Modern Literature

It's been a long time since I posted, but I thought I would try to update once a week with various books that I've enjoyed recently. This week's theme is modern, contemporary literature (1980-present).

First:
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
An absolute masterwork. I wish this had won the Pulitzer instead of Middlesex. This was the first piece of modern literature that really held my attention. The first person plural narration was a bold choice, but in the end, paid off beautifully. I did see Sophia Coppola's film version and although it was very pretty, the beauty of The Virgin Suicides lies in the narrative, which is impossible to translate into screen form.

Kensington Gardens by Rodrigo Fresan
Fresan is an Argentinian author and this is his first book translated into English. I have been scouring bookstores for any of his other novels in the original Spanish but have been unsuccessful. I could easily write a five page essay on the brilliant nature of the novel; I'll save that for another time. The book's subject matter is fascinating. It almost flawlessly intertwines the Victorian/Edwardian era, the Swinging Sixties, and Peter Pan into a wonderfully philosophic and insightful novel. For any fans of surrealism, be it visual art or literature, this is a must read.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Nicole Krauss's prose reads like poetry and its stark lyricism and honesty make the novel all the more heartbreaking. I was reticent to pick up the book at first based on the title; I didn't want to be seen reading something with such a frivolous name. Eventually, the back cover won me over and I bought the book, expecting very little. I was pleasantly surprised. The protagonist is delightfully quirky as evidenced by one of my favorite passages from the novel.

"When I got to the part about how he was found by some Bedouins, Herman slipped his hand into mine, and I thought, An average of seventy-four species become extinct every day, which was one good reason but not the only one to hold someone’s hand, and the next thing that happened was we kissed each other, and I found I knew how, and I felt happy and sad in equal parts, because I knew that I was falling in love, but it wasn’t with him."

Jane, your short story reminded me of this book. You should read it; I think you'd really like it.

Other notable books that I don't have the time or energy to provide full descriptions for (perhaps later):
My Sister, My Love by Joyce Carol Oates
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (a slightly more dramatic, less literary read)