Tweets and reviews on recent reading
Lookout | Christine Byle
I finished Lookout by Christine Byle last night. Loved it. The many characters, the farmlands and forests in Montana were alive in my mind. Those two entwined families—living next to each other and yet worlds apart. I was glad we got to see the elder neighbor son as more than a bully, but a wounded man wresting with his complicity in the concluding incident of the novel.
I was touched by the reveal at the end about the relationship between Josiah, the father, and his helper in the woodworking shop, Freddie. Though it’s hinted at earlier in the book, as a gay man I selfishly wished I could have seen more of them together. I understand, though, that Lookout isn’t the story of the traumatized Josiah, but of trauma’s subtle effect on his whole family.
The same is true in my book, Dreaming Home. Many readers wish they knew more about its central character, Kyle. His direct POV is only featured in one chapter—so everything else must be inferred. I sympathize and am touched by readers wanting more.
In Lookout, Byle has generated enough material about the two men, so that if she wished she could craft a powerful novel from their perspective. I would to love see Josiah struggle with his nature, aided by Freddie. It would give the conclusion still more poignancy. Even without this, Lookout is a great read. I highly recommend it.
Instructions for the Drowning | Steve Heighton
This by Steve Heighton! A master class in the short form: verbal and storytelling wizardry. Men on the edge. Death, near death, attempted suicide, birth, all wrapped in a thrilling humanity. Read the book twice—it’s that good. Sadly, his last.
I Felt the End Before It Came | Daniel Allen Cox
Just finished this thrilling memoir in essays by Daniel Allen Cox. On leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The dangers of group-speak, substance abuse. The joys of music, sex, porn, personal agency. The urgency of facing our past. Gorgeous ending.
A Dream of a Woman | Casey Plett
I got so immersed in this by Casey Plett. We all have to embrace our innermost selves, but few have the courage to do it utterly. These trans characters are inspiring, funny, horny, sometimes sad. Brave, always.
The Foghorn Echoes | Danny Ramadan’s
It’s my birthday today! 74 yrs and just getting started! As one of my presents to myself I finished Danny Ramadan’s excellent, sad, sexy novel of trauma, dispossession, family. Life! Love ! So good.
A Thousand Places Left Behind | Peter K. Lutken, Jr.
Mr. Lutken was a seminal presence in my childhood, teaching me through Scouting a love of nature. He used to regale us with stories of his time during WII in Burma. Stories appropriately tamed for teenaged boys. Here, we get the unvarnished account. Edited by his daughter E. R. Lutken.
Paris Review No. 243
Read all morning, something I never do. Gorgeous, The Paris Review No. 234. Prose: Rivers Solomon, Elisa Gonzalez, Elaine Feeney Daniel Mason, Marie NDiaye. Interviews: Mary Gaitskill, Olga Tokarczuk. More. Will I ever get another morning with nothing on? I hope so.
Young Mungo | Douglas Stuart
Six long days of editing and I’m collapsed in bed. Reading Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart. I see what all the fuss was about. The writing is an inspiration. Plus this story of star-crossed lovers has got me hooked. Absolutely thrilled.
The Disappeared | Andrew Porter
Beautifully straightforward tales by Andrew Porter that lure you into the deep end. A bittersweet catalog of the many forms of loss—one that’s hopeful, ultimately. Though unmoored, these characters find what they need to move on.
Pure Colour | Sheila Heti
This Giller Prize longlisted novel reads like a dream. Poetic, philosophical musings appended to the thinnest of stories. I lacked the patience to appreciate it. Rachel Rose/Sheila Heti's Giller Book Club talk last night, though, made the book feel like a wonder.
Brother & Sister Enter the Forest | Richard Mirabella
This is so beautiful—sparely written, loosely structured, deeply affecting. Hopeful, despite its dire circumstances, its prickly characters, especially the mother, a sensitively drawn and complex character. Justin—who I am a little in love with—fairly leaps off the page and tears your heart out. Like my book, Dreaming Home, Brother & Sister Enter the Forest is a sensitive portrait of the effects of childhood trauma on one American family.
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English | Noor Naga
I’m loving the beautiful, head-hopping opening section of this. The nascent love affair, Cairo after the revolution are so vividly drawn. Naga does some really interesting things in this book in terms of structure, ending it in a kind of meta deconstruction of all that came before.