The Martian

The Martian
by Andy Weir
read: 2016

The Martian has a terrific premise - an astronaut thought dead is abandoned on Mars, but he unexpectedly survives, finding himself alone and needing to survive for months if not years before rescue comes. He has limited food, no way to communicate with Earth, and no one is scheduled to return to the red planet for another four years. The gripping novel delivers on its promise, with Weir throwing different obstacles and challenges at Mark Watney in his quest to survive long enough to return home.

I don't think I've read anything that captures the process of problem solving as well. Watney often tries things that don't work, there are complications he can't foresee, and he often has to adjust on the fly. Some readers might consider those kind of minute descriptions of process mundane, but I thought it refreshingly realistic.

The Song of the Lark

The Song of the Lark
by Willa Cather
read: 2016

The Song of the Lark isn't a perfect book - Cather herself found flaws with it - but I think the story of Thea Kronberg will stick with me a while. In part, that's because I still have a lot of questions: why does Dr. Archie serve as a framing character, the lens through which we see Thea at the beginning of the story and in the final section? Does Thea ultimately choose to compromise her career (unlikely) to marry Fred Ottenberg, or does Fred compromise his desire to have a family (more probable)? Does Fred divorce his wife or does she die? What happens to Wunsch, and why don't we get an epilogue of his story as we do for the other father figures in Thea's life? Why bring Spanish Johnny back at the end, and what does Thea failing to notice him mean?

I've written about Cather's empathetic, all-seeing eye before, and that is present in this story. Thea's journey to becoming an accomplished artist leaves little room for the people around her. Her single-mindedness is both her best quality and her worst. This quality attracts others to her, but also forces her to keep them at arms' length. Her passion for her music cannot be contained; either she pursues it absolutely, or she cannot reach her aims. Cather does not praise this decision, or condemn it; she knows - and Thea knows, too - that there are benefits and drawbacks to whichever path the heroine pursues.