Reading as escapism [ The Geneva Option by Adam Lebor]

I am at this point struggling to finish Adam Lebor's The Geneva Option. Not because it is not a good book. It is compellingly written and easy to read. Easy to read is one thing, easy to finish is something else. For me at least.

This is because I dislike the horrible aspects of life in my fiction. I can read a lot when it comes to history books, but I think I tend to a bit engrossed in my fiction writing and so too much explicit violence, even hinting at something terrible can pose a challenge. I have never managed to read The Kite Runner because of that. I did not manage to get past the rape scene.

But I am trying not to give up too quickly. Last year, I heard Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Brilliant book, but it was hard work for me, as it is not without its darkness. But it was worth it, and I plan to read the follow-up. That experience made me realise that sometimes it is worth skipping a few pages (though I am of the anal variety, who tries not to do that as it seems like cheating).

So I am just taking a break from The Geneva Option. It is, if nothing else, fulfilling the requirement in the reading challenge I have set myself for 2017 to read a book set in Geneva (one of five cities in the world I have lived in). And I am less than 100 pages from the end. Furthermore I hope that it ends well. I know the hero survives (to be the hero of two follow-up books), but I am worried about two other characters. At the very least one of them will die, if not both. I will try to come back to the book when I am done, as it is actually quite interesting, seen in light of current developments within the United Nations. But in the mean time, I will either read one of the other books I am reading simultaneously or bite the bullet. Which is really an ironic idiom.

Postscript: After a few hours, I resumed reading and was relieved. At least in the scene in question, justice prevailed. And that reminded me of a line from the science fiction novel "Calculating God" by Robert J. Sawyer. The line sums up perfectly why I read fiction, well, certain genres of fiction. The alien Hollus, asks the human Thomas Jericho why humans like to read crime, and this is his answer:

"No, no," I said. "You've got it wrong. We don't enjoy reading about killing; we enjoy reading about justice - about a criminal, no matter how clever, being proved guilty of the crime."

THAT is why I read. In the real world, very often justice does not prevail, but it can in fiction. Hey, whatever works for me, right?

Post-postscript: So I managed to finish the book today anyway. It ended a bit abruptly, but nevertheless, justice prevailed. Some surprises (not as much death and mayhem as I expected actually). A readable thriller by any account. Interesting to me because I happen to have had a bit to do with the UN for my career (although somewhat peripherally compared to the subject matter of this book). Also interesting because in these days there is a move to increase engagement between the UN and the private sector. I am a bit disappointed that the book was good enough to warrant me reading the rest of the trilogy. Although it stands alone, there are hints as to what might come up in the next books. Then again, I was wrong about quite a bit in the book. So Adam Lebor's The Geneva Option gets at least 👍👍 out of a possible 👍👍👍👍👍, maybe two and a half.

"The song before it sung" by Justin Cartwright

I find blogs like She Reads Novels quite intimidating - "She" (the blogger) is clearly quite a voracious reader and also writes clear and interesting reviews. I came across her in connection with the very book that I have just finished reading - Justin Cartwright's The song before it is sung. "She" didn't enjoy it.

I, however, did. Not because the story is sensible or the characters solidly presented - by which I mean that you feel you know them. The book achieved the "lyrical" quality which I really enjoy more often that not, and which for me at any rate makes up for a lack of a clear storyline or characters.

In the end however, I found myself wondering whether the South African origins of the author in anyway influenced his choice of subject. I certainly will always carry with me that I grew up white in Apartheid South Africa. My family was not politically active, but nevertheless against. My family is not even patriotic in any sense, neither on the South African or Norwegian side. The very loyalty which is so distinct a quality in Africa fascinates me. The loyalty and sense of belong which the character Axel von Gottburg had reminds me a lot of that.

In fact there were many parallels for me between Nazi Germany and Apartheid South Africa, and the inability of some to be able to let go of their loyalty and sense of belongingness (is that a word?). The reaction to the recent article in the Economist on South Africa brought that to the fore. That is something which I do not share, but which I can, well, recognise and have some respect for really.

That is what this book tapped into for me, and a book which reverberates with something inside you is never a wasted read.