Fiction Featuring Fictioneers

Okay. I know "fictioneers" is not actually a word, but I talked about alliteration in class today, and I couldn't resist. Oh wait...I just googled it. It is real! Sweet!

These two books exist somewhere in the fuzzy hinterland between straight-out fiction and creative non-fiction. I have a soft spot for fictionalized accounts of people's real lives. One of my favorites is a book called Saints and Villains about my historical crush Dietrich Bonhoeffer. These two books follow the same simple pattern: real lives, real events with all the other details skillfully painted in by the author.

My favorite of the two was Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan. Pick it up if you like great description and characterization. The novel follows the lives of Robert Louis Stevenson and his lover/wife Fanny Osbourne through their battles with illness, society, and betrayal. The two clearly lived a tumultuous life. This book will take you around the world and into the fierce landscape of human emotion. I'm afraid if I write anything else, I'll spoil it for you. I think this would be a great beach book for those of you who aren't into trashy romances but still want something relaxing and engaging to keep your attention out there by the waves.

A Good Hard Look imagines what might have happened in the small town of Milledgeville, GA, home to Flannery O'Connor. Though this book featured Flannery O'Connor, it was simultaneously like reading one of Flannery's short stories. The book swallowed me up right away; I was fascinated. I also must say this novel was not a happy one. It managed to show an imagined version of Flannery's life that might offer some insight into the inspiration behind her "fictioneering." Reading this novel made me feel like a rubbernecker out on I-40. The wreck was so fascinating; I just couldn't look away.

Life After Life X 2

I don't always read books in pairs, but lately it seems that's how they've been coming into my hands. About a month ago one of my dearest, bookish friends was raving about a book called Life after Life. She said,  "The whole story is based on the idea --'What if you could keep reliving your life until you got it right?'" She followed by describing the first few chapters.  I was drooling in anticipation.

At the library a few days later, I came across what I thought was the book. I got home and started to devour the first pages. The book I found myself reading seemed nothing like the one described by my friend...because it wasn't the book described by my friend. It was a different book, also newly published, called Life after Life.

So I read them both.

The first Life after Life, I thought of it as the doppelganger, is by Jill McCorkle. The tale begins with a woman's account of the death of an elderly person and much of the action takes place in a nursing home. Before you dismiss it, you should know that the story was surprisingly good. The novel had a strong Southern feel, which I always appreciate, and it asked some deep questions about life and death. I couldn't help but muse about my own mortality, regrets, and best memories. Though I enjoyed it, I probably won't remember it for very long.

Contrarily, the other Life after Life  by Kate Atkinson was extraordinary. Every time Ursula intuitively learned from a mistake in one of her previous lives, I cheered. The elegant prose captivated me. I was intrigued by the way that Atkinson introduced historical figures into the fabric of her fiction, suggesting alternative paths for the course of history. The book also invited the question, "How important are a single person's actions?"

I happily endorse either of the Life after Life novels, but if you only have time for one, I'd choose the one by Kate Atkinson. My friend's raptures rang true when I read the book myself. Amazon.com rated it one of the best books of 2013, but I wouldn't be shocked if it became one of the most celebrated pieces of literary fiction published in this new century.