Welcome to the second edition of my weekly column. This time focusing on the new novel from Last King of Scotland pensmith Giles Foden. In news we have a new relationship advice book and a court case over a pensionable Holden Caulfield.
Recommended Summer Reading #2
This week’s recommended summer read is Giles Foden’s excellent Turbulence. It was released two weeks ago on Faber and Faber, so by now, some of you may have had time to digest it. Turbulence tells the tale of a young man who must seek out an elusive and reluctant scientist who will provide the theory for an extremely accurate weather forecast five days in advance. This may have been a stuffy science story if not for the fact that the prediction is needed to plan the D-Day landings, and thus determine the outcome of World War II.
Like the multi-award-winning novel The Last King of Scotland, Foden perfectly blends fact and fiction to tell a gripping, and informative story. In places the book is science-heavy, but it never gets too much, and I must say I learned a thing or two about air streams and weather prediction. The story is filled with geniuses (or should that be genii?), with “ice warfare” innovator Geoffrey Pyke providing the story with a comically absurd subplot. Later reading has actually told me that Pyke was a real person, which makes this all the more bizarre.
The D-Day climax proves splendid, as well as an interesting turn involving weather balloons, but I don’t want to give away any more of the plot. Overall, it’s a worthy follow-up to The Last King of Scotland, and is a great quasi-historical work of fiction.
Book News
JLH offers relationship advice
Ghost Whisperer star Jennifer Love-Hewitt is to offer some whispers of her own in a relationship advice book. She recently called off her engagement to Scottish actor Ross McCall, so should have plenty of source material to work from. It’s to be released in March 2010 on Hyperion, and will be called The Day I Shot Cupid.
JD Salinger sues JD California
Swedish writer Fredrik Colting’s take of a 76 year old Holden Caulfield, called 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, has been delayed as the US High Court decides whether the work steps on the toes of the original work by JD Salinger. Salinger now 90 is suing Cotling (who is using the oh-so-obvious penname JD California) over the breach of fair use copyright. This sounds much more like a work of fan fiction to me, and I doubt it will ever see the light of day.
Recommended Short Story
The New Yorker has a new short story by Stephen O’Connor called ‘Ziggurat’ available to read online here. O’Connor is the author of numerous short stories, and also of the tremendous social history work Orphan Trains: The Story of Charles Loring Brace and the Children He Saved and Failed, and Will My Name Be Shouted Out, his account of teaching creative writing to inner-city students. But if you are currently bored at your desk in work with ten minutes to spare, I highly recommend ‘Ziggurat’.
Martin King - A biography:
“The story of a young man who must seek out an elusive and reluctant scientist who will provide the theory for an extremely accurate weather forecast five days in advance.”
And also say Happy 70th Birthday to Imelda in Ballina.