From the Bookshelf: Amsterdam

To start off the new year, I'm going to put a new section on this blog: From The Bookshelf. This is where I recommend books I've recently read. Although I must remind you that I won't be doing any book reviews since I don't feel confident enough to do one. Maybe someday. But for now, I'm just telling you , these are the books I've read and go read them if you can take my word for it. Okay?

I know, I know, I'm no Oprah and the books I recommend won't suddenly become instant bestsellers, but what the hey. Just sharing okay?

One of the best books I've read in 2009 is Amsterdam by Ian Mc Ewan. It's quite short, but McEwan brings so much life to his character, to their passions, to their desires, to their will that it feels so epic.

Amsterdam is about the rise and fall of two men, bestfriends who make a pact that will lead to both their inevitable doom. In the hands of an amateur the story could have ended up preachy, especially with its ending. But in the deft hands of Mc Ewan, Amsterdam is becomes an irony filled satire that is both funny and sad. Although one would sometimes get a sense that McEwan has thought more about the story than its characters as in his other book, Atonement.

It also seems that McEwan often has troubles with his endings. His stories and characters become so big, that it is hard to find a satisfying ending. In Amsterdam some might find the ending ridculous. But given the tone of the narrative which borders on fable, I'd say that the funny, justice-filled ending is well-justified.