Year of Wonders

written by Geraldine Brooks

I got all crazy about this book almost from the moment I picked it up, and I started telling everyone how great it is. Then I got to the ending and I wished I hadn't been quite as evangelistic about getting everyone to put this on their next-to-read list. Don't get me wrong, it's still an amazing book, and Geraldine Brooks (alas, no relation) is an amazing writer. But I won't mince words here: I hated the ending.

The book is definitely fiction, but it's based on the true story of the villagers of Eeyam, a hamlet in the English countryside which was nearly decimated by the Plague in the mid-1600s. The town voluntarily quarantined itself when it became apparent that the contagion was running rampant in their village. An estimated two-thirds of the villagers ended up dying.

The story's told by a widow named Ann Frith. Already struggling to care for her home and her children after her husband is killed in a mining accident, she endures wave after wave of additional and profound loss as the Plague takes hold of her community and courses through the village. Her heroism, though, is unmatched — except perhaps by the town rector and his wife. The three of them tirelessly care for those who are sick, dying, or mourning, risking their own health in the process.

For three-fourths of the book, I could not get enough of the story. Even though it sounds depressing, the character development and story line were totally riveting. The three main characters — Anna, the rector, and the rector's wife — though heroic, were also human and believable. I loved the author's portrayal and her use of language. It was amazing.

Then comes the ending. In a bizarre turn of events, (spoiler warning!) just as the death toll finally stops and the village is about to declare itself Plague-free, the rector's wife ends up murdered by a crazed villager, the rector turns near-catatonic and completely gives up his faith, and Anna skips town with another woman's illegitimate baby to make a new life for herself in — get this! — the harem of an Algerian Muslim! It's almost like a different author altogether penned the last 60 or 70 pages of the book!

At first I thought "oh, I'm bugged by the ending because it's sort of a slap in the face to any sort of Christian virtue that was evident in these characters' lives earlier in the book." But you know what - that's not quite true. In fact, I'm totally okay with books about murderers and heathens and illegitimate babies and harems and all the rest ... those sorts of things are, after all, often important and illuminating parts of compelling novels. But not in this book. The ending was such a disappointment that finishing this book ended up being a hollow experience indeed.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

written by Mark Haddon

I was in a serious bind on New Year's Day... there I was, with a day off from all responsibilities, the kids were happily parked in front of Guitar Hero, Jay was busy with some photo editing, and I had the entire afternoon to curl up with a book. Only problem was, I didn't have a book. And the library wasn't open. And there was a furious blizzard brewing up outside, so no way was I going out to the bookstore.

So I stopped by my friend Summer's house and asked if she might have something I could borrow. To my delight, she walked me upstairs to a huge shelf full of books and said to take my pick. Ironically, right at eye level was a novel that had caught my eye at the library recently. At the time I first saw it, I was in the middle of reading something else, so I hadn't picked it up. But here it was, so I took it.

It's a quick, interesting read and it gets you inside the head of a young man named Christopher who is apparently autistic. At his teacher's urging, Christopher decides to write a book, and ostensibly the story is about the death of his neighbor's dog. But along the way we learn about Christopher's life and needs, the fragile state of his family. and how autistic people are so easily misunderstood. The book is alternately comedic, sad, touching, and harrowing. And I certainly found it to reveal, at times, my prejudices about mentally impaired people... prejudices which I guess I didn't realize were there.