Micro-Reviews of Books Read, November 2013

   Reviews of books read last month. Three novels (two of them by
   Australian authors), and a non-fiction book about information and
   communication.


   1. "The Rook: A Novel" by Daniel O'Malley
     <http://www.amazon.com/The-Rook/dp/0316098809>

   A woman wakes up in a London park on a rainy night, surrounded by
   dead people wearing latex gloves. She's lost her memory, but soon
   finds the first of many letters from her pre-amnesiac self. She is
   Myfanwy Thomas, a high ranking official (a Rook) of the Checquy
   Group, a paranormal secret service agency charged. She was warned
   by a psychic that she would lose her memory, so she made
   preparations. It turns out her memory was wiped because she was
   close to exposing a traitor in the Checquy Group. Knowing this,
   she could just leave the country, take up a new identity and stay
   out of trouble. Instead, she decides to find out more about who
   she was, resume her job and go after the traitor. She rediscovers
   she has a frightening superpower (which explains the incident in
   the park), but lots of other people in the country have special
   abilities too. And to complicate things further, the Belgium-based
   Grafters, long-time adversaries of the Checquy, have resumed their
   centuries-old goal of invading the UK.

   This is a very imaginative and amusing debut novel by a Canberra-
   based public servant. The characters are complex and intriguing,
   with a well-executed plot.


   2. "They're a Weird Mob" by John O'Grady (as Nino Culotta)
     <http://www.amazon.com/Theyre-Weird-Mob/dp/1921922184>

   Italian journalist Nino Culotta (not his real name) is sent on
   assignment to Australia to report on how Italian migrants are
   settling into their new lives. It's the 1950s, and he arrives in
   Sydney, with the intention of travelling around the country for a
   couple of years to write regular pieces for his newspaper back in
   Milan. He gets of to a rocky start, quickly discovering that the
   "proper" English he learnt back home is not that helpful, and
   he'll have to learn the Aussie lingo if he wants to fit in. He
   does write some articles, but he finds he likes Sydney so much
   that he wants to settle there himself. He gets a job as a builder's
   labourer, makes some new friends, and eventually gets married.

   I have mixed feelings about this novel. I agree it is a witty
   portrayal of the brand of English spoken by Australians in the
   1950s. But I didn't find the central character authentically
   Italian. I also expected more insight into the migrant way of
   life, but that wasn't the point of the novel. Perhaps what grated
   the most was the author's insistence that the Australian way of
   life was perfect, so "New Australians" should forget all their
   old ways and just blend in. That reactionary attitude sounds
   simplistic and short-sighted given the rich contributions from
   the different waves of migrants over the past 60 years.


   3. "Emmaus" by Alessandro Baricco
     <http://www.amazon.com/Emmaus/dp/1938073150>

   This is the story of a group of four teenage boys and their loss of
   innocence. The narrator and his friends Bobby, Luca and the Saint
   were brought up with very Catholic values. They were in the church
   band, and spent their spare time helping out at a nearby hospital
   for poor people. Things were going pretty well, they even had
   girlfriends. Except the Saint, who wants to enter the priesthood.
   But then they meet and become obsessed with Andre, a girl from a
   wealthy non-believer family. She has a carefree attitude, sleeps
   around and even tried to kill herself. Andre believes she and her
   family are cursed. A strange relationship develops between her and
   the boys. Unfortunately, things start going wrong for the boys,
   bringing drugs, death and disgrace for some of them.

   I enjoyed this short novel by an award-winning author and screen-
   writer. The characters were relatable, as they dealt with issues
   of faith, devotion and sin were tackled. I also found the contrasts
   and interactions between believers and non-believers interesting.


   4. "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood" by James Gleick
     <http://www.amazon.com/The-Information/dp/1400096235>

   This books takes a sweeping look at the history of information. From
   the humble beginnings of transmitting messages over distances using
   drums through to the modern day, where Google and others constantly
   collect and analyse our digital activities to find out what we want
   before we know ourselves. Despite changes in technology, many of the
   same issues recur, such as how to ensure accurate and efficient
   transmission. The book reminds us that abbreviations like LOL and
   emoticons had precursors in the days of the telegraph. Information
   is not just encoded in our devices and communication methods.
   Subatomic particles and genes are information carriers. Ideas (or
   memes) also convey information, and some theorists believe they too
   are subject to the survival of the fittest. The book also looks at
   issues such as information overload.

   Overall, a generally accessible and comprehensive book, from a
   respected science and technology author.