Review of "Confessions: A Novel" by Kanae Minato

Yuko Moriguchi, a middle-school teacher in Japan, tells her class that she's resigning from her job. Moriguchi goes on to say her decision is related to the recent death of her four-year-old daughter, Manami, who drowned in a nearby swimming pool.



Authorities consider the death an accident but Moriguchi tells a long story that details how two students in the class (whom she calls 'A' and 'B') murdered Manami....and she describes the revenge she's set in motion.



After spring break one of the culprits returns to school while the other finds excuse after excuse to remain at home, essentially becoming a 'hikkomori' (sort of hermit).



The student who comes back to class faces retribution from fellow students while the shut-in deteriorates physically and mentally. Meanwhile, the class's new teacher - who doesn't really know what's going on - is determined to help the recluse keep up with classwork and return to school.

The story is told in rotating voices including culprit A, culprit B, the mother of one of the perpetrators, another classmate, and Moriguchi. At first it seems like one of the miscreants - who has a dominant narcissistic personality - was the major player in the illegal activities. However the truth is more complicated.



In some ways the book reminded me of the Columbine massacre in the U.S., where two students who did not appear particularly disturbed planned and carried out a terrible crime. Similarly, the killers in 'Confessions' appear to be under-the-radar sociopaths. In addition, it seems like poor parenting was a major influence on the events of the story, along with the pressure to achieve academic success - demonstrated by the number of Japanese students who attend 'cram school' after regular classes.



This is a well-written story that engaged me and kept me turning the pages. Good book, recommended for fans of literary fiction and mysteries.

Note: Reading the book made me curious about 'hikkomori' so I googled it. The word is a Japanese term for reclusive teens or adults who withdraw from society and become loners. Apparently this phenomenon is not uncommon in Japan and some experts speculate that there are over one million hikkomori in the country.

FYI: The book was adapted into an award-winning film.



Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Breaking Cat News: Cats Reporting On The News That Matters To Cats" by Georgia Dunn

I loved this delightful illustrated book about three cat journalists on the CN (cat news) network who report news of interest to cats. The kitties - Lupin, Elvis, and Puck - are housecats that live with 'the woman' and 'the man.'

                                                    Elvis, Lupin, and Puck (left to right)

The book is filled with entertaining scenes, so I'll just give a few examples.

The woman goes to the bathroom and closes the door....and the cats immediately rush over with their microphones: "CN news, ma'am. What you doing in there?' The cattarazzi proceed to claw at the door and stick their paws underneath as they keep calling, "Ma'am?" "Ma'am?" "Ma'am?.....and the woman just sighs.

Seeing that the woman has a frosted cupcake the cats immediately swarm her. One asks "Do you remember when you let me lick frosting off your finger, ma'am?" Another inquires "Do you remember I'm an excellent boy who deserves frosting?" When the woman declares "Cupcakes are for people" the cats are appalled....but get smiley again when they discover 11 more cupcakes on the kitchen counter.

The woman is under the weather and lying on the sofa (spooning with Puck). A reporter cat observes: "People recover from illness with giant mugs of hot tea and hours of British mystery shows."

 Later the woman is obviously pregnant and a newscat observes, "The woman has been increasing in size. This week her size has pinned her to the couch where she now lives with Puck watching British mystery shows." [Puck can't comment because if he misses the first ten minutes of the show he won't know what's going on....so true...ha ha ha.]

When the man and woman finally bring the baby home a cat reporter observes that "The people have brought home a strange creature that they force to wear tiny hats." The cats think the baby is a human pupa...and their labeled illustration of this is hilarious!

This book would appeal to everyone who likes a laugh, especially cat lovers. Highly recommended.

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Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "LaRose: A Novel" by Louise Erdrich

Landreaux Iron, a North Dakota Ojibwe Indian, is happily married to Emmaline and raising five children - including the 'adopted' son of his childhood friend Romeo. One day Landreaux - a former alcohol and drug user - is hunting, and accidentally kills Dusty, the 5-year-old son of his neighbors Peter and Nola Ravich.

The Ravichs are devastated and Landreaux and Emmaline - hewing to an old Indian custom - make the overwhelmingly heartbreaking decision to give the grieving couple their own young son, LaRose. Nola, though almost insane from grief, is somewhat comforted by LaRose, a sweet boy who - like his namesake ancestors - has shaman-like abilities. Still, both Peter and Nola fantasize about revenge-killing Landreaux.

Meanwhile, Emmaline and Landreaux are torn up by the loss of LaRose and the boy misses his family. Before long Peter Ravich- worried about what this is doing to LaRose - arranges for the youngster to be shared by both families. This arrangement is difficult and does little to heal the rift between the Iron and Ravich parents but it does bring the children of both households closer. Middle-schooler Maggie Ravich, whose disprespectful hijinks cause trouble both at school and at home, bonds with LaRose, who seems able to (somewhat) soothe Nola's anguish. And Josette and Snow Iron take their 'stepsister' Maggie under their wing, encourage her to play volleyball, and give her boyfriend advice when the time comes.

The devastating events of the story put pressure on both the Iron and Ravich marriages as an undercurrent of blame pervades both relationships. To deal with their anguish, the Irons rely on both their Indian heritage and their Catholic faith, guided by rugged ex-Marine priest, Father Travis. Nola, who's close to suicidal also consults the priest, who can do little to soothe her agony.

Interspersed with the story of the current LaRose are historical scenes depicting the life of the original LaRose - an Indian girl sold to an abusive merchant by an alcoholic mother. This first LaRose's story is harrowing but she perseveres (in part) by using her mystical abilities, which are passed on to her descendants. Scenes of a disembodied head following LaRose (and her companion) when she goes on the run are both humorous and disturbing.



The story also depicts Landreaux's childhood, during which he was forced to attend a white-run boarding school meant to erase his Indian culture. At school Landreaux met Romeo, who was intensely loyal until a rift formed between the boys. Romeo, who's partially crippled, grows up to be a drug-using ne'er do well who steals and scams for a living. For various reasons Romeo is jealous and resentful of Landreaux and tries to use 'the real facts' about Dusty's death to destroy him.

The novel has some comic relief when Indian elders living in a nursing home joke with each other (mostly about sex) and get revenge on Romeo for stealing their painkillers. The elders also tell engaging 'creation' tales from their Indian culture, which are fascinating and instructive to young LaRose.



This is an excellent story about grief, remorse, revenge and healing...as well as children's angst as they mature and find their place in the world. The loyalty and love among the Iron and Ravich siblings and step-siblings is very moving and the climax and denouement of the story are believable and satisfying. I would highly recommend this book to fans of literary fiction.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "This is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society" by Kathleen McAuliffe

Imagine a disease causing organism - like a parasite - that needs to pass from one host to another to survive and reproduce? How does it make sure it gets where it wants to go? Well one way is to manipulate the behavior of its host. Certain parasitic liver flukes (flatworms) for example - which reproduce in cows - must pass from cows, to snails, to ants, and back to cows to complete their entire complicated life cycle.



These clever flukes have found a way to induce infected ants to forego retiring to their comfy nests come evening and instead climb up stalks of grass - where they're easily eaten by grazing cows.



Then snails eat the cow poop, ants munch on the snail slime, and the cycle goes on.

Or what about the hairworm - which reproduces in fresh water - but has to pass from a mosquito (paratenic host) to a cricket and then back to water to make more of its kind. These cunning operators force infested land-dwelling crickets to (uncharacteristically) jump into a lake or pond.



The worms then escape, reproduce, latch onto mosquito larvae, and get back to land in airborne mosquito adults - which make a nice meal for hungry crickets...and so forth.


Hairworm escaping from cricket

In the early chapters of her book, Kathleen McAuliffe presents many examples of infectious organisms manipulating their hosts in this fashion - from impelling fish to wiggle their bellies to attract peckish birds;



To forcing spiders to spin 'nursery webs' for wasp larvae;



To making crabs sprout brood pouches for baby barnacles; and so on. The manipulator's methods may involve forming cysts in the brains/nervous systems of their victims, producing chemicals, activating/inactivating hormones, making proteins, altering DNA, etc. Whatever works for them.

You might think....well....those are 'lowly' invertebrates. Advanced animals, like mammals wouldn't succumb to this kind of tampering. But you'd be wrong. For instance, Toxoplasma gondii ('toxo') is a protozoan parasite that lives and reproduces in cats, forming cysts that are shed in cat feces. When a rat consumes the cat turds the parasite induces the rodent to engage in risky behavior - like purposely cavorting in the path of a hungry feline - so the toxo can get into another cat and continue to propagate its kind.



As it happens toxo can also infect humans, who contract them from litter boxes, unwashed produce, or contaminated water. The protozoans then make themselves at home in the victim's brain where (as in rats) they induce 'risky' behavior.

In people this might be dangerous driving, antagonizing enemies, reacting slowly to hazardous situations, perhaps even attempting suicide. Moreover, scientists have found that the parasites may hasten the development of schizophrenia in susceptible persons.

Parasites aren't the only organisms that alter human behavior. Pathogens (disease causing microbes) - which have probably been around since life evolved - also manipulate their hosts. Anecdotal reports, for example, suggest that terminal aids patients develop fierce cravings for sex - presumably to help the HIV virus find new hosts. And people recently infected with a flu virus may get the urge to go out and socialize - inevitably spreading germs - before aching muscles and a runny nose sends them to bed.



Even organisms that are essential parts of the human body, like gut microbes that help us digest food, can adversely influence our behavior. For instance, patients with gastrointestinal disorders - possibly caused by too many 'bad bacteria' - are more likely to suffer from bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression.



Researchers have shown that probiotic remedies (similar to the ingredients in some kinds of yogurt) can boost the gut's 'good bacteria' population and help alleviate these symptoms.

Of course host organisms aren't going to let parasites and pathogens have it all their own way. They're going to fight back! Thus, animals have evolved a variety of self-protective behaviors. For instance, many species - including primates - perform grooming behavior that removes parasites from the skin;



Herds isolate or shun sick individuals;



Animals eat or use medicinal plants;



Organisms avoid vomit and poop (don't shit where they eat);



And most creatures strive to find healthy partners for sex. This explains the appeal of attractive partners with an appealing aroma, who are less likely to have health issues that affect their appearance and smell.



With regard to human avoidance of parasites and pathogens, McAuliffe describes our "behavioral immune system." To put it simply, this is a repertoire of behaviors that helps us avoid 'disgusting' things that (we instinctively feel) may make us ill. This growing field of study is called disgustology and its proponents are dubbed disgustologists. (ha ha ha). Scientific studies (and everyday observations) demonstrate that people are often repulsed by:

Cockroaches;



Rats;



Spiders;



Worms;



People with bad hygiene;



Individuals with skin rashes;



Things that smell bad;



Revolting foods (which vary with culture);



And - oddly enough - clusters of little holes...which apparently remind us of insect eggs.



In fact people's avoidance of pathogens and parasites may have led to the development of culture, religion, racial prejudice, dislike of foreigners, liberal or conservative leanings, and so on. These latter speculations are interesting and provide a unique perspective on human history.

I enjoyed the book, which I found very enlightening. My major criticism would be that the topics range all over the place, with some explanations being better than others. Still, I'd highly recommend the book. If nothing else, it will give you a little insight into what people feel and do....and provide some excellent conversation starters for social gatherings.



Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Rating: 4 stars 

Review of "Sick Puppy: A Comic Novel" by Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen's books are always hilarious and this one is no exception.

*****

Despoilers of Florida's beauty better beware of Twilly Spree, a (slightly nuts) twenty-something, self-styled environmentalist.



Twilly has already blown up his uncle's bank for loaning money to an unethical rock-mining company so he's not beyond a little retribution when he sees someone throwing trash onto a Florida highway.



The 'someone' happens to be lobbyist Palmer Stoat, who - in addition to being a litterbug - 'hunts' exotic game in the local Wilderness Veldt Plantation that imports elderly animals for bigwigs to shoot.



To teach Palmer not to litter Twilly fills one of the Stoat cars with stinking rubbish, fills another with rustling dung beetles, and - when Palmer seems to be missing the message - removes the glass eyes from all the trophy heads in the Stoat mansion and fashions them into a pentagram.



When Palmer still doesn't get it Twilly kidnaps the lobbyist's labrador retriever Boodle. As it happens Palmer's beautiful wife Desie - who's getting tired of her slobby, cigar-smoking husband - adds herself to the dog snatching.



At this point Twilly learns that slovenly Palmer Stoat is happily facilitating a plan to turn Florida's offshore 'Toad Island' into an upscale golf resort called 'Shearwater Island.' The resort's developer is former drug dealer Robert Clapley who's greased politicians' palms to ease the way AND taken measures to wipe out the toads for which the island is named. In an attempt to stop the project Twilly threatens to harm lovable Boodle.....but can a dog's welfare stand up against fortunes to be made?



One funny (and ridiculous) predicament follows another as the story unfolds. A hitman who collects CD's of 911 calls is hired to dispatch opponents of the resort; developer Clapley indulges his Barbie-doll fetish with live hookers and rhino horn 'aphrodisiac'; Boodle gets to wear a blindfold; and (of course) Florida's former governor Clinton Tyree (Skink) - who lives rough, eats roadkill, decorates his beard with buzzard beaks, and dresses in a shower cap and kilt - gets in on the action.

The book rolls along to a memorable climax and appropriate finale. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to readers who like offbeat humorous stories...especially people who'd like to see some of our natural environment preserved.

Rating: 3.5 stars