Well the news seems pretty dismal these days, but we will continue to hope that the world can get a handle on the virus. Perhaps the coming of spring or summer might help along with all the quarantines.
I’m supposed to travel on Tuesday to Vancouver, B.C., to play in a senior tennis tournament of all things, which was planned long ago, but I’m not sure if that is a good idea or will even happen now. I will evaluate it as the time gets closer. As Dr. Fauci of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases warns: things will get worse.
Hmm, tell that to my book assistant dog Stella, who’s always ready for a walk at a moment’s notice. I guess we can always hole up at home and read books and listen to audios … and hopefully those who can … can work from home. Good grief, it’s starting to sound like a “Station Eleven” kind of pandemic, though perhaps it reminds me a bit more of Ling Ma’s 2018 apocalyptic novel “Severance,” in which the protagonist is eventually the last one working in her office building. Worrisome days for sure.
Speaking of which, I did finish one post-apocalyptic kind of novel this past week and I didn’t even plan to pick up the genre, but it just came in for me at the library. The timing was all too apropos. “The Second Sleep,” which I listened to as audiobook, was my first novel by British author Robert Harris, who often writes historical thrillers, and I was not disappointed. The storytelling was good and the plot was interesting.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that as the story opens in 1468 with Father Christopher Fairfax on horseback sent to a village by the bishop to bury an old priest … one initially thinks it takes place during the Middle Ages ruled by the all powerful Church … but soon enough little clues pop up that these Dark Ages are not exactly in the past.
Other oddities begin to unfold that perhaps the old priest, who might have been murdered, was part of a heretical movement whose volumes he has on his shelves. And there’s a strange tower in the woods called the Devil’s Chair where human remains are found and where Father Fairfax and a few townies begin to suspect has hidden relics of the past world, which they propose to dig up. Oh, I was lured in by these mysterious circumstances.
It’s a novel that reminded me a bit of the 1968 movie “Planet of the Apes” … since astronaut Charlton Heston you remember — marooned on a planet with the Apes — comes upon destroyed relics of our own civilization (the Statue of Liberty) … which are in pieces due to an apocalypse while he’s been gone, which has occurred and killed off humans. “The Second Sleep” is a bit like that … in which our civilization has gone through something hundreds of years before … and relics are found by those living in a Dark Age who try to figure out what has happened. It’s an interesting plot and involves an endearing protagonist in Father Christopher Fairfax, who begins to doubt himself as a priest among other things. The action-laden ending felt a bit abrupt to me, but I wonder if that might mean there’s a sequel in the works. I guess only time will tell.
Before that, I read Nina Willner’s terrific 2016 family memoir “Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall,” which I think I first heard raved about by JoAnn at the blog Gulfside Musing. I’m so glad I got to it as it sheds more light on living through the Cold War from 1945 to 1989 perhaps than any book I’ve ever read.
In it the author recounts her family’s story starting with her grandparents, who had a large family of nine children in a German village, but whose lives change again in 1945 after WWII, when the Soviets take over the eastern half of Germany and enforce their rule of communism over the populace.
One of their kids (the author’s mother Hanna) escapes to the West and ends up raising a family in the U.S. but has very little communication or knowledge for 40 years of how her family is faring in the closed East Germany. Her parents and the remaining kids in turn are blacklisted after Hanna’s escape and have run-ins over the decades with the communist authorities. Yet their perseverance to keep together as a family and their will to survive despite the very harsh conditions under the totalitarian regime — with its minimal food rations and supplies and all of its spying tactics — are pretty incredible.
This story movingly tells of both sides of the family in the East and West and illuminatingly sheds light on the history of the Cold War and what people went through there. The author writes well about the human story within the framework of history. I’d recommend this book to just about everyone as it pretty much blew me a bit out of my seat … in an eye-opening way.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read these books, and if so, what did you think? Most importantly, stay safe everyone.
Oh boy. Yes, I, with my crap lungs, a have been staying at home for a week now, except for grocery shopping. I have no symptoms so far. Getting lots of reading done and trying to keep my anxiety down to a dull roar. Even if I was a strong as a horse, I feel it is better if all of us who can, stay home to keep from contributing to the spread of the virus.
Both of these books sound great. Especially the Forty Autumns one. I have been reading cold war literature for quite a while, even some set in East Germany. It will fit right in.
Stay well!
Thanks Judy, good idea to stay at home & read. My anxiety level is sort of at a dull roar too. Just take it day by day. I think you’d like Forty Autumns as it might dovetail with your own writing well. I learned quite a bit from the book though my reading of the Cold War has not been as extensive as yours has been. I got it from the library. Keep reading & Stay safe there!
This virus certainly is anxiety inducing. I’m in contact with a lot of people on a daily basis and had plans to visit my 93 year old mother later this month. I’ve put the visit on hold for now because I don’t want to any germs to her. I sure hope we get a handle on things soon but don’t feel confident we will.
I liked Forty Autumns but not as much as everyone else has.
Hi Kathy: Yeah there’s a lot of anxiety right now … & it appears like the spread of the virus will get worse before it gets better. It seems a good idea not to travel. I too have flights to see my parents in April but will take a wait-and see approach. Who knows if the borders will close? Stay well there!
I’ve read and enjoyed several of Harris’ books, but I’m not really up for an apocalyptic novel right now. Nina Willmer’s book sounds interesting.
Stay safe. Keep reading.
Yeah Dorothy — I think I listened to the Harris book before the virus really became major news and I wasn’t really seeking an apocalyptic kind of book. This one is told a bit differently too which helped. The Forty Autumns book I think you might like. Luckily my library had it. Thanks you stay safe too.
Stay safe, Susan. I think the media is helping to keep the hysteria well stoked with their incessant briefings, and I don’t mean it’s unjustified, just a bit excessive. I read Pompeii and Conclave by Harris and loved them. I also have had the Cicero trilogy on my TBR for a while now. A blogger whose tastes mirror mine loved the latter. The Second Sleep sounds good. I’ll keep it in mind. The memoir sounds great too.
Hey Carmen: good to hear from you. My trip next week was canceled so I’m homebound now and will see what happens here this week. I think it will likely continue to spread for awhile but will it slow? I thought you had read Harris … and I think I’d like to read a few others he’s done sometime maybe Fatherland and Pompeii. He got me right into the story. Also I think this weekend we might rent at home Knives Out and Jojo Rabbit …. since still need to see those. Did you like them? Hope you stay well!
It seems it’s to stay for a while since asymptomatic people are sources of contagion besides social contact. I haven’t seen JjR nor KO but I already rented them out. They are waiting in the queue, maybe this weekend…Stay safe.
Thanks Carmen. We watched Knives Out and Jojo Rabbit this past weekend … and thought they were worthwhile. Perhaps I liked Jojo a bit more but see what you think.
I hope we all find solace in our books and movies…but I think I’ll avoid apocalyptic books and movies for now! LOL
I might take a look at Forty Autumns, though.
Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.
Hi Laurel: good idea to avoid apocalyptic stories now. I think we’re getting enough of that in our daily lives. You’d probably like Forty Autumns though. Stay well!
I could deal with all this craziness until the end of spring but now, they are saying more like August. Ugh. This would be more effective if people actually practiced social distancing. It’s going to take a shelter in place order to keep people in line. It sounds very 1984 but it’s true. SO many of my friends think it’s a hoax.
Hi Ti, hard to believe that people are saying it’s a hoax, very scary! Not social distancing is just going to make things much worse. I’m glad you are able to work from home now. And unfortunately I think this crisis is going to last many months. It’s going to be a much different world.