THE FACTS BEHIND THE HELSINKI ROCCAMATIOS -- Yann Martel

Harcourt, Inc. -- ©1993 -- tpb
Orlando, FL -- 208pp
ISBN: 0-7394-5531-1

A collection of four short stories.

Author's Note
"The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios"
"The Time I Heard the Private Donald J. Rankin String Concerto with One Discordant Violin, by the American Composer John Morton"
"Manners of Dying"
"The Vita Aeterna Mirror Company: Mirrors to Last till Kingdom Come"

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I wasn't particularly crazy about Life of Pi, but I really enjoyed the works in this book. Each was very different from any of the others, and very different from the novel I'd read.

"...Helsinki..." might be my least favorite of these four offerings, though I enjoyed the writing "game" that the main characters were engaged in.

"...String Concerto..." was the most "typical" piece of fiction, but it struck me as the sort of work that I might write myself. I really liked everything about it.

"Manners of Dying" was an interesting work and I didn't quite appreciate it. It lacked purpose other than to reflect on the manners of dying (hence title), but the way it reflected was more than confusing. Were we to choose? Was the warden trying to choose? Are they stock letters? Just didn't click. However, the writing of each manner had me reading carefully.

"...Mirror..." started off losing me and my attention -- as it was supposed to! I got caught off guard, just as the main character did.

A fun collection. Worth reading.

CATALYST -- Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak, an Imprint of Penguin Group -- ©2002 -- tpb
New York -- 233pp
ISBN: 0-14-240001-7

A graduating high schooler anxiously awaits news from her college of choice, MIT, while the female school bully moves into her home after a fire decimates the bully's residence.

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This is very typical "Young Adult" fare, with every emotion and act being handled with high drama. Everything could lead to the end of the world in this girl's mind.

I don't enjoy this kind of book, but I understand its place in juvenile literature. It feeds a certain kind of reader.

That aside, I didn't care for much of this book. The premise was slippery at best. A girl smart enough to think she can get in to MIT but doesn't apply to any other schools. A girl that smart, but who lies about applying to other schools. A girl that smart, athletic, and strong enough of nerve to mouth off to a bully who takes on the entire football team, but doesn't apply to more than one college ... and lies about it. Hmm. Doesn't fit for me.

The aspect of the girl being a runner and one who often runs as a way to spend time thinking, was never explored properly or used efficiently.

I liked being surprised that the little boy was actually the son (not the brother that we expected) of the female bully. And the son by the bully's father! A great twist and character defining opportunity.

Having the boy die seemed totally unnecessary, even to create high drama for a YA book.

I wouldn't recommned this, even to those who like YA books.