Wrack and Ruin

by Don Lee

Lyndon Song is a renowned sculptor who fled New York City to become a Brussels sprouts farmer in the small California town of Rosarita Bay. Lyndon has a brother, Woody, an indicted financier turned movie producer, and Woody has a plan involving a golf course on Lyndon’s land and an aging kung-fu diva from Hong Kong with a mean kick and an even meaner drinking problem. Over one madcap Labor Day weekend, this plan wreaks havoc on Lyndon’s bucolic and carefully managed life—leading to various crises, adventures, and literature’s first-ever windsurfing chase scene.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Contemporary, Asian American, Modern

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2008

About the author

Don Lee is the author most recently of the novel Lonesome Lies Before Us. He is also the author of the novel The Collective, which won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association; the novel Wrack and Ruin, which was a finalist for the Thurber Prize; the novel Country of Origin, which won an American Book Award, the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, and a Mixed Media Watch Image Award for Outstanding Fiction; and the story collection Yellow, which won the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Members Choice Award from the Asian American Writers' Workshop. All of his books have been published by W. W. Norton.

He has received an O. Henry Award and a Pushcart Prize, and his stories have been published in The Southern Review, The Kenyon Review, GQ, The North American Review, The Gettysburg Review, Manoa, American Short Fiction, Glimmer Train, Charlie Chan Is Dead 2, Screaming Monkeys, Narrative, and elsewhere. He has received fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the St. Botolph Club Foundation, and residencies from Yaddo and the Lannan Foundation. In 2007, he received the inaugural Fred R. Brown Literary Award for emerging novelists from the University of Pittsburgh's creative writing program.

From 1988 to 2007, he was the principal editor of the literary journal Ploughshares. He is currently a professor in Temple University's M.F.A. program in creative writing in Philadelphia. He is a third-generation Korean American.

Reviews

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don Lee's novel holds transcendent qualities akin to the fiction writing of Barbara Kingsolver; it is rich with environmental and agrarian science, Buddhist philosophy, natural rhythms and the plight of a modern America on the verge of environmental catastrophe stemming from over-development and unabashed greed. Yet, the characters are as quirky, fallible and ultimately noble as those in John Irving's best novels. Lyndon and Woody Song are archetypes of sibling rivalry, and exemplify the wide spectrum of life paths we may pursue as a function of our inner psychology. Woody is a power-hungry operator with a deep-seated inferiority complex, while his dropped-out famous artist brother Lyndon is passive to a fault, devoting his life to organic brussels sprout farming and life's simpler pleasures. Lee's book is completely delicious; simultaneously hilarious and pithy.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

After what I thought was a pretty weak first novel (Country of Origin), Don Lee returns to form in this latest book, which features the kinds of over-the-top characters and wacky hijinks that made his short story collection Yellow such an entertaining read. (Lee's sense of humor was noticeably missing in Country of Origin.)

Wrack and Ruin even brings us back Rosarita Bay, California (apparently based on Half Moon Bay) and has inside references to many of the characters and locales from Lee's short stories (a harmless, mildly amusing touch). The novel is fast-paced and for the most part quite enjoyable, building to a reasonably satisfying conclusion. My main criticism is that the writing often feels too self-consciously researched. Lee likes to give the reader lots of little factoids (about brussels sprouts farming, the film production industry, windsurfing, art criticism, etc.), but a lot of times it doesn't really feel like we're in the hands of someone who KNOWS these things--just someone who's read up on them and conducted some interviews.

That said, I breezed through the book and thought it was a pretty good and worthwhile read. Particularly interesting (to me, anyway) were some reflections on the challenges and contradictions facing Asian-American artists of all ilks.

[Nathanael]

I enjoyed it.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, quirky tale of two brothers -- Lyndon, a loner brussels sprouts farmer (and former successful sculptor), and Woody, a neurotic movie producer (and former Wall Street hotshot). Set on the foggy northern California coast, there are lots of gentle pokes at Californian lifestyles and pretensions. The author does a good job of engaging the reader's sympathies for the rag-tag residents of the little community of Rosarita. The narrative proceeds briskly enough to keep the plot perking along, but at the same time the main characters' inner turmoil is what really propels the book forward.

At times Wrack and Ruin stops just shy of being too over the top to be credible, though there's certainly enough antic silliness to justify classifying it as a comic novel, such as an episode when an elephant breaks loose and rampages through a "chili and chowder" festival. Mostly, though, both Lyndon and Woody engage in rueful middle-aged self-assessment as they search for meaningful relationships and purpose in life. What is success, exactly? This central question isn't ultimately answered, but at the end there seems to be a sense of hope and redemption.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

NPR had put Wrack and Ruin on their summer reading list back in May. I don't know why this particular book stood out to me, but it did. As I began reading Don Lee's novel, I was struck by how evident it is to tell the difference between a 'good' book and an 'okay' book. Wrack and Ruin is a 'good' book. Lee as an author keeps the plot tight, which is really impressive. It seems me that novels which are not 'action-paced' can tend to move slow and drag on periodically, however the pace of this novel is quick and lively. This was the last book I would have thought would be a 'page-turner' but towards the end, it was, not because of any suspense but because as a reader I was anxious to learn more and more as the plot developed. If I had to describe Wrack and Ruin I would say it reminds me of Garrison Keilor's novels just more fast paced and a little bit more subversive.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this novel! It's funny, it's smart, and it's silly. Very silly.

Lyndon Baines Song is a part-time welder and a Brussels sprouts farmer in coastal California. He enjoys the solitude of his farm. A lot. For Lyndon, life is good.

Except for the golf course/housing development jerks who want to buy his land. Lyndon's not budging, no matter what. Not for millions of dollars.

Things get complicated when his brother, Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Song shows up in town. Hollywood producer and general nuisance, Woody brings a D-list kung fu actress with him, and, of course, hilarity ensues.

The characters are colorful, the situations are improbable, and the fun never stops. A great summer read.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always entertained with writing that is of the Asian American who and his struggles with with identity, his coming of age, as he studies to become a doctor, etc. However, this story is not like that at all. It is real, hilarious and an entertaining read about a Korean American brussel sprout farm in the armpit of California, where no Asian Americans actually reside (check my facts on that). And also his relationship with his estranged brother, now Hollywood producer. Throw in some other randoms such as a kung fu master, the female mayor, and a pothead, and you will be entertained. I could not help but laugh aloud while sitting by myself in the airport waiting to take off from LAX...

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored this book. It had me laughing in public places and snickering into my coffee. All the characters had real flaws but Lee was fair--everyone was flawed. And what's more, I liked them the better for it. Lee was so much more fluent in this work than in his earlier work, Country of Origin, and it seemed he was having a better time as well. When my life was particularly difficult, this was a very refreshing respite. It seemed so very California to me, and since I live on the east coast, it felt like a trip away. A television film series that gives me that same "quirky California" feel is Six Feet Under.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an NPR recommendation and I have to say it was very funny. You have a famous Asian Sculptor who gives it all up to become a Brussels Sprout farmer, his brother a Harvard educated embezzler, an aging martial arts actress, a surfer who lost his foot to a great white and a lab named Bob. Of course like any true summer read-you have to decide to not judge and just go with the story and that is what makes it fun. If the book hadn't been as tightly written it would have been difficult to pull off the cast of characters but since it was-I would recommend it as a wacky literate read.

[Chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

it wasn't bad, i'm just not sure what the point was. i never ended up really liking or sympathizing with any of the characters, and it was kind of like a comedy of errors, though thankfully, all the incidents were handled lightly. not sure what to say about this one.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farcical, fun to read, deceptively good writing by a new faculty member at Western Michigan University. Female characters could have been a little deeper, but you can't have everything.

[Kennethwarrenwilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshingly elegant character development and interesting plot. He's a favorite writer.

[Marina Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky book I picked going to Dallas, figured it would be a quick read. It was funny & enjoyable, a comedy of errors but not great literature. I couldn’t get too excited about the detail info regarding the care & how to of growing brussels sprouts; they are not my favorite vegetable & give you bad breath or is it cauliflowers that give you bad breath?
Anyway, I did like his & his brothers struggle with their identity in both American & Asian culture; the shallowness of academia & the art world. Rated it a 3 because although I enjoyed the story & characters I just couldn’t get invested in them & love them.

[Robert Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of the Don Lee's alternative universe for Half Moon Bay called Rosarito bay where Asian Americans live more nuanced lives than the those usually explored in common stereotypes. He visits this world also in his collection Yellow and many characters population both narratives.

Filled with humorous scenes and adventure in which two brothers explore their middle-aged self-assessment as they search for meaningful relationships and purpose in life.

[Joni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to like it but halfway through, I still wasn't into it. It was dragging, and hard to empathize with the characters. I forced myself to finish it because it wasn't too bad, but I wasn't enjoying myself either. Towards the end, it seemed to get better but too little too late.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and silly, this tale of a Brussels sprout farmer/decorative welder and his Hollywood-striving brother enlightens as well as entertains. Set in a California town just below San Francisco, Lee explores Asian-Americanness, success in the arts, nature, and living a good life.

[Lisa Malmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving this a solid 4 stars because it was a great vacation read and lovely palate cleanser after all the heavy stuff I've been reading. Really good character development as well.

[Alec Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent satire on America in the tradition of Abbey's The Monkeywrench Gang.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Wrack and Ruin. It's smart and witty and original and fun. But there's one thing it's not: compelling.

The folks over at Bookgasm.com have something called "the 100 page rule," which says that if you don't like a book in the first 100 pages, you shouldn't finish it. While this book doesn't fall into that category, I did stop reading it after the first 100 pages or so. Not because I didn't like it, but because I have nothing invested in it; I have no great desire to find out how it ends; I'm not compelled to finish it or to even read the next chapter. Every time I think about picking it back up again, I can think of about 100 things I would rather do than read the next chapter.

Don't get me wrong. It is a good book. As I said, I really like it. And I will eventually finish it because it is deserving of a full read. But it's going to have to wait for a long, rainy day before I pick it up again.

EDIT: Having finished Wrack and Ruin since writing the above review, I must say I did enjoy it much more than I thought I would have after the first half. The deeper I went into the story, the more I found myself becoming compelled to read further. With each page it seemed to gain momentum. It just hit its stride too late unfortunately which may turn many readers off. It very much deserves to be given a chance, but I would urge anyone who picks it up to make sure they want to commit to it until the end lest they risk being unfulfilled and leave it half finished.

[Taru · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dragged out, pointless, confusing, lack of identity, unclear. Not to mention the less than average characters, poorly described setting, and out of place side stories.

That was my attempt at writing a review in the style of Don Lee. I'm not sure if it's an inferiority complex, love of detail and research, or an actual wealth of knowledge, but the painstakingly long-winded lists that popped up about 5 per chapter drove me mad. It felt as if I was being forced to read this book for a High School English class. The kind of English class where the teacher doesn't really know what they're doing.

Nearing the end of the book I felt like it was coming together. It had a chance of salvaging itself by pulling something from each of the completely unrelated story lines and forming a kind of 'identity crisis' theme, or at least something along the lines of 'everyone needs someone'... but that was not the case.

It pulled out the ingredients to create an on-the-spot but still acceptable dinner and left them to rot.

Albeit this wasn't one of his more highly acclaimed works, I fail to see myself picking up another book by Don Lee anywhere in the near future.

It did have some wonderfully quotable material though. Some insight into everyday behaviors was also mildly acknowledged, which was refreshing.

[Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrack and Ruin is a really fun novel. Of interest to me was its setting in the nearby beach town across the hill (Half Moon Bay, in the novel called Rosarita Bay). And the area from Davenport to Moss Beach to the coffee shops in HMB--as well as the coastal denizens--are depicted with detail and care. But I would have enjoyed Lee's novel even if it had been set in Timbuktu. It's primarily the tale of two Asian-American brothers, Lyndon and Woodrow Song, who couldn't be more unlike one another. Lyndon's a talented artist who's gone into seclusion as a brussel sprouts farmer. Woodrow's a former Wall Street player who'd been incarcerated and is now reincarnated as a wannabe Hollywood producer. Over the course of a long weekend the pair pursue conflicting goals while becoming involved in a series of activities and endeavors that include martial-arts divas, drug dealers, greedy developers, and environmental activists.

Lee's prose is lively and engaging. The novel is fast-paced, but the characters are well defined and the scenarios they stumble into wonderfully wrought. A few times, scenes stretch the limits of believability and head into the realm of over-the-top, but throughout Wrack and Ruin the reader will always remain entertained.

[Shin Yu · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the author's better novels. Lee returns to the setting of the fictional NoCal town Rosarita Bay, which he portrays in his short story collection "Yellow" with a smattering of the characters from his early book, reappearing in this book. The lead character, Lyndon Song, is a famous sculptor who left the NY art scene and takes up brussell sprout farming, while also growing several strains of marijuana on his farmland. As with Lee's other books, much of the character development seems drawn from real life - Song's abstract sculptural work seems based closely upon the work of Chinese sculptor Xu Bing, who works with made up calligraphy and handwriting in his work. The characters are quirky and crunchy - a surfer who lost his foot in a shark attack, an aging martial arts movie star, an Asian American movie producer - who also happens to be Lyndon's brother, a local politician who also dabbles in gourmet chocolates. What I like best about Lee's Asian American protagonists is their existence outside of model minority stereotypes - their achievements and failings in work and in relationships.

[Jenny Shipp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had reviewed this book, my currently FAVORITE book. I must have pushed the wrong button! So, I love it. It is funny and tender and nutty. Don Lee is a really great writer who also Wrote a book of short stories called "Yellow". All of his stories are based in Rosarita Bay, a made up town that pretty much fits Half Moon Bay. this book is a good STORY. crazy characters that take you somewhere and with great humor. this book reminds me of Mark Chabon's books. the same heart and lovely writing and the ability to handle a lot of craziness and not get the reader lost. I actually ordered this book for keeps. That is how much I liked it.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel follows a former famous artist who tries to find some peace in a quiet California town as a brussel sprouts farmer. Peace eludes him; he has to deal with a scheming, insecure brother, a crazed ex-girlfriend, and a corporation trying to take his farm away to be a golf course. There's some great moments in the book and I always enjoy a wacky ensemble cast. The writing is nice, but there was some element missing that kept me from turning the pages eagerly. Overall, pretty good and I'd be interested to see Don Lee's next effort.

[Younkin Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great piece of Summer reading. It's light and quick, the characters are decently rendered and err on the right side of the quirky/absurd line. It's not great fiction in that it didn't change my view of myself or the world, but it is highly enjoyable fiction in that I kept finding time to read it and staying up just a little later to finish the chapters. A definite recommend, especially for people living in or visiting the Bay Area, as it is set in Halfmoon and does a nice job capturing the California vibe.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you know Half Moon Bay, the story is fun because it all takes place in Rosarita, er, Half Moon Bay and gets the local vibe pretty accurately. The story itself, though, isn't totally engaging because several of the characters are either off-putting or straight out of central casting or just don't ring true to me. Also he interrupts the story from time to time for extensive lectures on the life cycle of the snowy plover or the artistic conflicts of a sculptor. Still, a lot of energy and fun in there.

[Alto2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific, modern satire about the tortured relationship between brothers Lyndon and Woody Song. This is a fast read with witty dialogue and a tongue-in-cheek premise. Can you imagine a modern work that refers to Richard Yates's "Revolutionary Road"?

NPR loved it and so did the New York Times. I completely agree.

[Tatjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyndon Song is a renowned sculptor who fled NYC to become a Brussels sprouts farmer in a small California town. But when his estranged brother comes to pay him a visit over the long Labor Day weekend with plans involving a golf course running through Lyndon's land and an aging, alcoholic kung fu diva, nothing will be the same again for either brother. This great summer read will take you for a rollicking fun and thoughtful ride with its great cinematic scenes and quirky characters.

[Julia Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Hallelujah, I finally found the book I've been looking for all summer! Funny and slightly absurdist, but within a well-crafted framework that keeps it moving and just believable enough. Characters that are sympathetic and reasonably flawed; we want them to be happy. Lighthearted but well-written. I even learned lots of esoteric facts about subjects as diverse as welding techniques and plover habitats.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light-hearted book that doesn't take itself seriously - in a good way. It's definitely more plot-driven than character-driven but it was fun to read. Having once worked as a newspaper reporter in northern Delaware, where developers were snatching up any farms they could lay their hands on to turn them into subdivisions and make a tidy profit, I knew a few stubborn residents who stood in their way whenever they could, and that aspect of this book rang true.