Lisbeth and Kaitniss and Kathy

It has been so long since I last blogged, that I was afraid I wouldn't remember how to access this page. My explanation for my lengthy absence is that autumn has been so busy with playwriting, family obligations, leaf raking and much more, that I needed time off from my blogs. The hiatus was a good one for me, although, I missed my postings, my chances to vent or comment or compliment. This dark, gloomy, blustery afternoon seemed like a good time to come back to blogging with three friends in tow: Lisbeth, Kaitniss, and Kathy.

Though I haven't been blogging, I have been reading. In the last few months, among a variety of other things, I've read a trilogy by a Swede, a trilogy, by an American, and a novel by a Japanese-born Brit, and as a result have made three wonderfully interesting literary acquaintances. Lisbeth Salander is the name that I imagine is most familiar. Lisbeth is the heroine of the "Girl Who. . ." novels by Stieg Larsson. I FACEBOOKED back in the summer about Lisbeth, a tiny, terrifying, computer genius, bi-sexual martial artist, who somehow, through three violent books, remains both lovable and vulnerable, while overcoming industrial villains, sadists, Nazi sympathizers, government conspirators, and their lot with the aid of magazine writer Mikael Blomkvist. The "Girl Who. . ." books are already a Swedish film franchise and are on their way to becoming an American one. Lisbeth is my favorite literary character in a long time.

Thanks to Tim Sorensen I discovered the "Mockingjay" trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The young adult novels THE HUNGER GAMES, CATCHING FIRE, and THE MOCKINGJAY are great for adults, too, and tell the story of the wonderful Kaitniss, a sixteen year old girl, who must protect her mother and sister and eventually much more in a future American dystopia. The central horror of the books is the concept of the "Hunger Games," a televised competition that pits two children (ages 12 to 18) from each of the 12 districts that are controlled by the "Capitol" against each other in a battle to the death in a giant, technologically-created arena. Designed to both fascinate and disgust the citizenry, this yearly punishment of the masses is reality tv at its most devious. The amazing Kaitniss is a "Hunger Games" contestant in the first novel and evolves through the other two into a symbol of the revolution that slowly foments when she defies the authorities. This amazing young woman, who is bright, and brave, and incredibly resilient, is another of my favorite characters.

The writer Kazio Ishiguro was not a name I was familiar with, although he is a prize winning novelist, and his works include the very successful REMAINS OF THE DAY. NEVER LET ME GO is the quietest horror/science fiction novel you will ever read. There will be no zombies or vampires or UFO's, but when you think about it, it will frighten you more. The book could be called a form of revisionist history, I suppose. It postulates a Britain at the end of the 20th century that has devised a program for the "national health" that is exquisitely twisted. Ishiguro leads his reader quietly along, revealing a little at a time, with a hint here and a revelation there. Soon the reader is squirming at what is becoming clear. NEVER LET ME GO is serious literature. TIME named it the best novel of 2005. Its narrator is Kathy, who with her friends Ruth and Tommy, age from about 16 until their late 20's in the novel. We see them when they are students at Hailsham, a boarding school that is quietly sinister. Then we follow them through a transitional time at a place called the Cottages. In these places, they suffer the joys and sorrows of kids growing up. They fight, have tantrums, fall in love, have their first sexual experiences, and all the time, something that they should be dreading is hanging over their heads. Eventually, they chose to begin their absolutely inevitable "careers." What was most frightening for me was how accepting Kathy choses to be of this inevitability. The film version of NEVER LET ME GO starring Carrie Mulligan and Keira Knightley was recently at the Manlius. I wanted to see it but didn't get the chance. The trailer of the film does an excellent job of suggesting the dread that looms over this novel. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXiRZhDEo8A

Two trilogies and a novel, three great reads, which I have chosen to blog about because of the three central characters. The trio of Lisbeth, Kaitniss, and Kathy consists of two amazingly brave women and a third, who I so wish would have decided to be brave. (Or was she the bravest of them all?) Try these books!