Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Occasionally I am at a loss for words when I write about books. I like to say that I enjoy most books and I give most of them the benefit of the doubt and I can appreciate the writing, story telling, and overall effort it took for the author to patiently spend hours writing and editing his/her masterpiece. I for one, could never imagine painstakingly sitting hunched over a computer writing page after page of fiction. I do have to give credit where credit is due, Ms. Niffenegger did write a novel, and that is about the nicest thing I can say about it.

I probably had great expectations from this book given that her previous book, The Time Traveler's Wife was probably one of my top 10 books from the last decade and this book was a total let down. The adjective fearful is the perfect description of the book, although I would have probably used creepy. This book was creepy.

The story began with the death of a woman named Elspeth, who had a younger lover named Robert. Elspeth is an identical twin (her sister's name is Edie). Edie has identical twins named, Julia and Valentina. Elspeth left her twin nieces her flat in London and asked that the twins live in the flat for a year. The only clause is that their mother, Edie is not allowed. Edie and Elspeth have not spoken in years.

The twins are very close and have an almost incestuousness relationship. The are so dependent on one another that they are rarely alone. Upon arriving in London they meet one of Elspeth's neighbors, Martin who suffers from OCD, (Martin is the only saving grace in all of the characters of the novel). The novel continues for another hundred or so pages with boring scenes of London cemeteries, dead people, a cat, animal cruelty, ghosts, a weird love affair, more weird ghosts, and a really weird ending.

In summary if you want to force yourself to read something that when you finish, you will ask for your time back, then this is the book for you! I actually read this book twice, just in case I missed some higher, deeper meaning but I used all my analytical powers, even read my notes on existentialism and I could come up with nothing! it was just weird and creepy.

I give it a 2.

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

I get into moods where I read a lot of World War II books, (mostly Holocaust stories, memoirs, or psychological insights) where I sit for days or weeks and read one after another. Then, for some weird reason I stop. It is a love/hate relationship. I suppose it has to do with my own family perishing in the Holocaust, knowing that my family could have been bigger or that I may not have been in this world if things had turned out differently. In any case, when I saw that one of my favorite historical fiction writers, Erik Larson, had written his newest novel, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin, I knew that I had to read it. Erik Larson is one of the best historical fiction writers that I have come across. He manages to introduce us to historical people that will probably not be remembered (other than a Wikipedia page) and become completely vested into their lives.

In the Garden of Beasts in summery recalls the American Ambassador to Germany, William E. Dodd and his daughter Martha Dodd’s experience in Germany during Hitler’s Chancellorship. This period in time was the birth of the Nazi party and the beginning of the anti-communist sentiment and the vapid anti-Semitism that spread throughout Germany in the 1930’s. As a history nut it was so interesting to see all actual incidents that occurred during that time. One that will always stick in my mind was when a non-Jewish woman wanted to marry a Jewish man and she was dragged by a group of SS and shamed in public. Of course as the years progressed things did get worse. It was also interesting that concentration camps were mentioned, mainly Dachau as well as the castration of the disabled and mentally impaired. Larson managed to show the reader the United States response by memorandums sent from different departments and how their personal beliefs affected the US’s decisions to intervene or not.

Larson did a tremendous job with William and Martha. William is a very uptight Southern Democrat who has very opinionated ideals. He is almost puritan in his work ethic and moral orders. His passion in life is the old South and his book he has been trying to finish. He doesn’t get along with the rest of his colleagues at the Embassy as he likes to watch his money and does not like to waste his money frivolously on such things as entertaining dignitaries and even likes to walk to work. The antithesis of his character is his daughter Martha. Martha loves the good life, but not as much as she loves men. She has several affairs and has numerous engagements. The famed astronomer/poet Carl Saigon is even mentioned as one of her beau’s. In Germany she falls in love with a communist, who we later learn is a Russian spy. When first arriving in Germany she is amazed and enthralled by the fervor that has engulfed Germany and is dying to meet Hitler. As the story continues she is appalled by what she see’s and realizes how mistaken she was. The Dodd’s only last in Germany for less than two years but their time there permanently changes their lives forever. William Dodd dies shortly after, Martha marries a Jewish American banker who is a communist and during McCarthyism relocates to Europe where she lives today.

Usually after reading a Larson book I do a lot of research about some of the events and the people he mentions in the stories. I love an author that teach you something new, that to me is the definition of reading. Reading opens you up to new worlds, new people, experiences, and points of view.

Thank you Mr. Larson, Keep them coming.

I give it 8 out of 10.