Vernon God Little

This is the first book written by DBC Pierre (pix) (the initials stand for Dirty But Clean) and it's a huge success. It has won him the Man Booker Prize in 2003.
"Vernon God Little (pix)" centers on the life of a fifteen-year-old high-school boy (Vernon Gregory Little) who was on the run since the day of the massacre that took place in school. His friend, Jesus Navarro shot down all 16 of his classmates before turning the gun onto himself. Vernon was said to be one of the two persons who were present at the crime scene. The other witness was Marion Knuckles, a physic teacher who was having a lesson with them at that time. But Mr. Knuckles suffered a great shock after the tragedy and was thus pronounced mentally unfit for interview by the police and trial in court.
Half way through the interview by Vaine Gurie (the officer in charge), Vernon ran away from the sheriff's office with the help of Pam, a friend of his mother. Vernon and his mother lived together since the disappearance of his father. So, when Vernon was out, his mother would spend time hanging out with her lady friends, gossiping about everything in Martirio. Suddenly, out of nowhere, came this guy named Eulalio Ledesma who claimed himself a reporter and journalist for CNN. It was only after a while that Vernon found out that he was an impostor and he was none other than the 'President & Service Technician-In-Chief, Care Media Nacogdoches'. Thanks to him, Vernon was sent back to the police station for custody.
Vernon was then allowed to be released on bail, and on an account that he would go to see Dr. Goosen everyday for mental therapy. His first meeting with the doctor left him an impression that the doctor was a child molester, a person who had an unusual liking for boys. He skipped their meeting then onwards. Meanwhile, Vernon's mother kept talking him into looking for a job so that he could earn some money to support the family. And according to his mother, many boys of his age had already had their job. An opportunity came when Pastor Gibbons offered Vernon to work at a charity stall, where he had to wear a choir gown. At the same time, the police was said to have a lead to the whereabouts of the second rifle. This sent Vernon into a panic stricken state. He deserted the stall and head for the Keeter's to recover the rifle but to no avail.
Vernon wanted nothing except an opportunity to flee for Mexico. He remembered his old Nana's lawn mowing fund but when he checked it out in the bank, there was not much money left. At the moment, he was in dire need of money 1) for his mother after she lost all her savings in an investment company sounded like 'Rechtum, Gollblatter, Pubiss & Crotsch', 2) for his trip to Mexico. He even considered selling his kidney which would earn him big money. At last, an idea came to him. There was this girl (Ella Bouchard) who yearned for boys' attentions so much that she would do anything to attract the opposite sex. They labeled her the girl who had not had her 'equipment arrived' as yet. By talking her into seducing an old man whom they thought would most definitely fall into their trap, Vernon got the amount of money he needed, with half of it sent back to his mother.
At last, Vernon found himself in Mexico hitch-hiking a truck driven by Pelayo, a new acquaintance he made using a fake name (Daniel Naylor). Vernon had long been in love with a girl (Taylor Figueroa) whom he did not have the opportunity to have much conversation with at high-school. He called her up, trying to persuade her to come over to Mexico and live in a house at the beach. He was also short of money at that moment and asked her for a loan. She did show up but he found himself betrayed and was again sent back to jail.
Vernon was found guilty for the massacre of his 16 classmates and was sent into the Death Row. He was sentenced by court to death by lethal injection. There was one camera set up in each cell. These cameras enabled people all around America to vote which prisoner should be sent to the gallows first. The people voted according to how well they behave in jail. Finally, it was Vernon's turn to be executed. There were brochures from which he could choose the song he wanted to be played at the death chamber. One of them offered a few guidelines for his last statement. The story ends with Vernon being acquitted.
This is really an enjoyable book to read, though I must admit it's quite difficult for me to adapt to the author's way of writing at the beginning. But as I keep reading, it becomes more and more absorbing. You'll find the jokes extremely entertaining and will end up finding yourself laughing out loud while reading it. Throughout the story, there are many names for Vernon Gregory Little. They include Vernon Gucci Little, Vernon Gridlock Little, Vernon Gray-Matter Little, Vernon Gone-to-hell Little, Vernon Godzilla Little and Vernon Gonzalez Little. My favourite character in the book is most certainly Lasalle, who is also a fellow inmate in the Death Row. The author makes it as if he's a preacher or pastor who curses anything you can imagine.
"Vernon God Little" is recommended to those who love reading books that are added with all kinds of spices - curses. Overall, it is a good book and will keep you glued to it till the very end.

Soul Mountain

One of my tuition teachers emphasizes very much on our general knowledge. With tons of this knowledge, we'll be able to compose excellent factual essays with up-to-date information. So, one day during the lesson, he asks around in the class whether we know there's this Chinese writer who wins the Nobel Prize recently. After a brief tour around the class, he still hasn't obtained any answer from us. Most of the time, he picks the Chinese students since the author of the book is a Chinese. However, none of us know. He asks us to be ashamed of ourselves.
He writes the title 'Soul Mountain (pix)' and the author's name 'Gao Xingjian (pix)' on the blackboard after getting no response from us. It's only after three years later that I chance upon the book in MPH bookstore. And coincidentally MPH is celebrating its 100-year-old Birthday Bash and it's offering a 30% discount for 100 Must-Read titles. "Soul Mountain" is one of them. Unhesitant, I buy it along with four other books.
The first thing you do before starting on a book is to read the synopsis and praises written on the back. However, it offers no synopsis at all as there isn't any plot in this novel. The captions at the back note that it's a strange novel containing quite a number of philosophical thoughts, Chinese cultures and history.
Soul Mountain is the place the author is in search of from the beginning. It's said that the place will provide him with a sense of tranquility, which is absent from the hustle and bustle of the cities' life. The author notes down every interesting occurrence or thing he sees and observes on his journey. They include the advertisement at the bus-stop, words written on the pavilion, the panda they meet in the jungle and the people he comes across. Some of these people serve as his guides to his destination while some of them provide him with shelter and food. His journey is not always as smooth. For example, a lazy and irresponsible bus driver causes him not to be able to reach the place he's heading towards in time. Then, there's this lady who tries to seduce him into having sex with her so that she could tie him down and not able to continue on his journey.
The characters used in this novel are mainly 'I', 'You', 'He', and 'She'. These four characters are the author himself with 'You' the image of 'I' and 'He' the back of 'You'. 'She' is a character created by 'You' to overcome the loneliness in life. There are many dialogues between 'You' and 'She' during the journey. 'You' is said to have cheated her into following him to the Soul Mountain while 'You' reminds 'She' that it's her who's willing to come along. This no doubt pictures the crisis undergone by the author in his decision. 'I', meanwhile, is the solid self, the one who turns the discussions between 'I', 'You', 'He' and 'She' into actions.
The style of writing of this book is very unique and fresh. It's full of descriptions as well as dialogues. However, this style of writing portrays the writer as an extremely frustrated person. He's one who loathes the daily routine and craves for something new, something out of the box. With this thought in mind, he decides to travel and wander aimlessly, doing things that very few people would do. And he makes it a point to record things he observes (but few people would care for) in words. In short, the novel is compiled by a combination of many daily journals.
This novel is suitable for people who have a plenty of time to kill and also those who are quite familiar with Chinese culture. You'll not be able to come across the phrase 'seven times seven equal to forty nine days' relating to every day's life in any other culture. And you'll find people cursing 'Someone's mother's cunt' in dialogues instead of 'Fuck you'. This book is also highly recommended to those who enjoy descriptive piece of writing. Overall, this is a book that doesn't make literature a monotonous field.