The Bishop's Man

Although The Bishop's Man isn't a genre I usually dally in, this book caught my attention and I decided to give it a try. It is written by a Candian author, Linden MacIntyre, and it is a recipient of the Governor General's Literary Choice Award.

The book itself is about a priest in the Roman Catholic Church who has, over his career, been given the responsibility of dealing with corruption in the priesthood. Known among his peers as "the exorcist", it is his duty to go to places where priest have been engaged in less than priestly behaviours (notably child molestation), and do the clean-up work before the media gets involved. At the point in time that this book begins, the media is getting a little too close for comfort on some of the church's dirty secrets, and so the priest is sent to a small town parish in Nova Scotia by his bishop to lie low and be the local priest. Now that the priest finds himself surrounded with silence and solitude, however, he begins to process and struggle with events that happened in the past. In the meantime, there are those within the little town who are not without their own problems.

If you like fast paced, action and adventure filled novels, this story is not for you. If you like happy stories, or stories that at least end on a happy note, then this isn't for you either. If you like linear stories that have a clear beginning and end and proceed linearly throughout the book, then this isn't for you either. In retrospect, I definitely wasn't the person who should have been reading this book. Very little actually happens in the entire story; rather it reads like an internal monologue and the priest processes the events of the past and what is happening around him. The story, since it follows his train of thought, does not hesitate to jump around in time frequently, and without warning. The protagonist will be out doing something and then suddenly a completely unrelated paragraph from events five years earlier will interject. These multiple layers of story are revealed parallel to each other, so the book in some ways reads like a mystery, with things being alluded to that are never actually explicitly spelled out. This means that the reader has to be constantly connecting the dots; if you don't you will get lost, real fast.

Writing style aside, I found the approach of the book to also be weird and adverse to my own way of thinking. Although this was a novel dealing primarily with religious characters, a religious background and religious concepts, the idea of God was almost absent from the entirety of the novel. In contrast, liquor appeared on almost every page. The author's approach to the church was a secular one from a completely institutional standpoint. If God was ever mentioned, it was in passing; and the church's purpose was not to serve God first, but rather to be an institution that was self-sanctioned to take care of the souls of people. The church was presented as very self-focused, and there was more concern on the part of the ecclesiastical officials in the book with preserving the reputation of the church than bringing truth, life and God to the people. I admit that this presentation, especially the latter part about the church being concerned with its reputation, is valid, for some church institutions. There are some Christians who approach religion like this. It disturbs me, however, that someone can write a 400 page book about the church and not have God enter the conversation at all. This is completely opposite from my own experience of religion and I felt like it was a distorted view of the Roman Catholic religion as well. In fact, the author all but agreed with this sentiment when the protagonist wondered to himself why every priest he had ever met was some wonderful example of perversion and corruption when there were so many priests out there who were actually good and holy people. It should also be noted that this book presented a very poignant and completely one sided argument against celibacy. Although I myself am not a fan of institutionalized celibacy, I felt the book failed to recognize the true depth of reasoning and tradition behind this lifestyle choice. It would be a hard thing to explain, however, without bringing God into the picture.

Despite all of my misgivings about this book, I cannot say that I regret reading it. It is good to know what people are reading. This is popular, secular literature: this is how people see the church. It is interesting to consider how this book will be the basis of understanding that many have for the church. To this book's credit however, the author did try to stress the point that priests are just human too, with problems like the rest of us. This at least is true of any person, regardless of whether God enters the picture or not.

The Outlander

Over the last 2 months I've been engrossed in a book series recommended to me called 'The Outlander Series' by Diana Gabaldon. The basic storyline is about a WWII nurse named Claire who, during her second honeymoon in Scotland with her husband, dissappears through some standing stones and finds herself in the 1700's. During her adventure she meets and ends up marrying, by neccessity, a Scottish man named Jamie. The first book is about their falling in love with each other and trying to evade the notorious Black Jack Randall, a cruel English soldier who gets far too much joy out of causing others pain. 

This series is very difficult to describe in terms of genre as it covers many of them. I think her website describes it best with a review of her latest novel in this series,

"An Echo in the Bone is the seventh novel in the wildly popular, NYT #1 bestselling, internationally award-winning Outlander series—described by Salon.com as "the smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting Scrooge McDuck comic books."


I actually llike the mixing of the genre's, but overall I think it may be classified as a love story or romance as this is the prevailing theme throughout the novels regardless of what situations the characters find themselves in. I was somewhat shocked to discover that many of the events in the books are based, at least loosely, upon real events in history. It contains info about the battle of Culloden and the Jacobite Uprising in Scottish history. Also my own ancestors, the MacGregors, may have fought in this battle which of course didn't bode well for them since the English hunted down and killed everyone involved. I find these books to be well written and worth the effort (considering there length) and would highly recommend them to those who enjoy romance/historical fiction/adventure/sci fi/suspense novels!   

Book Sale!

Today we went to a used book sale and restocked our bookshelves. Here's what I came home with:

1. The First Time by Joy Fielding a
2. Puppet by Joy Fielding
3. Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
4. Timeline by Michael Crichton a
5. Star Wars: Children of the Jedi by Barbara Hambly a
6. The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
7. The Children of Men by P. D. Jamesa
8. What Went Wrong: The Clash between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East by Bernard Lewis
9. Speaking Out by Jack Layton
10. Worth Repeating by Pierre Berton
11. The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide by Brian Patton & Bart Robinson (n/a)
12. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray
13. Boundaries in Marriage by Henry Cloud and John Townsend a
14. Cheats, Charlatans, and Chicanery by Andreas Schroeder a
15. How to be a Canadian by Will Ferguson & Ian Ferguson a
16. Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy (a gift for my Mom) (n/a)
17. Five Complete Novels by Agatha Christie
- Thirteen at Dinner
- Murder on the Orient Express
- The ABC Murders
- Cards on the Table
- Death on the Nile
18. The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon

Hooray for books that only cost $1! Together with the few books I have from my last reading list, these will provide much of my reading for the next little while.

Yes Candide

Brief plot summary: Candide is raised in his uncle's castle, and falls in love with his cousin Cundegonde. Unfortunately, he gets caught kissing her and expelled. In the outside world he faces a harsh reality: war, shipwreck, earthquake, the Inquisition, murder, the loss of friends and mentors, and in the end, boredom. His luck turns around at times: he is briefly taken in by a kind Anabaptist, he hopes to reunite with his love Cunegonde, he discovers other friends he thought were dead, he finds the magical world of El Dorado, and he becomes wealthy. However, over the course of the story, the hardships outweigh the joys, and Candide becomes disillusioned.

I recently finished reading Candide (Subtitled Optimism) by Voltaire. I felt pretty smart to be reading such a distinguished author (whose house and tomb I have actually seen, although it didn't matter all that much to me at the time), and Candide was surprisingly readable. It's a satire exploring the Enlightenment idea that this is the best of all possible worlds, told through the story of a boy named Candide who grows up being taught this worldview, but then has it threatened by experience with the world.

The introduction describes the Optimism mocked by Candide as a philosophical position claiming that "in spite of errors and appearances God's creation is as good as it could be," (xi) and "that all that is and happens is for the best." (xii) The endnotes continue, "This world is the best possible world, because God, being all-wise, must know all possible worlds, being all-powerful, must be able to create whatever he chooses, and being all-good, must choose the best." (122) This is the philosophy of Leibniz, represented in the story by Candide's professor Pangloss. It involves a priori reasoning ("arguments from logic rather than experience" [128]) that reminds me of the belief that the earth is the center of the universe: because of who God is and who we are, things must be a certain way; never mind checking to see if the evidence supports such a theory.
Such a philosophy also leads to a belief in cause and effect: everything has contributed to the best of all possible worlds and each contribution is therefore necessary for the perfect conclusion. Pangloss explains, "Things cannot be other than they are: for, since everything is made to serve an end, everything is necessary for the best of ends." (4) Hence, fatalism.

Candide seems to discuss "the world" not just in the sense of the earth and universe, but the book also considers personal worlds, in an arrogant sense: my existence is the best possible existence, my castle is better than anyone else's, et cetera. However, most characters tell "worst of all possible worlds" stories as they elaborate upon their woes. While these tales could reinforce in Candide the idea that despite his hardships his existence was quite privileged, they instead have the opposite effect: Candide becomes discouraged in company with the others who suffer.

An alternative philosophy to Optimism is illustrated in the last half of the book by Candide's companion Martin. Martin's difficult life has led him to not expect good things. Late in the novel, when everyone else is miserable, we are told that "as for Martin, he was firmly persuaded that people are equally miserable wherever they are; he took things as they came." His low expectations for life made him more satisfied than anyone else with unavoidable harsh circumstances. This seems like a pretty good idea to me, but I'm not sure what Voltaire really thinks of it. Later Martin's outlook is referred to as "detestable principles." (91) That's the tricky thing about satires - I'm never sure if this time the author is being serious.

Despite all the suffering it describes, the book has a decidedly cheerful tone. Hardships are described in a matter-of-fact and off-hand way, and stories are told euphemistically. For instance, in punishment for appearing to desert from the army he is conscripted into, Candide is given the choice of running the gauntlet or being shot in the head. He reluctantly chooses the first option, but "as they were lining up for the third run, Candide, who could take no more, politely asked if they would instead be so kind as to cave his head in." (7) For this reason, I have a hard time seeing the characters of Candide as real human people. It seems to me like a cartoon. Of course, I am also swayed by the fantastic cartoon cover of my edition of the book.

There were a couple of lines in Candide that really caught my attention:
- "Stones were formed to be hewn and made into castles, hence his Lordship's beautiful castle." (4) Following Pangloss's explanation of how noses were made to wear glasses and legs were made for pants, this sentence carries the unfortunate idea that everything exists for human consumption and the earth is ours to abuse. I'm sure stones were made for more general reasons than the construction of castles.
- "It is the price we pay for the sugar you eat in Europe." (52) This sentence is spoken to Candide by a slave in South America, who has lost a hand and a leg as punishment for various infractions. It is as powerful to me outside of its context as in it, and it reminds me of my social justice-minded friends.

For nearly the entire story Candide pines after Cundegonde. Over and over he finds her and they become separated again, and the hope of reuniting with her permanently is what fuels his optimism. At the end of the story, he does find and ransom her, but by this time she has become ugly and mean. He no longer wants to marry her, but he does so anyway out of duty and spite. His dream didn't align with reality, and now that it has become reality it is akin to a nightmare. The things that we hope for so often don't turn out to be as good as we expect.

Candide and his friends seem reasonably happy at the end of the story (the very end of the story, not the almost-end), when they devote themselves to simple work. However, I can't decide if they're actually happy. Candide is not as deliriously happy as he expected to be, but neither is he as miserable as he is at the near-end of the story when he has a hard time deciding whether his current boredom is perhaps worse than all the other malfortunes he and his friends have faced. When Pangloss starts spouting his philosophy about how all their hardships were necessary for the agreeable place they ended up (and eating candied citron and pistachios does sound pretty good), Candide responds, "that is well said..." (94) He doesn't deny or challenge the claim that they are satisfactorily happy. (Then again, he never seems to directly argue with Pangloss.) However, by his affirmation Candide may intend to say "I hear you," more than "I completely agree," as he goes on to say, "but we must cultivate our garden." I think he has accustomed himself to a quieter sort of happiness. He may not consider it the best possible existence, but he is satisfied that neither is it the worst. Being relatively free from pain leaves him relatively happy.

I found the philosophical exploration in Candide interesting, but it did not relate directly to my life because I myself do not spend much time wondering about whether or not this is the best of all possible worlds. Personally, I found greater value in the book as a story of Candide growing up (Wikipedia considers Candide to be a classic bildungsroman) and of what happens to the beliefs that he is raised with as they come into conflict with the realities of the world. At the beginning, he is thoroughly convinced of the teaching he receives that this is the best possible world. As he faces hardships, he goes through various stages of doubt: he continues to interpret his new experience in light of his learned philosophy; he wonders what other existences must be like if his is the best and yet so miserable; he wishes his professor were present to explain how his new experiences fit within the philosophy; he imagines he might begin to argue against the philosophy were his professor available; he is swayed by good luck to believe it again; he acknowledges his previous circumstances were greatly lacking but believes that perfect existence had to exist somewhere; he claims he is giving up on Optimism altogether; in good circumstances he still finds himself believing it by default; and then it gradually slips away from him. He goes through a phase of bitter loss, but ends up with a peaceful compromise, believing that his existence is relatively agreeable and that is enough. Loss of belief is not a smooth, straightforward path; it oscillates between doubt and faith, like a pendulum that eventually achieves balance.

Proust

I just finished reading How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton. It was worth reading - although I don't think it changed my life. (Thanks Mara!)

I can imagine de Botton writing this as a thesis or dissertation concluding an intensive study of Marcel Proust. Reading it made me feel academic. And I enjoyed his use of the word "mustachioed" (which surprisingly is accepted by my spell checker - I always though "moustached" would be the proper term). I think that the title and chapter headings ("How to...") were assigned with a degree of sarcasm, because although the book is described as an intelligent self-help book, it reads more like a rambling discussion of Proust and his interaction with these topics (reading, suffering, friendship, love) than clear advice for a changed life.

The theme seems to be: Don't take things for granted. Notice and appreciate the little things, the common things that surround you.

Proust seems like a high-maintenance, whiny kind of person throughout most of this book. I was surprised to eventually read that he was well liked by his many friends. One person said of him, "He was the best of listeners. Even in his intimate circles his constant care to be modest and polite prevented him from pushing himself forward and from imposing subjects of conversation. These he found in others' thoughts. Sometimes he spoke about sport and motor-cars and showed a touching desire for information. He took an interest in you, instead of trying to make you interested in himself." (pages 106-7) I admire that.

I agreed less with some of his other thoughts on friendship, however, which made this section of the book very interesting to me.
Proust was challenging all the more exalted claims made on friendship's behalf. Principal among these is the claim that our friends afford us a chance to express our deepest selves, and that the conversations we have with them are a privileged forum in which to say what we really think and, by extension and with no mystical allusion, be who we really are.(page 109)
He didn't believe that was true. I do. Not that I think it is always that way with all friends; rather, you have moments with some friends where your true self shows its depth, amid many ordinary times together. De Botton argues that as a medium for self-expression, conversation is much too limited for revealing our deepest selves, especially in comparison with writing. (Thus, we are often disappointed when meeting authors of outstanding works.) It also seems that Proust felt that friendship was not an appropriate outlet for our honest thoughts since many of those thoughts may be less than complimentary and have our friend as the subject. As a result, Proust tended to hide his thoughts, focus on his friend's interests, and merely seek warmth and affection in friendship. I don't think that honest disclosure of every thought is required, but I do think that an outlet for honest expression regarding some matters is valuable.

He also has interesting thoughts to share on the subject of books and reading. We recognize our thoughts, lives, and acquaintances in what we read. We can find in books a mirror of ourselves, and authors can often articulate ideas we have sensed but never been able to put into words. However, we must be careful to continue to do our own thinking, and not just rely on others to feed us our opinions. He also cautions against ignoring the spirit of a book in an obsession over its details.

After reading How Proust Can Change Your Life, I don't feel motivated to read Proust's In Search of Lost Time. I would, however, be interested in reading more by Alain de Botton. And I want to try madeleines.

hope springs eternal

ok, here's the list of books i hope to read before march 21. most of this is catching up on gifts i've neglected for too long.

1. "i have to move my car: tales of unpersuasive advocates and injudicious judges" by david pannick
2. "what the dog saw and other adventures" by malcolm gladwell
3. "winter vault" by anne michaels
4. "pleasures and sorrows of work" by alain de botton
5. "gulliver's travels" by jonathan swift
6. "hoard of mathematical treasures" by ian stewart
7. at least five short stories from "elements of fiction"
8. if i get really ambitious, "the satanic verses" by salman rushdie. it's a bit heady right off the bat.

these are real books, for the most part, but i'm not giving up mysteries in the meantime! they should bring me up to 10. in fact i've already read two of the four novels folded into the "miss marple omnibus, volume 1." those count, don't they?

New on the Shelf

Due to Chapters coupons that required several large purchases, finding cheap used books at Goodwill, and receiving gifts, I have many new books on my shelf. (And these days I am much more likely to actually read the new books I get than I used to be, instead of letting them sit unattended forever.) Here's some of what I plan to be reading in the near future:

1. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon a
2. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink a
3. Anthem by Ayn Rand a
4. Dune by Frank Herbert a
5. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert a
6. Essays by George Orwell a
7. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert a
8. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
9. How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton a
10. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
11. The Piano Man's Daughter by Timothy Findley a
12. The Birth House by Ami McKay a
13. Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery a
14. Candide by Voltaire a
15. The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathana

Do any of these interest you guys? Would you care to join me?