Sunday Seconds

Sunday Seconds -- there are books that I would really love to re-read -- if I could make the time. Sometimes books have profound impacts on one's reading experience. Sometimes you just know these books could be even greater if you could go back and read them with again better understanding and life experiences under your belt. Sometimes books don't hold up the memory the second time around -- that's the risk. Sunday Seconds will be a cataloging of that kind of wish list.
************************************************

What follows is taken from various sources on the Internet:

FREEDOM AND NECESSITY is an epistolary, historical fantasy novel by Steven Brust and Emma Bull.

The book opens in England, in 1849, with a letter from James Cobham to his cousin Richard:

My Dear Cousin,
I wonder how you will greet these words; indeed, I wonder how you will receive into your hands the paper that bears them, as I think you cannot be in expectation of correspondence from me. . . .

In short, I have been given to understand that I am believed dead by all my family and acquaintance—that I was seen to die, in fact, or at least, was seen to sink beneath the water a last time, and my corpse never recovered, though long and passionately sought for. You may imagine the fascination with which I heard this account, though you will imagine, too, that my fascination is accompanied by horror, which is far from the case. I cannot tell how it is, but though I know the thought of myself as a corpse should by all rights cause me distress, I find it holds only the interest, raises only the feelings, that such a thing might in verse or fiction.

What should distress me yet more, and what may, as my sensibilities recover somewhat from the curious flattened state they are now in, is that, for all I can recall, I may indeed have drowned. I have no knowledge of any act, any word, any thing at all that occurred between the conclusion of that pleasant luncheon on the lake shore, and my discovery—rediscovery—of my wits and person at the bottom of the garden behind this respectable inn at an hour when almost none of the respectable inhabitants of it were conscious. I have read, I suppose, too many fables and fairy-tales, for the first thing I asked of the good landlord, upon gathering my straying thoughts and finding my voice, was the month, day, and year. How relieved I was to find I had not been whisked away for seven times seven years, but for a scant two months! And yet, how and where were those two months passed? For anything I could tell, I might indeed have spent them happily in Fairyland, but for sundry signs about my person that it might not have been an unalloyed happiness. . . .

Finding out what happened to James, and what is going to happen to James, is the core of the rest of the book.

As the book opens, James Cobham is writing to his cousin Richard to inform him that he, James, is not dead. He has only vague memories of the past months, up until the time he arrived, ill and injured, at the inn where he's now working as a groom. Despite his lack of memory, he cautions Richard that he might want to keep James's resurrection quiet until they can discover where he's been and what happened to him.

Working parallel to the cousins is a distant cousin, Susan Voight. She's long been attracted to and fascinated by James, and with the news of his death, she's set out to discover his past--in particular, what happened when he'd disappeared before--in order, she tells herself, to find that he was just ordinary after all and exorcise him from her heart and mind.

Rounding out the main characters is Susan's best friend, James's stepsister Kitty, a devotee of spiritualism, who's "living in sin" with Richard.

They're all intellectuals and philosophers, though James has taken it further than the rest, and involved himself in radical political reform. (Friedrich Engels is a secondary character.) As the clues emerge, it seems that a combination of politics and the sinister Trotters Club is behind James's disappearance and the continued danger to him.

The clues are revealed slowly, in bits and pieces, and the reader has to actually interpret some of them. It's such a lovely novelty to not have everything spoon-fed to you.

In addition, there's a heart-wrenchingly intense romance between Susan and James, made all the better because they're both such great characters. Both strong, both extremely intelligent, both principled to a fault. Neither one gives the other an easy time.

It's a demanding read, but it's also one to savor.

Using letters and journal from James, Kitty, Susan and Richard, as well as actual articles from the London Times, Brust and Bull create a taut and gripping plot packed with intrigue, secret societies, gun running, social movements, murder and more.

The various plot threads range from the political to the prosaic, and they intertwine without a gap. The authors maintain the multiple layers of the plot clearly and cogently, and the reader is easily immersed in the story which, incredibly, transpires over three months. The main characters are vividly portrayed both through their own voices and the descriptions in letters about them. It is fascinating to see the subtle nuances of their personalities rise through the characters' portraits, transforming them from "stock" characters into people so real you would recognize them if you saw them on the street.

Furthermore, the authors maintain the integrity of the different characters' voices. This book is a fantasy, complete with a brooding hero on the run, a spirited "princess" sharing the adventure, a wicked "king" (not the monarch), secret identities and assorted assistants, Near misses and last-minute escapes abound until the final, satisfying resolution. With its rich, complicated plot and complex characters, this is a book to try to savor, but don't be surprised if you can't put it down.

*******************************************

I read this many years ago, maybe mid to late 90s but it was so impressive. It has so many elements I love: epistolary storytelling, politics, philosophy, intertwined relationships, intrigues, what is truth in the telling, and a little romance and swashbuckle ...

I must be more productive today as yesterday I got some things done but not nearly enough. More cleaning and I should do something on the newsletter. I also have a DVD I'd like to view, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the Swedish film of the fantastic book. I need another day off. I need a job that pays better so I don't have to work overtime. Yeah yeah.

We may get some thunderstorms today, they're saying. That would be lovely. I'll be walking Tug soon. I've got a roast going in the crockpot to cook all day and I'm planning to try again a version of Shepherds Pie for dinner. I auditioned some books last night but I'm not sure what I'll stick with. I'm not slumping, I'm just ... indecisive.

Have a lovely Sunday!

Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster