There are all kinds of memes out there that try to make light of what it was like to grow up in a generation whose parents famWow. A Gen X Must-Read!!
There are all kinds of memes out there that try to make light of what it was like to grow up in a generation whose parents famously left us to parent ourselves and get home “before the street lights came on� without bothering them too much in-between. At times, while reading, I found myself feeling nostalgic for the freedom and independence that kind of parenting style afforded us (or, as a parent myself (now), how freeing it might have been to be less entrenched in the claustrophobic parenting style we adopted when raising our own). I liked the story’s resistance of nostalgia, even though its set-design is littered with surprisingly wonderful ephemera (Charlie perfume, Members Only Jackets,—InTelevision!). But nostalgia is just memory without the pain, right? Playworld obliterates any “good old days� tropes (thank God). It seduces us into taking a peek backstage and punctuates scenes with the unfettered pain that often accompany actions in verboten spaces. I, for one, felt validated by the discomfort that never gets airtime—especially in the coming-of-age genre epic.
Ross� book is populated with characters who emulate the complications that arise when the power dynamics of order are less defined by expectations by positions of authority (parent/child; teacher/student, coach/player; older/younger sibling; doctor/patient; president/constituent) while raising uncomfortable questions about power itself through the experiences of people who endured the fallout from switching positions. I was particularly moved by his portrayals of vulnerability; his characters regularly defied tired gender tropes of strength and weakness. Are you strong because you endure pain without bothering your parents? What does it mean for a father to rely on his children to pay his family’s rent? Doesn’t every young man secretly lust over a teacher, a friend’s mom, a mother’s friend? A disciplined athlete follows directions from his coach, but what if that coach manipulates his position for his own weaknesses? Shouldn’t a young man’s masculinity be elevated to hero level if he achieves these fantasy positions so early in his life? I loved the story’s resistance to easy answers to all of these questions. And though it took a long time to write, somehow the timing of its publication seems perfect. The prose is downright gorgeous, and the imagery hits all of the senses: music (operatic to jingles), scent (the inside of a rubber suit to L’air du Temps), sight (his description of sailors� eel-ing vomit will stay with me), touch (too many to list—the scary & the sensual), and taste—really—hunger. The denial and gorging of food left me breathless (and hungry).
This is such a big book. I’m still trying to process it. I started reading the hard copy, but after hearing the author read, I bought the audiobook and listened. I loved the way Ross read it and marveled at his capacity to capture the intense and quiet moments with perfect tension/tenor. I know it is semi-autobiographical and often wondered what parts were difficult to read out loud; which parts may have felt righteous. I was genuinely sad when it ended, and I hope he writes a sequel—with a request that it comes out a bit sooner than Playworld did!...more
I love this author. 4 stars because I wanted it to be longer (lol), and the “savior of the abused woman� thing is one of my least favorite tropes. BUTI love this author. 4 stars because I wanted it to be longer (lol), and the “savior of the abused woman� thing is one of my least favorite tropes. BUT—if DM is writing it, I will read it. I liked the intersecting storylines.
File Under: I, too, am leery of law enforcement officers...more
Yuck. DNF. I had no expectations (I like vampire lit—but I’m picky), but this narrative *seemed* like it had potential. First: bloodsucking butterflieYuck. DNF. I had no expectations (I like vampire lit—but I’m picky), but this narrative *seemed* like it had potential. First: bloodsucking butterflies (!) & an Amish farm used as a cover! But instead of humor or erotic tension it was just—well—unintentionally creepy? Alien? The framing, the timing, the ethnographic outsider thing just didn’t work with Amish Dracula. Anyway, I thought I’d put a note here in case you were curious.
File Under: Let the Sunlight Burn This One to Ash Instead
Merged review:
Yuck. DNF. I had no expectations (I like vampire lit—but I’m picky), but this narrative *seemed* like it had potential. First: bloodsucking butterflies (!) & an Amish farm used as a cover! But instead of humor or erotic tension it was just—well—unintentionally creepy? Alien? The framing, the timing, the ethnographic outsider thing just didn’t work with Amish Dracula. Anyway, I thought I’d put a note here in case you were curious.
File Under: Let the Sunlight Burn This One to Ash Instead...more
I’ve had a hard time finishing books lately, but this one was perfectly paced. Nothing too gruesome or gory. I enjoyed the chapters between “Mo� and hI’ve had a hard time finishing books lately, but this one was perfectly paced. Nothing too gruesome or gory. I enjoyed the chapters between “Mo� and her psychologist (the most chilling part of the book, really). And because it is British, guns are not part of the plot, which feels like a vacation all by itself.
I found this book a bit triggering, so it took me awhile to get through her harrowing accounts of child abuse and neglect, but the fourth part of the I found this book a bit triggering, so it took me awhile to get through her harrowing accounts of child abuse and neglect, but the fourth part of the book was a great balm. I knew next to nothing about C-PTSD, and Foo’s account was edifying. Her vulnerability and unswerving honesty kept me engaged. A powerful piece of work. ...more
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