Based Upon Availability

Title: Based Upon Availability

Author:  Alix Strauss

Publisher: Harper (2010)

Genre(s): Realistic Fiction

Length: 340 pages

Synopsis:  Like the hub of a wheel, the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan anchors the intersecting stories of eight women.  From tragic to just plain odd, these stories are like the rooms of the hotel itself; though they exist alongside one another, they remain remarkably isolated.

My Rating: 4 Stars

My Opinion:
 
In this book, the Four Seasons acts almost as another character, anchoring these stories to one another for the reader, though not the characters themselves.  For the most part, they aren't aware of one another's existence.  It's almost like a series of monologues: invasive, exposing monologues of these women's thoughts.  The balance of the book's stories is weighted heavily toward Morgan, the hotel manager; her story takes up the majority of the pages.  It is through her that we get a glimpse of the outside perception of some of the other characters.  However, this is not an uplifting book.  Though they seem normal enough through Morgan's eyes, when the narrative shifts to tell these women's inner stories, they are revealed as sad, lonely, troubled, even mentally ill.  It's a startling realization; these capable, happy, friendly people that seem to be functioning just fine, go home and cry themselves to sleep.  In this respect, the book felt particularly real.  As empathetic as we are, we can never really know how the people around us are feeling and coping, particularly out of sight behind closed doors.  However, I was a bit disappointed to find that all of these characters were struggling with similar problems and that there was no real resolution for many of them.  Yes, it's true that there are sad, lonely people in the world, people who have learned to hide their pain in public but nonetheless ache.  But there was no happiness in this book, no real joy.  Perhaps that was not the point.  Perhaps this book chronicles only those for whom happiness is based upon availability.

Snow White, Blood Red

Title: Snow White, Blood Red

Author:  Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling (editors)

Publisher: Avon Books (1993)

Genre(s): Fairy tales, short stories, fairy tale retellings

Length: 411 pages, 20 stories

Synopsis:  Designed to take fairy tales out of the children's nursery and set them firmly in the realm of serious (if wondrous) literature, these stories range from traditionally designed reimaginings to poetic interpretations to acerbic social commentary.

My Rating: 4 Stars

My Opinion:
 
Any collection edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling automatically lands on my reading list.  Their taste in fantasy fiction is as dependably excellent as a box of Godiva chocolates.  This particular collection, however, seems to be aimed almost at a scholarly audience rather than the general public.  I don't mean to suggest that the works it contains are unpleasantly dense and esoteric; on the contrary, they're quite delightful.  Each story is preceded by a brief discussion of the work, its author, and its place in the pantheon of fairy tale literature.  The suggested reading listed at the end of the book, and the two introductions at its beginning are similarly academic in tone.  As a student of literature, I find these deeply intriguing, but as a reader they're somewhat distracting.  Part of this is undoubtedly results from the age of this compilation.  Though 1993 is hardly ancient history even in terms of the fast-paced publishing world, the recent trend has been towards a lighter hand on the part of editors.  Newer collections contain little, if any, discussion of the individual works, and it usually appears only after the stories.  The format may be less than ideal, but that's a bit like complaining about the box your Godiva chocolates come in.  The stories are exquisite and unique, the commentary engaging and thought-provoking, if somewhat out of place.  If you're looking for a wonderful plunge into a fairy-tale realm, or if ever you're preparing an academic discussion of fairy tales, this is one collection you can't afford to miss.

The Hollow Kingdom

Title: The Hollow Kingdom

Author: Clare B. Dunkle

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (2003)

Genre(s): Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy

Length: 230 pages

Synopsis:  Kate and Emily Winslow arrive at Hallow Hill estate newly orphaned and left to the care of their distant, old-fashioned uncle and their properly fussy great-aunts.  The estate belongs to Kate, and will be hers upon coming of age, but her uncle has other ideas.  When strange happenings begin to make Kate question her own sanity, her uncle takes the opportunity to push her further, hoping to have her committed to an asylum.  Trapped between her devious uncle and a power even more wild and strange, Kate is forced to make a choice: relinquish her sister to  her uncle’s power and herself to an asylum, or ally herself with a creature she can scarcely fathom- the Goblin King of Hallow Hill.

My Rating: 3 Stars

My Opinion: 

While the concept behind this book is appealingly classic, the style leaves a bit to be desired.  Every writer has heard the old adage “Show, don’t tell.”  This story doesn’t so much tell as grab the reader by the wrist and frog-march him through the first 50 pages or so.  Dunkle wants to start in the middle of the action, another excellent writers’ trick, but there’s just too much back-story required to let her plunge right in.  The prologue, set 70 years before the book takes place, is an unfortunate hint that the rest of the book will lurch past in odd fits and starts.  Little time is spent developing characters as they’re pushed onward through an admittedly intriguing plot.  By the last third of the book, the balance has resolved a bit, but I still feel no need to read the rest of the trilogy.