The Cardturner

I just recently finished reading James Thurber's The 13 Clocks.  I greatly enjoyed this book, but as it is such a classic, I didn't feel like it was my place to review it. Suffice it to say that it was a very quick and enjoyable read that is highly recommended to anyone unfamiliar with the story.

Anyway, I also finished reading Louis Sachar's The Cardturner while I was up in DC visiting some friends with the husband. (Sometimes being an early riser pays off when I'm always looking for reading time).  I haven't read anything by Sachar in a very long time, and I think I always associate him with Wayside School and its various stories, even though he has written several other, better stories.  I ordered The Cardturner on a whim because it looked interesting and (I can't believe I'm admitting this) I'm a bridge nerd.  Now, I haven't played bridge since I was 8, so it's been awhile, but reading this novel brought back a lot of memories of learning the game from my grandparents while my sister and I were in Florida every winter.

The Cardturner is about a young man named Alton Richards.  He's a typical 17 year old growing up, somewhere in the US.  His mom has convinced him since he was young that her favorite uncle was also to be his favorite (great-) uncle, mostly because said uncle was very wealthy, and she was hoping for a large inheritance from him.  So for Alton, his uncle Lester Trapp is just some old relative that he loves and favors out of duty to his family, not because he actually knows anything about Lester or who he is as a person. That all changes when Trapp (Lester) goes blind, and his previous cardturner angers him, causing him to be volunteered by his mom to fill in. Alton grudgingly agrees to go, but he discovers after a while that he actually enjoys spending time with Trapp and getting to know more about him, as well as about the game of bridge.

It is through the context of bridge that the reader learns more about who Alton is outside of who his mother makes him out to be.  The reader discovers bits and pieces of Alton's history, especially between his friend Cliff and his ex-girlfriend Katie, as well as watches the development of his friendship with Toni Castaneda, his uncle's protégée.

It was easy to become invested in the story and the lives of the characters, as Sachar makes them realistic and believable. Also, even if you're not familiar with bridge, Sachar explains the parts of the game essential to understanding throughout the novel, and he goes into more detail in the appendix at the end.  He also doesn't assume lack of knowledge, and he makes it clear when he's going to explain another rule of bridge so that readers more familiar with the game can skip ahead.  While this may annoy some people, I found it a helpful tool to understanding bridge a little better; it was also a way to identify a little more with Alton as I was forced to learn the game with him.

Overall, I thought the novel was well-written and easy to read, and though it ended predictably, this did not detract from the story at all.  I would definitely recommend The Cardturner to anyone looking for a fun, quick read, but if you don't enjoy reading about the rules of games, then this book might not be for you.