So before I launch back into my detailing what I’m reading
and how it is teaching me about how to wrote (or how not to write), let’s talk
about some books I have skipped over and take care of some old business.
First off, 1Q84…holy shit, what a letdown. At halfway
through, I wrote glowing praise of a book I was in love with. It was weird,
clever, filled with interesting people and had a cool vibe. Remember Twin
Peaks?
The first season? It was like that. Then, well, remember the second season
of Twin Peaks? It got like that, directionless, confused, and ultimately
pointless.
I think 1Q84 and TP had the same problem. Their creators
were able to create a compelling mystery wrapped in a surreal atmosphere where
it seemed like anything was possible.
The problem comes in the third act, when a writer needs to
start answer questions and executing his end game moves. If you don’t know the
rules of the game you invented, then you have no shot at resolving things in a
way that makes any sense.
With 1Q84, things spin away with no clear answers or
anything that makes me think the author knew what the rules of his universe
were. Once the fictional universe loses its story logic, the suspension of
disbelief is broken and the book becomes no fun anymore. The mystery isn’t a
mystery; it’s just a jumble of scenes that feel like a mystery, but it’s
nothing, just air and leaves you unsatisfied.
So then I took a break from reading, and did a bunch of
writing. Somewhere in there I read A Dance With Dragons, Book 5 of the A Song
of Ice and Fire. You might also know it as the basis of HBO’s A Game of
Thrones.
Look, Books 1, 2 and 3 are classics. You will not find a
better read in any genre. Forget that it’s fantasy complete with men in tights
and magic swords. These stories are rich, meaty and delicious.
Book 4, however, was a long slog. Everyone was going
somewhere, but no one seemed to get anywhere. It was also filled with all the
least favorite characters.
Book 5 was better, but still not up to the pinnacle of Book
3.
What did I learn from Book 5? I suppose I learned about
making your characters suffer. Martin piles on the pain, the humiliation, and
the indignity. The likeable characters get the worst treatment, but then again,
the most evil characters get more than their share of hell as well. There isn’t one moment of happiness in the entire
book, and I can barely put it down.
Don’t be nice to your characters, not until the very end,
and even then, perhaps not.
Then I happily moved over to the new John Grisham, The Racketeer.
Reading JG is normally a solid lesson in how to write a crime
thriller. He isn’t flashy, but his books always do the job and with an almost
elegant efficiency. I’ll say it again, The Firm is a masterpiece in genre
fiction writing.
The Racketeer, not so much.
The first half works. We learn all about a wrongly accused man, and we
get to see him negotiate his way out of prison.
Then the guy launches into a long involved revenge sting
that makes less sense the more I think about it. I’m not going to get into it.
It’s boring. And disappointing. It’s also weird that of all the JG books to get
good reviews, it this one. I have no idea why. It is my least favorite Grisham
ever.
So now I’m onto Fifty Shades of Gray. It’s a lot more fun
than I’d thought it be. More on that one soon.
Cheers,
The 107 Reader
