There have been a lot of books based on drunken bets in recent years,
many getting to the point of needless stupidity in order to create an excuse to
write a book about their ‘journey’. ‘Are you Dave Gorman?’ by Dave Gorman and
Danny Wallace is a book I have read previously and is one of the earlier
‘drunken bet’ books to come about. But preceding that was Tony Hawks’ (of the
non-skateboarding variety) ‘Round Ireland with a Fridge’: an account of his
circumnavigating Ireland with a refrigeration unit after seeing a man
hitchhiking in such a way and wondering if it would be possible to achieve.
This is all very well and stupid. What follows is a witty and dry
account, naturally with the non-skateboarder, though disappointingly he
received a great deal of media coverage during his journey and as such often
found it easy to find a free ride, free alcohol and free accommodation. This
turns the journey more into a drunken tour round the pubs of Ireland – a book
I’m sure has been written many times before.
Though while the journey may have been made easier for him, doesn’t
mean it isn’t eventful and entertaining. Travelling alone (not even with a
fridge) while reading made it an appropriate read and served as a minor
travelling companion. Though I’m sure many have travelled round Asia with a
book before me. Funny enough, it justifies the £100 bet it was originally born
from. He may be no skateboarder, but has written a certainly cool book.
Days to read: 5
Days per book: 14.1
Coin Locker Babies (Murakami Ryu)
This book took a long time to get going. Over the first few days of
reading, I had barely turned any pages, finding it clunky and difficult to get
into. To start, there are lots of jumps in the timeline with constant moving
forward in time, seeming like a new story starting every ten pages. This allows
for plot holes to become apparent and little real affinity with the lead
characters. When the two titular coin locker babies reach the age of 17, the
book becomes more linear and the characters start to take greater shape, which
was necessary if I was to keep going.
So continues my reading of what I’ve so far found to be the
inconsistent Murakami Ryu. An improvement on ‘Almost Transparent Blue’, being
that it has a story, it’s a bumpy read that has intriguing enough a story but
asks too much of the imagination of the reader to fully grasp the motivations
of the two leads, and is ultimately a little anticlimactic.
The writing style doesn’t make things any easier, though I would blame
this more on the translation than the author himself. Use of slang seems like a
cry to gain more street cred, but often feels inappropriate in the context. In
looking at his girlfriend, Kiku dreams of her ‘armpits’, her ‘breasts’ and her
‘cunt’, as any young man would.
An overambitious piece, while it has its moments, it falls short in too
many areas, furthering my opinions of Murakami as an inconsistent writer.
Days to read: 12
Days per book: 14
The Corner (David Simon and Ed Burns)
Having read ‘Homicide…’ after the joys of discovering ‘The Wire’ at
last, I followed it up with David Simon’s sequel, ‘The Corner’, written with
former homicide detective, Ed Burns. Like the non-fiction work about the
Baltimore Homicide Department, ‘The Corner’ is the record of a year spent
following the lives of those involved in Baltimore’s drugs wars; this time from
the perspective of the dealers and addicts.
Focusing on one family, the McCullough’s, it’s the real-life account of
twelve months in their, and the streets, lives. Again, it has a docu-drama
feel: part description of events that unfolded; part account of the wider
issues at hand in America’s cities.
With some minor overlap with ‘Homicide…’, it is clear to see how
the real-life personalities charted here became the characters of the
television series: with father Gary McCullough becoming addict and copper-fiend
Bubbles and young dealer DeAndre McCullough part-D’Angelo Barksdale,
part-Namond Brice. Indeed, some of those featured did
themselves have some role or other in the making of ‘The Wire’, as art imitates
life.
Again, it’s a long and detailed read, with numerous people covered
extensively, though does show how much time and effort was put in to the
research that would eventually become ‘The Wire’: a show two decades in the
making.
Days to read: 22
Days per book: 14.2
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