Kurt Vonnegut - God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater

Eliot Rosewater, a millionaire drunkard with a fascination for volunteer firefighting, becomes president of the Rosewater Foundation. The foundation was set up by his family as a means to prevent the government taxing their fortune. When Eliot takes over, things change dramatically. He moves out of his mansion and abandons his wife to live in a dilapidated house in Rosewater County. There, he tries his best to help the poverty stricken inhabitants, manning a phone for emergency calls from the public. Meanwhile, antagonist Norman Mushari tries to prove that Eliot is insane in order to get some of the family fortune for himself. Soon though, we find ourselves wondering whether Eliot's eccentric kindnesses may be linked to his mental health.

One of Vonnegut's lesser loved novels, God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater instantly became one of my favourites. The author immediately puts his stamp on this tale about capitalism, informing us that the main character in this story is "a sum of money". Written in his inimitable style, the book is more a series of short stories involving the inhabitants of Rosewater County than a traditional novel. The simplicity of Vonnegut's writing and the matter-of-fact storytelling which originally drew me to the author is present throughout the book. Take the following extract for example.

“The Client who was about to make Eliot’s black telephone ring was a sixty-eight-year old virgin who, by almost anybody’s standards, was too dumb to live. Her name was Diana Moon Glampers. No one had ever loved her. There was no reason why anyone should. She was ugly, stupid, and boring. On the rare occasions when she had to introduce herself, she always said her full name, and followed that with the mystifying equation that had thrust her life so pointlessly: “My mother was a moon. My father was a Glampers.”

Is Eliot Rosewater a guilty millionaire, a madman or a humanitarian? The blurring of these lines is what makes the character so fascinating.

The Garden of Forking Paths

A friend recently recommended Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges to me, so I picked up the short story and essay collection 'Labyrinths' from my local bookstore. I was not disappointed.


While initially the scope and detail of some of the writer's stories proved a bit overwhelming (see Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius), what one can't deny is the originality of his ideas. The fact that these complex tales are told in this condensed form is a testimony to his skills as a writer. Here is a link to the full text of my favourite of his short stories, The Garden of Forking Paths. http://courses.essex.ac.uk/lt/lt204/forking_paths.htm

Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry

"Why am I here, says the silence, what have I done, echoes the emptiness, why have I ruined myself ..."

This novel came to my attention while researching my novel idea. Because the novel explores the concept of addiction, my research turned up the typical works. Hunter S. Thompson, James Frey, Irvine Welsh etc. Then somebody suggested Under The Volcano. I researched Malcolm Lowry, and found that the subject of the book closely mirrored his own life. Finding Lowry intriguing, I bought a copy.

Geoffrey Firmin, the British Consul to Mexico, wants to write a book. His endeavours are thwarted by his alcoholism, a problem which affects all areas of his life, not least his relationship with ex-wife Yvonne. Yvonne arrives in Mexico on the Day of The Dead to try and start anew. This is easier said than done however. The presence of Jaques, Geoffrey's childhood friend, and Hugh, his brother who had an affair with Yvonne, only serves to complicate matters.

At first, I struggled with the book. This was mainly because I read about 50 pages and nothing of any consequence had happened. About a week later, I picked it up again and was soon blown away. The book is packed with beautiful imagery and Geoffrey's stream of consciousness. He is a man in a desperate situation, he knows that the drink is killing him but simply can't stop. This exploration of a man on the edge of the abyss is incredibly moving, all the more so when you consider Lowry's own tragic death. Below is the epitaph he wrote for himself.

Malcolm Lowry

Late of the Bowery

His prose was flowery

And often glowery

He lived,nightly, and drank, daily,

And died playing the ukulele.

Selected Poems of Malcolm Lowry

Death and The Penguin by Andrey Kurkov

This is another novel which was suggested by a tutor from my Masters course. Again, it features an aspiring author. Viktor wants to write novels, but instead ends up writing obituaries for the local newspaper. The strange thing about it is, the obituaries are for people who haven't died yet. When the subjects of his writing start to die under mysterious circumstances, Viktor becomes aware that a criminal organisation is using his obituaries as a hit list.
Throughout the book, Viktor interacts with a number of other people including a young girl who comes to live with him after her father disappears, and her maid who he has a sexual relationship with. However, the only character apart from himself that he ever seems to care about is the titular penguin. Viktor adopted Misha the penguin from a zoo that went bust (this is based on a true story) and throughout the book, Misha mirrors the mood of his owner. Much comedy is derived from Viktor's avatar, with his dodgy heart and mood swings, and the humour is essential to the novel. This is definitely a book I plan to reread. My only negative comment would be that the English translation leaves a little to be desired.

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

Motherless Brooklyn was suggested to me by a tutor on my writing course, and I am eternally grateful. This is the most exciting discovery I have made in a long time. The book was published in 1999, and in 2005 Edward Norton announced that he would direct and star in a film adaptation. Let's hope they hold on to Lethem's wonderful writing.
Lionel Essrog and a few other young boys are taken from their orphanage by Frank Minna, a small time crook. They start of moving boxes, but the nature of the 'odd jobs' they do for Frank soon becomes more obviously criminal. When Frank is stabbed to death, Lionel decides to find his killer.
The murder mystery plot line works well in the novel, with a series of intimidating suspects including a Polish giant and a group of Japanese businessmen. While there are wealth of interesting characters in the book, including Frank Minna himself and Lionel's companions, the protagonist outshines them all. Lionel suffers from Tourette's syndrome, a condition which makes him stand out even amongst his group of misfits. There is a certain childlike quality to Lionel even though he is investigating a murder. He is frequently hilarious without the intention of being so. Lionel is in pursuit of the truth, and while other characters see him as little more than a freak show, he proves his bravery in the end. Lethem could easily have cheapened the character by trying to get too many laughs from the Tourette's. Luckily, he avoided this. Lionel Essrog is the most endearing character I have encountered in a long time.