MYSTERY BOOK GROUP
MARCH 11, 2010
The final solution: a story of detection (2004) by Michael Chabon
Summary: An eighty-nine-year-old former detective in rural England becomes involved with a young refugee from Nazi Germany whose sole companion, an African grey parrot, spews out a series of numbers that could hold the key to a dangerous secret.
Chabon's period mystery novella employs as sleuth an 89-year-old, retired, pipe-smoking detective, who spends his time keeping bees. He is unnamed but unmistakably Sherlock Holmes. Here, "the old man" is asked to investigate circumstances surrounding a mute boy whose parrot mouths numbers in German. Chabon assembles a colorful cast of characters and presents an authentic recreation of wartime English country life.
Personal Information:
Surname is pronounced "shay-bahn"; born 1963, in Washington, DC; son of Robert (a physician, lawyer, and hospital manager) and Sharon (a lawyer) Chabon; married Lollie Groth (a poet; divorced, 1991); married Ayelet Waldman (a writer), 1993; children: (second marriage) Sophie, Ezekiel, Rosie. Education: University of Pittsburgh, B.A., 1984; University of California--Irvine, M.F.A. Addresses: Home: Berkeley, CA. Agent: Mary Evans, Inc., 242 E. 5th St., New York, NY 10003
Chabon published The Final Solution in 2004. The short novel is, as Books & Culture contributor John Utz noted, "a Sherlock Holmes story [that] becomes an opportunity for much deeper reflection." Set in 1943, the book features an elderly Holmes who is prodded away from beekeeping by a final mystery involving a murdered Jewish refugee and a missing parrot. Utz commented: "Chabon pays his dues to the mystery genre, but he is also concerned with mystery itself, and the meanings that we project against it." For Utz, The Final Solution was "a gem that satisfies on many levels." Weekly Standard reviewer Joseph Bottum had similar praise for the work, terming it "a tiny, perfectly constructed novel that explores what it would be like to be an old, old man--and a genius faced with one last puzzle." Less enthusiastic, however, was a Publishers Weekly reviewer who concluded: "Neither a proper mystery nor particularly fine literature, this haunting novella, for all its strengths, lies uneasily between the two and will fully please few fans of each." Similarly, People contributor Kyle Smith felt that "the mystery has only enough twists to sustain maybe 50 pages, not 131," and also remarked that "Chabon's portrait of [Holmes] is blurry." Patterson, again writing in Entertainment Weekly, criticized the book's "flimsy (re)solution" but allowed that "Chabon's fans ... will eagerly clue in on a fine new quality in his nimble voice." Andrew Taylor, writing in the Spectator, offered a similarly mixed assessment of The Final Solution, observing that the "book is too sketchy and skimpy to be entirely satisfactory" and that "there's a wonderful novel here, but it's still waiting to be finished."
In some ways The Final Solution was a warm-up for Chabon's 2007 novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, another effort by Chabon to provide quality literature in a genre format. Here he delves into detective fiction once more and also into alternate reality. The novel posits a Jewish homeland established in and around Sitka, Alask
AWARDS
National Jewish Book Award: Fiction
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MORE BY MICHAEL CHABON
The mysteries of Pittsburgh 1988
Summary: Just graduated from college, Art Bechstein sets out on a journey to adulthood as he comes to terms with his gangster father and encounters a variety of unusual people along the way.
A model world and other stories 1991
Summary: A collection of short stories includes "A Model World," "Millionaires," and a series of tales about a young boy experiencing the pain of his parents' imminent divorce.
Wonder boys 1995
Summary: In a story exploring the theme of the artist's isolation, Grady Tripp, an obese, aging writer who has lost his way, and debauched editor Terry Crabtree struggle to rekindle their friendship, a sense of adventure, and purpose in their lives.
Werewolves in their youth: stories 1999
Summary: A collection of short fiction includes the story of a boy's attempt to help a troubled classmate, a couple's bizarre visit to a real estate broker, and a young archaeologist's research in an American town.
The amazing adventures of Kavalier & Clay: a novel 2000
Summary: In 1939 New York City, Joe Kavalier, a refugee from Hitler's Prague, joins forces with his Brooklyn-born cousin, Sammy Clay, to create comic-book superheroes inspired by their own fantasies, fears, and dreams.
Summerland 2002 (Teens)
Summary: Ethan Feld, the worst baseball player in the history of the game, finds himself recruited by a 100-year-old scout to help a band of fairies triumph over an ancient enemy.
Michael Chabon presents: the amazing adventures of the Escapist, vol. 1 2004 (Teens)
Series: Amazing adventures of the Escapist, 1
Summary: Presents the adventures of the Escapist, who operates from a secret headquarters under the boards of the Empire Theater, as he travels the globe helping those who suffer from oppression.
Michael Chabon presents: the amazing adventures of the Escapist, volume 2 2004 (Teens)
Series: Amazing adventures of the Escapist, 2
Michael Chabon presents: the amazing adventures of the Escapist, vol. 3 2006 (Teens)
Series: Amazing adventures of the Escapist, 3
Gentlemen of the road: a tale of adventure 2007
Summary: In the Kingdom of Aran, in the Caucasus Mountains in 950 A.D., two adventurers wander the region, plying their trade as swords for hire, until they become involved in a bloody coup in the medieval Jewish empire of the Khazars as bodyguards for a fugitive prince.
The Yiddish Policemen's Union 2007
Summary: In a world in which Alaska, rather than Israel, has become the homeland for the Jews following World War II, Detective Meyer Landsman and his half-Tlingit partner Berko investigate the death of a heroin-addicted chess prodigy.
Read-alikes:
Readers who enjoy the verbal playfulness and witty dialog of Chabon's books should enjoy Neil Gaiman's work. Like Chabon, Gaiman writes in a variety of styles. Gaiman may be best known for his Sandman series, a compelling set of stories in graphic format. There is a dark current in much of Gaiman's work, but like Chabon, he leavens his stories with humor. A good entrée into Gaiman's work would be Anansi Boys. Here, Gaiman tells a complex tale of two brothers, unknown to each other, whose father happens to be Anansi, the trickster god. Snappy dialog and some outrageously funny set pieces will appeal to Chabon fans, as will the thoughtful story of two men coming to a better understanding of who they are.
Even though Chabon is an optimist at the core, he does not shy away from examining difficult issues, both individual and societal. Readers who enjoyed the darker tone of Chabon's Mysteries of Pittsburgh or the noir feel of The Yiddish Policemen’s Union may be drawn to much of the fine Scandinavian fiction appearing in translation over the past decade and a half. A strong sense of Nordic melancholy pervades much of the work of Danish novelist Peter Hoeg. Like Chabon, Hoeg moves fluidly between Literary fiction, Fantasy, and Crime fiction. Hoeg is a master stylist in whatever genre he is writing, and his powers of description are the equal of Chabon's. A good starting point is Hoeg's breakthrough novel Smilla’s Sense of Snow, where an expert in the study of crystallization of ice delves into the death of a neighbor child. Hoeg, like Chabon, writes pensive, interior-focused books that blend descriptive writing with fascinating characters and challenging stories.
Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series offers swashbuckling adventure that mixes lots of sword play, two fascinating characters, and clever repartee with an undercurrent of introspection and character development here that Chabon fans should enjoy. The series begins with Ill Met in Lankhmar, where Leiber introduces his pair of protagonists, a powerful barbarian and a skilled swordsman who first encounter each other while trying to steal a collection of gems from the thieves who stole them from the original owners. The pair decides to join forces, and they find themselves facing down evil sorcerers, the guild of thieves, and seeking revenge, riches, and fame. Like Chabon's adventure-focused tales, Leiber's stories are not simply action-packed thrillers: both Fafhrd and Grey Mouser are thoughtful, if impulsive characters.
For readers who enjoy Chabon's exploration of the human condition, and who look for stories with a broad cast of appealing characters, Richard Russo's fiction should be of interest. Like Chabon, Russo is a master of character development. His complex stories explore the lives of ordinary people and their often difficult interactions with each other. Generally set in the dying mill towns of the Northeast, Russo's novels and stories blend adversity and humor with strong plot lines. Readers who like Chabon's twisty academic tale Wonder Boys or the intricate relationships described in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay should try Russo's Straight Man, a sympathetic portrait of the head of a university English department who must deal with an aging father, academic pretentiousness, and his own shortcomings as a writer and husband.
To finish, Nick Hornby is another writer who blends humor, story, and language in a way that should appeal to Chabon readers. Although he brings an English frame to his stories, Hornby shares with Chabon a command of plot and a mastery of dialog. Hornby also has an ear for language, and like Chabon he can captures the linguistic quirks of all social classes. Both writers share a fondness for humor that runs from sardonic to gentle, and a sense of optimism pervades Hornby's stories as it does Chabon's. Hornby's first novel, High Fidelity, is a good starter. Here, he tells the story of a thirty five year old record shop owner whose life is turned upside down when his girlfriend leaves him. Strong secondary characters and a penchant for list-making add to the appeal of the story.
Barry Trott is Adult Services Director at the Williamsburg Regional Library, a member of the RUSA CODES Readers' Advisory Committee, and an active participant in the Fiction-L listserv.
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