No, Really, I Am an American

If my dammed “Now Reading” was functioning correctly, you would see that I am now reading Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, best known for her debut novel The Time Traveler’s Wife. I have not read her first book, but for reasons beyond my ken, her second book’s blurb piqued mine interest. (I think it had to do with it taking place in the Chicago-land area and London.) Also, for whatever reason, I struggle to say the title of the book, hence the title of this post.

I had VoW magic it from the library for me since Schaumburg Public Library had it not at the time. Yes, I’m sure I can suss out how to do this process myself, but I think it’s far more interesting to have my librarian friend magic it for me. Then, like the crazy, crazy person I am, I don’t have to deal with new people. That and the last time I put a hold on something from the library, a teenager called me to let me know that “some CD was in” — it was Anne-Sophie Mutter “Carmen-Fantasies”, which may or may not have been too difficult to say for the lad. (Yes, I realize that sounds pretentious and jack ass-y.)

Anyway, so I’m reading this book, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. It is a thousand times better than that damn book I bought whilst in England, and I’m only just reaching the 150-page mark. It is a book a little outside my reading-zone, though. There are no swords or magic, although it is still not considered “average fiction” as there is something of a ghost story to it. It doesn’t anger me the same way Dan Brown does, and I’m interested in it enough to want to go to Caribou and spend an afternoon reading it.

I was saying to Al that part of what makes this book appealing for me is that it takes place in the Chicago-land area and London. For some reason, I feel connected to the story more when Lake Forest, Lake Michigan, and the Water Tower are mentioned. I can absolutely envision what the twins’ house looks like in winter because it’s probably not unlike what’s outside my front door right now. And much like Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island, I’m delighted in the things and places I recognize when London is described: the football scores on the radio that sound like code, Tesco Express, Sainsbury, Hampstead, transferring from the Northern Line to the District Line at Embankment, etc. Reading so much about the parts of London I missed, like Highgate Cemetery, makes me want to return. I’m intrigued that Niffenegger is an American author and yet she manages to use English terminology and spelling in such a way that made me think she was actually British. (I’m sure there are lots of authors who can do this, but again, I point out I don’t usually read fiction where there are no swords or magic.)

I also feel strangely “grown up” reading this book. I have no worldly idea why I feel this way, but there it is. I imagine I’ll be able to finish the book soon, then it will be back to Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, where I have yet to encounter swords but there is certainly a lot of interesting magic abound.