D.C. Reads

I recently returned from my internship in D.C. I had time, while traveling, to read a few books. I'll review each of them briefly....

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult - Usually I really like her writing, but Picoult certainly won't go down in history as having written a great American novel. Nineteen Minutes was the least-impressive of her books that I've read. Basically, a kid comes into a school and starts shooting everyone. Then during the trials, it is discovered that the main character actually took the kid's gun and shot her boyfriend with it. Lame. It was a great way to pass time on planes and layovers, but I wouldn't recommend it.

A Light in August by William Faulkner - Now this IS a great American novel. It's a (somewhat confusing) story of racial identity. Wilde tells the three different stories, the main of which is a man who is part black, but looks white, so is accepted into white society. The man discovers his black roots and goes through some intense soul-searching and kills several people, then gets executed. Very good.

A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - Another great book, one I've been meaning to read for years. Like many, I knew the general plot before reading it, but very much enjoyed the details. Dorian Gray is a beautiful young man of aristocratic society. His portrait is painted by his artist friend, and Gray is remorseful that the painting will remain forever young while he himself ages. He wishes the roles could be reversed, and indeed, he is shocked (and thrilled) when his portrait begins to age. Gray begins leading a horrible life, one of murder, lies, crime and deceit. His portrait reflects these imperfections of character, while the human remains as beautiful and as young as the day the painting was completed. Gray finally has a change of heart and decides to destroy the painting. He plunges a knife into the canvas, then suddenly dies; as the old, affected man in the painting becomes the real man, and the painting is transformed to the original portrait of the young Dorian Gray.

I think it was important to read this book, as references to Dorian Gray are often made still today.