“Minnow” by James E. McTeer II Book Review.

Stories have always possessed transformative powers.  This can be interpreted in several ways, but the most common component is the fact that the story’s main character develops into a more dynamic person.  In some instances, a personality change occurs yet at other times a coming-of-age is apparently obvious.  The latter tends to be overtly salient (outwardly protruding or obvious) within young adult novels, and this can in part be attributed to the author’s empathy toward teenage readers.

Good day, my fellow Gaston College Book Club followers!  Evening Librarian Whit Preston here with a review of a young adult novel that interested me partly because of the book synopsis but also because it received the 2014 South Carolina First Novel Prize, a writing contest open to residents of South Carolina who are 18 years of age or older, and are not already well-known or commercially successful authors.

The novel I have recently read, Minnow by James E. McTeer II, focuses on a boy named Minnow whose family has a dire predicament: his father is fatally sick due to a Voodoo curse and must have someone obtain medicine for him.  Essentially, Minnow is tasked with journeying to the town’s general store to acquire the medicine.  What starts as a simple task becomes a days-long, if not weeks or months-long venture for the story’s wee lad.  The novel does an excellent job of evoking a setting similar to that of post-Civil War South Carolina.  Although no specific date or year is mentioned, the reader may be led to believe that the story takes place in the late-1800’s or early 1900’s and perhaps there is no date mentioned so that the story has an otherworldly or mystical vibe.  There are mentions of plantations no longer owned by families, and many of the characters are able to earn a living as fishermen and artisans, similar to the people of the Gullah peoples, that is, a group of African peoples who migrated to an area spanning from North Carolina to Florida, who have been able to earn their living as artisans and fishermen.

This is a novel recommended for anyone who enjoys a story with a variety of thematic and genre elements, both the believable and the uncanny.  At times, Voodoo magic is the story’s central focus, evoking a supernatural element to the story.  Yet within this same novel, Minnow must face the power of nature in all of its severity. Thus, a tangible and devastating gale makes for a traumatic fulcrum of a turning point in the story’s plot.

Ultimately, the author has proven to be a master storyteller, combining the fantastic with the believable into a yarn that will likely elicit a variety of emotions out of the reader.  Be forewarned:  there are some parts that might be difficult for the queasy or the weak of constitution.

Minnow is currently not available at any of the libraries within the NC Community Colleges.  However, I encourage anyone looking for an enjoyable coming-of-age story to consider seeking out this novel.

As always, please leave any thoughts or comments in the “Leave a comment” section after this post.

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“The Frangipani Hotel” by Violet Kupersmith Book Review.

The country known as Vietnam has a long and storied history, in part due to the Vietnam War, but also because of its geographic location.  Nestled between India and China, it has been a place of conquest, conflict, and prosperity for a variety of countries.  However, its folklore may not be as familiar to Western civilizations. But the book being reviewed today might just be an attempt to change such a notion.

Hello, Gaston College Book Club followers!  Evening Librarian Whit Preston here with some thoughts on an enjoyable work of fiction titled The Frangipani Hotel. The book consists of short stories that blend old Vietnamese folk tales with the modern day circumstances that occur for each story’s characters.

A creepiness factor happens periodically within each story, adding a bit of supernatural heebie-jeebies. This alone helps propel the rest of the story, while adding a bit of mystique and intrigue to each story.

Additionally, the work as a whole attempts to reinforce the realities that the Vietnamese, that is, its current citizens and the ones residing in the United States, have experienced and suffered, in both the Vietnam War and throughout its 3000+ year recorded history.  Many of the stories’ characters speak of delusions and flashbacks, similar to what may occur during post-traumatic stress disorder.

But these same characters also evoke a sense of humanity, in their desires and their flaws.  One story tells of a slightly obese Vietnamese American girl who gets sent with her sibling to Vietnam to spend the summer with their grandmother.  The family’s ultimate hope is for the girls to appreciate where they have come from, and ultimately a tale of morality, temptation and human nature ensues.

This collection of short stories is recommended for anyone who wants something slightly off the beaten path. Anyone unfamiliar with the folklore of Vietnam will likely be intrigued to discover other relevant collections of Asian mythology and folklore.

The Frangipani Hotel is not held within the collection of the Gaston College Libraries.  However, it may be requested through Inter-library Loan (ILL).

Please add any thoughts, questions, and comments at the end of this post.

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“The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern: Thoughts

Come one come all to something that only happens at night!  Ok, so this is not just an evening event, but there is some relation to a book that deserves recognition.  Due to a series of attempted failings, this will simply be ponderings of Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Hello, Gaston College Book Club followers!  Whit Preston, Evening Librarian here with my own admission: I tried to read a book that I could not complete.  And I know, I know!  Many of you might be saying, “but you’re a librarian, you’re a librarian!  You are supposed to read a book in its entirety.”

This was not because of a failed attempt on the author’s part but rather my own lack of interest in the story’s point of view and its viscous pacing.  The story essentially begins with two men, who the reader can believe to be magicians, eternal spirits or even ethereal entities.  Their relationship is comparable to two English gents: one who sees societies as forces conducive to equality and fairness versus one who sees the world where the chosen few endeavor to be the best and thus are the only ones worthy of eminence, power, and wealth.  Essentially, each character seeks a protege whose tutelage will propel one as victor and one who becomes vanquished.  These bettors do not realize that the two students might become lovers, amidst the backdrop of the carnival culture.

The story does a great job of using imagery to evoke a parallel circus that only appears at night.  Sadly, there is not much else that can be said due to my own inability to get no further than about 80 pages into the novel.

However, for anyone who enjoy romance, this will likely be one that is not terribly mushy but certainly contains the teenage innocence, albeit a speculation based on my initial impressions of the story.

The book is available for Interlibrary Loan from other community colleges in North Carolina.

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