"Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" - Jamie Ford

Published in 2009 by Ballantine Books

At first, I wasn't really feeling this book.  But then about a quarter of the way through I got sucked in and couldn't put it down.

The story of a middle aged man in the mid-eighties who has just lost his wife to cancer and is recalling his first love.  Growing up Chinese during the second world war and having a Japanese friend would be hard enough, but young Henry Lee falls in love and everything about his day to day life seems to change.

Follows the internment of the Japanese and the following war years, while simultaneously creating a story in the eighties about how Henry's life turned out and his relationship with his son.

Very sweet, not wonderful or life-changing but a nice read overall

Quotes:
"It was a sigh of resigned disappointment.  A consolation prize, of coming in second and having nothing to show for it.  Of coming up empty; having wasted your time, because in the end, what you do, and who you are, doesn't matter one lousy bit.  Nothing does."

"Henry woke up feeling like a new man, even if he was only twelve"

Rating: **

"A Wolf at the Table" - Augusten Burroughs

Published in 2008 by Island Road, LLC

Whoa, I seem to read books of a theme around the same time so reading this right after Robison was a strange treat! While Burroughs is known for his comedic timing and sometimes uncomfortable short stories, this was completely different than any of his work.

"A Wolf..." is the story of his relationship with his father. A man so dark and twisted he makes Meredith Grey look like the poster child for normal home life. While the book would have been a riveting read no matter what, it was exceptionally eery to read about some of the same experiences in the books of the brothers told from completely different perspectives.

Robison was raised by parents during their happy period and their downward spiral into unhappiness where Burroughs writes of parents who were already in the throes of alcoholism, mental breaks, and cruel games.  As a child, he yearns to be close to his father even though every attempt at personal contact is met with repulsion.  It isn't until his father has terrorized his mother, killed his pets, and alienated him entirely, that a still young Augusten realizes that there is something missing in his father.  A vital piece of humanity that just isn't there.

Rating: ***

"Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Aspergers" - John Elder Robison

Published in 2008 (paperback) by Random House, Inc

The memoir of John Elder Robison proved much more interesting than I had originally anticipated.  I picked up this book as part of one of Barnes & Nobles buy two, get one free promotions and figured it looked like a nice distraction from my usual reading.  His is the story of growing up with undiagnosed asperger's and how he managed to make it through the rough patches thrown his way by society and his family.

John Elder Robison is the brother of well known author Augusten Burroughs, entertainingly, both of them use similar writing devices and seem to prefer a compilation of short stories instead of one long autobiography.  Through Robison's writing it is possible to see inside the workings of the mind of a person who has aspergers, and it is truly a revelation.

The stories he tells help to show his point that however "robotic we Aspergians might seem, we do have deep emotions."  He tells the reader about growing up in a home where his parents were in the process of breaking down both physically and emotionally, his quirky younger brother, trouble with names, working with KISS and other bands, and basically the process of growing up and realizing he didn't fit in even when he tried his hardest.

His writing is at times a little jarring, but for the most part it is beautifully written with both funny and moving stories.  Robison writes that both he and his brother got their storytelling abilities from their mother, and it is all too sad that she had a mental collapse before she could write her own memoirs.

Overall, a great read.  Both insightful and intriguing while maintaining a hint of excitement with every page turn.

Rating:
***

Losing Pace

As much ground I gained in the first three months of the year, April has been a bit of a bust so far on the reading front.  I started John Elder Robisons autobiography of his life growing up with undiagnosed aspergers, but have managed to misplace it somewhere in my chaotic post vacation apartment.

I will press on though, clean the apartment, find the book, keep reading.