Tournament of Books discussion

SEMI-FINAL ROUND 1 The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo versus The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Judge: Heather : Heather is a mother of one, a newlywed, a former Jeopardy! champion, and a reading teacher in Ferguson, MO.

I’m a fairly traditional gal when it comes to my personal reading tastes. I read all kinds of books in a variety of genres, but usually “experimental” or “political” is not what I’m drawn to in fiction. Give me a realistic, page-turner of a plot with thoughtfully drawn, believable characters and I’m a happy camper. Which is why it was such a delightful surprise to find out that the two novels I would be tasked to choose a semi-final winner from were quite different from my normal reading tastes, but were both quite enjoyable, well-written and engaging.

I’m pretty sure I’m undiagnosed adult ADD; that, combined with my love of reading, means I don’t go anywhere without a book or two in hand just in case I find myself with some downtime I need to fill. I first began reading Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, a slim and easily totable novel, in the springtime when I found myself in just such a situation (OK, it was when I was proctoring the ACT...shhhh, don’t tell them; they expressly frown on proctors reading anything but the manual while the exam is being given). I honestly expressly picked The Vegetarian for reading in that situation because I thought I wouldn’t get too engrossed in it, as based on its buzz I figured that it probably wasn’t going to be my cup of tea. Well, whoo-boy was I wrong. I was immediately sucked in, so much so that I had to force myself to stop reading it that day, lest the ACT gods strike me down. And when I was able to give it my full attention and fully concentrate on it, I wolfed it down in one sitting, rated it 5-stars on Goodreads, and felt a little proud of myself for breaking out of my typical reading mold.

I didn’t read Johanna Sinisalo’s The Core of the Sun until I was assigned it for this tournament. It didn’t immediately pull me in as The Vegetarian had, but once I got past some initial confusion about what the heck was going on, I found it a thoroughly entertaining, clever, funny and feminist novel.. I loved how the real and really scary article on human sterilization previously published in a Finnish magazine was seamlessly woven into the story, and as a “spicy food athlete” myself, I adored the choice of capsaicin as the taboo intoxicant people are dying to get their hands on. I haven’t read The Handmaid’s Tale, or any other dystopian-feminist-science fiction novel for that matter (well, unless The Hunger Games counts...don’t judge; I teach 9th grade reading), so while some have complained that it doesn’t really break much new ground, it felt fresh to me. So much so, that when I found out that The Vegetarian was indeed to be its opponent in the semi-final round, I felt I needed to reread both novels before I could render a carefully considered verdict..

For me, the magic of The Vegetarian lies in the transformative power it has on the reader. Novels are by far my favorite art form, but you know how sometimes a certain song will just sneak up on you and almost take your breath away due to the sheer, raw emotion it evokes? This novel did that to me, which I found all the more impressive for the fact that it had almost none of the elements that usually tie me emotionally to a story. I didn’t connect with or relate to any of the characters, nor was I particularly invested in what would happen to them. I think part of it has to do with the clarity of the writing. What struck me the most on my attempted reread was just how plainly and clearly Kang expresses the feelings of her characters.

Here’s Yeong-hye’s husband telling the reader why it suited him that his wife was (in his opinion) plain and charmless:

There was no need to affect intellectual leanings in order to win her over, or to worry that she might be comparing me to the preening men who pose in fashion catalogues...The paunch that started appearing in my mid-twenties, my skinny legs and forearms...the inferiority complex I used to have about the size of my penis--I could rest assured I wouldn’t have to fret about such things on her account.

I believe this dude. He seems like he’s telling the unvarnished truth. He also seems like an asshole, but hey, that’s real life too. I think it’s those crystal-clear, cut-right-to-the-heart observations, combined with the novel’s more fantastical or symbolic elements, that made the novel so evocative for me.

I know in Sinisalo’s The Core of the Sun, she means to keep the reader in the dark for a while about the rules of this new world that is the novel’s setting, and about the core conflict of the novel. But I think at least a little of my confusion at the beginning, and why it took me longer to find my bearings with this novel, was due to some sloppiness in the writing. Some of the confusion and questions I had the first time I read it didn’t get cleared up on the reread. The first two scenes of the novel don’t seem to exactly fit into the narrative perfectly; I suspect Sinisalo just really really wanted to start the book with Vanna/Vera sticking a pepper inside herself. Still, I found it to be a pretty rolicking page-turner once it clicked with me, and of course I’m fully behind the feminist and anti-big-brother government themes of the novel and thought this was a pretty clever format in which to deliver that message.

While I admire Sinisalo’s cleverness, her novel didn’t stick with me. Whereas with The Vegetarian, its barely an exaggeration to say it haunted my dreams and took my breath away. The Vegetarian advances to the finals.

Winner: The Vegetarian by Han Kang

Commentator:
Amy: Amy manages engineers and spends all day in front of computers playing with Powerpoint and Excel, so the alt.TOB has provided her an excellent excuse for using spreadsheets for her reading and tourney organizing!

Note: much of the commentary here was inspired by earlier and ongoing side conversations with Amberbug so although her lines aren’t available, she should be credited with a great deal of the input!

Wow, I suppose in hindsight I could pretend to say “Of course The Vegetarian will make it to the finals!” because now it seems so obvious; the right amount of uniqueness with a deep strength in the writerly abilities of the author yet extreme readability. But I would be lying. I didn’t see this coming and I especially didn’t foresee it running against The Core of the Sun. These were the only two translated works of the left side of the bracket and they both expect a high degree of engagement from the reader. So all around a surprising and fun match-up!

The judge noted a low occurrence of the experimental in her choice of reading materials and previous rounds with [book;The Core of the Sun] voiced similar thoughts. I happen to be on a bit of a speculative fiction kick right now and I’ve noticed I have a much higher tolerance for experimental point of view and story arcs than I think I do for MFA-style experimental form (e.g. 2016 TOB's Ban en Banlieue). That being said, Core took me a bit to get hooked while Vegetarian grabbed me immediately. It’s such a slim book that much like judge Heather, I toted it around thinking I could read a section quickly in between other activities but then found myself re-reading passages and reveling in the weird and 'arty' depictions. It felt like she was painting sometimes with her words! Which I suppose is another credit to the translator that this could come across as lushly as it did.

Core has received many comparisons to Margaret Atwood, and while I appreciated "The Handmaid's Tale,” I didn't necessarily enjoy it. I'm planning on reading Hagseed because Shakespeare... and also everyone is praising it but until she joined the Hogarth party, I had sworn to never pick Margaret Atwood up again. I think the difference comes across in life philosophy -- Atwood's literature has been described as 'nihilistic' at times and (with the exception of Tale, that tends to be my experience of her writing. Sinisalo's was dark and weird, yes but ultimately victorious in human spirit. I know there are a lot of huge Atwood fans amongst my GR friends though, so I wonder in our TOB crowd, who would win in a battle-royale between Sinisalo & Atwood. I discovered The Core of the Sun thanks to James Vandermeer’s recommended 2015-2016 list which each have a high likelihood for oddity given the Area X Trilogy author’s penchant for weirdness and the experimental. That being said, I was reminded most of Area X by The Vegetarian. Not since Authority have I felt so unnerved and suspicious of my own perceptions in that twilight when I’ve put the book down but my brain still feels connected to an alternate reality as I go about other activities.

I had to laugh when the judge mentioned The Vegetarian haunting her dreams because I had some weird dreams after reading and ruminating on various passages. One of the most visceral scenes for me is the dream and real walk into the forest with Yeong-hye's sister. I couldn't disentangle them in my mind which I think In-hye also experienced. It was creepy to feel so strongly what she is feeling. The tale definitely wrapped its tendrils around my brain stem in a way I haven’t really experienced in some time. I think as a judge, I may have been afraid of future hauntings had I not chosen it! Thank you Heather for making the choice for the rest of us!

I don't envy Heather making this decision, this was a hard matchup for me because both these books were so amazing. As much as I loved 'Core,' (and advanced it in the first round) 'The Vegetarian' was a special book that accomplished so much in such a small space. I also inhaled it in an afternoon and I'd have to give it the nod too. . .

I think this may have been the toughest matchup yet! I was holding my breath while reading the judgment, and couldn't decide which I hoped to come out on top.

I loved both books, and have recommended both. I likely wouldn't have come across The Core of the Sun otherwise, and am SO HAPPY I read it! That said, I think this was the right choice. The Vegetarian definitely still haunts me months after reading it.

Once again, fantastic judgment and commentary!

The Vegetarian was my favorite on my side of the bracket from the beginning for sure, but The Core of the Sun and The Portable Veblen were probably tied for second. I hadn't read The Vegetarian for a few months when I found out what books I was to chose from, and because I had just read The Core of the Sun I thought I would need to reread all of The Vegetarian to render a fair judgment, but after rereading just the first few pages I instantly remembered how much I loved it the first time, and found myself getting immediately sucked in again. That made it the clear winner to me.

Thanks Heather for this wonderful insight and for writing about your reading experience as much as about the books themselves.

I think it's interesting you haven't read Handmaid's Tale--maybe your experience of The Core of the Sun was more vital and direct because of that. Reading your thoughts, plus Amy's, reminds me that Handmaid's Tale is something of a chore to read! There is no dialogue to speak of and the whole tone is formal, almost stilted. Whereas Core of the Sun zings forward.

Amy, in your criticism of Handmaid's tale you were talking more about Atwood's vision being very bleak, but for me I also think that book is just really "work" to read. It only succeeds because the dystopic society that Atwood imagines is so imaginative and because it provides a social critique that feels vital and worthy of attention.

(There is a movie of A Handmaid's Tale btw that is very true to the book--in other words, so bleakly true to Atwood's vision that it bombed...the Children of Men screenwriters knew enough to change the novel and to end on a hopeful upnote)

Also Amy: I had a big YES! in my brain when I read your thought that The Vegetarian has an effect something like reading about Van Der Meer's Area X. I hadn't thought about it before and it's really true and it's extraordinary when a novel manages to give a reader a first-order effect of discontinuity and confusion, vs. allowing readers to stay outside that experience and read a disturbing story from a safe vantage point.

Thanks for writing these, Heather and Amy!

poingu wrote: "Thanks Heather for this wonderful insight and for writing about your reading experience as much as about the books themselves.

I think it's interesting you haven't read Handmaid's Tale--maybe you..."

Hi Poingu! yeah, I've read several Atwood novels now (or in some cases started and DNF) and I usually find her stories dark and her prose dry. Handmaid's Tale is my favorite only because of the creativity behind that world-building you mentioned which most of her other works lack.
My friends who are diehard Atwood fans love the darkness inherent in her work while I always want a little hope to eek out of the bottom of Pandora's box. (I'm one of the viewers Children of Men screenwriters were adapting for!)

Amy wrote: "I've read several Atwood novels now (or in some cases started and DNF) and I usually find her stories dark and her prose dry. Handmaid's Tale is my favorite only because of the creativity behind that world-building you mentioned which most of her other works lack. ..."

Amy, have you tried her Oryx & Crake trilogy? I'm not a big spec-fic reader, but I loved all three of those. Maybe it's because she wrote them more recently, but the world building and explanations for the dystopian elements felt more realistic. I read Handmaid's Tale for the first time recently, and felt like the world she painted was influenced by nightmare that made more sense in the Jerry Falwell era than they do now.

I . . . did not realize we had gotten past the Jerry Falwell era, but that's not a discussion for this thread.

SEMI-FINAL ROUND 2 The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan versus Laurus by Evgenij Vodolazkin
Judge: Sarah : Sarah is a librarian who lives and works in Manhattan. When she first moved to the city she started a book club in an effort to get to know more people and read new and interesting books. Now over a decade later A Novel Idea has read over 100 books together, met in homes and bars across the city, and even celebrated a book club wedding! One of A Novel Idea’s favorite time of year is March’s Tournament of Books, where they play along with the fervor of any rabid NCAA fan. Sarah is so excited to participate in this year’s Alt-ToB. You can find her interneting on @bazilli.

One thing I love about the Tournament of Books is how it can seem both completely random yet designed by the fates at the same time. Take today’s matchup. The Association of Small Bombs and Laurus were chosen on whims, the preference of readers arbitrarily assigned a slot, receiving the books from a larger list of books that are most likely equal in quality and chance to win the alt.TOB. Yet the similarities of the themes and stories shared in these two books make me feel that they were meant to be read together, and I’m so happy I was the one who got to do so.

The plots of AOSB and Laurus have been discussed already, so I won’t go rehash them here. Rather, I’ll focus on two of the surprising similarities I found in the themes of both books. First off, the problem of pain. The characters in AOSB become well-versed in the subject of pain from the first bomb. In Mansoor, the pain is physical as well as mental, as he attempts and fails to recover from surviving a bombing when his friends did not. The Khuranas have their lives transformed by the pain of losing their sons, and spend the rest of the novel trying to cope with the reality of losing their children. There is also the pain of the bombers: in Shockie who bandages the hurt of his homeland by wreaking havoc in India, and in Ayub whose heart is broken and he finds himself unable to put it back together. For all characters - and indeed the whole country - pain and the attempts to abate or ease it become lifelong ambitions.

As a gifted healer in Laurus, Arseny also is familiar with the subject of pain (though really the whole of Middle Ages is nothing but a pain-filled and brutal existence according to this book), both through those who seek his help and in his own life. Arseny spends the entire novel attempting to atone for youthful actions that resulted in the death of his lover Ustina and child. His journey takes him throughout eastern Europe and the Middle East, meeting characters who are also searching for ways to deal with their own painful pasts. Like the characters in AOSB, there is never really an end to the pain on this earth, but unlike Mansoor, the Khuranas and the like, Arseny does not seek to end his pain. Rather, he purposefully holds on to it, carrying Ustina with him as a reminder of his sinful nature and his need for salvation.

This segways nicely into the next shared theme of both books, the role of religion. Throughout both, religion holds an ever larger and larger role in the lives of the main characters, serving both as a balm to and a catalyst for the pain. Arseny uses his faith as a healer, and takes on the roles of holy fool, pilgrim, monk, and hermit throughout Laurus. In this world of the Middle Ages, faith is not so much a personal religious characteristic but a way of life. And while sometimes religion is taken to superstitious and hateful extremes, most seek to understand and be at peace with the role of the divine in their life. In AOSB, religion is also a defining characteristic, whether the person is a believer or not. Mansoor and Ayab are Muslim, and they face prejudices and xenophobia both in their country and from other Muslims. Mansoor and Ayab both go through phases of belief, clinging to their religion, then despairing when it does not end their suffering. Like Laurus, religion is a catalyst to action, providing both reason and order as well as shame and despair.

Those are the two biggest similarities, but there are so many different points that draw these wildly different books together. It is no surprise that they both made it so far into the tournament. But the time has come for only one to advance. And though they both strike so many similar chords for me, ultimately one was preferred. Laurus is beautiful in so many ways: the character of Arseny is realer than Mansoor & Co. The prose cuts deeper, the secondary characters take on more life. I wanted to spend more time in the world of Laurus, to hear more stories of Arseny and the people he meets along his journey. The Association of Small Bombs is a fine novel, and one of the better ones I’ve read this year. Laurus has the potential to go far beyond 2016, and become one of the better books I’ve read for a while.

Winner: Laurus by Evgenij Vodolazkin

Thank you Sarah! AND WE HAVE THE FINAL MATCH UP!

I think about the 'what-if's' for the match-ups a great deal here... especially as the second half of the bracket had so many books dealing with pain and loss and how characters cope. If this were LaRose instead of Laurus, we would be discussing a Herculean effort to heal rather than an effort to embrace pain and death ... If Not Dark Yet ran up against Laurus we would be comparing two very different monastic main characters. What if, is fun. Sigh. What a tough call this was... two brilliant and ambitious novels about so much that makes us human.

I am surprising myself a little to say so, but this match up made me realize just how much humor Laurus contains. Unlike judge Sarah, no secondary characters in either book really stuck out to me but the general impression from those in Laurus were of comic relief. Which I really appreciated. That likely would have swung my vote.

I think I would have voted the same way. I started reading Laurus and The Association at the same time when I was given word that the final matchup would be The Vegetarian (which I already knew as I was the one who selected it to advance) and one of today's contenders. When I started AoSB I thought that was going to be my favorite; I usually prefer novels set in modern times and I was immediately drawn into the story in a way I wasn't with Laurus. But then, I kept going with Laurus and found my interest in AoSB's waning as the story went on. Ultimately, I stopped reading it, concentrated on finishing Laurus, and then found out that Laurus was the winner, so never went back to finish AoSB. I'm not sure if my vote would have switched had I finished it, but most of the judgements have seemed to indicate that the novel kind of peters out nearer the end rather than picks up steam, so I'm guessing not.

Thanks Sarah!

I'm so intrigued by what you wrote and how reading these two books together made them both richer and brought out so many similarities. Your observations of the similar themes seems right-on and yet also I get the feeling I wouldn't have made the connections unless I'd read these two back to back, as you did.

I've noticed that in Real.TOB too quite often judges say something similar, that the books resonated with one another in interesting ways, or that they somehow augmented one another, to be read at the same time. It makes me wonder if the TOB task itself, "read these books at the same time and pick one," changes the reading experience in some fundamental way, where the two authors/books are almost in dialog with one another in our minds.

The quote used about "delayed" death reminded me of a question I wanted to discuss with other readers... I understand Arseny always carrying his pain and guilt even if I don't like it (he's a holy fool... to some degree it's what they do) but I'm not sure I really understand most of the Small Bombs characters... specifically Mansour and the Khuranas. I don't expect them to "get over it" but I would have anticipated some amount of healing due to the many resources and opportunities they have in their lives not least of which are other loving family members (parents, new daughter e.g.). Why then, what is the block from any release of these traumas?

Caroline wrote: "I . . . did not realize we had gotten past the Jerry Falwell era, but that's not a discussion for this thread."

I hear ya!!

Amy wrote: "The quote used about "delayed" death reminded me of a question I wanted to discuss with other readers... I understand Arseny always carrying his pain and guilt even if I don't like it (he's a holy ..."
Don't forget that Vikas admits he doesn't love his newborn daughter, that she doesn't, can't, take the place of the sons he lost. And Mansoor, who relied on his family's wealth to get him out of Delhi, finds himself instead unable to live out that dream because of the carpal tunnel and injuries suffered because of the bomb. I think the whole point of AOSB might be that the after effects of the bomb, despite its "smallness," and relatively low death count, ripple out indefinitely, and will continue to adversely effect the lives of people forever.

I'm not sure if I understand Arseny's pain exactly as meant by the author. I had a fairly feminist take on the story as I read it. It hit me very hard that Ustina dies the way she does--Arseny really inflicts a spousal abuse level of horribleness in keeping her apart from the community, simply to avoid his personal shame. It's "unforgiveable" that he doesn't seek medical help when she needs it, and doesn't allow her to see a priest before she dies--that last being most unforgivable of all, given the beliefs of the characters...to the point where no matter what my religious inclination, I've bought into a story where the setup leads me to a point in the story where only God can forgive. I'm there in medieval-land of sin and guilt and atonement, in other words.

I wouldn't have stood for a redemptive arc for Arseny that was less than complete loss for him of all his achievements, and of life itself in the end. Any arc more easily redemptive would have left me angry. Even when he's living as a holy fool out in the elements I'm still thinking: not enough. The book pays off in its final scenes for me though where I felt completely taken care of as a reader and that I was able to satisfy both my modern sensibility of justice, as well as feel the redemptive arc of the main character was worthy of the beliefs and the times he lived in.

I can't remember being quite as angry at a character as I am with Arseny when Ustina dies in his care. For the whole novel though I was utterly invested in these characters.

poingu wrote: "I can't remember being quite as angry at a character as I am with Arseny when Ustina dies in his care."

...and that's the point at which I stopped pretending I was going to power through the book before it was due back at the library. I wasn't interested enough in Arseny to see if there would be any way to redeem him, after the horror of the life, and especially death, he inflicted on Ustina.

Melanie wrote: "...and that's the point at which I stopped pretending I was going to power through the book before it was due back at the library. "

so many books have a man at the center who does terrible things to a woman and then redeems himself by the end in some shallow way and is granted a happy life by the author and we're supposed to forget and forgive as readers.

This novel is NOT that novel, though. The story of what happens to Arseny after Ustina's death first raises him up, where he becomes in every way laudable, moral, thoughtful, and full of God's grace, and only THEN takes it all away--when he has the most to lose.

And he loses everything, sacrifices everything for another. That, to me, is what made this novel great. It won me over.

poingu wrote: "And he loses everything, sacrifices everything for another. That, to me, is what made this novel great. It won me over."

I can see that. I may give it another chance, once I recover from the personal fallout of the last week or so, and I'm intrigued that you and so many others rate it so highly.

I also had trouble with the arc of Arseny's decisions in hiding Ustina to start with, and understanding the view we got of their relationship from both of them (in that it seemed far more intense than was explicable from what was on the page.) The buildup to the meeting with Ustina - his childhood, his grandfather, his training - was of a character who didn't seem to fall easily into the fetishizing of a woman when she came creeping along into his life. But like I say, I'm in fallout mode and that doesn't make me the most generous reader.