Chef

Author: Jaspreet Singh
Subject: Fiction
My rating: 2*

About the book:
Another one received for review from LT. Unfortunately, I completely missed the point of this book. I found the subject (or lack thereof) uninteresting, it seems that nothing happens in this book. The language is also difficult to grasp- did the author intend to use an incorrect English (as spoken in India by the book characters)? Is this a book about food?If so, the Indian food names and the recipes are uselful only if you are Indian or have a broad knowledge about Indian cuisine. Is it about an unspoken love story? Maybe it's a historic novel? Not sure. Fact is that although the book was shortlisted for few literary awards, this book did not talk to me.

Bloodletting And Miraculous Cures

Author: Vincent Lam
Subject: fiction
Author's website: click here
My rating: 5*


About the book:
Do you know there are some books that call you to read them, books that you can't wait to get back to? This is one of those books. Once you start reading it, it draws you into the story, and how beautifully and artful these stories are written! The author is a physician from Toronto, and all his short stories in this book are taking place in hospitals, or are related to the medical field. The characters are real, the stories are real; they make the entire book a captivating read. An amazing achievement in the literary domain of Dr. Lam (the book received the Giller prize) and a fascinating insight in the medical and ethnic community he is part of. I absolutely loved this book!

Forms of Devotion

Stories and pictures
Author: Diane Schoemperlen
Subject: fiction, Canadian literature
My rating: 3*


About the book:
I never heard of this Canadian author, and stumbled upon the book after reading some reviews on LT. It's a collection of 11 stories (or essays?), accompanied by old wood and line drawings. The pictures are either the foundation of the story, or the story was written first and then the pictures were added. The pictures definitely make this book more interesting- in a way I was more fascinated by the images rather than the text. Some stories are quite strange; however the language is beautiful, delicious and poetic, like a cold watermelon slice on a hot summer day (here, Diane, I've done it!). It is a very strange book if I can say that; it needs an acquired reading taste in order to enjoy it.

From the book:
'Mostly Helen's "secret" was whatever enabled her to not need a man (or them, for that matter), to live alone for all those years without having to compromise, capitulate, or provide nutritional meals, clean clothes, and satisfying sex on demand.'

'[...]lie down in a quiet darkened room and free your mind from the prison of everyday thinking. Forget about the dishes that need doing, the dog that needs walking, the lawn that needs mowing, and your family that needs feeding again and again. Concentrate. Push away the obvious choices, the easy answers. Dispense of the ideas which are as old as the hills. Instead, train your mind to float away to a higher plane where all thoughts are made new again.'

'Avoid the temptations of envy, pride, fast food, and daytime TV talk shows. Succumbing to the temptation of envy will turn you into a bitter and twisted person who is unable to share in the happy love affairs and dazzling career triumphs of your friends.'

The Incomparable Atuk

Author: Mordecai Richler
Subject: Canadian fiction, satire
My rating: 4*
I enjoyed the book and the satirical humor; hard to follow all characters at times.

More about the author: click here

Richler wrote his classic Canadian satire, the Incomparable Atuk, in 1963 when the issue of Canada’s national identity was on the rise. Richler uses his character of Atuk to draw attention to this idea of Canadian nationalism.

Atuk starts out as a lost poet, braving the big city after being relocated from his native Baffin Island. Loved for his exotic authenticity and “Indianism”, Atuk appears to mould into the big city quite easily. However, on his quest for identity in a new surrounding, he soon becomes consumed with the greed and pretentiousness of the American Dream.