What makes a book good?
My friend, who is a high school English teacher, was lamenting her reading of the Twilight series, which her students begged her to crack open. (Actually, we don’t talk anymore; we just email each other.) She wrote, this “is so poorly written but I can’t put the damn thing down now.”
The work of a teacher is harder than I imagined; especially when you must endure poor literature, but I give her credit for attempting to peer into the world of her students. There is some satisfaction that she is finding in the gesture, and for the bridges it connects.
I left my computer, crawled under my covers and was so relieved that I am still reading Jhmpa Lahiri’s collection of short stories, Unaccustomed Earth. As I delved deeper into the book that night, I was tempted to email my friend back to tell her to throw Twilight down, and instead to start reading, along with her students, Lahiri’s star-reviewed book. But then, I stopped myself, as the material echoes The Catcher in the Rye
Her students came to mind precisely because Unaccustomed Earth explores the minds of teens, children, resenting and rejecting their parents view; and then suddenly finding themselves integrating those very facets of their parents into their own adult lives.
When my son asked me, “What makes her such a great writer,” I found myself at a loss for words. Indescribable. The architecture under Lahiri’s work is almost invisible — as is all great literature. Her sentences are about the present moment, yet still somehow reveal a unique, almost tainted, perception, culled over pivotal past events in the lives of each character. Each revelation is a new layer, as the core of each player is exposed. How does she deliver so much detail around her fictional characters, yet not bore me? Why do I want to know more about each person?
Great writing does the work of suddenly making the reader aware that this random story is truly about him. A rare birds-eye view of your own life that may allow you to alter your course of action, and take a path you may have not considered. Or, you could stop, now that you’ve seen where you’re headed. Is there relief that you will catch yourself from falling off the brink, now that you’ve seen what could lie ahead? Or, are you still bewildered by where you see your life heading?
Unaccustomed Earth is only one example of a book that does this; although this book does that job perfectly, there are so many great works of literature that accomplish this goal. But perhaps, Unaccustomed Earth paints a picture teenagers are not ready to accept. Maybe it would miss them entirely, as many of them are just discovering their parents view, and are all too eager to reject it. For some people, Twilight may be the greatest literature of all time. Just depends where you are in life.
I’m still in that luxury state. I’m just far enough into the Unaccustomed Earth to know how delicious Lahiri’s writing is, but still a long distance from the ending. Usually, at that point, I began to twaddle in my reading, pushing away the finality of the book as much as I can. But, I’m not quite there yet.
love a good book. may have to check that out.
i’m reading a book now that is a murder mystery. I don’t normally read these kind of books, but a friend of mine is an author, so I read all her stuff. I’m ready to get back to something else (shhh… don’t tell…)
Twaddle? Or dawdle?
Hmm. I’ll add it to my ever-increasing list. Still finding that reading ‘serious’ feels like such a luxury after two years of academic papers. Twilight – I’ll do a lot of things for my God children but I won’t buy them that! They have to make do with Neil Gaiman.
I think there’s a distinction between a good book and a good read. The Twilight series was a good read (more so the earlier books and less so the 4th book, which disappointed me greatly). IMHO, Good books go beyond entertainment, they change your point of view, or connect you with something previously unreveiled. Sometimes I get what the hubbub is about (Twilight series) or not (The Shack), sometimes I crave what is familiar: Kingsolver, Atwood, A.S Byatt and I usually have something on my nightstand that is Young Adult (Brsinger Series – not well written but I have a soft spot for dragons). I miss reading thoughtful, well written, grown up books – truth be told, I’m tired. I pick up a book at 10 PM and stop before too long, because 5 AM comes so early. Growing up we had one night a week where it was OK to read at the dinner table, that is one tradition that I can’t wait to repeat with my own children. Sorry to ramble!