One-Sentence Plot Summary: A prisoner, Ray, narrates the story of Danny’s reunion with his cousin, Howie–whose death Danny was nearly responsible for as a child–at the medieval Eastern European castle Howie is attempting to turn into a hotel.

Review: The best thing about this book is its originality.  So many books are predictable because you’ve read a thousand just like them (ahem, see my previous post on The Associate).  But with The Keep, though I was able to guess at a few of the book’s twists, the ultimate conclusion was a mystery–perhaps partially because Egan refrains from the impulse to wrap everything up in a neat package with a bow.  Because of these twists, one review compared the book to Russian nesting dolls, which seems accurate.  There is a story within a story within a story, and the degree to which they are interconnected is only revealed as the book progresses. 

Like The Shadow of the Wind (read more about this here), the book contains Gothic elements.  Obviously–a medieval castle in Eastern Europe may be the very definition of Gothic.  But The Keep is more postmodern.  Though some of the danger is real, much of the terror is psychological and self-inflicted.  The castle seems to be a place that releases what is already inside the characters, forcing them to confront their fears and the past.  Because of this internal focus, the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred; the reader is often wondering along with the character if something is real or imagined. 

The only real negative to the book is that it’s not easy to relate to the characters.  They’re certainly colorful.  Danny dresses like a Goth and has his own personal vocabulary; Ray has a wide range of personalities alongside him in prison.  None of them are particularly sympathetic, however, leaving the reader sitting on the sidelines without an outcome to root for.  But fortunately, that motivation isn’t necessary to pull a reader through The Keep. 

Conclusion: The Keep is intriguing, unique, and can appeal to a variety of demographics.  And, as an added bonus, it was a quicker read than I’d initially anticipated.

Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s.  Also available in Sony eBook, Kindle, and audiobook formats.

One-Sentence Plot Summary:Third year Yale law student Kyle McAvoy is forced to take a job and then engage in corporate espionage at one of the world’s biggest law firms to prevent a secret from his past from being exposed.

Review: I don’t judge all books by the same standard.  I’d never expect a quick read to compare to a classic or a Pulitzer Prize winner.  In evaluating a Grisham novel, I’m primarily looking at how it compares to his previous works and similarly situated novels.  Even by these fairly lax standards, however, The Associate falls short. 

Grisham’s novels (at least his legal thrillers) are intended to be plot-driven page-turners.  The Associateis no exception, which makes the lack of a significant conflict a real problem.  The plot depends on Kyle feeling like he has no choice other than to obey the wishes of his blackmailers.  But when he finally decides to take action, the problem is solved with a couple easy maneuvers.  Unfortunately, these options are evident from the beginning, and the explanation for why Kyle waited is unconvincing.  Furthermore, the acts that Kyle has to commit while being blackmailed aren’t that atrocious.  He rakes in $200,000 a year at a job he was considering taking in the first place while occasionally providing his blackmailers with information.  Grisham tries to make this seem very dramatic by having Kyle constantly worry about his “ethical obligations,” but it’s hard to work up much concern.

A related problem is that the main character is never truly threatened.  As Kyle himself points out, his blackmailers’ plan will fail without his continued existence.  To increase the tension, Grisham puts a secondary character at risk instead.  In an attempt to make us care about this secondary character, Grisham invests a significant portion of the novel to this character’s backstory–which has absolutely no bearing on the main plot. 

Finally, the book’s depiction of life in a large law firm (one of my primary reasons for reading it) is shallow and stereotypical.  As previously mentioned, Kyle was considering taking the job before he was forced to do so.  Presumably, he had reasons for considering this, and presumably, there are reasons why many people stay at the firm.  In The Associate, however, everyone at the law firm is immoral or obnoxious, and the only decent people are planning to leave.  Additionally, the horror stories of life at the firm are recycled, familiar to anyone with a passing knowledge of law firm life. 

Conclusion: The Associate doesn’t satisfy a craving for Grisham.  Re-read one of his older novels instead; I particularly like The Client and The Pelican Brief.

Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s.  Also available in audiobook format.

One-Sentence Plot Summary: Daniel’s desire to learn the secrets surrounding author Julián Carax’s burned books takes him on a ten-year quest involving murder, war, friendship, tragedy, and love.

Review: As you can probably surmise from the plot summary, The Shadow of the Wind is one of those grand novels that calls to mind words like “epic” and “saga,” though it doesn’t meet the technical definition of either.  It’s difficult to categorize the book because Zafón incorporates so many elements.  The book begins as a coming-of-age tale, the story of Daniel’s first infatuation.  As Daniel discovers more clues about Julián Carax, the novel evolves into a thriller with Gothic twists and turns.  And at a later point, Daniel’s story becomes secondary to Julián’s; the book even switches to a different first-person narrator to provide a closer look at Julián.  But Zafón weaves these sections together masterfully.  The way in which the two characters’ storylines mirror each other and intertwine is one of the best things about the book.

Another is the character Fermín Romero de Torres, a scrappy, good-hearted man who manages to provide comic relief and emotional backbone in almost equal portions, a rare feat.  Fermín is the type of character who makes a novel, the sort who, if this were a movie, would give the Academy pause over whether to put the actor playing him in the leading or supporting category. 

Naturally, the novel isn’t flawless.  Some of the language is overwrought–a pen nib that “shone like the lighthouse at Alexandria,” snow as “God’s dandruff.”  Much of the very first portion of the novel feels unnecessary and inconsequential after reading the rest.  And at least one major plot twist (you’ll know it when you read it) is so dramatic that it’s almost laughable. 

But the faults are easily forgiven because above all else, this is a novel for book lovers.  Daniel’s obsession with Julián begins when his father takes him to visit the Cemetary of Forgotten Books, a ficticious labyrinth of abandoned treasures that any reader will long to visit.  Daniel’s whole life is about books, working in his father’s bookstore and trying to unravel the mystery of the author, Julián Carax.  Daniel says it best at the beginning of the novel, in one of the book’s most memorable quotes, “I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day.”  Anyone who identifies with this will appreciate the rest of the novel. 

Conclusion: This novel is encompassing; it could be enjoyed by someone of any age, gender, race, or class.  It has a compelling plot without sacrificing other elements such as characterization.  It is complex without being dense.  Though I do not mean to imply that the novel is perfect, I do think it could rightfully be called fantastic.

Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s.  Also available in Sony eBook Reader and Kindle formats.

NB: If you read and enjoy The Shadow of the Wind as much as I did, you’ll be happy to know that The Angel’s Game, written as a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind, will be available in the United States on June 16, 2009.  Expect a full report here.