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5 books this month, but 2 of them were short plays, so I really only read 3 books, but they were all amazing reads. 2 of the 3 I flew through; the remaining 1 I savoured. I also read 2 other books throughout April that I didn’t finish in time to add to this wrap-up: The Best of Roald Dahl, a short story collection I decided to pause halfway through (I do plan on picking it back up eventually! It’s a good read, but I’m not in the mood for short stories currently), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which would have completed my first reread of the series in my entire life!
Related: The case for rereading via Index Magazine. I know that many people have recently been finding it difficult to gather the focus to read a book; now could be a great time for a reread!
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
★★★★★ // Goodreads // Buy it // Reading buddy: Evie
“All the women before feel I am their fault,” she said. “And if there were women after me, I feel that is my fault.” She told me she was willing to take another risk–to tell her story again, for the sake of those women yet to come.
Farrow’s Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting helped uncover allegations of sexual abuse against Harvey Weinstein. This dramatic account takes us through the investigation and beyond, exposing abuse of power in media and politics.
I was deciding between rating Catch and Kill a 4 or 5. Based on parts 1-3 of the book, which focused on Weinstein’s case, I would have rated the book a 5. It was absolutely fascinating and read like a spy thriller. Corporate coverup! Foreign spies! International conspiracy! Parts 4-5 expanded from Weinstein’s case, taking on the greater media industry. I had a difficult time keeping up with all the players involved and wasn’t as captivated, though that’s just a testament to the scale of complicity, the need for exposure. In any case, for Farrow’s unflagging pursuit of the truth, for his compassion, for his bravery, for the bravery of the victims, and for the power of their voices, I must give this book a 5.
Amidst all the serious stuff, I loved the quips Farrow included by his partner Jon Lovett (former speechwriter, of Pod Save America fame), who supported him throughout the process.
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
★★★★ // Goodreads // Buy it // (Giveaway win) // Reading buddies: Evie, Sadia, Steph
Somehow I sensed what was coming for me even then. Really, though, what girl doesn’t? It looms over you, that threat of violence. They drill the danger into your head until it starts to feel inevitable. You grow up wondering when it’s finally going to happen.
Amidst the #MeToo movement, Vanessa is forced to confront her past. Told in alternating timelines, we see the story of how Vanessa, at 15, became involved with her English teacher, 27 years her senior.
There is no perfect victim. I’m familiar with the exploration of that grey area. But what if a victim doesn’t see herself as one? What if she’s convinced of a love story? What if she goes as far as to protect her abuser? To continue a relationship? I mean, yes, she’s still a victim, but I still couldn’t fathom how one could be what I perceived as undiscerning.
As sure as I was about right and wrong, I was able to understand where Vanessa was coming from. Russell did an amazing job at exposing a predator’s insidious manipulation tactics and the lasting psychological damage it leaves. Suspenseful. Uncomfortable.
I was inspired to redesign the cover. It’s a bit rudimentary as I whipped it up rather quickly, but I like the concept and have iterations in my head that could potentially bring more polish to the design; I just wanted to lay down the concept first. Russell’s “My Dark Vanessa” is a pun from Nabokov’s Pale Fire.
Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing
★★★★ // Goodreads // Buy it // Full review here // (Gifted)
It was true. Gardening situates you in a different kind of time, the antithesis of the agitating present of social media. Time becomes circular, not chronological; minutes stretch into hours; some actions don’t bear fruit for decades. The gardener is not immune to attrition and loss, but is daily confronted by the ongoing good news of fecundity. A peony returns, alien pink shoots thrusting from bare soil. The fennel self-seeds; there is an abundance of cosmos out of nowhere.
Such a timely read! A collection spanning Laing’s career, sharing commentary on art and culture, featuring figures such as Georgia O’Keefe, Ali Smith, Sally Rooney, and David Bowie. I think this collection will be for me this year what Jia Toletino’s Trick Mirror was for me last year. Both were dense, not the easiest to get through, but so stimulating and clarifying. Funny Weather was such a restorative read, opening my eyes to using art as an alternative way to situate myself in crazy times.
If the title intrigues you, have a quick read through Laing’s recent article, “Feeling Overwhelmed? How Art Can Help In An Emergency” as an overall preview to the collection.
Skip to the end of my full review to glance at the table of contents. As the majority of these works have been previously published online, I was able to link up the table of contents to the original articles I could find, so you don’t even have to buy the book (but seriously, take a look at the book, it’s beautiful). Would highly recommend “Bad Surprises“–on “paranoid reading” vs. “reparative reading”–and “Paradise“–on gardening and time.
Tartuffe by Moliere
★★★★ // Goodreads
Orgon: Once and for all, I tell you to be quiet.
Dorine: Well, I’ll be quiet. But I’ll be thinking hard.
A satire on religious hypocrisy; framed in a more modern way, it follows the antics of the scammer Tartuffe. Written entirely in twelve-syllable lines of rhyming couplets, which was a delight to read. Comedic. Slightly scandalous. My high school put on this play once and it was hilarious; one of my favourite high school theatre productions.
The Bourgeois Gentleman by Moliere
★★★★ // Goodreads
By my faith! For more than forty years I have been speaking prose without knowing anything about it, and I am much obliged to you for having taught me that.
A satire on social climbing bourgeois with “The Emperor’s New Clothes” vibes. Another delightful read with Moliere’s characteristic humour. Quite similar to Tartuffe; of the two, I’d recommend Tartuffe for its rhyming and drama.
What was your favourite read this month?
PS: Check out my APAHM TBR for May!