In the twin interests of laziness and trying to get caught up, we have pretty much abandoned all manner of formalism over here at Ides HQ. The systematized review process has gone to hell. And our mascot search, in which we had hoped to find an endearing yet somewhat overweight standard poodle with perhaps a spot of bad breath and an ornery disposition, flamed out altogether we we ended up spending an evening with the Chicago Manual of Style trying to figure out whether to capitalize standard poodle or not.
The following day, an anecdotal recounting of our re-established love of the CMS and the circumstances leading up to our rekindled crush caused more than one learned soul to question whether or not any of us had any business trying to manage a charity book-reading tournament in the first place. Which was a very astute question but ignorant of one important fact: as part of the grand prize, we are giving away a trombone.
So, having dispatched with the naysayers, we present now and in our fresh, new, casual manner, the semifinal winners in this year's match.
In match one, Kushner's Telex from Cuba vs O'Neill's Netherland makes for a peculiar competition. While both novels peel back cultural layers, Kushner's writing on the impact of foreign perspectives trumps O'Neill's. Moreover, Julie O'Malley, a judge from last year's effort pulled back into the fray to deliver another oddball match decision, kept it plain.
"Finding both Telex and Netherland oddly inspiring and cleverly poised, I am left to ask myself, 'Which novel would make the better traveling companion?' In the answer, I offer the winner. You owe my a bottle of wine."
WINNER: Telex from Cuba
So that's one perhaps unexpected result. Then came the bombshell. Early indicators were that this year's effort would wind up being the Toni Morrison celebration. A Mercy is nothing less than stunning work from a celebrated American writer clearly at the top of her game and with full mastery over her craft. So forgive us, dear Toni Morrison fans, as well as our own beloved reading judge for this match, Meg Tines, for delivering the upset of the tournament and choosing a tightly crafted Scandinavian tale of mystery. What can we say? Even a cursory look at the Ides judging criteria would indicate the possibility of scandal.
From Ms. Tines:
"Toni Morrison is, well, Toni Morrison, and Beloved has a special place on my book shelf at home. I only opened The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo out of a sense of obligation (why did I accede?). Maybe my surprise at being sucked into this delicious and deliberate tale of the fall of a vainglorious Swedish dynasty and the deft reveal of the characters enfolded in the mystery caused a momentary lapse in judgment. Whatever, all I can say is that I am "Harry Potter" rabid for Larsson's next, posthumous entry in this trilogy, due later this summer."
WINNER: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
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