MYSTERY
Following the adventures of literary detective Thursday Next as she enters novels and plays, interacts with characters and alters plots is a bit like experiencing a wild night on the town in reverse: The experience begins as a head-banging hangover, becomes a wild rush of outrageous notions and silly jokes and leaves you feeling pleasantly tipsy. How else to describe a story in which dodo birds return from extinction, a croquet match decides the world's fate and Hamlet materializes in modern Swindon, England, asking, "To espresso or to latte..."?
The fourth installment in Fforde's fantasy/mystery series, Something Rotten requires not just suspending disbelief but destroying it: As one of Next's colleagues tells her, "I think you'll find, old girl, that reality is much overrated." In addition to weeding out Shakespeare clones, avoiding assassins and reconnecting with her "eradicated" husband, Next must destroy her nemesis, Goliath, a many-tentacled corporation whose nefarious activities include marketing baby-seal burgers and penguin snacks.
Fforde's Britishisms and flights of fancy may prove burdensome to some: There's an abundance of what the author calls "time foolery," with appearances by the Minotaur, Beowulf and even Mrs. Tiggy-winkle (a bit twee, that). But sticking with this oddball novel is rewarding, and readers who share Fforde's love of literature and surreal sense of humor will enjoy this free fall through absurdity.
By Denise Mina
NOVEL
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Consider the plight of Lachlan Harriot, former physician, stay-at-home dad and husband to Susie, a psychiatrist convicted of murdering" a patient who was a self-confessed serial killer. Desperate to help with an appeal, the ego-driven Lachlan combs his wife's office for evidence while she's languishing in jail—only to uncover layers of deceit. Meanwhile, 11 the Glasgow tabloids hound him like "lovesick school girls," demanding interviews and splashing photos of his overripe belly and unkempt hair.
Presented as a sequence of Lachlan's diary entries, Deception is as much an intriguing character study as it is an expertly plotted mystery. Lachlan maybe horrified by the possibility that his wife had fallen for the sociopath she apparently offed, but that hardly prevents him from obsessing over a new Armani coat, the therapeutic value of marzipan or the erotic potential of the 18-year-old au pair. Mina, a Scot whose books have been described as "Tartan Noir," impressively balances a novel of unnerving suspense with the uncommon pleasure of being inside Lachlan's unreliable, charmingly vain and appallingly funny head.
By Maura Conlon-McIvor
MEMOIR
On the surface, the Conlons are an unremarkable 1960s Irish-American family: Dad is an avid baseball fan; Mom stays home with the five kids and does volunteer work for their L.A. church; uncles on both sides are priests. But, as the author details in this penetrating look at her youth, there's a more complex story behind the snapshots that anchor each chapter. Like her heroine Nancy Drew, Maura gathers clues in hopes of solving the mystery of her father—a caring yet withdrawn man who happens to be an FBI special agent. Unable to sustain a direct conversation, he speaks in a code that "forces you to think of the real meaning behind his words," she writes. Though outsiders often treat the existence of baby brother Joe Jr., who has Down syndrome, as a shameful misfortune, the boy's loving spirit is the glue that holds the Conlons together, especially after the murder of a relative prompts Dad to retreat even further. A refreshing antidote to memoirs about childhood trauma, FBI Girl employs sharp observation and poetic imagery to create a coming-of-age story that is at once universal and deeply individual.
Ask the Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel
Sure, something could go wrong when you're on a plane, says commercial pilot, Salon.com columnist and author Patrick Smith--but even post-9/11, "statistically, it almost never does." Some reassuring facts:
WHAT ARE THOSE DINGS YOUR HEAR DURING FLIGHT? Signals between cockpit and cabin crew often meaning "we are at such and such distance from landing." It's innocuous.
WHAT IF THE OXYGEN MASKS COME DOWN?
The crew will fix the problem or descend to where you can breathe normally—it's not like you have five seconds to live.
CAN A BIRD TAKE DOWN A PLANE?
Theoretically. But planes are built with bird strikes in mind, and everything's tested for resistance—they even toss frozen chicken carcasses into the engines. Usually the result is minor, except from the bird's point of view.
COULD SOMEONE OPEN THE EXIT DOORS IN FLIGHT? The open function is locked once the plane is pressurized. Think about it: Would they tantalize you by putting the "lift" latch there?
Political Books
Don't have time to read every politically themed offering in the bookstores this season? Here, tidbits from some of the biggies to help you get by at D.C. cocktail parties—or your own kitchen debates.
WEAPONS OF MASS DISTORTION by media watchdog L. Brent Bozell III. Big Idea: The media is run by blue-state elites. Case in point: The press "investigated...unfounded rumors of cocaine use by a young George W. Bush, while admissions of Al Gore's...marijuana use were all but ignored."
BUSHWORLD by New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd (left). Big idea: "The Boy King" Bush has made a royal mess. Revelation: "[something] you might not know about George W. Bush: He loved Cats."
IMPERIAL HUBRIS by Anonymous, a U.S. intelligence official. Big Idea: Misunderstanding the Muslim world is hurting the war on terrorism. Chilling quote: "Al-Qaeda will attack the continental U.S. again...its next strike will be more damaging than that of 11 Sept. 2001, and could include...weapons of mass destruction."
WHO LET THE DOGS IN? by Austin-based syndicated columnist Molly Ivins. Big idea: The Bushies are more incompetent than you know. Her point: "One of the most elementary mistakes...in politics is to listen only to people who agree with you."
RUNNING ON EMPTY by Nixon Commerce Secretary Peter G. Peterson. Big idea: Politicians are driving the U.S. to financial ruin. Scary thought: To balance the budget by 2030, we'd need to "raise all payroll taxes by 100 percent and individual income taxes by 50 percent."
- Contributors:
- Joe Heim,
- Ellen Shapiro,
- Bella Stander.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
