Finn by Jon Clinch

If you can get past the very dark and gruesome first chapter, then you’re in for an absolutely fascinating read. Finn is a brazen reimagining of the life and death of Pap Finn, Huckleberry Finn’s father. 

In Mark Twain’s story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pap Finn does not appear quite often. When he does appear, he is the embodiment of evil, being the violent alcoholic father who beats Huck, kidnaps him and locks him up in a secluded cabin in the woods. Huck escapes and hides out in a nearby island where he encounters the slave Jim. It is also here that Huck and Jim find a house floating on the river, washed away by the flood. Inside, they discover the body of a man who has been shot in the back. By the last chapter, we learn that the dead man is Pap Finn.

And from this meager and cryptic material, Jon Clinch develops a compelling story on how Finn became the vile, depraved drunk that he was and how he met his mysterious, violent end.

Written from Pap’s point of view, the chapters alternate between the past and the present. Clinch seamlessly weaves in incidents and characters from Twain’s story. The old characters are there: Huck, the Widow Douglas and Judge Thatcher as well as new ones in the person of the Judge, Finn’s domineering, vindictive father whose disappointment in his son is the impetus for Finn’s paternal hatred and lifelong affinity with whiskey. We are also introduced to Mary, a young slave he has claimed as a “reward” and, in defiance of his father, has kept her secretly locked up in his shack. It is this relationship that produces the bi-racial Huck which repulses the profoundly racist Judge to no end. This is a trait that is deeply ingrained in Finn as well and that which predictably causes him the most torment. 

Finn is one of the most memorable and complex anti-heroes I have ever come across. It is disturbingly fascinating to watch him on the road to self-destruction.  He is mean and repugnant, yet there are moments of poignancy with Mary and Huck that has you hoping for his redemption. These moments, however, are fleeting because he is primarily cut from the same cloth as his father. The shame of his relationship with Mary and Huck constantly overpowers whatever “good” intentions he has for both of them and he reverts to the drunken, sadistic self he is more comfortable with. In the end, his demise will have you pondering who or what was responsible for the madness in his life.

This is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year. This is the debut novel of Jon Clinch who is, without question, a brilliant writer who had the audacity to spin a gripping story off a great classic. Is it necessary to read Mark Twain’s novel before tackling Finn? Not really, the story can stand alone. You may, however, find yourself reaching for the Twain classic sooner than you think.

The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind engaged me from the very first page where I was introduced to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. 

“In this place, books no longer remembered by anyone, books that are lost in time, live forever, waiting for the day when they will reach a new reader’s hands.”

“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it.”

And what book lover would not be enchanted by such a notion?

Ten-year old Daniel Sempere is brought to this mysterious place by his father. Tradition has it that each person who enters this place for the first time must adopt a book which, from then on, accompanies him. He becomes caretaker of that book making sure the book lives on.

Daniel selects The Shadow of the Wind by an obscure writer named Julián Carax. He is so enamored by the book that he decides to find out more about the author and his other works.  He discovers that someone has been secretly collecting all of Carax’ books and burning them.  He becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth and little does he know that this obsession and his chosen book, whose plot will mysteriously parallel events in his own life, will change his life forever.   And so the adventure begins…

This is a fast-paced novel whose twists and turns, plots and sub-plots will leave you glued to the text. Ruiz Zafón writes very well and can build up the suspense to an almost unbearable level. Strangely enough, I didn’t mind that the characters were stereotypical or that there was an overabundance of characters that would appear and reappear pages and pages later often prompting me to ask, “Who’s this again?” The puzzle solver in me simply wanted to solve the mystery.

I was quite taken by this book, well, for at least three-quarters of it.

I love to second-guess mystery novels. With my twisted sense of humor, I jokingly conjured up a ludicrous resolution worthy of a daytime telenovela. To my surprise, I found the author had indeed chosen the same.  Oh c’mon Señor Ruiz Zafón, I was only kidding! Despite my initial shock and disappointment, I continued to read the final section of the book hoping the author would redeem himself. He does actually manage to tie up loose ends satisfactorily. But by this time, the story had lost its steam for me.

Despite its flaws, the book was fun to read.

A Fine Balance

By Rohinton Mistry

I suspect the term “unputdownable” was created for books like this. Mistry has fashioned such an affecting story that, despite its relentless bleakness, there was no urge to set the book aside.

The story is about four people whose lives, by necessity, come together in the mid-70’s amidst the Emergency proclaimed by Indira Gandhi. This is a time of political and social unrest uncannily similar to our Martial Law regime of the same period.  There is the middle-class widow who, after her husband’s death, chooses to become independent of her brother and puts up a tailoring shop sewing for an export company. She hires two tailors who have come to the city in search of work. They belong to a lowly caste of tanners considered untouchable because they deal with dead animals. The fourth character is a 17-year old student sent to the city by his parents to earn a college degree and takes up board and lodging in the widow’s flat.

Mistry recounts the lives of each character from birth to present and uses the politically turbulent times of the Emergency as a backdrop for each story. As the story progresses, you become aware of a recurring pattern of idyllic life followed by violence and tragedy. What prevents the story from becoming a simply depressing account of despair is that the characters learn to cope with the precarious nature of their lives. Despite their social positions, the four characters find refuge in a friendship borne out of shared misfortunes. It would seem that Mistry paints a bleak picture wherein impoverished people had no control over their lives but, with our band of four, despite their varying shades of poverty, there is humanity, kindness and compassion for each other. Their ability to adapt to the given situation, no matter how bleak, allows them to maintain a semblance of control in their lives and that is the triumph of their characters.  “You have to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair.”

Mistry is an amazing writer. He writes with such precision that his descriptions of people, places and events remain with you long after you’ve read the last page. His characterizations are so vivid that you never lose concern with what will happen to the hapless quartet.  It is also a political commentary on the abuses of power during Gandhi’s rule although her name is never actually mentioned. It isn’t necessary to be familiar with India’s culture and political history to appreciate this book. The truth is, I came out wanting to know more about India after reading this book. I also think this book is particularly interesting to Filipinos. There is much about this story that is startlingly similar to our own history during the Martial Law era. A Fine Balance is a compelling literary work. I look forward to reading Mistry’s other books.