For those who are sticklers for detail, yes, I know we’re not literally up at dawn watching Wimbledon, but the pun was too good to lay away, so thanks for giving me some slack! And if like me, you were one of the ones glued to the television screen from 8 p.m. till about 3 a.m., following the hallowed two weeks of tennis, grass, strawberries and champagne, then you’ll understand where I’m coming from in decrying the more than tragic absence of Rafael Nadal. Even if you’re a fan of the crying Swiss automatron (Yes, Roger Federer, that is you), you have to admit that after the more than glorious Men’s Finals of last year that ended in an almost-mythical London dusk, the ace-laden final between Federer and Andy Roddick does make for history via the 15th Slam title for Federer but lacked punch in terms of mind-boggling rallies.
My number one Yawn Award would have to go to the dreary second Tuesday All Women’s Quarterfinals. By tradition, after the Round of !6 of both the Men’s and Women’s draw are played out on the second Monday, the genders go alternate days, and that meant that last Tuesday could as well be subtitled the ho-hum Williams’ Sisters No Mercy Day. The only laughable lowlight of the day would have to be Dinara Safina’s sorry double-faulting excuse of a trip to the Semi’s. Serving at 40-love and allowing Sabine Lisicki to reach Deuce thanks to three consecutive double-faults had me reaching for the remote, and wishing the days of Bobby Riggs challenging Billie Jean King would resurrect its comic-tragic head. I loved Boris Becker’s answer to why he thought she was choking on her service, as he tersely said perhaps her shirt was too tight! The only reason I couldn’t fall fast asleep that night would be the excessive grunting that now punctuate several of the Women’s matches.
Since Wimbledon finally broke with tradition and had a retractable roof installed in its new Center Court, perhaps it is time to give these exclusive by gender alternate days of the second week a rethink. Otherwise, world-weary and to be pitied is the overseas visitor who comes to London in the hopes of imbibing some of that Wimbledon magic, and ending up with a Tuesday ticket — the visitor may as well use the time at Wimbledon to get over his or her jet lag. At least the Men’s Quarters had a genuine dogfight between Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt, and ditto for the Roddick/ Andy Murray Semi’s. Dementieva’s Semi with Serena saved the Women’s draw from being a complete snooze-fest, as even the Final was anticlimactic.
Throughout my years of being fascinated by Wimbledon tennis, I’ve had the pleasure of watching Borg/McEnroe. Becker/Edberg, the Sampras reign, and the enjoyable blips of Pat Cash and Goran; so I’m just hoping Rafa’s tendonitis will disappear, thus rekindling the competitive intensity, rally-laden exchanges, and unbelievable angled returns I really enjoy.
Warm love, warm world
The warmth of Love, and the warmth of this world, can come in many guises. In Paul Torday’s new novel, it’s the rekindling of a strange, disturbing kind of Love that drives our plot, while Family takes centerstage in the debut novel of Pakistani Ali Sethi. Matthew Glass takes on the issues of global warming and its political implication in his futuristic geo-political thriller.
The Girl on the Landing by Paul Torday (available at National Bookstore): What initially reads like a light novel about domestic disharmony, slowly turns into a disturbing and gripping ghost story touching on themes of identity and schizophrenia. Welcome to the world of Paul Torday’s latest novel, The Girl on the Landing. After the success of the comic political novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, and his heady introduction to the wine country in The Irresistible Inheritance of Wilberforce, Torday comes up with a story that manages to pull the rug from under our feet. Michael and his wife Elizabeth are at a country home of a friend when he sees a girl in a painting on the landing and something inexplicable is triggered in his mind. What was a seemingly lifeless marriage of convenience suddenly shifts into something more sensuous, but with sinister repercussions. Think Ishiguro, but with more tension and malevolence.
The Wish Maker by Ali Sethi (available at National Bookstore): A story about modern-day Pakistan, this debut novel of Ali Sethi is both sad and funny. Our protagonist, Zaki, is a fatherless boy growing up in a household of outspoken women — his journalist mother who starts a women’s issues magazine, his grandmother who rules the matriarchal domestic set-up (in a feudal and male-centric society), and his cousin Samar, who’s fascinated by Bollywood and fights against arranged marriages. This is a coming-of-age novel that dispels cliches about Islam and Pakistan. It’s reminiscent of the early novels of Isabel Allende, but in a Lahore setting. As a journalist/activist supporting Benazir Bhutto, Zaki’s mother brings him with her when she attends street protests and affirmative action events. The only negative comment I would make, is that there is a rather abrupt ending; but the getting there is worth the “journey.”
Ultimatum by Matthew Glass (available at National Bookstore): If you want a futuristic thriller that’s centered on an imagined geo-political confrontation between the United States and China, with great insider passages that dwell on diplomacy and brinkmanship, Matthew Glass’ Ultimatum is the book for you. It’s 2032, Texas, California and Florida are underwater thanks to global warming, and the situation is getting worse on account of global polluting emission problems. Into this scenario is thrust Joe Benton, the new US President; and we’re taken behind the closed doors of his transition team as they’re made aware of just how dire the situation is. It is funny to read of Obama referred to as a past President, and it’s the passages that describe the secret negotiations between the two aforementioned powers that make this novel so fascinating, scary, and realistic. Glass may say it’s 2032, but it could just as easily be today.