Book Report: The Sound and the Cider

'The Sound and the Fury' by William Faulkner

I never had the courage to pick up a Faulkner book before now. I guess I felt a bit intimidated. When the back cover says its one of the 20th century's greatest novels, I even feel justified. Even so, I decided to pick up 'The Sound and the Fury' just to give it a shot. During the first chapter, I was thinking to myself that a PhD in Literature (or at least English!) was necessary to wade through and even interpret what was going on in this book. It was really a humbling experience. As the chapters progressed, the light became a little brighter, the characters came a bit into focus and the storyline, such as it was, became discernible. Of course it doesn't help that two of the main characters have the same name, and that the first chapter was "written" by the mentally retarded brother. In the end, its a book that should only be read if you have the time and willingness to read it two or three times in a row. Otherwise, the unique style and prose of Faulkner is all its cracked up to be, its just that reading a puzzle makes the first few pieces have a lot less meaning. If you read it again knowing what the puzzle's supposed to look like in the end, I'm sure it would be a lot more fun.


'The Cider House Rules' by John Irving

I wasn't too encouraged about reading 'The Cider House Rules' by John Irving, when I came to be the temporary owner of it. I had seen the movie several years ago and couldn't remember anything special about it. In fact, I remember it being rather sappy. My sometimes postmate, Will, had taken it and read it and highly recommended it though, so I thought I'd give it a read (especially since someone else has asked to borrow it). While the story line on its surface is pretty predictable, the story-telling is engaging. And one thing I have to say about John Irving is that he writes the smoothest and most interesting transitions between sub-plots that I've ever encountered. His technique is a pleasure to read. What on one level is a morality tale (or immorality tale, depending on your point of view) of abortion versus adoption, its also a catalog of how many different ways its possible to love someone. I can see why this book was so enticing to Hollywood, but there are some stories that are a little too complex, a little too subtextual for the big screen, and should be left alone.