Liberty: A Lake Wobegone Novel

Having been raised in the Midwest by a Lutheran family, I've always found that Garrison Keillor's tales of his created Lutheran town, Lake Wobegone, can really get under my skin and tickle. Keillor is willing to point out the contradictions and faults of his characters with gentle affection and, of course, humor. I also enjoy Keillor's skill in world building. Lake Wobegone is a town whose geography, history, and population are consistent, and become pleasantly familiar the more stories I hear. I was thrilled to learn that the protagonist of Liberty bought his house from the woman who had a giant snake living under her porch. I remember listening to her story on the radio, years ago. This kind of self-referential history makes Lake Wobegone feel convincingly real.

It has been some time since I listened to Keillor's "News From Lake Wobegon." I remember the Lake Wobegon stories as something I could sit down and listen to with a parent or grandparent- funny family entertainment I would not hesitate to leave playing if a kid came into the room. So when I began the audiobook of Keillor's most recent Lake Wobegon novel (hearing Keillor narrate is half the fun), I was shocked to discover that Lake Wobegon had become a darker, more adult town. Lutherans meet up online to talk dirty, and adultery is not only central to the plot, but described in anatomical detail.

Once the blood drained back out of my cheeks, and I got over the surprise of hearing Garrison Keillor read: "my nipples are getting hard for some reason," I really began to appreciate this modern-day, grown-up Lake Wobegone. There is an endearing honesty to Keillor's portrayal of his characters. Yes, they now cheat on their husbands and wives, vie for air time on CNN, and have DNA tests done to determine their heredity- but they also make mounds of potato salad, bake rhubarb pie, and march an ocarina band in the Fourth of July parade.

In Liberty, Keillor asks, what happens to small town folk who never leave the place where they were born? Their geographical situation may never change, but time still passes, the Internet and the television connect them to a larger world. Something in their individual character and social structure must shift, and Keillor paints this shift with the small details and little stories that make up our lives.

I was also extremely impressed by how Keillor treated the theme of his book. Liberty is the title of the novel, and key to the libertarian character of the protagonist. Liberty is the setting of the novel (A Fourth of July parade), and the conflict (will the protagonist ever get free of Lake Wobegone?). Miss Liberty also plays a crucial role in the story. I have rarely read a book so tightly and delightfully tied to one central concept- in this case, liberty.

Liberty ranks around #22,300 in Kindle books. On Amazon the hardcover is selling at about #153,300.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is one of those films whose title gives an accurate description of what the viewer is about to experience. Whimsy abounds in this fantasy- from the quaint cartoon opening, to the unique credits at the end. The 2007 film boasts a cast of well-known actors: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, even Kermit the Frog, and was written and directed by Zach Helm.

I'm used to fantasy films that take place in fantasy worlds, leaving the audience to connect the vital points between the fantasy experience and their own lives. But Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium expresses its theme quite explicitly- proposing to prove that the successful adult carries childlike wonder with him throughout his life. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is all about maintaining that childhood sense of wonder in adulthood, and even into old age and approaching death. The film isn't very subtle in making its point. The plot, the toy store setting, the candy-colored palette, and the typical, hard-nosed accountant foil, all constantly echo the theme- and for extra emphasis, the film's dialog and narration also underline the point. The explicit statement of theme doesn't detract from the fun, the story, or the sense of wonder which Helm invokes. It creates an open-hearted, direct dialog with the viewer, asking the audience to remain wide-eyed and childlike, in keeping with its theme.

The Colour of Magic

I just had a great time reading the first book of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, The Colour of Magic. The Discworld series is an astounding 36 books long and still running. The most recent novel in the series is available for pre-order in the US and the UK, and will be released in October 2009. On amazon.com this pre-order ranks #84 in comic literature and fiction, and around #17,000 in books, overall. Not bad sales for a book buyers can't even read until October! According to Wikipedia, as of 2006 Pratchett was the #2 bestselling author in the UK and the #7 non-US bestselling author in America.

Discworld began its impressive and popular career in 1983 with The Colour of Magic. The story is charming, its cosmology enchanting. As in many successful firsts of fantasy series, The Colour of Magic introduces the reader to its magical world through the arrival of a newcomer- although Pratchett turns this convention on its head, because the protagonist is not the newcomer, but his seasoned guide.

A lot of the pleasure of reading The Colour of Magic comes from its not-so-subtle parallels to our real world experience. The characters in the book grub for money, lie, cheat, steal, go on vacation, take photographs, and worry about their luggage- but it's all incredibly fun and clever while they do it.

The Colour of Magic is a bird's-eye-view narrative, the camera zooming in and then zooming very far out. We see the story from many angles, aware not just of the main characters' struggles, but of the interplay of the gods, of the cosmology of the universe (four elephants atop a giant turtle), and even of the multiverse. As a result of this constant panning in and out, the reader gains the emotional distance from the story needed to make it funny. The trade-off is that the reader (at least this reader) cares very little whether protagonist Rincewind lives or dies- and the story's entire dramatic structure is built on the question- will Rincewind live or die? Fortunately I was having so much fun sight-seeing in Discworld, that I didn't need any genuine concern for the characters or deep involvement with the plot in order to enjoy the book.

Magic for Beginners

My husband wanted to reread one of his all-time favorite short stories- speculative, or otherwise- "Magic for Beginners" by Kelly Link. What appeals to my husband about the story is its spirited mix of danger and fun.

Since it had been some time since I'd read the story, we decided to read it together, out loud. The pacing of the story was much different than I'd remembered- much more of the action takes place before the road trip portion, which I had remembered, erroneously, as the bulk of the story. The other thing I had failed to remember was just how funny the story is. We had to halt the narrative over and over to accommodate my fits of laughter.

I love the characters in the story- especially the protagonist's father. His quirks seem so real, both because elements of his personality remind me of people I've known, and because these distinctive elements of his character organically meld character to situation, situation to plot.

I also love the way Link turns the mundane into fantasy. What could be more everyday than a bunch of kids obsessed with their favorite TV show? Yet Link takes their show, their burgeoning hormones, mixes in discarded sofas and a phone booth- and manages to make magic.

"Magic for Beginners" is available in a short story collection by the same name (which includes another of my favorite Kelly Link tales, "The Faery Handbag"). Amazon ranks Magic for Beginners #44 in best selling paper science fiction and fantasy anthologies. The Kindle edition ranks in the top 10% of sales in Kindle books .

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

This weekend we watched an especially fun film by Wes Anderson. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was the immediate predecessor to his better-known The Darjeeling Limited.

There's a lot to love about The Life Aquatic- the stop motion animation depicting fantasy marine life, Brazilian singer/songwriter, Seu Jorge, strumming the guitar and singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese- and, of course, lots of comedy and wacky, high-seas adventure. Fans of The Darjeeling Limited will find some familiar Wes Anderson themes in The Life Aquatic, such as adult children searching for absent parents, and a quite unusual twist on the "road trip" movie.

What I particularly liked about The Life Aquatic was the way it treated the spirit of adventure. The film seemed to ask why we bother to live, to love, to hope and dream, when so often life treats us to sickness, the death of those we love, and failure. Tripping and falling, laughing and crying, Steve Zissou and his rag-tag band of marine adventurers leaves the viewer feeling that, yes, the journey of life is worthwhile, after all.

Free Stuff- How to Find Your True Name pdf

I've added a new section to my website where you can download free stories to read, enjoy, and send to your friends. Check out the new page or download the first pdf of the series right from my blog.

"How to Find Your True Name"
by Heather Pagano

A light-hearted short fantasy about the nature of Truth, Beauty, Unsecured Debt, Public Toilets, and Love.



HowToFindYourTrueName.pdf

Apologies to Columbus, Ohio

The best one-liner I've read in quite some time comes from Thomas Pynchon's latest release, Against the Day. Now, I've never been to Columbus, Ohio, but trust me, character Merle Rideout has good reason for being fed up with Pynchon's fictional Columbus.

Here's the quote:

"If the U.S. was a person," he [Merle] later became fond of saying, "and it sat down, Columbus Ohio would instantly be plunged into darkness." -Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day

Hilarious. What makes it so funny?

1. The line draws a funny connect the dot picture, leaving the reader to connect the last dot. The fact that we complete the joke ourselves makes it really hit home.
2. The line is not only in character (it's hard to see that out of context) but it develops the character. Merle didn't just come out and say butt, keister, heiny, or ass. He found a roundabout way of making his crude observation without using impolite words. Interesting.

This one-liner has been tickling my brain since Thursday. Maybe now that I've written it down and figured out why it got stuck there, I can finally get it out of my head.