This thread is for literature and fiction reviews.

Down to a Sunless Sea
By Mathias B. Freese
ISBN-10: 1587367335
ISBN-13: 978-1587367335
Trade paperback, 148 pages
Publication date: November 15, 2007
Wheatmark


Down to a Sunless Sea is a collection of fifteen short stories by author Mathias B. Freese. Freese's stories profile scores of disturbed individuals, delving into their most disconcerting anxieties and desires. Each fictional account depicts the thought patterns of the protagonist, offering the reader a sometimes harsh glimpse into the minds of unstable individuals.

"I'll Make It, I Think," is the story of a handicapped man with who has taken to naming his afflicted body parts. He struggles with their personifications and the hindrance they provide as if he were brawling with actual characters. It seems most of the stories were inspired by people close to Freese; this tale is a representation of his crippled cousin. The reader should review the foreward written by Jane E. Holt, as it reveals many of the author's prompts.

"Herbie" portrays an abused child with aspirations of operating his own shoe shine business. He supresses the notion of worthlessness his father instills in him in favor of independence and self-sufficiency. Distressingly, he cannot extinguish the fear that his tormentor has surrounded him with. Other stories include a body clinging to life, a refined mother with a penchant for art, and a bear that distracts the population from genuine danger.

Freese's characters are traumatized by abuse, stricken with disease, or coping with natural human instincts. Their psyches are dark and somber, but tend to be a reflection of the depths we all flee to at one time or another. Freese unflinchingly thrusts the reader into discomfort, forcing an observation of some of the most primal aspects of human motivation. His experience as a psychotherapist and clinical social worker is evident in the clarity with which he views the essence of the troubled soul.

Each tale reflects the time period and experience of the main character, some written with brooding flourish while others are written in simplistic, childish form. No matter the style, the story demands rumination. This is the type of literature that haunts the reader long after the book is put aside. Mathias B. Freese is a brilliant and talented author who inspires serious reflection.

Win a copy at Breeni Books.

Four Wives
By Wendy Walker
ISBN-10: 0312367716
ISBN-13: 978-0312367718
Hardcover, 368 pages
February 19, 2008
St. Martin's Press


Wendy Walker’s debut novel about the secret desires and discontent within well-to-do Hunting Ridge is a story of awakening and resolution. Four Wives explores the uncertainty and frustration that accompanies a stagnant marriage after children and responsibilities take precedence over romance. As the storylines of each friend, neighbor and colleague intertwine, each woman recognizes personal challenges that must be overcome.

Janie Kirk is the key antagonist. She is unhappy with her marriage, but for no particular reason besides basic boredom. As she chooses a lifestyle of infidelity, her greatest annoyance is her husband’s indifference to her concerns. He is blissfully happy with his simple roles as father and attorney. Janie’s reckless behavior paints her as an expendable character from the very beginning, and readers will be hard pressed to find compassion for the promiscuous woman. A silent feud with colleague Marie Passeti also feeds into Janie’s unlikable persona.

Love Welsh was a child prodigy. She was the love child of a married scholar and an actress. Now she is mother to three beautiful children and wife of the dedicated physician who saved her life during her most urgent crisis. An unexplained illness causes Love to collapse while juggling her kids. As childhood memories resurface, could it be emotional strain making her ill? Or is some sort of physical ailment creating a pressing need for medical attention?

Marie Passeti is the quintessential working mom. She’s stressed out from taking on all the chores at home in addition to running her own successful law firm. With two working parents in the home, at least some of the responsibilities should be shared, but that’s not the case in the Passeti household. Marie is trying desperately to get through to her husband, but a distraction in the form of a savvy new intern may make her current concerns pale in comparison to the possibilities.

Gayle Haywood is the epitome of a Hunting Ridge socialite. Born into wealth, Gayle is accustomed to maintaining appearances and keeping the status quo. Over the years, she has mastered her lavish lifestyle through the use of selective combinations of prescription medications. But the drugs can’t make everything go away, and eventually she will have to make some life-altering decisions for her own sake, and that of her son.

It is certain that raising a family and keeping a marriage together aren’t easy, and no amount of wealth or privilege can help them escape that fact. Female readers will discover some aspect of themselves in each of the four characters—yes, even Janie—and part of that may stem from the “Superwoman” complex women inflict upon themselves. The ladies must decide which parts of “having it all” are worth the struggle, and which hindrances must be left behind. Wendy Walker has a knack for pinpointing the anxieties that plague every woman’s heart. Four Wives is an amazing introduction to her work, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

The Book of Lilith
By Robert G. Brown
ISBN-10: 1430322454
ISBN-13: 978-1430322450
Paperback, 240 pages
July 31, 2007
Lulu


The Book of Lilith is an extraordinary fictional account of the life of Lilith, here portrayed as the first woman of Creation rather than the succubus or demoness of certain myths. The story begins with the somewhat exasperated account of a college professor, perplexed at why he has been chosen as a key contact for the Iraqi woman who has salvaged a collection of scrolls she believes are valuable. The woman has been beaten, raped, and enslaved, but she still manages to trick her captor into allowing her use of the Internet--not so she can seek asylum, but so she can share her find with someone who will appreciate it. She scans in photographs of the ancient scrolls to ensure a record of their discovery in the event of their untimely destruction.

Upon translation, the professor and his colleague realize the magnitude of this incredulous find. The scrolls are the account of the creation of man, told from the point of view of Lilith, the mother of all. Lilith's tale places a feminist spin on the story of Creation, purporting the weaknesses of Adam and his naturally tendency toward sin. As seems to be a pattern in this tale, Lilith is beaten and raped by Adam, and quickly flees Eden, refusing to accept his aggression. Thus, Lilith is also the first single mother. On her own, she accepts her duty from God (portrayed as Inanna to Lilith, though God takes on a masculine form when "it" appears to Adam), which is to provide the empty vessels of humanity with souls. Lilith's task is not an easy one, as Adam will be a constant inhibitor of her higher purpose due to his obsession with sin. Eventually, Lilith will come to represent two feminine archetypes: her own independent self and Eve, self-chosen submissive to Adam.

If any of the story seems outrageous or disturbing, it isn't at all because the author's own brand of sarcasm makes every aspect of the tale completely plausible. Brown's suggestion that shopping is actually a form of worship or that Adam's key hangup with Lilith was her refusal to be on bottom during intercourse is just a taste of the tongue-in-cheek humor that follows the reader on this journey. When the story begins, Brown eases the reader into the plot with wit, but as Lilith's story evolves, the sarcasm actually begins to fade. By the end of the book, the depth of the theology involved is such that the reader will find themselves immersed in contemplation of the meanings suggested, leaving the humor behind. Through Brown's fiction, he brings to light some of the true inconsistencies and irrelevance of the tenets of major religions.

I found myself emotionally involved in Lilith's tale, at times laughing out loud, at times brimming with joy or seething with anger. At some points, I was lost in the story so much that it seemed real to me, and when I brought myself back to reality, I longed for it to have been a true account. It's a wonderful work of fiction that encourages the reader to examine humanity's existence and the sacred feminine from many perspectives.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini has done it again. He has given us a riveting and moving reading experience. He takes us into war-torn Afghanistan once again, and we experience a world most of us couldn’t even imagine without his words to guide us. This time he lets us see it through the eyes of the women.

His story introduces us to two girl children, born under different circumstances several years apart. Their stories connect in a shocking and violent turn of events. However different their family situations in childhood might have been, their lives as young women end up blending almost into the same life lived in two bodies. When they finally do diverge, salvation comes with a very high price tag.

It’s hard to imagine a society where young women have more freedom under Communist rule than at any other time in their lives. It’s harder to understand a culture where a woman can be put to death for leaving a husband who has the legal right to beat her, starve her, rape her, lock her in her room, even murder her if he so desires. It’s hard to picture having to don a Burqa, to have one’s peripheral vision cut off and to have one’s view of the world limited to what can be glimpsed through a narrow, mesh screen. No music, no painting, no singing, no books, no dancing, no speaking unless spoken to, no personal freedom, not even the small joy of owning a parakeet – this is what the Taliban brought to Afghanistan. And, as ugly as life under the Taliban might have been, it’s hard to imagine a faith so strong that, at least in this story, no one ever turned their backs on their basic belief in Islam. A different word. A story well told.

Thanks a lot for the reviews. I am going to check out Four Wives, sounds good.