Washington Post Book Reviews
For You
Saturday December 11, 2010
|
EELS: An Exploration, from New Zealand to the Sargasso, of the World's Most Amazing and Mysterious Fish
James Prosek
Harper
ISBN 978-0060566111
287 pages
$25.99
Reviewed by Mark Berman
If you consider the eel only when you're ordering in a sushi joint, you might not think the creature warrants an entire book.
James Prosek's breezy and entertaining "Eels," devoted to the slimy, snakelike freshwater fish that spawns in the ocean, proves otherwise. It's less an exhaustive scientific examination than part-travelogue, part-cultural examination and part-scientific exploration. Prosek notes that his "initial interest had come from a fascination for the life history of the eel ... and had evolved into an exploration of the eels' importance in world cultures."
Prosek's writing is fluid and relaxed, exploring how different kind of humans approach eels rather than overwhelming us with data or recipes. He heads to New Zealand and snorkels with the fish, samples smoked eel and learns how respectfully the Maori view eels. In Japan, he visits eel farms and tours the fish markets where eels are sold. On the volcanic Micronesian island of Pohnpei, he hears from a culture that respects the eel too much to consume it. A diplomat from a nearby island whispers to him that they eat eels there, speaking quietly to avoid offending locals; a local laughs at the author when he asks if she would ever eat eel.
Prosek notes that the eel serves as "a metaphor for the resilience of life itself." The eel also becomes an oddly useful blank slate upon which Prosek projects discussions of cultural traditions, the limits of scientific research, commercial needs and conservation efforts. The subjects of the book might not be the cuddliest creatures, but they inspire a great deal of interest, respect and profit the world over.
Mark Berman can be reached at bermanm(at symbol)washpost.com.
Copyright 2010 Washington Post Writers Group
|
| Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Share | Top |
THE DISTANT HOURS
Kate Morton
Atria
ISBN 978-1439152782
562 pages
$26
Reviewed by Bethanne Patrick
Kate Morton writes gothic-inspired novels about grand British houses of yesteryear: "The House at Riverton" chronicled a servant's-eye view of the Edwardian era, while "The Forgotten Garden" carried a colonial orphan's dreams backward and forward over a century. Now, in "The Distant Hours," Morton turns to her largest house yet, an actual castle -- and it's crumbling. Can the symbolism get any more obvious?
Actually, in Morton's hands, it's not obvious at all. "The Distant Hours" demonstrates a new leap in Morton's authorial choreography. Although the novel would have benefited from some judicious cuts, its multiple storylines intersect in a satisfying conclusion that will leave no reader feeling cheated.
In 1990s London, single and self-sufficient book editor Edie Burchill reads an old letter from someone at Milderhurst Castle that intrigues her but shocks her quite ordinary mother. She then receives an assignment to write an introduction to "The True History of the Mud Man," a children's classic by Raymond Blythe, who lived at Milderhurst. Since Edie works for a press so small that she can do whatever she likes (her boss is the only other employee, and he seems more occupied with tea trays than contracts), her decision to wander off to the castle is not particularly odd.
But the trio of women Edie meets at Milderhurst are: Blythe's daughters, elderly twins Persephone and Seraphina and their much-younger half sibling, Juniper. And there are mysteries in abundance: Juniper may or may not be "mad," Persephone may or may not be in love, and Edie's mother may or may not share a strange secret with a local teacher named Thomas Cavill.
Much of the past action takes place in and around 1941, when Edie's mother was an adolescent war refugee from London. While the stories take time to coalesce, Morton sustains an atmosphere of quiet dread rivaling that developed by Sarah Waters in "The Little Stranger":
"They sat together on the end of the chaise longue and waited. Fire crackled in the grate, wind scurried along the stones, and rain lashed the windows. It felt as if a hundred years had passed. ... The room settled around their absence; the stones began to whisper. The loose shutter fell off its hinge, but nobody saw it slip."
By the time Edie unravels the sad truth within the castle, it is too late for some -- no surprise in a Gothic tale -- but not too late for others. The revelations involving these characters' "distant hours" make this a rich treat for fans of historical fiction.
Bethanne Patrick is a freelance critic and author who lives in Arlington, Va. You can follow her on Twitter (at symbol)TheBookMaven.
Copyright 2010 Washington Post Writers Group
|
| Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Share | Top |
|
|
 |
| Recent Stories |
 SUGAR CHANGED THE WORLD: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science
SECRET HISTORIAN: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade
MOONLIGHT MILE
GOLD BOY, EMERALD GIRL: Stories
AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
