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| My very own signed copy! |
I consider Wally Lamb "my" author. I discovered him on my own in my college bookstore in the late 90s. No one had recommended him to me and I'd never heard of him before. So, as I've read his books over the years, I've relished in the fact that he is "mine." (Same with Jodi Picoult! I was reading her before she became crazy popular!)
So picking up We Are Water was a given. And picking up a signed copy from Barnes and Noble was a no-brainer. I never read my signed copies. I wait to get another copy or borrow it from the library. This was an exception...I didn't want to wait.
The best way to describe We Are Water is to think of the domino effect. It's a story of the way in which people's past, experiences, faults, and personalities trickle down to others, causing a domino effect in the lives of all involved.
Annie Oh, wife of workaholic psychologist Orion Oh and mother of three, finds herself mysteriously drawn to art, as well as having a knack for it herself. Through the narration of multiple narrators, we see Annie's attention consumed by her art, which becomes the venue for releasing pent up anger over her horrid, untold childhood. Her art takes her to the top. But at what cost? Has it solved her anger issues? And what has her intense focus on it done to her children? If you let it, the past can eat you alive.
Although a number of characters narrate, including the entire Oh family, and other characters have pieces of their stories included, I'd argue that Annie is the main character. Most of the other characters' stories connect back to, are a result of, or are the cause of Annie's story, which is always an applaudable feat for any author. So thank you Wally Lamb for another good story.
Which authors do you claim for your own?
I've only read one of Wally lamb's previous books--but you've sparked my interest with your description of this one!
ReplyDeleteI can't think of any authors that I "discovered" before everyone else did, but there are several writers that I'm sort of an evangelist for and will talk on and on about them to anyone who will listen--they include Jodi Picoult, Beth Gutcheon (at least for her earlier books) and Nancy Thayer (ditto for her earlier books).
I have some signed copies of books, but I do read them rather than keep them just for display. I probably wouldn't loan them out, though!
Yes - Jodi Picoult is a keeper! Which authors do you have signed books for?Most of my signed books are those I've read and then met an author later and bought a copy for them to sign. Mostly YA authors too because I take my students to the local college for a field trip about books and authors.
DeleteIt's wonderful that you consider Lamb "your" author. That's a great term and a great way to think about it. Now I need to ponder who my author is. Hmmmm....
ReplyDeleteGlad it comes across clearly, cause it sounds funny to say and write!
DeleteI don't know if I have an author I can claim as my own... This is going to require some serious pondering on my part!
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I'll ever have another one! I get so many good recommendations now that I just can't pass up.
DeleteLove this review, and the way you feel about Lamb! I feel like Haruki Murakami is mine, because I loved reading his stuff long before he was easy to find on the bookstore shelves. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I've just heard of him this past year when a friend read 1Q84 and then someone sent me a free ePub version! I'm guessing you'd recommend it? Lol
DeleteI wouldn't recommend starting with 1Q84. Maybe try his short stories first, particularly the collection The Elephant Vanishes. :)
DeleteWill do! Thanks!
DeleteZafon is mine :)
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of him! Is there one you recommend?
DeleteOh my gosh goooooooo youuuuuuu!!!!! Mine??? Let's see. . . maybe I cherish them sooooo much that I don't even want to share them right now. . . or I can' think of one? :D
ReplyDeleteIt's harder than you think. I went back and read through a ton of authors' names and couldn't find any others!
DeleteI never really thought of it before, but as soon as I read your post and question, I knew my answer to the question! Anais Nin because I too sort of "discovered" her on my own (when I was in high school) and was so in awe of her writing, her sense of observation. And of course through reading her diaries, I feel almost as if I know her!
ReplyDeleteAnother unknown to me. Anything specific you'd recommend?
DeleteThe works I enjoy are her series of diaries (some written in New York, others in Paris) during the 1930s and 1940s because they are a window into the lives of expat writers of the time. I particularly like Diary of Anais Nin, Volume 1, written in the early 30s, because it is set in Paris amid the expats. She writes about Henry Miller and various other friends who will later become famous writers... so the perspective is interesting!
DeleteI love hearing what writers have to say about other writers. It's the human side legend very rarely shows us.
DeleteI didn't know this author! The story sounds great, I like these stories about characters who might be real.
ReplyDeleteHis books all have characters with stories that could be true. I think that's what I like too.
DeleteI don't have an author I can claim as my own (maybe Donald Ray Pollock, but he's disappeared?), but if I could I would claim Stephen King. I love so many of his books, but he was wildly popular before I was even born - so I'm missing out. Fun fact: Jodi Picoult lives a few towns over from my hometown in New Hampshire.
ReplyDeleteThat's cool - I'd be over there stalking for an autograph! Lol! My coworker lives outside Pittsburgh where they filmed The Fault in Our Stars and she looked for John Green every time she drove by. The days he saw them she jumped from her car and got her book signed and a picture!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea of your "own" author! Completely irrational but I so get it. I always resist reading Wally Lamb but when I have given in I've always been blown away. Tough to beat The Hour I First Believed though.
ReplyDeleteAuthors I think of as my own...Alan Bradley but otherwise that's going to take some thought. I agree with Melinda though - you MUST read Zafon. The Shadow of the Wind is the best but I also loved The Angel's Game.
Yea, I thought this sounds really weird, like I'm stalking him and in love! Lol. But I figured my book people would get it!
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