The Double Life of Benson Yu

 by Kevin Chong

The author of this book is a BC prof who has or is teaching at UBC Okanagan.

It is a strange book, I am not sure what to make of it.  The book starts out with Benson Yu, a teenager, living with his grandmother in chinatown.  Benson's mother had died and his father is described as a good for nothing.  

Benson has an aunt he is close to but she goes on tour with her band.  While she is away Benson's grandmother dies and Benson is on his own. He tries to contact his aunt and has difficulty.  When he does finally reach her she says she can't come home til the tour is over.  Benson is on his own with no food and money.  He goes to school for awhile but when his grades start to drop and his teacher asks to see his grandmother he stops going to school.  A social worker comes to try to find him but Benson hides.  He eventually goes to a neighbour, a man with mental health issue who practices martial arts and thinks he is a Japanese  ninja or something like that.  When their are practicing martial arts the man, who has taken Benson to live with him, accidentally breaks Benson's nose.

The book then skips to twenty years into the future.  Benson is the same age as before and is living with his father, who is a part time university lecturer, married to a more successful academic.  The couple have a young daughter.  Benson's step mother welcomes him and takes him shopping for clothes. His father is a lot more reserved.  He has  drinking problem and his wife decides to leave him.

Benson finds out his father is famous for a cartoon/animee book or series that he wrote about a lizard who learns martia arts.  Benson and his dad practice martia arts.  His father is quite hard on him and Benson gets a lot of bruises.  Benson's father receives communication from the man who was his martial arts teacher, a man who it seems sexually abused him.  The man wants money as he thinks he is the inspiration for the comic books.  Benson's father refuses.  At the end of the book the man who took Benson in, in the past, shows up and kills Benson's father and is jailed or hospitalized as a result.

I am not sure what to make of this book, why the time jump?  There is a parallel with Benson and his father both having martial arts teachers but Benson's did not sexually abuse him and ended up saving him from his father.  Did jumping into the future somehow allow Benson come to terms with is useless absent father by making him more normal. But why did Benson's teacher have to come to kill the father, was he  threat to Benson.

Frankenstein

 by Mary Shellley

I read the book at the recommendation of Christian.  I found the first part of the book really slow to get started.  It starts with a young man, on an exploration mission in a ship writing to his sister, writing letters to his sister about a man they rescue and the story he tells.

The book eventually gets around to describe the happy life of Victor Frankenstein, including a girl adopted into his family.  As a young man he get interested in some strange pseudo science and ideas.  When he goes away to university his interests are discounted by the profs.  He studies and eventually gets interested in trying to create a human and he is able to do so.  He is terrified of the huge ugly creature he has created and falls into sickness.  The creature disappears.

Eventually a friend of his comes to him and nurses him back to health.   The man is saddened to learn that his young brother has been killed.  He later finds out that it was his creature who killed the brother.  The creature is angry that the man is appalled by his existence.  The creature evenutally finds shelter in a barn attached to a house.  By watching and listening to the family, a blind father and his two children, the creature learns the language.  He watches them for months and one day decides to drop in to see the father.  When the children return they are shocked at the monsters appearance and he runs away.  The family decide to leave their rental accommodation and after they leave the monster burns the house down.

He eventually reconncts with Frankenstein and asks him to create a woman companion for him.  If he is rejected by society because of his appearance at least he would have a companion.  He says that if Frankenstein doesn't do this he will harm his family.  Frankenstein initially refuses but finally agrees.  He goes away to an island and starts to work on a mate but can't do it.  Shortly after a body is found near the island, it is the body of Frankenstein's best friend.  Frankenstein is arrested and jailed for the murder.  

He evetually gets out of jail and marries the woman who was adopted into his family. They set off on their honeymoon and his bride is murdered on their wedding night by the monster.  The monster had hinted at this.

The man then sets off to find the monster and kill him which swings back to the start of the book.

The book certainly wasn't like movies about Frankenstein.  The book was very sympathetic towards the creature.  He was lonely, sad that he was rejected by people.  All he wanted was to be loved.  He seemed to be a thoughtful being and only committed his violence because of his frustration at being rejected.

The Jazz Club Spy

 by Roberta Rich

This is the story of a Russian emigrant to the U.S.  Members of her family were killed by cossacks in Russia and her mother was raped by one of the cossacks.  The family fled to the U.S.  The main character Giddy is working as a cigarette girl in a club but longs to open her own custom makeup store.  

One day while she is riding a bus she sees a man she thinks was the cossack who tried to kill her.  She wants revenge.  She goes to the immigration office at Ellis Island? and meets an immigration official.  When she tells the man who she thinks this man is he agrees to do some checking into records as the cossacks are not desirable immigrants.

They are able to identify the name of the man and the girl is "hired" by the official to try to track the man down as they think he may be involved in some political activities.  The girl is able to find him, even though a detective has not been able to do so.  The girl eventually meets the man's pregnant wife, they already have one child.

The man finds out she is looking for him and breaks into her home one night.  He tells her he is not the one who raped her mother or killed her family members.  She doesn't know whether to believe him or not.  She does find out that he may be involved in a plot to kill a Soviet official who is scheduled to come to the U.S.  With the money she receives from the U.S. official the girl is able to open her shop.

The girl and the government official start having an affair and the girl becomes pregnant.  The official wants her to have an abortion and he agrees to pay for it.  The girl insists she wants to meet a different govt official. Her lover tells her the man is not to be trusted but agees to introduce them at the man's summer home, while she is recovering from her abortion.  She had hoped the man would marry her but finds out he is already married with a family.

The story then takes several twists.  The girl meets her father who was kicked out by her mother.  She finds out that her sister didn't die in Russia but was rather "sold" to a local rich person.  She finds out her younger brother who she has great hopes for is actually a product of her mother's rape.  He overhears the conversation and it helps everyone understand why the mother was so finding it so hard to love him.  It turns out the govt official is actually a fascist and anti-semite who is hiring the Russian cossack to kill the soviet visitor.  The girl is of course shocked at this news and risks her life to thwart the plot.  

It was an interesting story that kept you wondering what was going on.  The author is a BC writer.

The House of Doors

 by Tan Twan Eng

This story is set in Penang Malaysia in the early 1920's primarily.

The main character is a British woman, Lesley Hamlyn, who is the mother of two sons and married to a lawyer.  She really likes their home in Penang. However, she and her husband do not really have a loving relationship.

The author Somerset Maugham comes to stay with them for a few weeks, along with his male lover.  He is escaping from his wife in England.  He is devastated to learn that he made some bad financial investments and is now in serious financial trouble.  He realizes he has to write some books to make some money.  He is afraid his lover will leave him when he learns about his financial situation.

The Hamlyn's are introduced to a Chinese revoluntionary, Sun Yat Sen.  Lesley is impressed by him and tries to help him by promoting him in Penang and helping him translate some of his pamphlets into the local language for the local Chinese population.

Lesley is devastated when her brother, who is a newspaper Editor in Penang, tells her that her husband is having and affair.  He thinks she will divorce her husband.  However, after thinking things over Lesley decides divorce would be devastating for her and her sons financially and socially so she decides to stay in the marriage.  Eventually she finds out that the person her husband is having an affair with is a male chinese  This is more of a shock than the initial news of his adultery.

When she is working on translating Sun Yat Sen's pamphlets she is working in a house in the chinese section of the city.  There she meets another Chinese man.  He tells her about Chinese history and takes her to a house he inherited from his mother.  The house is full of carved/decorated doors hanging from the ceiling.  Apparently it is a chinese tradition to decorate the entrance doors to houses.  They eventually start having and affair.  Lesley is so happy and doesn't feel guilty at all.

Eventually she confides about her love affair to Maugham, he assumes her lover is Sun Yat Sen.  Lesley is worried that Maugham will put her story into one of his published stories but then realizes it is too late to worry about that.  She feels good at being able to tell someone about it.

While all this is going on Lesley's best friend, a married woman,  is arrested for murder of a man who was her lover.  The woman and tried to break off the relationship but one night the man comes to her house when her husband is not home and she shoots him. She does not admit she was having an  affair, rather says the man invaded her house and tried to rape her.  Lesley speaks in her defense at the trial but does not divulge that the woman was having and affair.  The public think the woman will be acquitted as she is British but the jury finds her guilty and she is sentenced to be hanged.  The woman's husband has been supporting her all along and they are appealing the sentence.  However, the woman gets tired of the delay and asks for a pardon from the Sultan, this does not acquit her but she escapes the death sentence.  She is forced to leave the country and returns to England alone.

Maugham does write a stories about his time in Penang, these stories upset many of the locals because they know he is writing about them.  Fortuanatley for Lesley he does not write about her.  One of the main stories he writes is about Lesley's friend the murderess.

Eventually Sun Yat Sen's many attempts to overthrow the Chinese dynasty succeeds and Lesley's lover decides he has to go to China to join the fight.  She is devastated that he is leaving her and they never see each other again.

From the beginning of the story Lesley's husband, a veteran of WWI has been talking about moving to South Africa for his health.  Lesley says she will not go with him but after a number of years her husband decides to move and she goes with him.  They live out their life together in South Africa.  Neither ever mentions their affairs.

The book was interesting for the description of the times, and the locale but after reading I was thinking, so what's the point of it all?  It certainly portrayed the disparity between the rich and the poor (Asians) in Malaysia and the Chinese history was interesting but wonder what purpose all the unhappy people and affairs.  People stay in unhappy marriages just for the economic convenience/necessity. Plus the doors, what is about that? the importance of acknowledging and preserving history?  The book also hinted about the impact foreign "invaders"can have on a country and culture and the disparity between the Brit expats and the people who end up serving them.

akeThe Librarianist

 by Patrick deWitt

I have read other books by  this author including French Exit and Sisters Brothers and thought they were okay.  I really enjoyed this book, maybe because it is about a Librarian, but I found it a nice gentle story.

Bob Comet is  retired Librarian.  After he retired he seems to have been basically a recluse.  One day he is out and encounters an old lady who seems disoriented.  He finds a sign around her neck indicating where she lives and he takes her back to her care home.  While there he meets the manager of the facility and agrees to come and talk to the residents about books. He does that a few times but it doesn't go well -- they aren't really interested in book talks so he starts coming back just to visit with the residents.

As the story progresses we find out that Bob had two really good friends in his early adult hood, a male friend and his wife.  Initially he tries to avoid having his wife and friend meet but eventually they do.  They three of them do things together.  Bob is devastated when soon after his wife leaves him for his friend.  He never develops any other relationships after that just does his job at the library.  About a year after his wife leaves him, Bob learns that his friend has been killed by a car.  He feels there is some justice in that.  He imagines his wife will come back to him, but she never does and he never tries to find her.

The book then goes on, in a strange diversion, not sure of the purpose or value of it.  When he is a young boy Bob is living with his mother. One day his mother leaves him overnight with some friends so she can have an evening with a male friend.  Bob is upset by her "abandoning" him and jumps on a bus.

On the bus he is befriended by two women entertainers who take him under their wing and take him with them as an unofficial, unpaid assistant.  After a week or so the local sheriff recognizes him and arranges for him to get home.  There is no mention in the book about reception he gets when he gets home.

Eventually Bob's health  fails and he ends up moving into the care home.

It was a gentle story, I enjoyed it.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

 by Sangu Mandanna

Mika Moon is one of a few witches in Britain.  She was "raised" by another witch who for the most part left her care to a series of Nannies.  As soon as Mike showed some unusual behaviour the nannies memories were erased and the nanny was sent packing, to be replaced by another one.

No Mika is an adult.  She doesn't feel safe because her mentor witch, Primrose, tells her she must not let anyone know she is a witch.  Primrose is the leader of a coven of witches who gather every few months to socialize.  Primrose believes witches must remain lone and isolated for their safety but this has made for a very lonely life for Mika who keeps moving often.

To let out her frustration Mika has a web page on the Internet where she pretends to be a witch, it has some appeal.  One day Mika receives an email from a man, who is convinced that she is a real witch.  He wants her to come and mentor three young witches that are in his care.  Mika is a bit concerned and worried at first, but decides to go and check it out.  She finds a beautiful house, with three adults who are looking after three young witches.  They want her to mentor the young witches so they know how to utilize and control their power, especially as their sponsors lawyer is coming soon to check on the property as he has not been able to contact the owner of the property for some time.

The adults and two of the young witches welcome her, but a third young witch doesn't and ends up doing a spell that puts Mika in bed for days.

Mika likes the girls and the other residents.  This is the first time she feels part of a family and accepted for who she is.  One of the adults, a young man, is at first suspiciuos of her but eventually they do admit they are attracted to each other.

A crisis occurs when Mika is away from the property, the lawyer has arrived early and the young witches decide to unbury and try to animate the woman who was owner of the property.  She had died and the adults buried her on the property because they didn't know what to do.  The lawyer is freaked ou out and threatening to go to the police.  The adults have locked him in a building

Mika doesn't know how to erase his memory or go back in time.  She reluctantly contacts Primrose for help.  They are all shocked when Primrose arrives.  She looks exactly like the dead woman, because she is the dead woman's sister.  Primrose wipes the lawyers memory, convinces him that she is Lillian and dismisses him.

Mika is delighted that Primrose agrees to her staying on to be a mentor for the young witches.

It was a cute story in time for Halloween.

The Spare Man

 by Mary Robinette Kowal

This book was recommended by my niece Caley.  The author is supposed to be a reknowned sci-fi writer. I was very disappointed in the book, it was very slow going.

The story is about a tech billionaire/guru and her husband he go on a flight to mars for their honeymoon. The husband has retired from his private investigator job.  The woman is physically in rough shape after an explosion in a lab.  She is wired with a bunch of pumps that help her control her pain.  She also has a little terrier therapy dog.

Shortly after the trip starts the couple witness a murder on the spaceship.  The husband seems someone  he can't identify run away from the scene.  The husband is assumed by the security on the ship to have done the murder and is  put under arrest.  They then spend the rest of the book trying to prove his innocence by solving the crime.  This is hard to do as their technology is turned off.  The woman is only allowed very limited access to her pit bull lawyer back on earth.  The woman eventually uses her name to try to some progress on the case and also threats of lawsuits from her lawyer.

I just felt the book dragged on way to long, no idea what the therapy dog really did for her, and don't understand the role of her infirmities to the plot.

Not very enjoyable, but I am generally not an sf fan.