the 999 Challenge - April

I realise the four books I have read this month all have the theme of going from the present to the past and back again.
The Gathering by Anne Enright (Man Booker Prize Winner). Veronica Hegarty looses her much loved brother Liam, an alcoholic who commits suicide by drowning. Veronica reflects on the family history. The story is set in Ireland and involves many themes, family secrets, sexual abuse, alcoholism, suicide and absentee parents. It is filled with love and hate. The story deals with the difficulties of relationships within the family. There is more than one story going on at one time as it jumps from the past to the present and back again with no warning. I really struggled with this book although there were some good parts the book for me overall did not hold my interest. Maybe it was one of those books one needs to re read if only there was the time. Sorry too many good books out there to read.
Look Me In The Eye by John Elder Robison (Word of Mouth). This was a most interesting read by the brother of Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors) who is a favourite author of mine. John has lived with Asperger's Syndrome all his life. Not only was he bought up in a totally dysfunctional family but Asperger's Syndrome was not even heard of when he was growing up. He could not make eye contact, he said whatever came into his mind whether relevent to the conversation or not and he could not express appropriate emotions. Everyone thought he was weird, lazy and arrogant. His saving grace was that he always connected with machines. He firstly got into the rock scene at sixteen where he created the smoke-exploding guitars for KISS. He fitted into the rock scene as he felt they were misfits like him. Next he thought he would try the corprate world where he created talking toys, after a while he felt he didn't fit in. He always loved tinkering with cars so he decided to set up his own business of repairing epensive European cars. He has been very successful in this business which he still has today. At age forty his friend a therapist told him he thought he had a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome which was only diagnosed in the 80's. He realised he wasn't a freak after all and was able to use his logical mind to asertain certain responses that enabled him to live in the 'normal' world. He hopes his story will help other children to grow up a little less lonely. I loved this book.
The Forgotten Garden: a novel by Kate Morton (Word of Mouth) The novel opens in 1913 where a young girl has been left on the dock sitting on her suitcase. A dock worker finds her and takes her home to his childless wife. They name her Nell and she grows up in a very happy environment. When she turns twenty one her father tells her a secret that changes her life. She begins a lifetime quest of trying to find out who she is. This is also the story of Nell's grandaughter Cassandra who inherits Nell's house and forgotten garden in Cornwell after she dies, that nobody knew she had. Cassandra starts to uncover long hidden family secrets. The story is interwoven in three parts from 1913 to 2005 from Australia to London to Cornwell.
Kate Morton has an easy to read storytelling style and her mystery elements will hold you to the end. I really enjoyed this book, I found it hard to put down and sorry when it ended.
The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif by Najef Mazari (Word of Mouth) This is a story of Najef's journey from Mazar-eSharif in Afganistan to Woomera Detention Centre in Australia. During his time in Woomera awaiting to see if he is accepted into Australia he reminises of happy and unhappy memories of life back in Mazar-e-Sharif. What a resilient race of people these Afagani people are, there is always a parable to be told to understand the hardship of their lives. There are some humorous moments in the book when Najef is trying to understand our culture like queue jumping and queue forming as it is unheard of in his country,also the breaucracy of the government in Canberra, where the man who is the keeper of the special stamp that stamps the visas. Najef arrives with only one shoe the other lost at sea and the time he spend at Woomera he only ever has the one shoe. He helps out in the kitchen to give himself something to do and as he says everyone knows Asians like rice but noodles would be nice for a change. He eventually gets his visa approved and opens a rug shop in Melbourne.
We don't realise how hard it must be to leave the country and culture you are bought up in and to search for a place to live that enables you peace and security. I really enjoyed this book as Najef always had hope and despite everything that has happened to him and finds good in everything around him.