I find listening to a book and reading a book very different exercises. I am a visual person so my preferred method of "reading" a book is to hold it in front of me and use my eyes to enjoy the story. When I listen to an audio book, I really don’t feel that I have actually "read" it. Weird, huh? However, since I should not be holding a book in front of my nose while driving, I am a fan of audio books. If asked whether I have read a certain book like "Body Surfing" by Anita Shreve, I answer no, but I listened to it. Anyway, today’s book is "Body Surfing", and I did listen to it. I am just a stickler for accuracy in reporting.

Now, as to the reason for my discussion of the comparative differences of listening vs. reading a book, I downloaded both "Body Surfing" and Tess Gerritsen’s "Body Double" at the same time. I listened to Gerritsen’s book first. (More about that next week)

Needless to say Shreve’s and Gerritsen’s writing styles are quite different. Gerritsen writes suspense novels, which leave readers sitting on the edge of their seats. They are heavy on dialogue. Anita Shreve’s style tends to be languid. The difference in style really gave me a start as a listened. I felt I had entered a different universe. Shreve uses dialogue sparingly. As I listened to the book, I entered the narrator’s mind, seeing and feeling everything as she experienced it. It was a little disconcerting after the suspenseful writing of Gerritsen.

Anita Shreve is a fine writer. Two of her other books are "The Pilot’s Wife", an Oprah Book, and "The Weight of Water", another award winner. Shreve centers "Body Surfing" in and around a cottage on the New Hampshire coast that she used in several other books. The idea, of using the long history of a house as the focal point for several novels, appeals to me. On her website Shreve says that the home becomes a reflection of the families who live in it.

Shreve emphasizes character and specific themes in her books. In "Body Surfing" Shreve explores themes of home and family, water, and loss and grief. A young widow Sydney Sklar is hired to tutor the 18 year-old daughter of Mark and Anna Edwards, who own the house. Julie is "slow", but Mrs. Edwards hopes she can be tutored to pass the SAT. Her expectations for her daughter are unrealistic. Sydney is still recovering from the death of her second husband and is trying to get her life back in order. Mr. Edwards treats her like one of the family. Mrs. Edwards, on the other hand, treats her like a servant. Sydney is half-Jewish, and Mrs. Edwards is anti-Semitic. They share a mutual dislike. When Julie’s two older brothers arrive for a visit, a sexual tension develops between Sydney and the two brothers. The triangulation between Sydney, Jeff and Ben reverberates through the Edwards’ family dynamics.

I enjoyed "Body Surfing" and want to read the other Shreve books set in this New Hampshire cottage. Readers who enjoy novels that delve deeply into relationships and character will enjoy "Body Surfing" by Anita Shreve.

:: Go to Library Home ::

Scottsbluff Public Library :: 1809 Third Avenue :: Scottsbluff, NE 69361 :: 308-630-6250