best book introduction ever

My sister loaned me Ape House by Sara Gruen to read, all I had to get to was the introduction page to know I'd like it.

Sara Gruen wrote Water for Elephants which I had read earlier in the year at my sisters suggestion.  I had mixed feelings about it so I wasn't sure what to expect from Ape House, but so far I like it a lot.

My problem with Water for Elephants was that I felt she needed to choose a style and go with it.  Gruen is obviously a talented writer, and I think she wanted to show that.  With Water for Elephants it seemed like she had been researching early 20th century circus' and got enamored with the story she felt needed to be told.  As she poured over her notes she began developing characters to bridge the gaps and fill the holes, which goes against everything I was taught about writing fiction/character development.  The wondrous thing about making shit up is that you can write whatever you want, so the more you try to force characters to do plot driven things the more obvious it will seem.

With Water for Elephants I always felt like I could tell when a chapter was about to end or when some dramatic turning point was going to happen.  I knew the difference between the scenes that were based on historic events and which ones were the product of her imagination, which always kept me outside of the narrative and unable to really get in to the book.

With Ape House however it seems more like genuine characterization.  It seems like Gruen did the same amount of research before she began writing, but somehow it didn't affect her as much.  She allowed the research to influence the characters but not drive the plot, which is much nicer for me.  I am only a few chapters in but I already feel more invested in this book than I did in Water for Elephants.

And here's hoping that it won't get turned in to a movie featuring WILDLY inappropriate actors playing the main love interests.  Talk about ruining the visual I had in my mindseye.