Sunday, February 19, 2006

A systematic review of the literature (and other things)

Some weeks ago I read a book, titled We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. How I came to learnt about this book was one of those crossroads of time, place, person (that I'm so fond of thinking in terms of now that I've studied epidemiology, gah) that some people like to call serendipity. It was a review in the Straits Times, if I'm not wrong. A book about a teenager, the titular character Kevin, who shot and killed nine students in his high school just before he turns eighteen, the story is told from the perspective of the Kevin's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, in the curious format of letters to Kevin's father. In those letters she outlines married life before pregancy, and then the process of having a first child, a child that created schisms in the family even before he was born, and the story unfolds slowly until the climax, the day when Kevin decides to shoot dead a number of his schoolmates.

That wasn't a real good way of starting a blog post, but I wanted to say that this is a very, very good book that gripped my emotions all the way from start to finish, wringing not a small amount of pain and sorrow out of me and making me feel really emotionally wrung out during the course of reading it. After a while it's tiring to read fiction written in the third person view, with multiple character views (as often happens in the fantasy genre); such an approach tells a story quite well, but impedes the reader from really standing in the shoes of just one character and knowing that person inside out, view the world as that person view it. This book, written as it is in the first person, rather conversational style, reads like a brilliant narrative-cum-reflective-journal that slowly brings you into the broken world of Eva Khatchadourian as she tries to piece her life together in the aftermath of the shooting and court trials, and ponders retrospectively what could possibly have gone wrong. You feel her pain, and more importantly, her heartbreaking efforts to be a good parent against all odds.

For me it hits a personal note because, strangely enough, I have thought about parenthood looking at little children running about, and the question that always plagues me is, things would be great if I had a cute child who was the perfect little angel, but what if I couldn't stand him or her, not just be simply disgusted by little things, like dirty diapers or bad habits, but really really wish this could be undone? What an appalling thought, yet all too possible, considering what rubbish life chooses to throw at us. Haha, but it is after all too early to think about something like that (I really do think about everything under the sun, it's a bad habit), but to me it feels all too true, considering how I really detest some kids that I've had the misfortune to spend time with, with capital-every-letter-in-detest.

I seriously digress. But We Need to Talk About Kevin is an intensely powerful book, compelling to its very revelational end (because you're kept in suspense about a lot of rather important things right until the end, which chews at you all the way) so if you are interested do pick it up (available at Kino and some libraries) after the exams for a good read.

All this lengthy and cheap-book-review introduction has to lead somewhere and it is this: because it was such an excellent book, and the copy I read was from the National Library, I decided to go to Borders today, making use of the 30% offer they were having to purchase the book (weird how I feel this need to own a really good book, though it's likely I'll not read it again). Alas, they had run out of stock; only Kino has copies, so I think I'll wait for Kino's discount period. I didn't get any book from Borders in the end, because I really only had my thoughts on getting that one book, and all other must-reads can be borrowed from the library in good time. It wasn't a totally wasted trip down to town, though, because I took the opportunity to get Hirai Ken's 10th Anniversary Complete Single Collection, which is very pleasant and soothing to listen to. The like for Hirai Ken songs is a very recent occurence, like most other likings in my taste for music; I've heard his songs, on radio and television alike, for quite a long time but never bought any of his albums.

Looking for a quick snack at the Marks and Spencer store in the basement of Wheelock Place, I was introduced to the wonders of Extra Fine Bubbly Milk Chocolate, which is this Swiss chocolate bar in cream and baby blue wrapping you can purchase at a most worthwhile S$1.70 (strange, because the shelf said $1.90). The bar is subdivided into six equal segments with the obligatory decorative swirls on the top of each small rectangle; bite into one and it surprises you. I had absolutely no idea what Bubbly Milk meant, but the other varieties of the same bar were Dark Chocolate and Milk with Hazelnuts, which I wasn't quite interested in, so I decided to be adventurous. Turns out the meaning is the multiple tiny bubbles of air that are sealed within the chocolate, and they are a delightful effect, like eating the negative of ebikko (prawn roe) but with the same ecstatic joy. The minute bubbles give a most enjoyable crisp to the slightly semi-hard consistency, a crunch that is fine and even, and to my opinion, beats the chunky crunch of nuts in chocolate. Try it!

Hurhur first a book review, now a food review. I have nothing better to do. Aren't you glad I decided not to review the Hirai Ken album?

Anyway after elpis set up his Johari window I thought I'd have a little fun making one of my own, so you can perhaps, if you have some time to spare, after reading this long post, try picking some adjectives that you think describe me best. I realised something like this needs a certain degree of maturity to accept what other people's opinions are of you, something which I might at times lack (for example, when the adjectives used are all with regard to intellect - I mean, I'm very happy and flattered, but it's a tad one-dimensional and it makes me sad that that's all I am to other people, you know?), but it's all in good acceptance of honesty, and I won't complain or anything. Anyway I don't expect very much, so don't feel pressurised to do it or anything, it's just a fun thing.

I never thought I'd say this, but I've become really appreciative of COFM, and I might even go a step further to say I really quite like the subject (but not the inept way some members of the faculty teach their parts, ahem). Crud, the next thing you know I might fall in love with Pharmacology. *shudders*

Happy mugging! And I should be doing that instead of blogging.

Avaris / 2/19/2006 11:19:00 PM

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