A Modern Day Fairytale

 Bluebeard's Castle by Anna Biller

Bluebeard's Castle book cover

Directors sometimes make excellent writers. They bring a certain eye to detail that is somewhat different from other writers, and emphasize some kind of character qualities and details that might not always be apparent in other writers. Like the hilarious Liar Mouth by John Waters, Anna Biller’s Bluebeard’s Castle brings her director’s eye and penchant for set details to her retelling of the cautionary fairy tale Blue Beard. Biller’s ability to capture the gothic setting in a kind of modern day time is something she also does in her excellent film The Love Witch. Biller is meticulous about the setting and finer details about the life Judith and the mystery man Gavin who sweeps her off her feet. Whether it is the products they use, the decrepit castle they buy to rehab, or the escalating violence that Judith experiences as she begins to uncover the mystery of Gavin and his background, Biller’s revelation of these details brought out the gothic elements of her story. While the book was disturbing with elements of domestic violence and murder, there were also some romantic elements that were incredibly sexy. I’m not really into romance books, but found these elements fun and entertaining. I know that Biller was working on making this a movie, which is why I think that this book works so well in conveying the setting and character qualities of Judith and Gavin. As the mystery of Gavin unfolds, I wanted to find out more and really couldn’t put the book down. I became concerned about Judith’s well-being, which is also something that was a concern about this book. I generally found her to be a great character, but I also felt a little like she was kind of an Emma Bovary type character, someone I also became a little frustrated with as she repeatedly went back to Gavin. I must admit that it was a little far fetched at how quickly Gavin swept Judith off her feet, and that despite being a relatively well-known novelist, Judith seemed to fall for Gavin without really knowing him. If anything, I think that shows the kind of manipulative nature, love-bombing, and gaslighting that can go on in relationships. I did feel that maybe she went back to Gavin one too many times, and that maybe in the film version, this might be shortened a bit. Nevertheless, Bluebeard’s Castle has a lot of mystery, intrigue, atmosphere, and romance. Gavin is a terrifying person, and while I did find some of Judith’s actions a little questionable, I felt a connection and was generally concerned for her as a character. I hope that Biller gets to make this movie, because I would love to see what she does with the costumes and sets for this one. 

Detective Kaga returns

 Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino 

(translated by Giles Murray)

Final Curtain book cover

The Final Curtain is another mystery for Detective Kaga to solve. It’s framed interestingly with the story of Kaga’s mother, who deserted her family. As I read the beginning, I wasn’t sure what the mystery was, but there is a connection to the larger mystery and Kaga’s mother. Nevertheless, I also wondered whether the experience of these mothers who abandoned their families was shedding some light on issues in Japanese society and how women sometimes give up their jobs to stay at home. I’m not sure if that was the case, but I think that Higashino’s other books often call attention to issues in Japanese society like pollution (A Silent Parade) and domestic violence (Devotion of Suspect X). I’ve read most of Higashino’s books that have been translated, and I generally enjoy these mysteries. However, with this book and Death in Tokyo, I felt that the mysteries were becoming a little more far fetched and unbelievable. I won’t give anything away about the twists and nature of the mystery, but I questioned the actions of some of the characters and found them to be somewhat implausible or just wondered why they didn’t take different actions. It could be something that is lost in the translation or cultural differences, but it seemed that major elements of the plot depended on some character motivations that seemed somewhat questionable to me. Nevertheless, this was a quick and easy read. I hope that Detective Kaga returns to some more enjoyable and propulsive mysteries.    

Great Horror Anthology

 Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele

Out There Screaming book cover

I haven’t read many anthologies of horror stories lately. It’s interesting since when I would teach, I always tended to use anthologies, but I guess that sometimes I’m not sure about the overall quality. Yet, with Jordan Peele editing this one, I have been looking forward to reading this since it was announced. I really enjoyed all of the stories in this book, and I think that many of them stood out among the others. It made me want to read more from some of the authors from this collection. N.K. Jemisin’s story is a really interesting one; it’s got elements of the kind of irony from “The Monkey’s Paw” but with a modern twist of surveillance and police brutality. It’s also told in a really brutal manner, and I loved it. “Lasiren” was a strange, but interesting mermaid tale, and I think the kind of folk-tale stories were some of my favorites. I really liked this one since it also combined elements of cultural stories. Similarly Nalo Hopkinson’s “The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World” was so strange and disturbing, but also great. Combining body horror with folk stories of Obeah magic, and twisting the Obeah man to give the power to a woman was really interesting. I really loved Rion Amilcar Scott’s story “A Grief of the Dead”—again, it combined some kind of folk elements (like the screechers, zombies), but also dealt with modern issues like mass shootings and chat rooms. My favorite story might have been Nicole Sconiers’s “A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree”, which takes the kind of phantom hitchhiker story and totally reinvents it with a vengeful ghost tale taking place on 76 right by the Conshohocken Curve. I did a double take when I read that, but the story is really compelling and creative. All of the stories are really good to read, and I didn’t find myself wanting to skip any of them, but these were some of the stories that stood out (as well as P. Djèlí Clark’s story).  I’m glad that I read this collection, and that I have some new authors to explore. 

Memory, Class, and Food in a Modern Magic Mountain

 Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang

Land of Milk and Honey book cover

I previously read Zhang’s How Much of These Hills is Gold, loving the story, characters, and how she used memory and trauma as a way to heal the wounds of the past. Land of Milk and Honey also has to do with memory and healing, but is also seems like more of a modern statement in dealing with and managing the kind of collective trauma we have lived in the past few years due to the COVID lockdowns. The book is much more than that, and I really enjoyed Zhang’s exploration of race, gender, class, and identity. However, the premise focuses on the narrator, a chef, who gains the opportunity to serve as a private chef for an exclusive group who manages to escape the smog and pollution that have basically eliminated sunlight and prevent food from growing. While she initially views this as an opportunity for which she may not be experienced (she somewhat exaggerated her resume), she comes to realize that the father and daughter for whom she works hired her for seemingly other reasons. It’s interesting to read about someone gaining an opportunity to advance professionally and have access and opportunities to perfect their craft, but yet, still be viewed as a kind of stereotype. I really liked that the narrator struggled with this, yet also seemed to take advantage of it at times. This is an excellent book that will challenge readers to think about their own identities, as well as how they might benefit from their statuses, and at what cost it comes to their identities. In addition to raising important questions about identity, class, race, and gender, Zhang also perfects the art of food writing, describing tastes, textures, and visuals in a descriptive way. I loved reading about the different dishes she created and the ingredients she used. I also think that like How Much of These Hills is Gold, the book also explores how trauma and memory (or -re-memory as Toni Morrison describes it in Beloved) shapes our perceptions and experiences in the present. The three main characters are all haunted by people in their past (mothers, wives) and how their mistreatment and regrets shape their own experiences and behaviors in the present. This is the kind of book I would like to revisit in a book club or to teach, as it is a well-layered book where I think a discussion with others might bring about other interesting aspects of the book. Looking forward to reading more from this amazing author. 

Challenging Assumptions of American History

 The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk

The Rediscovery of America book cover

The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of US History is one of the most important books I have read recently. Not only does Blackhawk present engaging stories about the cultures and traditions of indigenous tribes across the Americas, but he also challenges our assumptions about the nature of American history by asserting the importance of interactions between indigenous people and European colonizers. Although this book is primarily a history book, I think its importance resonates beyond academic history and helped me reconsider the social and cultural history of the Americas (Canada, Mexico, and the US). Much like David Truer’s The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, this book presents a re-evaluation of myths and ideas that have largely shaped America’s understanding not only of indigenous people, but also its overall identity and values. By exposing the contributions of indigenous people and how trade, encounters and other interactions helped to shape policies and practices, Blackhawk shifts the perspective on American culture and history. I appreciated the regional and historical organization of the book, and I really loved Blackhawk’s ability to move from historical reporting to character development and narrative storytelling to make the history come alive. He largely balances these styles with keen insight and analysis of the historical events, their consequences and resulting policies. I’m not sure how long it will take for this book to become adopted into more and more curricula, but I could definitely see courses that use this book to teach and challenge the dominant perspectives and myths of American history. I hope that it does become a foundational text in many classrooms that educators and students alike use to expand their ideas about what America is and how its form and shape were largely defined by the contributions, sacrifices, and exploitation of the original people of this land. 

An Original Perspective on a Unique Artist

 William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock 'n' Roll by Casey Rae

William S. Burroughs and the Cult of Rock 'n' Roll cover

This was an interesting take on Burroughs and his influence on popular culture, specifically rock music in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I appreciated reading his book before reading some other books like Rebel Girl by Kathleen Hannah and Sonic Life by Thurston Moore. Although Hannah didn’t talk about Burroughs, she did write a lot about Kurt Cobain, and Rae dedicates at least a chapter to talking about Burroughs in the 90s and Kurt Cobain. Similarly, Thurston Moore talked about meeting Burroughs with his daughter Coco, and I think that Rae brought up the same story. Overall, I liked this book. Rae discusses Burroughs’s biography, his writing career, and then goes in to talk about Burroughs and different musical movements, spending some time exploring Burroughs and Punk Rock, Bowie, and how Burroughs’s writing tied in and was influenced by music. I had also recently read two books about Bowie, and the one about Bowie’s album Low by Hugo Wilcken also mentioned some of Bowie’s interest in black magik and the cut and paste method of writing that Burroughs employed, so I really enjoyed Rae’s recounting of the interview between Bowie and Burroughs, and how these two seemingly different artists aligned in some ways and actually met. It is interesting to think about how adaptive Bowie was; people described him as like a myna bird, just taking on the influences around him. I think that Burroughs was also kind of like that—able to blend in and adapt by kind of taking in influences and making them distinctly his own. In any event, this book provided a unique insight and perspective on one of my favorite writers. I really liked learning about this different perspective to see how engaged Burroughs was with some of these musical movements, even though I don’t always think of him as a musical artist per se. Yet, Burroughs viewed media in general as a powerful tool to convey ideas and messages, and I can see how certain movements like punk rock have a similar idea, even if it might be advocating for more independent thought and pushing back against this kind of mind control. I can see how Burroughs’s ideas about music, media, and language in particular may have been shaped by the changes to popular music that he witnessed in his lifetime. Although the author uses extensive research and analysis in examining Burroughs’s  connection the popular music (and not so popular music), at times I felt that the chapters were either repetitive or not well synthesized with the overall thesis of the book. That is, there seemed to be events and ideas that re-appeared, but were introduced as a new idea or example rather than reiterated or integrated within the overall ideas about Burroughs’s influence. I kind of felt like this was a book of separate essays that were pulled together with one main focus or that the author wrote some of these pieces in different places, eventually gathering them together into one whole. It’s not such a bad thing, but I definitely think that having some kind of unifying chapter or thesis that brings these separate chapters together would have strengthened the overall work. Nevertheless, Rae has developed a unique perspective about one of the most original writers and artists of the 20^th century.

Losing Myself in Reading

 Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai 

(translated by Polly Barton)

Mild Vertigo book cover

I had a hard time determining my overall rating of this book. At times, I felt a little lost in this book, but towards the end  of the book, I realized that Kanai was presenting the life of a housewife, one who has given up her life to be dedicated to her family. This has led her to a kind of mindless existence that Kanai conveys through the minutia and doldrums of the day. Maybe that is why I experienced a sense of disorientation or disassociation while reading it. In one section in particular, we experience the woman’s perspective in the market, looking at a list of products. I had to read this a few times to really appreciate it. Whether it is critical about the consumerist culture we face, or how we have to select the things that sustain us and our families, it was an interesting way to challenge how we think about families and those who are caretakers in particular. I’m really glad that I read this book, and it is definitely a book I would like to revisit to see what else I uncover in a second, more detailed read. I also think this book would be interesting for a book club—I would love to hear what others think about this book. However, I can also see how this book might be somewhat divisive and that others might find it boring or not too action packed. It is more of an exploration of a woman’s experience in Japan as she thinks about caring for her family. In some ways, I think it builds on that experience of Japanese literature that started with Lady Sarashina’s As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams, where we learn more about the life and experiences through both their inner thoughts and their outer experiences. It also reminded me of Yuko Tsushima’s Territory of Light, but almost like what would have happened if this woman left her family. Both novels have the kind of inner quality and explore the thoughts and feelings of the characters, particularly challenging our ideas and conceptions of what it means to be a woman, wife and mother.