Child 44 - a novel by Tom Rob Smith

This novel manages to blend a horrific crime story with a nerve-wracking look at Stalinist Russia - where fear, paranoia and a ruthless instinct for survival rule every day decisions. I wasn't suprised to learn that the author is a screenplay writer as well, because you can almost see the movie playing in your head as you read every chapter!



You will be transfixed by the backdrop of the story - which offers a chilling potrayal of 1950's Russia, just before and after Stalin's death. The novel is very well researched, offering accounts of the methods used by the MGB (Soviet State Security.. precursor to the KGB) to rid Soviet society of any semblance of dissidence. Even though the book is essentially a crime novel, the characters are very well developed, and serve to echo the helplessness and fear felt by people who lived in that era - a society with no freedom of choice or expression, where friendship and love are truly tested every day, where philosophers, thinkers and teachers are policed like common criminals. All for the sake of a cause, a "greater good" that started off as a cause worth dying for, and somewhere along the line, became a cause worth killing for.

The novel does read like a blockbuster movie mixed with philosophical musings (which are quite well written and not patronizing), and even though the premise does start to lose touch with reality towards the end, I was still hooked on to the very last page.. no easy feat with a 470 page novel!

Little Children - a novel by Tom Perrotta

This was one of those rare occasions when I happened to watch the movie BEFORE reading the book. I watched the movie - nominated for 3 oscars, starring Kate Winslet (lead actress), Jennifer Connolly, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley (supporting actor) - a couple of years ago and was surpised at how the sensitive subject matter was handled with subtle humor and a healthy dose of sarcasm.

Less than perfect marriages, the joys, pains and daily sacrifices of bringing up a child, the notion that fresh starts can reverse the drudgeries of past years.. are all explored in this very engaging novel. Sarah used to be a firebrand feminist in her college days, she's now in a dull marriage, taking care of a demanding 3 year old with whom she doesn't quite share the traditional mother-daughter bond. Todd used to be a successful, popular football player in college, who just can't manage to find the same success in his career. He is now a stay-at-home dad, feeling the pressure to pass the bar exam so he and his wife can move on to the next stage in their lives. When Todd and Sarah meet at a local playground, they embark on an unlikely and unpredictable affair.. Add to this, the fact that Ronnie, a sexual deviant moves to the neighborhood - adding more drama, and surprisingly, more comedy to the story.

The author, along with the director (Todd Field) adapted the novel for the screenplay - and as I read the book I was not suprised at how similar the book was to the movie (or perhaps the other way around).. except for the way the movie handled Ronnie (played by Haley), which was VERY different from the book.. and it was this ending that gave the movie its edge. On the other hand, Perotta handled Ronnie's character with more irony than disquietude in the book..
It also has to be said that the author's style constantly switches between the casual and the profound.. making the book highy readable, charming and full of wisdom.

Sunshine Cleaning

Not a lot of people can put a positive spin on "removal of bio-hazard materials".. but Amy Adams sure can! Even though there are elements in the movie that make it very "Little Miss Sunshine-esque" - it still manages to be original. The story unfolds delectably to reveal a family that appears to be normal on the outside, but is struggling under the weight of personal tragedy, shattered dreams, unfulfilled expectations and a general sense of malaise. Yes, that does sound depressing, but the characters manage to find humor in their daily tribulations. And that's what makes this movie into an uplifting, bitter-sweet tale of family, failures, triumphs and redemption.

In a nutshell (and without giving away too much!) Amy Adams plays Rose, who goes from being a popular cheerleader in highschool to a single mom working in a cleaning company to owning her own "crime scene clean up" business. Her sister, Norah (played by Emily Blunt.. of "The Devil wears Prada" fame) never moved past their mother's tragic death, and is constantly in a state of lethargy and cigarette-induced stupor. Their father (loved Alan Arkin in this role!) is the eternal optimist, always on the brink of THE business opportunity that will make him rich. Dysfunctional family relationships are usually the focus of indy flicks.. and this movie is no exception. "Rachel getting married" and "Margot at the wedding" are examples of other small films that have attempted to depict this complex bond. In its characterization of Rose and Norah, "Sunshine Cleaning" brings authenticity to the portayal of the nuances and subtleties that exist between sisters.

Overall, the movie is missing the "feel good" factor of "Little Miss Sunshine" by a hair.. but I don't think the writer's objective was to make the viewer attain that state of mind. The tag line of the movie is "Life's a messy business".. and the writer tries to convey just that, by offering surprising comedic elements as a relief from the darker themes of death and grief.

Frost/Nixon - a play by Peter Morgan - Off Broadway Performance

Anyone who has been paying attention to the movie scene this past year (and doesn't live under a rock ;-)), is aware of the movie "Frost/Nixon" - a dramatic look at the biggest television coup of the 1970's: a talk show host (David Frost) gets the first ever interview with the 37th President of the United States (Richard Nixon - who fell from grace after the Watergate scandal). These interviews were the only evidence that Nixon had ever felt anything close to remorse or guilt or responsibility for the trauma that the American people were put through as a result of the Watergate scandal. Now just imagine the stage version: where you can see and feel the tension between Frost and Nixon on stage, as they duel in the fight of their lives - one to gain the popularity and celebrity of a television czar in the United States, and the other to regain at least a portion of the dignity he has lost.

I was surprised both by the comic elements of the play, and Nixon's personality (potrayed by Stacy Keach). It is an irony that the intense spotlight of a political scandal often does not illuminate the subject's nuanced character, instead it over-simplifies the subject into a flat, nondescript caricature. The play tries to reverse this phenomenon by giving the audience a peek into the personality of Richard Nixon - yes, he broke the law; yes, he abused his powers; yes, he allowed politics to cloud his better judgement... but he was also a very complicated sum of many parts - a fact that is often left off the table.

The change in Frost's character - from someone whose only goal is to win the top spot in America's television-driven society; to someone who truly wants to win a battle of wits with the most cagey, artful, and shrewd of opponents - is well potrayed by Alan Cox, who tries masterfully to compete with the larger-than-life stage presence of Stacy Keach.

I have to say that the auditorium (Aranoff Center) was too large for a play like this. We were quite thankful that an issue with the stage design was the reason our balcony tickets were exchanged for much better seats in the orchestra section (free upgrade :)). It was also a great idea to depict some of the on-stage action on a large screen, which showed Nixon's every frown, twitch, furrowing of the brows and his famous dabbing of the upperlip/forehead with a handkerchief!

I don't think the playwright's intention was to garner any sympathy for the ex-president (even if that is a byproduct of the performance). I think the audience will walk away with a better understanding of this complex man.. who was greedy, delusional, abusive of his powers, cunning, innovative as a statesman, yet short sighted, who ultimately craved the spotlight that he once took for granted.

The Reader - a novel by Bernhard Schlink

The book is an intense examination of how we deal with the transgressions of past generations.. do we really spend time and
effort to truly understand circumtances and motivations behind those wrongdoings, or do we simply condemn in order to show
our indignation, and somehow try to salvage our collective guilt, try to make it into something less passive, less futile?

Michael is a young schoolboy of fifteen in post-war Germany, when he meets, and becomes enthralled by an older woman (Hanna). Their short, but intimate time together ends when Hanna mysteriously leaves town - next to be seen by Michael, years later, when she stands on trial for crimes committed during World War II. Michael is now torn between his love for her and his own guilt for loving someone accused of those atrocities.

The author theorizes how the holocaust was perpetrated by people who were essentially numb, they were acting not just because of orders given to them by others, but because these very acts had become a matter of routine, something that wasn't to be analyzed or to be given the slightest form of the most basic human consideration. He also links this same "numbness" to the victims, who witness these daily horrors as if anesthetized. The author absolutely does NOT consider the perpetrator and the victim in this case to be any way similar just because they share this detached perspective, but he does pose the question: "What would you have done?" No other question could be so simple in phrasing, yet draw such complex, raw introspection.

"The Reader" is also a painful love story, beautifully written (the translator - Carol Brown Janeway - should get a special mention) but without the cliches that sometimes characterize the narration of such romances. The story is written so economically, yet, with every word, every sentence, you, the reader, will be made to feel the characters' anguish, the torment of their memories, their struggle to come to terms with their moral breaches, and their attempt at pennance..

Revolutionary Road - a novel by Richard Yates

the story begins as a tale about an outwardly happy couple in suburban america in the 1950's .. both struggling with the realization that their ordinary life together is probably all they can aspire to. april wheeler gives a less than stellar performance at community theater, and consequently questions her talent as an actress. she is also frustrated with her mundane role as a housewife and mother of 2 young children. frank wheeler has a job that he finds dull and unmotivating. in order to combat this fear of "life passing them by", they decide to move to europe, where they hope a change in environment, better intellectual and cultural stimulation might help them lead more fulfilling lives.

as the story progresses, this seemingly perfect yet simple plan begins to crumble as does the facade of the couple's marriage. the story is ultimately about the simple truths that we hide from ourselves because they are too painful to face: we pretend to love when we detest; we pretend that society is boorish and inane, when in reality we masquerade unconfidence as finesse and brilliance; we pretend that unbridled enthusiasm can compensate for the lack of talent. these charades place an undue burden on the protagonists, and we begin to see them crack rather than shine under the harsh (yet realistic) light of the author's narration. they are delicately balancing unfulfilled dreams with the promise of better ones ahead.. though the lies they tell themselves and others daily, are beginning to make the truth more elusive than the counterfeit future they planned.

the book is an absolute must-read.. the story is as intense, as it is sensitive - as extraordinary, as it is humble.

Travels of Angelica

We watched this play on a cold, dreary, snowing night.. and were just glad to be off the icy streets once we were inside the theater (Playhouse at the Park) - but the amazing story that began to unfold on stage along with the haunting background score were something we just weren't expecting!

The play is about a writer (Edward Blythebury, played by Erik Lochtefeld) in the 1650's who escapes oppressive England with his young daughter to the unknown territories of the New World in search of artistic freedom. While in America, he tries to write a story that would encompass his ultimate passions: freedom of thought, freedom to express one's religious disbeliefs, use of words and art to highlight the unlimited scope of human imagination, that cannot be reigned in by threat of banishment or might of sword. Edward faces suspicion from a greedy neighbor (Josiah Podge, played by Greg Thornton), who threatens to expose him. Lochtefeld's and Thornton's potrayals of these two dissimilar men, are the highlights of the play.

The play constantly switches between the 1650's and present day.. when two Yale literature grad students (Emma and Matthew) arrive in Virginia to research the writer's life, and perhaps uncover his last writings. Are they able to find the indelible voice of a rebel, an artist, or do they go home emply-handed? The powerful artwork that's projected on to the back wall, the emotive music, not to mention the eloquent dialogue and strong performances from the actors kept us (the audience) in an emotional hold throughout the play.

More than its potrayal of a persecuted writer in search of intellectual freedom, I think the play says a lot about how fleeting life is. It is a tragedy that many people's lives and legacies, are of no real consequence beyond a short time. To end on a less morose note... the play also celebrates the longevity of ideas, words, art, music.. and speaks to anyone who looks at the past for inspiration and re-invention.

It's playing at "Playhouse at the Park" till February 20th.