Book Review: The Procession of Mollusks

The Procession of Mollusks by Eric E. Olson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Pacific Northwest, coastal town is seized by its passion for the phylum Mollusca as seen through the varying lucid eyes of an ex-reporter who believes he’s a reporter and a young boy coming-of-age in a docuphile society. Olson created a neapolitan tale; weaving magical realist happenings, noir scenes of a Lynchian motif, and science lessons had Timothy Leary teamed up with National Geographic.



I’m not ashamed to admit that this book gave me nightmares. Or feral dreams, rather. Olson convincingly sculpted a spiral illustration while tweaking the nerves that lead to those primal places once suppressed after agriculture and architecture were born. Stirring these neglected tidepools, left behind puddles teaming with its own isolated eco-system, disturbs some of the more unexpected imaginables. Olson explored this sticky territory and had the brass to record a map for others to find their way in and back out again.




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Book Review: The White Tiger

The White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Even though the star review above is listed as "it was ok" there were many things that I really liked about this novel. But, what I think soured the experience for me, was the gushing blurbs adorning the cover. Frankly, I didn't think it lived up to their claims. The saving grace was the narrator's voice; sharp, biting, witty, and clever. His observations and leaps of imaginative conclusion were exciting allowing the story to progress unexpectantly. Secondly, the camera-from-the-ground perspective of a developing India. The battles of caste being played out on a daily level. Dwarfed by these great moments I felt the cushion of the novel lacked orientative padding. It was sparse and the leaps of faith, coming down from the narrator, were expected of the reader. Unfortunately, for this reader, the effect highlighted too many missed opportunities.


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