The Honorary Consul by Graham Greene

I have to admit to a particular weakness when it comes to Graham Greene's work - even when the work might be considered one of his lesser endeavors.

Dr. Eduardo Plarr, a doctor in a fairly remote outpost of Argentina, becomes indirectly caught up in a bungled political kidnapping. His fundamentally cynical nature accommodates tender feelings for some of the flawed but genuine characters with whom he comes in contact. He is less forgiving to those who stand on irrational and hypocritical religious and political scruples who think their beliefs justify any means.

Greene finds ways to introduce critiques of colonialism, religion, and political "isms" that mesh neatly with the plot. These excursions do not make this an "intellectual" novel nor do they detract from the pace and suspense of the story. They do add a rich and complementary dimension to this excellent book. ( 4 1/2 stars )

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

This is an account of a man who, despite good intentions, can never master his emotions sufficiently to recompense his wife and daughter for the wrongs he did them.

The plot is entirely unpredictable. Twists occur periodically that set the story, as understood up to that point, on its head. Today's soap operas cannot begin to accommodate the tortuous relationships of the main characters and the way their secrets complicate their behavior in the moment as revealed in this book.

Thomas Hardy made this story work by the careful way he sets out each character's personality, temperament and motivation. In contrast to Dickens, he relies less on pathos and humor and more on detailed psychological description to illustrate the developing fates of his actors. ( 4 stars )

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water: A Novel by Michael Dorris

This novel covers the lives of three Native American women from one family. Each of the three sections of the book are narrated by one of these women. The sections do not exactly overlap the same period of time as the others. They are "braided" - this being a kind of running theme throughout the work.

The story (or stories) illustrates the challenge of life both on and off the reservation. The young girl's tale is a struggle to find identity and belonging - mostly on her own resources. Her life is refracted through the accounts of the other two in a way that expands the story to that of the larger family. The narrative exposes the family secrets and series of hardships of which each individual woman is only partially aware.

Although this is not the kind of novel I normally read, I thought it was well written. Some might consider that the author played up certain stereotypes of the Native American experience. But I thought he made a fair attempt at showing the challenges in the lives of people who have become displaced not only on a grandly historical scale but within the vicissitudes of family tragedy. ( 4 stars )