Book Review #3: For One More Day

Mitch Albom rocks!

After just one book, I'm won over by his storytelling abilities. I bet a lot of other people were too.

The central theme of For One More Day is a question that has been asked and answered over and over again in perhaps many other books - if you were given one day with a deceased loved one, what would you do?

Chick Benetto - the lead character of this story - is on the verge of committing suicide. Too many things have gone wrong for him, and when he is not invited to his daughter, Maria's wedding, his decision is made.

Drunk-driving, he crashes into a truck, gets thrown out of his vehicle, and miraculously makes it back to his childhood home, where he is greeted by his mother. Who is supposed to be dead.

The story that ensues is a normal tag-along-trip with his mother to her appointments. During each appointment, he pieces together more and more things about his mother that he has never known. More importantly, he gradually understands his mother's misunderstood actions after decades of "not standing up for my mother".

Mitch Albom is a great storyteller. I really liked how he inserted seemingly random "notes" or "entries" from Chick Benetto's "possessions" as the story unfolded. Everything was carefully planned to give us an insight into Chick's life and how he is who he is today. He is capable of expressing deep and realistic emotions through simple actions. I love how these small aspects speak volumes about the characters and their personalities.

Reading this book really forces us to reflect on ourselves. As humans, we seem to have this knack of desiring something or someone we don't have. We also have this knack of taking those around us for granted, simply because they have been there for us one too many times. And then, we only realize our mistakes when it's too late.

For One More Day echoes what many people think to themselves subconsciously or what many people may have gone through themselves. It is just a book, a fictional thought; but its influence is much more than that.

It is a reminder that life is too short for us to take anything for granted.

It is also a reminder that love, truly can keep a person alive in your heart.

Book Review #2: The Street of a Thousand Blossoms

I've always loved to read historical fiction. It seems so easy to lose yourself in the past, to see and imagine yourself living in a period that is foreign yet fresh and exciting.

So it was no surprise when I spotted The Street of a Thousand Blossoms stacked neatly at the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale and automatically dropped one of the books into my shopping "box".

This is my first experience reading Gail Tsukiyama. Previously, I had read Kazuo Ishiguro, Qiu Xiaolong, Adam Johnson and Tan Twan Eng, all of whom - in my opinion - have crafted marvellous works with honest and emotional depictions. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Gail Tsukiyama possessed the enviable ability to produce realistic and emotional descriptions as well.

The book revolves around two brothers, Hiroshi and Kenji Matsumoto, orphans who live with their grandparents. Both brothers cultivate differing interests; the former in sumo wrestling and the latter in making Noh theatre masks. As both brothers grow up and move closer to their respective dreams, they face their own challenges, joys and heartbreaks.

I won't be elaborating too much on the story - for fear of revealing any spoilers - so I would focus on the way the book is written. Right from the start I was mesmerized by Tsukiyama's attention to detail. The descriptions were so realistic I sometimes found myself craving the dishes cooked by Hiroshi's grandmother!

I also appreciated how Tsukiyama managed to put down the thoughts of each character into words. Sometimes a character performs a seemingly insignificant action, but then you realize how these small actions turn out to be the most accurate representations of each character's sentiments and personalities. They are hints to each character's decision and in some ways they play an important role in the overall direction of the story.

While I really enjoyed the first three quarters of the book, I ended this book lacking the kind of satisfaction I had experienced when I first started reading it. The ending, I believe, achieved the kind of effect Tsukiyama had aimed for, but I felt like I was left hanging at the end of the book. In some ways, I had hoped that the emotional impact would be stronger and more profound.

Even so, I would highly recommend this book for its ability to spur imaginations and hit the correct emotional buttons from different perspectives, albeit a slightly - but only, slightly - weaker emotional impact at the end.

Book Review #1: Until I Say Good-bye

The first book I read that was written by a terminally-ill patient was The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, (I assume so because all the other authors whose books I've read have mentioned nothing about their health whatsoever) and I cannot, for the life of me, remember when I read it, or what was in it. So when I picked up Until I Say Good-bye as a birthday present for myself, I started with next to nil expectations of its content.

This book is written by court crime journalist Susan Spencer-Wendel, who has received a lifetime achievement award for her work. So I can assure you that the language used is simple, straightforward and beautiful. As for the content, I certainly was not disappointed.

The story begins with Susan and her family at Discovery Cove, Orlando. They took a three-hour drive from their home in West Palm Beach, Florida to give Susan's youngest son, Wesley a birthday treat. But as Susan puts it, this is not only a present to her youngest son; it is also a present to herself.

Susan was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease - in June 2011. It is a progressive and irreversible disease that destroys the motor neurones responsible for voluntary movement. In other words, the neurones die, rendering the patient unable to move his or her muscles. It affects everything from walking, to holding a phone and even eating (because our digestive tract is composed of muscles as well).

It started out as a "withering" left hand - first losing grip, then strength and eventually hope that she was not afflicted with ALS. It took a year for her to finally accept and be properly diagnosed. As Susan herself admits, she was living in denial. She simple could not confirm for a fact that she had an incurable disease that would eventually take her away from her loved ones.

And so begins a journey where Susan gradually embraces the truth and embarks on a journey to uncover her past and leave behind beautiful memories for the people she holds dear.

It is somewhat akin to a memoir; but what makes it stand out are the emotions that flow between her words. The memoir is not crafted to sound like a person who is impossibly optimistic in the face of death; it expresses her vulnerabilities, her joys, her regrets and her gratitude with amazing clarity.

I personally love books that are honestly written. Honest, as in something that is not glorified for the purpose of sounding better. Something that could actually happen in real life. Something that is happening right now, to someone somewhere around the globe.

And so I appreciate how Susan is frank about her condition. How, once-in-a-while, she thinks about this disease and feels sad. She doesn't force herself to be happy all the time for the sake of optimism. Disease did not take away from her the feelings that all humans share - embarrassment, frustration, fear. It did not take away her identity.

Though the book chronicles Susan's journeys, I believe it teaches a greater lesson to each and every reader - that in the face of despair, accepting your sadness and frustration is as important as moving on.

That happy memories should and will continue to live on long after the physical presence is no longer there.

And above all, that willpower is the stage for all miracles to happen.