.SOMETIMES RAW.

“Jo and I are happy, I say, my voice unsteady. We’ve had our ups and downs like all couples, but we’ve managed to get over the bad times. We have two lovely children, a pretty little house, friends, we go on holiday twice a year. The shop is doing very well…”

What is this book about?

The story is centred around Jocelyne, a middle-aged dressmaker and blogger, who wins the lottery the first time she plays. Jocelyne’s life is filled with curious coincidences, such as marrying a man with the same name. What makes her narrative truly special is that, despite having discarded the dreams of her youth and suffering terrible disappointments, Jocelyne never ceases to appreciate the wonders of everyday life.

Delacourt’s characters are intricately built, and it is this careful characterisation that allows the most wonderful aspect of the novel to flourish: the exquisite exploration of interpersonal relationships. From lovers to colleagues, parents to children, Delacourt depicts it all with an achingly beautiful honesty. By acknowledging the flaws and problems that pepper the everyday, he highlights how special love and affection are.

This novel also has an extraordinary plot. How many people could honestly say that, if they won a life-changing sum of money – millions – they would even hesitate to collect it? I certainly can’t. And yet Jocelyne does hesitate, and her reasoning is entirely sound. The negative aspects of sudden extreme wealth are not glossed over. It is Jocelyne’s appreciation of her husband and children – the love of her family as it is – that causes her to hesitate, which makes the story all the more moving.

Delacourt’s writing is magnificent, as is the quality of the translation – one does not feel that anything has been lost in the process. The novel remains quintessentially French in style and tone, which makes it all the more charming to read. “The List of My Desires” is not my typical sort of book, but I couldn’t be happier that I picked it up.

It was such a quaint, bittersweet novella that made me dive headfirst into my desires, dreams, and shortcomings. I haven’t focused this much on my character in some time, and by the last page, I had more questions about myself than I did about the protagonist, Jocelyne. I completely related to her, but it was a little unsettling.

Do you have a list of things you would treat yourself to if you won the lottery? A dream car, a new life in a faraway paradise, a closet full of designer clothes? Or nothing at all and continue life the way it is? Is it okay to want more for yourself? Will money ruin whatever happiness you have now, however ordinary it may seem? Can money buy you a new, happier life? Most importantly, what will she do with her winnings?

Another thing I love in books is allusions to other works of literature. Throughout this book, Delacourt referred to Albert Cohen’s French tome Belle de Seigneur, which is a favorite of Jocelyne’s, and whose characters are repeatedly mirrored in her thoughts to people she knows. I read a classic book once a year, and I still haven’t decided which to read this year. After finishing My Wish List, Belle du Seigneur is definitely on the list.

I heartily recommend this novel to anyone looking for an extraordinary book.

You may know by now that I love to read. There are so many good books out there and time is limited to read them all. Every day thousands of new books get published. So what can you do? Usually, I will give a book fifty pages to convince me to read on or put it down. After years and years of passionately reading, I know the language and style that catches my attention in a heartbeat. But overall I believe, fifty pages in is a good way to decide if the book is good or not. Here are some other options and signs you should give up on a book. Enjoy.

You can’t stop thinking about the characters and how you’d like to rewrite them as characters from books you’ve actually enjoyed reading. Like the books I have written, for example. You find yourself regularly reaching for the book to squash the silverfish in your apartment.

You keep having to reread the first chapter because you’ve been distracted by an article about Dwayne Johnson’s movies, ranked from best to worst.

You’re ten pages into the book and think a murder investigation would really liven things up right about now. (You are reading “Little Women.”)

You’re twenty minutes into reading the book and just now realize you’ve been asleep the whole time.

You’re twenty years into reading the book and it’s the only book that hasn’t been burned or rewritten by robot overlords, and yet you still can’t seem to get emotionally invested in the story.

The book has been described as “thrilling” and “captivating,” but by readers who play badminton or golf.

You want to stick with the book for the first hundred pages before deciding whether you should abandon it, but at your current pace it will take you a year to get through a single page.

You wait for the book to initiate physical contact.

The blurb on the back of the book says, “It will catch your attention eventually, I promise.”

You stay up all night, tearing through the pages of the book, only you’re not reading the actual words, you’re just looking for the page in which you tucked a piece of scrap paper with your Gmail password on it.

You were thinking about Dwayne Johnson’s performance in “The Tooth Fairy,” which leads you to Google whether he was nominated for an Oscar for that film, which then somehow leads you to click on an article about the best hand creams for mature skin, and now you can’t remember what the book is about and have to start over from the beginning.

You would rather get into a conversation with your neighbour who likes to go into very specific detail about Helene Hanff books before she finally asks, “So what’s going on with you?” and her eyes glaze over as soon as you start talking about your work and so you end up asking her about which Hanff book is her favourite in order to reëngage her in the conversation, just to avoid reading your book.

You are reading “David Copperfield” before starting on “Demon Copperhead,” which was inspired by “David Copperfield,” because you think this will give you a feeling of accomplishment that will make you feel better about how you’ve been cold e-mailing these health insurance people without getting any responses, probably because your only viable skill is reading books you can’t seem to finish.

There’s going to be a film adaptation of the book you cannot finish starring Dwayne Johnson. You should watch that instead. 

Also, what’s going on with Dwayne Johnson and I? In any case, purchase my books if you need a good laugh and when in doubt what to read. 😉

“Heroes go forth. To be alive is to go forth.” 

What this book is about:

Johannes is a free dog who lives in a park on a small island. He loves running and keeping track of everything that is happening in the park including human activity as well as the other animals. He is the “Eyes” of the park, reporting back to the three Bison who are the “Keepers of the Equilibrium”. He has a team of Assistant Eyes – a seagull, a raccoon and a squirrel to help him with his duties.

As the narrative progresses, we follow Johannes and his friends as they encounter several disturbances to the Equilibrium-the construction of a new structure in the middle of a park, the “rectangles” that fascinate Johannes, the hundreds of goats that are new to the park, the Trouble Travelers and the Control- the- Animals people and the Parks People who are on the lookout for a coyote that has been seen in the vicinity. Johannes also embarks on a quest to free his Bison friends who are fenced in an enclosure in the park. Not everything will go according to his plans and he will face a series of obstacles in the process, learning much about the way the world works and himself in the process.

Please note that this story does not employ anthropomorphism as a narrative device or metaphor. This is a story about animals that coexist in the same habitat, each with their own habits and rituals, and in no way are meant to represent human behavior in any form. The author makes this clear at the beginning of this story. “And, most crucially, no animals symbolize people. It is a tendency of the human species to see themselves in everything, to assume all living things, animals in particular, are simply corollaries to humans, but in this book, that is not the case. Here, the dogs are dogs, the birds are birds, goats are goats, the Bison Bison.”

The story is presented to us in Johannes’ first-person. In turn moving, reflective and humorous and touching upon themes of friendship, family, freedom and change The Eyes & the Impossible by Dave Eggers is a delightful read, full of heart and humor, that readers of any age would enjoy, despite the target audience being younger readers. Johannes is an endearing narrator with an interesting worldview. His observations on human behavior, compassion for his fellow animals (though he isn’t quite sympathetic to the ducks in the park) and his inquisitive nature kept me hooked till the very last page. Illustrator Shawn Harris adds Johannes to the classical landscape paintings interspersed throughout the narrative which are beautiful and perfectly complement the prose. 

“If we go through life assuming everything will be complicated, and then it is complicated, doesn’t that make us better prepared? What I mean is, if we expect life to be complicated, and life is complicated, then life is simple, right?”

Why I loved this book:

This is the single most delightful book I’ve read in quite some time!! It is delightful, with adventure and strong themes of friendship. And I laughed out loud all the way through this book. Johannes directly addresses the reader in a very casual voice throughout the novel. And whether it’s his inability to estimate numbers or his antipathy towards ducks (Don’t trust the ducks!), I was there for it.

In short, this book brought me joy. Absolute joy. And I know that I will be revisiting it. And, hopefully sharing it with many, many people along the way.

Finally, a note on the format. So, the photo all the way above is the version of the book I have. But there is a special edition published that is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever seen, and it’s being sold exclusively in independent bookstores. It has wood front and back covers, with a painting showing through burnouts on the front cover. There are full-color, edge-to-edge painted illustrations all throughout the novel. And there are gleaming gilt edges on all sides. It is simply stunning! And the most impressive thing of all? The beauty on the inside exceeds the beauty on the outside. Get to your local independent bookstore and grab one fast. Also, the audiobook read by Ethan Hawke (which is also amazing) highlights every single bit of the considerable charm, humor and poignancy this novel has to offer. It is well worth listening to. Personally, I think every library needs multiple editions.