Desert Island Top 5 - Books

Again, you know the rules.  You're stranded on a desert island for an indefinite length of time.  You can only bring five books with you to help pass the time until you're rescued...or die.  Be sure to leave your own list in the comments section below.

1. American Psycho.  Patrick Bateman is wealthy, well-to-do and handsome.  He is also, in his own words, "utterly insane".  Bret Easton Ellis's ultra-controversial novel chronicles in excruciating detail the minutia that dominates Patrick Bateman's existence.  Whether it be the style of suit he wears, the elegance of his business card or the shocking methods in which he tortures and murders prostitutes.  The novel (and film on which it was based) has been called a scathing satire on the shallow decadence of the 1980's.  Bateman's own sad existence is such a hollow void that he turns inward, discovering that the only joy he receives is from the pain he inflicts on others.  Or was it all just in his head?  By the end of the novel, the reader, much like Bateman himself, is left to wonder.

2. Lord of the Flies. William Golding's classic novel is the story of a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a desert island and must fend for themselves until rescue arrives.  At first they work together, gathering food, building signal fires, etc.  Soon, however, as the hope of rescue dwindles, so does their sanity.  Hunters become the hunted, the innocence of youth is squandered and children must quickly begin making adult decisions in order to survive.  Few books pack the emotional and philosophical depths as Lords of the Flies.  The novel is haunting and unforgettable in its unflinching depictions of young men faced with death and the realization that their childhood is over.  I quote a moment from the novel in which Simon, clearly a Christ-like figure, is staring down a severed pig's head that's been impaled on a stick and is being swarmed by flies: "The [pig's] half-shut eyes were dim with the infinite cynicism of adult life."  Deep!

3. The Stranger.  Author Albert Camus' disarming and haunting tale of a disaffected man who finds himself on trial for murder.  The novel, like the central character and narrator, is minimalist and emotionally detached. The first half of the book finds the character being informed of his mother's death, a fling with a female co-worker and the drama he finds himself inexplicably embroiled in involving a pimp and a Arab that lands him in prison for murder. He is just as much on trial for his deficient character in the second part of the novel as he is for murder.  The plot is simple, but the novel's themes are anything but and are just as resounding now as they were when the book was first published in 1946.

4. White Noise. Following "an airborne toxic event" caused by a chemical spill resulting in the evacuation of their small town, a mild-mannered, if not somewhat detached, college professor and his family must come to terms with their own mortality in Don Delillo's White Noise.  The novel explores our culture's fascination with death, our reliance on technology and the brainwashing effects of mass media. Delillo's masterful prose and demand on the English language adds indescribable character and depth to the novel.  It's elegant, bleak, ironic and, ultimately, unforgettably.

5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.  Christopher Boone is a fifteen year old with Autism. He spends his time solving complex mathematical problems in his head.  He hates to be touched.  He relates more to animals than people.  He strives on routine and order.  But after finding his neighbor's dog impaled on a garden fork, his world is upturned.  Christopher sets out to track down the dog's killer, but to do so he must venture out into a world he doesn't fully comprehend.  Encouraged by his social worker, Christopher decides to write a book chronicling his investigation, and the result is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.  The novel is a murder mystery of sorts, but more a character study of Christopher and the world as he sees it.  Christopher encounters deeply emotional situations throughout the novel, yet has no connection to his own emotions, making his reaction to any given scenario deeply moving, poignant and utterly fascinating.