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Reading Wednesday
May. 19th, 2021 01:09 pmJust finished: Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics by Marc Lamont Hill and Mitchell Plitnick. My overall impression of the book from last week held true for the end as well—it's a good primer, well argued, without a lot of new information if Israel and Palestine is an issue you follow closely. That said, it's been proving unexpectedly useful as a refresher for me as I end up arguing with self-described progressives on the internet every single fucking day as the long-simmering war heats up.
Twelve Miles to Midnight: Stories by André Narbonne. I know something of the backstory of this book and its author, which is why I read it. It's the most CanLit book I've read in awhile—a series of interconnected short stories about life in a mining town and on an oil tanker. It's interesting—technically well written, with a strong sense of place and specificity. But there's something missing—a narrative, as well as a thematic cold at its core. It's as if the stories all skirt the edge of trauma, catharsis, and then revelation, but never quite get to their natural ending. There are a few exceptions—one story, about a brain-damaged boy celebrating the birthday of another boy who befriends him—followed through on their promise, but most don't, and that failing was interesting in itself.
Currently reading: The Golem and the Jinni by Helena Wecker. This is awesome so far. Pretty much what it says on the tin: A golem, whose jerkface master dies, leaving her alone, and a jinni imprisoned in a flask, end up in 19th century New York. The golem is taken in by an elderly rabbi, the jinn is freed by a tinsmith but trapped in human form, but both find themselves adapting to the ethnic enclaves of the city and trying to live as immigrants and people. It's beautifully written and intricately researched. I'm about 1/4 of the way in and really loving it so far.
Twelve Miles to Midnight: Stories by André Narbonne. I know something of the backstory of this book and its author, which is why I read it. It's the most CanLit book I've read in awhile—a series of interconnected short stories about life in a mining town and on an oil tanker. It's interesting—technically well written, with a strong sense of place and specificity. But there's something missing—a narrative, as well as a thematic cold at its core. It's as if the stories all skirt the edge of trauma, catharsis, and then revelation, but never quite get to their natural ending. There are a few exceptions—one story, about a brain-damaged boy celebrating the birthday of another boy who befriends him—followed through on their promise, but most don't, and that failing was interesting in itself.
Currently reading: The Golem and the Jinni by Helena Wecker. This is awesome so far. Pretty much what it says on the tin: A golem, whose jerkface master dies, leaving her alone, and a jinni imprisoned in a flask, end up in 19th century New York. The golem is taken in by an elderly rabbi, the jinn is freed by a tinsmith but trapped in human form, but both find themselves adapting to the ethnic enclaves of the city and trying to live as immigrants and people. It's beautifully written and intricately researched. I'm about 1/4 of the way in and really loving it so far.
