tome I might still be reading on my deathbed (looking at you, Franzen).  Nicole Krauss, from whom I've read just one book in the past, has a voice that carries you smoothly through the many plot threads with ease and grace.  This was definitely a book where I found myself marking individual phrases and sentences solely for their independent beauty, and looking back on them later to be struck anew by Krauss' skill.

The story itself is in fact several stories, and in a way nearly everyone can find bits and pieces of their own stories in these pages.  I am always (and always will be) a sucker for stories with hidden/unrealized connections between characters who've never met (which, if it isn't a genre already, probably should be), and so of course this story delivered on many counts.  The titular History of Love is a text that has been miraculously passed down from its author, who is unaware it even still exists, to the man who translates it to suit his own needs and publishes it, to the parents who name their daughter after its primary character.  We then get to see this daughter's journey to find her namesake, which would be interesting enough on its own, but Krauss also gives us glimpses of the many other lives that have been affected by this piece of writing, and the love story by which it was inspired.

I realize that my description cannot and will not do justice to the richness and stylistic genius of this novel, so I'll say that it is definitely not as straightforward or cheesy as it may sound.  The History of Love has intrigue, tragedy, and even comedy right through the final pages, and you are left staring at the back jacket, wishing you could start the whole journey over again.  I definitely see myself re-reading this one at some point, and I can now firmly joined the ranks of its fervent endorsers (though I'll probably leave out the bit about the tears).

Book Review: Plan B by Jonathan Tropper

Yes, more Tropper.  I can't help this obsession any more than anyone else can, and I'll be very sorry when I've finished the last of his already published works, most likely sometime next week or thereabouts.  Plan B is Tropper's debut novel, written more than a decade ago, and is pretty damn impressive for a rookie effort.  I always enjoy reading an author's older work, particularly if I've already seen some of the later stuff, because there are so many interesting little things to find in the text.  This book is no exception:  most of Tropper's trademark wit and sarcasm is already well-established in the characters of Plan B, though they are perhaps slightly less sharp and cynical than some of his later subjects.  It also shows us the first instance of what later becomes a trend and arguably the centerpiece of Tropper's works, the man on the verge of something, vaguely devastated by his life but not quite understanding why until a critical moment in the tale-- the progression is hammered home with a much heavier hand in this early story, and we even get the milestone of the protagonist's 30th birthday to help us along as we take his journey with him.  Overall, glimmers of what will become a much more refined talent shine through in spades throughout this book, but it's the genuinely heartfelt story that keeps the reader engaged and, I imagine, willing to read more from this writer.

Plan B is about a group of friends who have reached 30 more or less in one piece (some more and some less than others).  Ben is the protagonist, Tropper's vehicle for most of the book's introspection.  He comes off a bit whiny and self-pitying at times, but it is more forgivable as the scene of his life unfolds further, revealing a group of adults who despite the passage of time have somehow failed to grow up.  The group comes together in an effort to help their friend Jack, a highly successful film star, get off cocaine for good following a few well-publicized disasters.  It is clear that approaching Jack in a rational way isn't going to make a difference, so naturally the friends decide to kidnap him.  Ben fumbles to assist with the plan, but it is clear that his friend Chuck, a surgeon, is both the brains and the brawn of the operation, while Allison, who is in love with Jack, seems to have the purest motivation.  This leaves Ben and his ex-girlfriend Lindsey largely alone with the question of where it all went wrong. 

If there is anything to complain about in this book, it might just be the romance between Ben and Lindsey.  It feels forced, and almost too easy at several moments, and in comparison to some of the relationships Tropper depicts in his later novels (and I just can't resist comparing), it truly pales.  Lindsey's rationale for their initial breakup is an earnest, fairly reasonable one, and so their reunion is just a little too convenient, feeling like it could use a bit more substance or complication.  Fortunately, I think the fact that this is an ensemble-heavy story is what saves it:  the dynamic of the larger group and most particularly each person's relationship with the wayward Jack is what keeps Lindsey and Ben from becoming tedious to read about, and what proves that they could not have carried the story on their own.

Despite the specific agenda of the plot, this book is about "what it means to be an adult against your will" (I read that on the back cover and I really just love the phrasing).  Ben and his friends discover the hard way that fancy jobs, money, and romance notwithstanding, you simply can't and won't be happy if you're stuck in the past or else simply standing still, waiting for life to happen to you.  The novel concludes in a manner that is satisfyingly consistent with this theme, with no loose end tied up too neatly and no doors entirely closed on the possibilities of the future.  They are, after all, only 30.

Read this book.  Read it for your friends, as a re-affirmation that you really would do anything for them, and that their company is, 90% of the time, all you really need to feel better.  Read it for a lost love, for the one who got away or for the one who stuck around for way too long.  Read it for yourself, to remind yourself that life is never perfect, never, and that you have to find a way forward in spite of that.

Book Review: This is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper

This book was so strangely beautiful, because it captured something so very real about our lives.  No matter who you are or what your experiences, there is something in this story that you will find yourself able to relate to.  It's a story about loss, about losing and finding oneself, about family, and about love.  It is equal parts humorous and genuinely heartwarming, without trying too hard to be either.

The novel opens with Judd, a man whose fiancee has recently had an affair (with his boss, no less), and left him.  He is living the typical pathetic post-marriage life (basement apartment, take-out food, weight gain and self-pity, for starters) when he gets the call that his father has died.  What's more is that he is expected to sit shiva (a kind of group mourning period in the Jewish tradition) with his siblings and mother for the next seven days.  Of course, this would be all too easy if they didn't all want to strangle each other.  And thus we are promised a few laughs and guaranteed hijinks.

Tropper takes us through Judd's week, highlighting the most important interactions which, in the end, all come together to form an almost unexpectedly cohesive picture.  He comes to an understanding of sorts with Jen, his soon-to-be ex-wife, resolves decades-old issues with each of his siblings in turn, and arrives at a new understanding of both his parents and himself.  The book's conclusion has a lot of resolution, but still manages to leave a few of the big questions hanging, kind of a do-it-yourself ending.  All we know at the last page is that this week has changed Judd and by extension the people he loves, and though we don't know quite where he's headed (and neither does he), the choices are clear. 

Overall, this book is incredibly witty and well-articulated.  Tropper illustrates so clearly the emotionally stunted family, and explores the possible causes for all the discord in a way that seems so natural and easy that it's impossible not to lose yourself in it.  None of the characters are completely sympathetic or villainous, which only makes them more dimensional and intriguing.  I've heard good things about Tropper in the past, and now having read this I will be sure to pick up some of his other works at my earliest opportunity.