Book Review:Draft #4 On the Writing Process by John McPhee

John McPhee is a master at his craft, which is what people call creative non-fiction. McPhee was creative about his non-fiction writing much before the phrase came into vogue.

McPhee’s body of work is respected as well as enjoyed, a pretty rare feat for non-fiction writers, as the nature of non-fiction is imbued with the ethos of “Just the facts”. What makes McPhee stand out is the depth of his exploration as well as the breadth of his curiosity on his topic at hand.

This book is a compendium of eight essays that he had written for The New Yorker magazine. They are all essays on writing, along with a good bit of storytelling, McPhee storytelling. They can be read as standalone essays or they can be read sequentially. I read it sequentially.

The structure of each essay is peculiarly McPhees, and as he explains how he comes to his structures I was suitably blown away by the amount of planning and the depth of preparation he does with his writing. It is akin to the plotting of a complex novel, each move is plotted and planned to give maximum effect to the reader. Of course, as he is describing the pains that he resorts to in order to create this structure and order, he gives us a glimpse into the his mind and how it is capable of such excellence.

This is not to say that this book is devoid of humor and fascination. McPhee has been at this for a long time and he tells his New Yorker stories with great relish. He talks about his interactions with gigantic New Yorker characters, like William Shawn, Robert Bingham, and Robert Gottlieb. He speaks of people he’d interviewed: Richard Burton, Elizabeth taylor, Jackie Gleason, and others. But those stories, while exciting and beguiling since they were about people we had known about, pales in comparison with his stories about McPhee’s people, geologists, ichthyologists, naturalists, people who are quietly good at what they do and they do so with a strong sense of purpose, people who are not ostentatious but are exceptional in their execution. The fact that he uses them as examples of how he writes speaks volumes about the people and subjects that are the most interesting to him, and in turn to us.

This is by no means a how to book for writing acolytes. This is a memoir of sorts, of a great writer as he speaks of his craft, and of his passion. He does lay out some well-worn paths that he had taken towards building his work habits but it is so uniquely his that it just serves as a point of discussion and inspiration for the rest of us. The most salient part is that he does so in his own inimitable style.

The bonus that came with this reading experience is the discovery of the meaning of the word sprezzatura. In many ways, McPhee showed thrown the book that even though it may seem like he undertakes his life’s work with great sprezzatura, the actual work is never done that way.

Book Review-Sleeping In The Ground-Inspector Banks

As a longtime fan of Peter Robinson’s Inspector Bank’s series, I must say that I have been slightly unenthusiastic about the series. There was a certain restlessness about the story line as it progressed through the last few books. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the story or the intricate plotting that Mr. Robinson is so famous for; his delicate and intricate descriptions of the Yorkshire country side are always evocative and imaginative; his choices of music are always educational and have caused me to spend more money than I care to remember on musical CDs inspired by his musical choices. Yet, the stories felt like the characters have stagnated slightly even though both Banks and Annie have not stayed static over the sequence of books, it just seemed like they aren’t going anywhere.

The prior installment of the Inspector Banks series, When the Music Is Over, gave us a wee dram of tastiness of what is to come however. Banks had been promoted to Detective Superintendent and he has finally found a boss that he felt comfortable with, and his orneriness and rebelliousness seems to have been tempered by old age. The lone term storyline with the characters was evolving, accounting for both Bank’s and Annie becoming older. The other characters are also beginning to blossom into their own skin; Winsome Jackson’s character was becoming a welcome addition, and Gerry Masterson started to stand out. Indeed the introduction of Linda Palmer the poet introduces the element of poetry to the narrative, a most welcomed respite from the reality that Mr. Robinson is so adept at describing. So I see that installment as the foreshadowing of this installment.

This book is a full blown coming out party in many ways. Even though Mr. Robinson kept his dual story plotline, he executed it in a different way, expertly giving us all a nice head fake while doing so. He has reintroduced the character of psychologist Jenny Fuller, teasing us as to her potential to be Bank’s latest love interest. Most importantly, he has also shown Banks growing into his role as the Detective Superintendent, gaining gravitas and acting as the mentor. This is a most welcome development, as we watch Banks mature, much as we watch a good and trusty friend mature along with us. It is a comfortable and emotional evolution for me as I become more identified with Bank’s thoughts and emotions.

All the while, in a reversal of roles, it is now Annie who is the rebel of sorts, and the designated ornery character, although Banks has not completely mellowed out by any stretch of the imagination. Gerry Masterson is the ingénue and the story actually moves along in a smooth new way.

In yet another new twist, Mr. Robinson has also introduced an element of nostalgia and regret in describing the death of Bank’s first love, his childhood sweetheart Emily. It is a bittersweet interlude which helps us delve further into Bank’s psyche and his most primal feelings. This storyline does not seem intrusive, even though in the wrong hands, it could have. It fits nicely into the narrative naturally.

In my personal history with this series, I would put this book up there with In A Dry Season, the first book in the series that I’d read and the one book that exemplifies much of what I love about the series and the reason why I loyally and unquestioningly follow Banks. In some ways this story is better because it is much more emotional and personally meaningful to me.