4.5 This a unique tale of obsessive love that one identical twin has for another. It takes place during their adolescence, the perfect time for the sc4.5 This a unique tale of obsessive love that one identical twin has for another. It takes place during their adolescence, the perfect time for the schism: the more one tries on new identities and tries to individualize, the more the other wants to reel her twin back into symbiotic bliss.
Told in Dermansky’s usual propulsive, staccato prose, it’s a relatable story about both the desire to self-actualize and the terror of abandonment when things change. Both twins get an equal say, and both are compelling to follow.
I always appreciate how much Dermansky says between the words, how she approaches relatable themes with a dark enough slant to keep things interesting, and how her humor highlights, rather than eclipses, the heart....more
Does an artist need to be honest? If I asked each of you to make a list of 50 adjectives describing yourselves and then share it with one another, a cDoes an artist need to be honest? If I asked each of you to make a list of 50 adjectives describing yourselves and then share it with one another, a couple of things would happen:
1) You’d find opposites on your list, often one after the other: “lazy; conscientious; social; private; optimistic; skeptical; hurt; guarded; open; accepting; impatient — you get the idea.
Another thing that would happen, when listening to others, is: 2) Some adjective they included will hit you in the gut, and you’ll be surprised you’d forgotten it.
So, then, how can a writer portray a character honestly? How would an actor convey this level of complexity? If an artist must be honest, how does one touch others?
In Loitering With Intent, Sparks asks us to consider the precision of choice as a way to sculpt a greater truth. An artist must be honest, yes, but part of being an artist is making specific choices so that a deeper meaning is conveyed. The more selective an artist becomes, the more unique to them their work. Honesty can be too many things at once.
And yet, how can we inform without drawing from our own lives? And since others exist with us in these lives, how can we help but draw from them? Is there any perception of ours that exists without some fiction, some projection or interpretation? Are we ever wholly ourselves without carrying the influences of others? Where is that line?
For me, this is what Loitering with Intent was about. There’s a bit of history here as well, as Sparks explores issues of class and privilege in post-WWll London. And for those of you who are cult-curious, there’s a hint of one here, too. Don’t get too excited about that last bit, though, as our protagonist is more like the child in The Emperor’s New Clothes than a cult victim.
Sparks chiseled her language and structure with such precision it awed me. And with a great deal of wit, she played with our perceptions. Add to this an irreverent female protagonist ahead of her time, and she had me eating from her hand.
I thought I loved The Driver’s Seat, but this far surpassed that. I highly recommend this slim but full work. It can be read in a day, or delighted in its sentences over and over.
David Vann retells the story of Medea in Bright Air Black by blending Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica with Euripides’ trNot for the faint of heart.
David Vann retells the story of Medea in Bright Air Black by blending Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica with Euripides’ tragic play. Knowing the Euripides play helped me to see how Vann built compassion around Medea, and how an intelligent, willful woman ruled by buffoons might be pushed to the brink of taboo. That doesn’t mean Vann dilutes her monstrousness: his prose is a sensual feast of the ugly, and his attraction to Medea is no surprise. I could see each section unfold as if on stage, the audience enveloped in the dark, electric charge, yet kept at a safe distance to observe. Told in third person present tense only from Medea’s perspective, I had the odd sensation of spying on lives from the shadows, faces made eerie by an upward light.
Reading a string of Greek plays before this novel also helped me to acclimate to the style, which the author emulates well: it is a story best savored. Vann plays with the undisputed power of the gods in his version, twisting creative manipulation into an ancient form of self-marketing and showmanship. The two other Vann books I’ve read, Aquarium, and the collection, Legend of a Suicide, have a steady march forward, whereas here the action felt more like a dynamic stillness. Of the few Greek retellings I’ve read, all offer more interiority than the originals, and that goes a long way for me. Vann’s treatment felt less full than either of Madeline Miller’s books, but more so than Colm Tóibín’s, House of Names (just a difference of style, I’d recommend all four), but this was the most atmospheric of the bunch. That said, I found all three – The Song of Achilles, Circe, and House of Names – easier than this. As for Vann, both Aquarium and Legend of a Suicide felt more accessible and immediate than Bright Air Black, although all three are immersive. And Bright Air Black features orgies, dismemberment, and more than one brush with cannibalism – so, there’s that.
Another suggestion is to read this with the right buddy. Mark got me to slow down, savor, ask questions, and exchange research. There’s no question he made this a fuller and more fun experience for me. If his dance card isn’t full, grab him!
Please don’t mistake my playfulness for the assumption thatso much upends around
a red car haunted
hard with sun striking
beside a woman lost.
Please don’t mistake my playfulness for the assumption that I think I write poetry: William Carlos Williams’ compact poem came to mind when I closed this book, so I went with it.
Not as dazzling a work as Hurricane Girl, but still so much fun, The Red Car is also a journey, literally and figuratively, of a woman who willingly walks through open doors. One of my favorite things in both Dermansky books is how curious the protagonists are, and how curiosity propels them. In this case she is Leah, 23, then 33. At 33, her life is stable, and when her past beckons, she can’t help but answer the call.
The two cities I know best are New York, where I was born and raised, and San Fransisco, where I’ve worked, and played with my two best friends. This book takes place in both cities, and I enjoyed the specific nods to each.
The writing comes from inside Leah’s head in short, propulsive sentences that quickly expose how inner conflict can emerge. In Hurricane Girl, this was tighter and funnier, Dermansky’s style at its pinnacle, but all the fodder is here. Overall, this was a more realistic story, and more relatable for me, apart from the ghostly red car. If I started Dermansky here, I don’t know that I would feel the hunger I do to ingest all of her work, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable ride that is driving me to read another, and soon....more
Efficient both in language and plot, I might like du Maurier’s short stories even better than her novels. This says a lot, as short stories almost nevEfficient both in language and plot, I might like du Maurier’s short stories even better than her novels. This says a lot, as short stories almost never wow me. I was blown away by both Rebecca, and House on the Strand, but that was when I was 15. I read My Cousin Rachel a few years back, and enjoyed that, but not as much as most of these. The stand-outs for me were The Birds, so different from Hitchcock’s film, and to me, worlds better; and Monte Veritá, which is fabulous and worth reading on its own. The titular story played with perception in a way I appreciate, but it wasn’t as strong as the other two. All stories were deliciously dark. I highly recommend this to fans of Patricia Highsmith, Muriel Spark, or any author of taut, mid-century menace....more
If this weren’t a buddy read, I may have given up after Chapter 2. But it was, and not only did it pick up pace, but I started to have the fun reminisIf this weren’t a buddy read, I may have given up after Chapter 2. But it was, and not only did it pick up pace, but I started to have the fun reminiscent of days when my husband and I used to watch Lost, and discuss the paradox of time travel and other brain-firing oddities. This was a dance not of physics, but of psychology— a core interest of mine—and the author choreographed a splendid dropping of crumbs. My buddy and I had so much fun sharing what we noticed and discussing what it could mean. We were right about some of it, but never sure we were until the end. And for some of it we were deliciously wrong. The clues spun and skidded slowly but surely. There were some great twists, and not just of plot. There were moments I was visually and atmospherically transported, despite the hyper real and eerie quality. The author achieved something rare by engaging us with the knowledge and respect she had for her main subject. But therein lies the imbalance: the author forgot about her side-subjects just enough to disappoint, making some things feel convenient and others neglected or underdone. My buddy felt cheated. I just felt the familiar let down of when an author gets SO close....more
There are those who will do anything to get what they want, and feel no remorse; there are those who barely try for what they want, fearing the trade-There are those who will do anything to get what they want, and feel no remorse; there are those who barely try for what they want, fearing the trade-off would be too big a loss; this is a story of those somewhere in between, who will go to the furthest corners of human darkness to realize their dreams, and are then forever haunted by their actions.
This perfect tale works as both a metaphor and as a true exploration of how humans can psychologically break down: it is how “careful what you wish for” is a real warning. It is also a book about two people reeling from folie à deux, forever imprisoned together by a temporary madness. The story’s complexity is within its psychological layers, and I was surprised that Hitchcock never snatched it up for one of his films....more
The Anomaly was recommended to me as getting buzz in the book world, but that’s all I knew going in. I read the first chapteWhat a strange book. 3.5?
The Anomaly was recommended to me as getting buzz in the book world, but that’s all I knew going in. I read the first chapter and loved it – it’s from the perspective of a hit man, and the writing is clean. The second chapter is from the perspective of a female film editor, and I liked it less (no reflection on her occupation, nor her gender - I just wanted more of the hit man). I kept reading and meeting a new character in every chapter, and by page 80 I felt like I’d flitted through a party of introductions with no deep connections. I wanted to go home.
But I don’t, and now there’s something building. So I stay for the ride. And then the story turns into something clever and curious, and I’m wondering what I’d do in this situation. And then I’m enjoying the different reactions played out by those many characters I eventually meet again.
I put this on my TBR because a couple of my favorite reviewers on Goodreads wrote intriguing reviews. Plus, I’m always looking for new-to-me authors, I put this on my TBR because a couple of my favorite reviewers on Goodreads wrote intriguing reviews. Plus, I’m always looking for new-to-me authors, and she was on my list. Then a Goodreads buddy suggested we read it together, and there I was. But, going in, I didn’t remember anything about the book, other than I wanted to read it.
So, I’m introduced to the protagonist from afar, almost like she’s the intrusion on my life, and not the other way around. Almost like she just barges in, out of her own life, demanding everyone’s attention. And, it works. I’m hooked. As I watch her, I wonder… “Do I like her? What’s she up to? Is she’s crazy? Something’s off. Where’s she headed? Wait - she’s a predator!? Or, is she prey?” And then I’m told that she’s later found murdered, and I’m just a few pages into the book (which, to be fair, is the thickness of ‘90s super-model), and that surprise - being told rather than shown in just a sentence or two, and then picking up from where we left off - is very effective. Because now I’m paying more attention than I normally would to this dialogue between strangers on a plane because everyone is a suspect and I don’t want to miss a single detail. I desire both to solve the puzzle and enjoy the surprise of ignorance. And this airplane convo is written in this artful blend of highly stylized, a la Mad Men, but with earnest hippy content - which makes sense for a book published in 1970.
So, I’m still watching her from afar and I’m still guessing, “Is she deliberately distracting us to confuse her trail somehow?” And this is one of those fascinating books that packs so much into a slim space that I devote myself to it, simultaneously absorbing every detail, and devouring it. When I’m done, the answer to all my questions is both satisfying and unsatisfying, in the way that a mystery is both solved and unsolved, because we now know what’s happened, but we’ll never really know all the nuances of this woman and what made her who she is: and there’s something satisfying about being left with just enough curiosity into the human condition that brought me to reading in the first place, and completed the circle to start it again....more
3.5 I read this twice. I was surprised by how quick it was, it felt less full than her other works. Yet the world she created was haunting, original, 3.5 I read this twice. I was surprised by how quick it was, it felt less full than her other works. Yet the world she created was haunting, original, brilliant. The first time I solidly liked it and gave it 3 stars. The second time, I liked it and appreciated it more, and gave it 4....more
With a voice resonant of Humphrey Bogart, Cass Neary continues her adventures in London. Here, rather than murder with music and photography, we have With a voice resonant of Humphrey Bogart, Cass Neary continues her adventures in London. Here, rather than murder with music and photography, we have murder with film and artifacts.
I don’t usually read two books in a series one after another like this, I’m more likely to leave years in between. And at first I felt it was too much of the same atmosphere, the same voice, as Available Dark. But things picked up in the second half of this novel, mostly due to the friendship Cass Neary develops with a 13-year-old. In this relationship, we see Cass’ chance to redeem her former self while seeing the needs of the individual before her, and to try and offer this teen something lasting.
I’m planning to read Book 4 in the series, The Book of Lamps and Banners, released this September. But I may need a break from this world for a bit....more
This is a world inhabited by aging punk musicians, artists, and necrophiles. Yes, necrophiles: a fascination with the dead is something these artists This is a world inhabited by aging punk musicians, artists, and necrophiles. Yes, necrophiles: a fascination with the dead is something these artists share, and use, to create their finished pieces. Cass Neary, our narrator, is a tough character and part of this crowd in New York City. But her strength gets tested when she’s relegated to the periphery of this world in Finland and Iceland, and trailed by a wake of murders.
This is book 2 of a 4-part series (the 4th was just released in September) starring Cass Neary, former photographer, current drug and alcohol user, and a woman alone. If you’re at all intrigued by the punk music and art scene in 1970s-80s NYC and London, you should probably give this writer a shot – nobody captures the atmosphere of that world better. The murder mysteries here enhance the story more by their happening than from the solve. The end didn’t disappoint, it just didn’t feel like an ah-ha reveal.
I preferred this one to Generation Loss – this felt more action-packed within its darkness, whereas the first felt bleak and slow; but people loved Generation Loss, and Hand has an understandable cult following....more
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