#Booker Prize 2020

[emcgoverns]

elizabeth mcgovern reads a passage from “the memory police” by yoko ogawa | 🎥: the booker prizes (shared july 2020)

watch the full reading here.

[soracities]

i hope it is ok to seek advice here regarding this. i promise it’s nothing too heavy, though if it is feel free to ignore. your followers are free to pitch in any thoughts or advice too.

around 2020 i got into reading again, and it was a wonderful experience bc i never thought it could be so fun to read books. i started with a non-fiction book and from there my interest piqued. i started setting a reading goal then, 25 a year and i think it did more damage than good to me. when i switched to other genres like fantasy, i realized my comprehension was… not that good. but i envy others who can read fast. there is just so much lovely books in the world to read, and i want to read and properly comprehend them all and give them the attention they might deserve, but i have an unhealthy relationship with reading as of the moment. i’m pressured to read fast and reach goals. do you have any advice or tips? thank you kindly.

i think the best thing is to probably completely remove any kind of quantitative reading goals for the time being. it may also help to ask yourself: read fast why? read fast for whom? if it's for yourself then why does it matter to you to have read such-and-such a number of books, or to have managed it in such-and-such an impressive manner? if it's for yourself then what difference does it make, truly, if you've read 3 books this year, or 30?

i think the impossible number of potentially wonderful books in the world will always leave you feeling like you're not reading enough and that there is never enough time to catch up, but i think this is something you have to learn to accept in order not to overwhelm yourself to the point of panic. there are only so many books you will be given the time to read in one lifetime, and missing out on some does not erase the experience of having read and enjoyed others. the fact remains that you will never be able to read all the books you want and comprehend them fully and attentively at the same time--there simply aren't enough hours or years for that. some books won't make the cut, and that is okay; it's not an either/or situation, where you have to read everything or else none of the rest counts--you won't miss out on any once-in-a-lifetime world-altering experiences for not having read certain titles, because each book you do read will build its own experience with you. reading a book because something about it has caught you or because you've felt drawn to it at a particular moment in time, regardless of its rankings or what anyone else says about it, means a lot more than forcing yourself through the latest Booker prize shortlist because it's something you feel you have to do or because everyone else is talking about it.

books, and chiefly stories, are important to me and always have been, but i'm also very resistant to the idea of elevating them to some sacred status or endowing them with mythic powers they do not have. they are these wonderful things we have made, existing in tandem with all the other wonderful things we have made and continue to make, like hearty soups, or delicate glass earrings, or hats in the shape of animals, none of which we worry about missing out on; i'm not thinking of all the adorable pottery being made that i'll never get the chance to see--whatever cute creations i do get to see make me happy and grateful in and of themselves. books, in my view, anyway, are no different. in this, i think it helps sometimes to not look at your To Read list as a a series of checkpoints or mandatory targets, but rather as a growing indication of all the various interests you’ve collected or been struck by as time's gone on. i love what Umberto Eco said about an unread personal library being more about an accumulation of possibilities rather than the actual reading itself--it's a testament to your curiosity and the worlds you want to give yourself the chance to explore and surround yourself with

i think it's also important to remember that if you are switching between genres, especially ones you haven't read before, or coming into reading after not having done it for a long time, then it's not uncommon that, quite often, you may need to slow down and get used to the structure of this particular genre, or that particular book, which is to be expected; it's not a one-size fits all by any means, and it's not supposed to be either. in a sense, it's like baking; maybe you can make a shortcrust pastry with your eyes closed, but you wouldn't do that the first time you try a swiss meringue and you certainly wouldn't expect to get it as easily the first few goes. i don't know much about fantasy novels, and i don't know which book you read, but not immediately comprehending something is not inherently a bad thing or something to be ashamed of--it just means you're encountering something new: language you have yet to grow used to, structures you'll need time to familiarise yourself with, narratives that may require you to slow down and read more carefully.

i see this talked about so many times, so i really want to stress: reading quickly is not necessarily a sign that you read well. unless you are in an academic setting where speed is sometimes needed, i think that, ultimately, it's a completely arbitrary, rather capitalist, rubric to measure any kind of reading by and it doesn't add anything to the experience in my view except maybe bragging points (like, admittedly, yes, it may be impressive that someone manages to finish Ulysses or War and Peace in 2 days, but in all honesty...that's not why those books were written, and that shouldn't be the aim of reading them in the first place--whoever talks about managing to read a poem in 30 seconds flat?). the only time i set a solid reading goal for myself and completed it was also a year in which, by the end of it, i could probably only properly recall 2 or 3 of the books i actually read. i haven't set numbered reading goals since then; comparing that to this year--where i barely read anything until April, and even then read much slower than i normally do, i could tell you a lot more about what i did read, for nearly every one of them, and what they made me feel or think. i've said this before so i'll sound like a broken record at this point, and while i know it is much easier said than done, the main thing is not what pace you're reading at but whether or not that pace is the right pace for you, and for what you're reading and what that particular book demands of you. some people do read quickly and retain what they read and that's fine; some people don't and that's fine, too. some people fall in between. some books themselves are easy to read quickly, and some are not, and again this, too, will vary greatly depending on who is reading them and how, but in the end there is no right or wrong way because it's not a value judgement; not reading "fast enough", whatever that is supposed to even mean, is not an indictment of your intelligence or your personality or your interest in books generally.

as i said, i really do think the best thing is to park all reading goals (personally i think we should just banish numbers altogether, but that's just me) and instead try to hone in on books that mean something to you as books, not on where they fit in an annual list. go back to the books you read at the start and enjoyed most and maybe branch out from there within the same genre--the same topic, the same author, and see where that takes you. if there is a particular topic or author you have always been intrigued by then try that (if you really enjoy being part of a community for the things you like, then you can also seek out online bookclubs / forums). focus on books you know you will enjoy, or have good reason to believe you will enjoy, at the start and just take it from there. if you really, really, really feel that you need to set a number for yourself, then while keeping within the range of books you will enjoy, choose maybe 3, no more than that, but don't delve into anything overly heavy or demanding unless it's something that's got you incredibly excited and eager to read about. also, if you end up picking something and not vibing with it then do not, under any circumstances, be afraid to drop that book and find something else. if the timing is not right, you can always return to it at another point, it won't go anywhere; if it's just categorically not your thing, then dump it and move on. at the end of the day i always think the main thing is to centre your own pleasure and enjoyment, no matter what books that may lead you to, and to build your reading from there. i'm sorry for how late this is, but i hope it helps you even just a little x

[milkywayrollercoaster]

Douglas Stuart

* Shuggie Bain (The 2020 Booker Prize)

* Young Mungo

Youngsters and their families surviving in Glasgow outskirts in last century eighties.

cjmn

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Lydia Davis

Lydia Davis was born in 1947 in Northampton, Massachusetts. Davis is known for her very brief short stories, which are mostly less than three pages long, and are often only one sentence or paragraph. She has written six short story collections, including Varieties of Disturbance, which was nominated for a National Book Award. In 2013, Davis won the Man Booker International Prize for her body of work. In 2020, she won the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. Davis has also won acclaim for her translations of French literary classics, including her 2003 translation of Proust's Swann's Way. She was named a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her services to French literature.

[meret118]

HOMEGOING BY YAA GYASI (PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD, AMERICAN BOOK AWARD, 2017)

This was Gyasi’s debut in historical fiction and immediately garnered both awards for the title and devoted readers for the author. The story follows Maame, an Asante woman, and her descendants across generations. This sweeping book captures the futures of multiple lines of Maame’s family as the plot weaves from Ghana to America.

HAMNET BY MAGGIE O’FARRELL (NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION, WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION, 2020)

This fictionalized account of the life of Hamnet, the son of Shakespeare who died in childhood, was everywhere the year it came out. Combining Farrell’s genius with prose and emotionally resonant storytelling, this story weaves in themes of family, love, plagues, and culture throughout.

FINGERSMITH BY SARAH WATERS (BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR, 2003)

This gothic historical novel explores themes of feminism and lesbianism in the Victorian era, and it incorporates historical texts. Sue Trinder has been raised as an orphan and is sent by her benefactor, Mrs. Sucksby, to help Gentleman, a well-known conman, seduce Maud, a wealthy heiress. As the story progresses, we begin to hear Maud’s side of the story as well as see how the relationships between Sue, Maud, and Gentleman shift.

[npdclaraoswald]

10, 11, 15, 16 for book asks

10. What was your favorite new release of the year?

Probably either True Biz by Sara Nović or The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. True Biz shows the perspective of three different people at a school for the Deaf- the headmistress who is a CODA, a boy who's entire family is Deaf until his little sister is born hearing, and a girl who got a Cochlear Implant as a baby and wasn't allowed to learn ASL until her parents divorce and her dad allows her to enroll and learn about the community. The School for Good Mothers is a dystopia where parents who are deemed to be unfit- for reasons ranging from active abuse to letting their kid walk to and from school alone- are forced to attend a boarding school where they care for android children and are constantly monitored

11. What was your favorite book that has been out for a while, but you just now read?

I'm going to say The Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy by Cixin Liu translated by Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen. It spans centuries following humanity after first contact is made in the 60s during China's Cultural Revolution and the aliens say that because their world is dying, they are coming to invade and colonize Earth. They don't have FTL travel though, so we follow the centuries of people trying to find ways out of or cope with humanity's expiration date

15. Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them?

I don't really follow any of the awards stuff, so there could be more, but as far as I know The Sentence by Louise Erdrich was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize and Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D Jackson won the Coretta Scott King and John Steptoe New Talent Award. I liked both of them but neither really blew me away. I gave both of them 4 stars. The Sentence is about a bookshop owner dealing with the tumult of 2020 while also dealing with the ghost of her most annoying customer still coming in. Monday's Not Coming is a mystery about a teenager girl who's best friend goes missing but she can't get any adults to care or look into it

16. What is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim. I had heard so many good things about it, but it was so ableist I had to DNF. It follows the courtroom drama after a miracle cure for everything from infertility to autism goes wrong and a fire breaks out and kills two people. Maybe if I had finished it the narrative would've ended up condemning the ableism, but I couldn't stand it

[105nt]

Well. Won't that be something. 😭

[bookquotenet]

A story of queer love and working-class families, Young Mungo is the brilliant second novel from the Booker Prize-winning author of Shuggie Bain

Douglas Stuart’s first novel Shuggie Bain, winner of the 2020 Booker Prize, is one of the most successful literary debuts of the century so far. Published or forthcoming in forty territories, it has sold more than one million copies worldwide. Now Stuart returns with Young Mungo, his extraordinary second novel. Both a page-turner and literary tour de force, it is a vivid portrayal of working-class life and a deeply moving and highly suspenseful story of the dangerous first love of two young men.

Growing up in a housing estate in Glasgow, Mungo and James are born under different stars—Mungo a Protestant and James a Catholic—and they should be sworn enemies if they’re to be seen as men at all. Yet against all odds, they become best friends as they find a sanctuary in the pigeon dovecote that James has built for his prize racing birds. As they fall in love, they dream of finding somewhere they belong, while Mungo works hard to hide his true self from all those around him, especially from his big brother Hamish, a local gang leader with a brutal reputation to uphold. And when several months later Mungo’s mother sends him on a fishing trip to a loch in Western Scotland with two strange men whose drunken banter belies murky pasts, he will need to summon all his inner strength and courage to try to get back to a place of safety, a place where he and James might still have a future.

Imbuing the everyday world of its characters with rich lyricism and giving full voice to people rarely acknowledged in the literary world, Young Mungo is a gripping and revealing story about the bounds of masculinity, the divisions of sectarianism, the violence faced by many queer people, and the dangers of loving someone too much.

[pagebypagereviews]

30 Top Novels of the Last Ten Years The last decade has been a golden era for literature, with a diverse range of voices and stories coming to the forefront. From groundbreaking debuts to stunning works by established authors, the literary world has been treated to an array of novels that have captured the imagination of readers worldwide. This article delves into 30 of the top novels from the last ten years, exploring their themes, impact, and the reasons behind their acclaim. The Power of Storytelling: A Decade in Review The past ten years have seen significant shifts in the literary landscape, with novels tackling complex issues such as identity, politics, and the human condition. These stories have not only entertained but also challenged readers to see the world from different perspectives. The rise of digital platforms and social media has also played a crucial role in promoting diverse voices, allowing for a more inclusive and global literary conversation. Exploring the Top 30 Novels Compiling a list of the top novels from the last decade is no small feat, given the sheer volume of quality literature produced. However, by considering critical acclaim, reader reviews, and cultural impact, we've curated a selection of 30 novels that stand out for their originality, storytelling prowess, and contribution to contemporary literature. Groundbreaking Debuts and Literary Triumphs "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern (2011) - A magical duel between two young illusionists sets the stage for this enchanting debut. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn (2012) - This thriller redefined the genre with its twisty plot and complex portrayal of marriage. "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt (2013) - A Pulitzer Prize winner that combines exquisite prose with a compelling narrative about art and loss. "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2013) - A powerful exploration of race, identity, and love across continents. "The Martian" by Andy Weir (2014) - A gripping survival story set on Mars, showcasing human ingenuity and resilience. "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr (2014) - A beautifully written tale of two lives intertwined during World War II. "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanagihara (2015) - An emotionally intense story about friendship and trauma that has sparked much debate. "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead (2016) - An imaginative reenvisioning of the historical Underground Railroad as an actual railway system. "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi (2016) - A sweeping narrative that traces the lineage of two sisters and their descendants across continents and generations. "Lincoln in the Bardo" by George Saunders (2017) - A unique blend of historical fiction and supernatural elements, exploring themes of grief and redemption. Continuing the Literary Legacy "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng (2017) - A thought-provoking look at race, class, and motherhood in suburban America. "Normal People" by Sally Rooney (2018) - A nuanced portrayal of young love and the complexities of social class in Ireland. "Circe" by Madeline Miller (2018) - A feminist retelling of the life of the Greek goddess Circe, filled with magic and mythology. "The Testaments" by Margaret Atwood (2019) - The long-awaited sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale," exploring the dystopian world of Gilead from new perspectives. "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens (2018) - A mesmerizing mystery and coming-of-age novel set in the North Carolina marshes. "The Water Dancer" by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2019) - A profound tale of slavery and supernatural redemption in the antebellum South. "Girl, Woman, Other" by Bernardine Evaristo (2019) - A vibrant tapestry of black womanhood in modern Britain, co-winner of the Booker Prize. "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett (2020) - A compelling exploration of race, identity, and family through the lives of twin sisters. "Hamnet" by Maggie O'Farrell (2020) - A heartrending account of the life and death of Shakespeare's son, Hamnet, and its impact on his work.

"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig (2020) - A thought-provoking novel about life's possibilities and the choices that define us. Emerging Voices and New Perspectives "Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) - A poignant look at love and humanity through the eyes of an artificial intelligence. "The Prophets" by Robert Jones, Jr. (2021) - A powerful debut that reimagines the lives of two enslaved men in love on a Deep South plantation. "Detransition, Baby" by Torrey Peters (2021) - A bold and insightful exploration of gender, parenthood, and identity. "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir (2021) - A thrilling space adventure that captures the spirit of human exploration and survival. "Beautiful World, Where Are You" by Sally Rooney (2021) - A reflective novel about the complexities of friendship, love, and the search for meaning in contemporary life. "The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles (2021) - A captivating journey across 1950s America, exploring themes of freedom and destiny. "Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Anthony Doerr (2021) - An ambitious and sprawling tale that connects past, present, and future through the power of storytelling. "Harlem Shuffle" by Colson Whitehead (2021) - A crime novel set in 1960s Harlem, blending humor, social commentary, and noir. "Matrix" by Lauren Groff (2021) - A visionary reimagining of the life of Marie de France, exploring themes of power and creativity. "The Love

[santosh]

Love And Other Thought Experiments

There are several books that are often categorized as ‘genre-bending,’ but this one should be the gold standard to judge whether the term has been justifiably applied to a book. “Love and Other Thought Experiments” by Sophie Ward was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2020, which is how it made a place in my reading list. This debut novel by Sophie Ward is a humane and beautifully crafted exploration of some painfully intriguing philosophical questions, a glimpse of the dystopian future of our planet, and a vivid landscape of human relationships. Personally, this is a novel that requires faith in the author’s capability (and the judgment of the Booker Prize jury), and once you are about halfway through the novel, it shows that your faith has been paid back.

The story starts with a couple, Rachel and Eliza, planning a baby, but Rachel believes that an ant has crawled into her mind. She is not sure if Eliza believes this, but she is sure that the ant is there inside her. Despite her apprehensions and trust issues with Rachel (that she does not believe that there is an ant inside her brain), they have a child, Arthur… and you get immersed into their life thanks to Sophie Ward’s evocative writing. But this book is not any typical fiction book as the story soon meanders into different timelines, parallel universes, dystopian sci-fi, and on the way makes us go through some of the most popular philosophical thought experiments.

Each chapter starts with a thought experiment and takes the story forward, but you never feel lost. There are some pleasant surprises as the ant and an AI also become narrators, taking the story forward. The author’s deep understanding of human emotions, relationships, and philosophy (she is an actress and holds a PhD where her research explored “thought experiments in philosophy of mind and the use of narrative in philosophy, looking at issues of consciousness and AI, and the meeting between literature and philosophy”) shines in her prose and the plot.

Personally, I really liked the integration of the ‘thought experiments’ in the plot, and it was quite rewarding to put down the book after reading a chapter and think about the connections between the thought experiments and the chapter. The following are the thought experiments/philosophical puzzles that are presented in the book:

Pascal’s Wager: One of the most popular thought experiments where Pascal argues that we should believe in the existence of God even though there is no proof.

Prisoner’s Dilemma: The famous game theory thought experiment that explains why we might not cooperate with each other even when it is the best option for us.

“What Is It Like to Be a Bat?”: Nagel presented a thought experiment on the concept of consciousness in this essay. He argues that we can know all about a bat’s brain and behavior, but we will not figure out what it is like to be a bat.

David Chalmers – Philosophical Zombies: The concept that there is more to mind than brain. The philosophical zombies can be exactly the same as humans but will not have conscious experience.

“What Mary Didn’t Know” – This thought experiment by Frank Jackson explores the nature of knowledge and subjective experience.

The Chinese Room – This John Searle‘s thought experiment emphasizes that a computer can never truly understand the language and comprehend like us. Searle imagines that he is in a room full of Chinese symbols where he can rearrange and manipulate the Chinese symbols, but he does not understand them. Similarly, computers can perform the task without understanding what they are doing.

Twin Earth – Hilary Putnam imagines two identical Earths. These two planets are identical in every way except that the other Earth has no water. It has something similar to water superficially but has a different chemical composition. This thought experiment explores semantic externalism and the concept of ‘meaning.’

Plutarch’s Life of Theseus – If you replace each part of a ship one by one over time, is it a new ship or the same ship? This is the thought experiment and paradox about an object whether the object remains the same if all parts of objects are replaced one by one.

Descartes’ Demon – The famous line ‘I think, therefore I am’ is the result of this thought experiment. Descartes concluded that even if a demon could deceive him about everything and control all his senses and how he perceives the world, the demon could not make him doubt his existence as a thinking being.

Gilbert Harman’s Brain in a Vat – If we connect a living and functional brain (increasingly possible with the success of Neuralink) with a computer and simulate the external world, will we ever know the reality?

Overall, a great book for anyone looking to explore beyond the usual.

[easternpine]

on debut novels and Shuggie Bain

I am about a quarter of the way through Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart. First, let me say that this book is unceasingly dismal. There isn't a shred of hope in it so far. But as a portrayal of 1980s Thatcher era working class Glasgow, it reads as a faithful account of the time. I have seen a comment or two about this book being "trauma porn", but it doesn't read that way to me. It reads as someone who has lived this stuff, and Stuart did live it, according to his various bios. There is an authenticity of place and experience, (the Glasgow patter leaping off the page doesn't hurt either) and the characters never read as completely good or bad, only broken. A similar book, Demon Copperhead, read more like trauma porn than this novel. Not a dig at that book, which I also liked, just a comparison.

Anyway, I was shocked to learn that this was Douglas Stuart's debut novel. He was 44 at the time it came out, and he'd been rejected by 30+ publishers in the process. They'd heaped on tons of praise, but didn't know how they would "market" it. While not a surprise to me at all considering modern publishing, it is still shocking when I consider the quality of the novel. He finally managed to have it published by an independent press and went on to win the 2020 Booker Prize. WITH A DEBUT NOVEL. One of only a handful of debuts that have won that award since its inception. I understand the general forces that drive who gets precious shelf space and who doesn't, but when I consider how much wonderful writing must get passed over, it makes me sad. It makes me sad for writers, it makes me sad for readers, and it makes me sad for art.

[otherpplnation]

915. Alejandro Zambra and Megan McDowell

Alejandro Zambra is the author of the story collection My Documents, available from Penguin Books. Official April pick of the Otherppl Book Club.

Megan McDowell is the book's translator.

Zambra is the author of ten books, most recently Chilean Poet and Multiple Choice. The recipient of numerous literary prizes, as well as a New York Public Library Cullman Center fellowship, he has published fiction and essays in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Harper's Magazine, among other publications. He lives in Mexico City.

McDowell  is the winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Translation and the recipient of a 2020 Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, among other awards. She has been nominated four times for the International Booker Prize.

***

Otherppl with Brad Listi is a weekly literary podcast featuring in-depth interviews with today's leading writers.

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  www.otherppl.com

[ginalyngarcia]

TRUE NARRATIVE

A true narrative essay is a true story, with plot, action, suspense characters and setting which delivers a theme (a lesson observed). The events in your essay represent the facts.

TESTIMONIES

Narrative trend: the so-called “testimonial narrative.” In these books, a writer interviews a person from a marginal social group and transcribes the result in the first person.

EXAMPLES:

•short stories, novels, biographies, memoirs, travelogues, non-fiction, plays, history, sculptures.

-Films and TV shows

-Novels and plays

-Graphic novels and comic books

-Video games

-Journalism and essays

-History accounts

-Biographies and memoirs

-Myths and legends

-Religious texts

-Podcasts

-Stories around the campfire

MINI CRITIQUE

INTRODUCTION

TITLE:

•If I Survive You

AUTHOR:

•Jonathan Escoffery is an American writer. His debut novel, If I Survive You, was longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award for Fiction and shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, among other honors. The novel was well received by critics with reviews applauding Escoffery's humor, narrative style and exploration of identity in the immigrant experience.His debut, If I Survive You, announces Jonathan Escoffery as a skilled chronicler of American life at its most gruesome and hopeful.Jonathan Escoffery is the recipient of the Paris Review’s 2020 Plimpton Prize for Fiction, a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, and the 2020 ASME Award for Fiction. His fiction has appeared in the Paris Review, American Short Fiction and Electric Literature, and has been anthologised in The Best American Magazine Writing.

He received his MFA from the University of Minnesota, is a PhD fellow in the University of Southern California’s PhD in Creative Writing and Literature Program, and in 2021 was awarded a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in the Creative Writing Program at Stanford University. His debut, If I Survive You, is shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023.

THESIS STATEMENT

•In the 1970s, Topper and Sanya flee to Miami as political violence consumes their native Kingston. But America, as the couple and their two children learn, is far from the promised land. Excluded from society as Black immigrants, the family pushes on through Hurricane Andrew and later the 2008 recession, living in a house so cursed that the pet fish launches itself out of its own tank rather than stay. But even as things fall apart, the family remains motivated, often to its own detriment, by what their younger son, Trelawny, calls "the exquisite, racking compulsion to survive."

SUMMARY

•A major debut, blazing with style and heart, that follows a Jamaican family striving for more in Miami, and introduces a generational storyteller.

In the 1970s, Topper and Sanya flee to Miami as political violence consumes their native Kingston. But America, as the couple and their two children learn, is far from the promised land. Excluded from society as Black immigrants, the family pushes on through Hurricane Andrew and later the 2008 recession, living in a house so cursed that the pet fish launches itself out of its own tank rather than stay. But even as things fall apart, the family remains motivated, often to its own detriment, by what their younger son, Trelawny, calls "the exquisite, racking compulsion to survive."

Masterfully constructed with heart and humor, the linked stories in Jonathan Escoffery's If I Survive You center on Trelawny as he struggles to carve out a place for himself amid financial disaster, racism, and flat-out bad luck. After a fight with Topper―himself reckoning with his failures as a parent and his longing for Jamaica―Trelawny claws his way out of homelessness through a series of odd, often hilarious jobs. Meanwhile, his brother, Delano, attempts a disastrous cash grab to get his kids back, and his cousin, Cukie, looks for a father who doesn't want to be found. As each character searches for a foothold, they never forget the profound danger of climbing without a safety net.

Pulsing with vibrant lyricism and inimitable style, sly commentary and contagious laughter, Escoffery's debut unravels what it means to be in between homes and cultures in a world at the mercy of capitalism and whiteness. With If I Survive You, Escoffery announces himself as a prodigious storyteller in a class of his own, a chronicler of American life at its most gruesome and hopeful.

EVALUATION

•Jonathan Escoffery's 'If I Survive You' offers a poignant exploration of love, loss, and resilience through the lens of a complex relationship. The story's evaluation could highlight Escoffery's masterful character development, particularly in portraying the intricate dynamics between the protagonists. Escoffery's prose skillfully navigates themes of trauma and healing, inviting readers to reflect on the impact of past experiences on present relationships. The narrative's structure effectively builds tension and emotional depth, drawing readers into the characters' journeys. Overall, 'If I Survive You' stands as a powerful testament to the enduring nature of love and the human capacity for survival.

CONCLUSION

•I agree with the writer of this story because the story shows what the hero's experience is and how he solved each problem, then the readers can learn many lessons from it. This also provides a way for others to understand the every situation or how or what should be done. We all have different experiences in life so the writer measured it in order to share and show what is happening or the experience of the protagonist in the story.

[adrenalinezetaax]

My Favorite Discoveries of 2023

Rough Magic by Roomful of Teeth (New Amsterdam Records, 2023)

Roomful of Teeth is an ensemble that focuses on extended vocal techniques, and Rough Magic is their fourth album. It includes a new composition from Caroline Shaw titled The Isle that draws its lyrics from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, as well as contributions from the ensemble’s other recurring collaborators. William Brittelle’s Psychedelics, which opens the album, just received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

The ensemble’s debut album of the same name ranks among my most played records and includes a recording of my favorite piece of contemporary music, Shaw’s Partita for 8 Voices. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2013 and is an intense, visceral work that evokes a primal, almost physical urge to sing: Shaw takes an encyclopedic range of vocal techniques, stripping away any connotation of musical genre (including the instruments themselves!) and scaffolds them in these lively neoclassical dances. The piece is nothing short of a celebration of the human voice itself and sounds just as timeless.

The Centre is Everywhere by Manchester Collective (Bedroom Community, 2021)

The debut album from Manchester Collective presents the music of three very different composers spread across the twentieth century. The first two, Arnold Schönberg and Philip Glass, have become synonymous with their respective movements: serialism and minimalism. The third, Edmund Finnis, is a much newer British composer who belongs to the post-minimalist style and has earned praise from colleague Oliver Coates (who is probably best known for the Aftersun soundtrack). Like several of his compositions, the titular piece weaves together repetitive musical phrases to induce a vertiginous, exhilarating feeling of spinning through the air. The record was released by Bedroom Community, an Icelandic label that blurs the line between classical and more popular forms of music.

The Impossible Art by Matthew Aucoin (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023)

Matthew Aucoin is something of a rising star in the classical world. He won a MacArthur “Genius” Grant in 2018 and has earned commissions from several prestigious opera companies. He is also a contributor to the New York Review of Books, and his talent is clear from his writing on music and poetry. His newest opera, Eurydice, was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and premiered with the Los Angeles Opera in 2020, and this book reflects on his process of writing the opera with the playwright Sarah Ruhl. It also covers several other topics, from Verdi’s operatic Shakespeare adaptations to the poetry of Walt Whitman to Radiohead lyrics. Some of these essays repeat material from his NYRB articles, but even when I’m unconvinced by his conclusions, I often come away with greater insight into the art forms he discusses.

No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood (Riverhead Books, 2021)

The premise of Lockwood’s novel is ostensibly a family tragedy that befalls a woman famous for her viral social media posts, but the novel's narrative description belies its inventive style. The plot has minimal action and mixes stream of consciousness with fragmented, epigrammatic prose that resembles how people talk on the internet, like if Virginia Woolf owned a Twitter account. The telegraphic prose and sarcastic humor occasionally feel skewed towards punchline cleverness, but their cumulative effect yields a fascinating meditation how technology mediates our experience of the world and even our selves. A finalist for the 2021 Booker Prize.

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen (New York Review Books, 2021)

The Netanyahus won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction last year and is based on an anecdotal encounter between Harold Bloom and the family of Benzion Netanyahu, the father of the current Israeli prime minister. It follows a college professor tasked with vetting a recruit for his history department and mixes discussions of politics with postmodern irreverence. Cohen’s The Book of Numbers was praised by Bloom himself as one of the “best books by Jewish writers in America,” and he capably renders the personalities and milieu of his characters in his latest endeavor. The midcentury dysfunctional family in Cohen’s novel is a staple of contemporary American literary fiction, but he elevates it with a pointed examination of the relationship between history and national identity that feels especially timely. The novel’s concision must be noted; Cohen’s third novel, Witz, has 824 pages, whereas The Netanyahus has only 248.

The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer (A24, 2023)

The Zone of Interest is an adaptation of the Martin Amis novel and is Jonathan Glazer’s first film in a decade. Under the Skin, which was released in 2013, contains images I’ve been unable to shake from my head since seeing them.

While set in Auschwitz during the Holocaust, most of the plot is confined to the property of Nazi commander Rudolf Höss and his wife, Hedwig. The film follows the couple as they attend to the quotidian tasks of running a household while the camp’s horrors unfold off-screen. It stars Christian Friedel (from The White Ribbon) as Rudolf and Sandra Hüller (of Toni Erdmann fame) as Hedwig, expanding the hidden camera conceit of Under the Skin��to an entire house by capturing their performances with multiple cameras as the actors move around the set.

The Holocaust is one of the most narrated episodes of the twentieth century, and it has become so burdened by cliché that it takes effort to dispose of them. (Michael Haneke has been especially critical in interviews of Hollywood’s tendency to sensationalize it.) However, Glazer subverts this trend by deliberately avoiding direct depictions of its atrocities. By relying on sound design to tell the story, he subtly indicts viewers who want to see more. The film also showcases striking digital cinematography, which is draped in a crisp pallor that thrusts historical events into the cold light of the present.

My friend and I were lucky enough to attend the premiere earlier this year after waiting all day in the rush line at Cannes. Despite its brevity (only an hour and 45 minutes), Zone ultimately won Grand Prix at the festival, a distinction Amis would not live to see, as he sadly died the day after the premiere.

The Human Surge 3 by Eduardo Williams (Grasshopper Films, 2023)

Not much happens in Williams’s film, which mostly follows a group of peripatetic young people as they drift through cities in Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Peru. The experimental documentary was shot using 360-degree cameras and then converted into 2D, with the framing determined by Williams’s head movements as he watched the footage through a VR headset. This choice renders its subjects slightly unreal, almost like watching a playthrough of a sandbox video game. The film premiered to acclaim at Locarno and was recently picked up by Grasshopper Films, which also distributed Williams’s The Human Surge (there is no Human Surge 2). I was lucky to attend a Q&A with the director when it premiered at Locarno, and my question and Williams’s response can be heard in this video around 27:54.

Yeast by Mary Bronstein (Frownland, Inc, 2008)

The first and only film so far by Mary Bronstein premiered in 2009 and was unavailable to watch for many years until Le Cinema Club screened it on their website earlier this spring. It was shot on MiniDV and has a scene where Greta Gerwig throws rocks at the Safdie brothers, and it bears a superficial resemblance to mumblecore films produced around the same time. Mary’s husband is Ronald Bronstein, the director of Frownland and a frequent collaborator of the Safdies, and his editing lends Gerwig’s abrasive performance a chaotic touch that makes for uniquely stressful experience. Bronstein’s second feature, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, is reportedly in development with A24.

Acting Class by Nick Drnaso (Drawn & Quarterly, 2022)

I first encountered Nick Drnaso’s work a few years ago when Sabrina was longlisted in 2018 for the Booker Prize — becoming the first graphic novel to do so. Sabrina is his second published book, the first being the short story collection Beverly, which was published in 2016.

In Acting Class, he expands his cast to a larger ensemble of characters, a group of strangers who fall under the sway of a charismatic self-help guru. They are each troubled in their own way and are drawn to his acting class in search of personal growth, only to become further entrenched in their delusions. It’s rumored that a film adaptation is currently in development with Ari Aster attached as the director, which is surprising given that I find his filmmaking style quite the opposite of the one that I feel is demanded from Drnaso’s graphic novel.

Drnaso draws in an inexpressive, deadpan style that uses solid outlines and flat colors reminiscent of the artwork found in airplane emergency manuals. What I love about his drawings is that they withhold more than they reveal: at first they appear crude and a bit prosaic, but they undertake a menacing quality as the narrative grows more violent. By eliding information, Drnaso implicates readers in the story’s action. His stories often feature characters whose true psychological states are illegible, and they have a sterility that reminds me a bit of the films of Michael Haneke. In Sabrina, he complements this austere visual style with a ferocious sense of dramatic escalation, and it instantly became one of my favorite works of graphic fiction.

Crashing by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Big Talk Productions, 2016)

I’ve written before about how much I love Fleabag, which is one of the few shows I enjoyed while it was still popular. Many sitcoms structure each episode around a single joke that’s developed over the entire runtime, whereas Fleabag pivots it in unpredictable directions. I felt as if I were witnessing something new in television, like I was watching The Simpsons for the first time. However, unlike The Simpsons, Fleabag made the right choice to end at the peak of its ratings, preserving its reputation as a near-perfect TV show.

Sadly, that means we get to see less of Waller-Bridge on TV. Luckily, we’ve got Crashing, her first TV show, which was broadcast in 2016 right before Fleabag. It follows a group of twenty-somethings who live in an abandoned hospital as property guardians—people who are allowed to reside cheaply in unoccupied buildings to keep out squatters. Only one season was produced, and it was quickly overshadowed by Fleabag’s success, which is unfortunate because it’s almost just as funny and has among its cast members Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey in an unhinged early role.

[joysmercer]

1, 2, 15, 16!

how many books did you read this year?

38, according to goodreads 🤯 (emoji because i read like a total of 30 books from 2020-2022) (but the 38 also includes a ridic amount of rereads lol)

2. did you reread anything? if so, what?

thg and pjo were the big ones (i also reread bits and pieces of each hoo book lol). also to further the "books i loved in 8th grade" kick i seemed to be on, i also reread VIII (HM castor), she-wolves (helen castor), and in a heartbeat (loretta ellsworth). and pride and prejudice, a classic :)

15. did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women’s Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them

not this year, i don't think! besides like nyt bestsellers lol

16. what is the most over-hyped book you read this year?

beach read (which was all over booktok, and that explains that)

end of year book asks

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Thursday, 7th December

Welcome, velkommen, tervetuloa, vitajte 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 7th December through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

7th December 2020 🗓️ : Death - Chuck Yeager Chuck Yeager, American aviator (b. 1923) "Brigadier General Charles Elwood Yeager ( YAY-gər, February 13, 1923 – December 7, 2020) was a United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in October 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight. Yeager was..."

Image by United States Air Force

7th December 2017 🗓️ : Death - Steve Reevis Steve Reevis, Native American actor (b. 1962) "Steven Reevis (August 14, 1962 – December 7, 2017) was a Native American (Blackfeet) actor, known for his roles in the films Fargo, Last of the Dogmen, and Dances with Wolves...."

7th December 2013 🗓️ : Death - Édouard Molinaro Édouard Molinaro, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1928) "Édouard Molinaro (13 May 1928 – 7 December 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter...."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Georges Biard

7th December 1973 🗓️ : Birth - İbrahim Kutluay İbrahim Kutluay, Turkish basketball player "İbrahim Kutluay (born January 7, 1974) is a former Turkish professional basketball player who has been a manager and pundit since his retirement. He played the shooting guard position, and in his prime, was one of the most prolific 3-point shooters worldwide. He scored a record 50 points at the..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Sakhalinio

7th December 1923 🗓️ : Birth - Intizar Hussain Intizar Hussain, Indian-Pakistani author and scholar (d. 2016) "Intizar Hussain or Intezar Hussain (Urdu: انتظار حسین; 21 December 1925 – 2 February 2016) was a Pakistani writer of Urdu novels, short stories, poetry and nonfiction. He is widely recognised as a leading literary figure of Pakistan.He was among the finalists of the Man Booker Prize in 2013...."

7th December 1823 🗓️ : Birth - Leopold Kronecker Leopold Kronecker, Polish-German mathematician and academic (d. 1891) "Leopold Kronecker (German: [ˈkʁoːnɛkɐ]; 7 December 1823 – 29 December 1891) was a German mathematician who worked on number theory, algebra and logic. He criticized Georg Cantor's work on set theory, and was quoted by Weber (1893) as having said, "Die ganzen Zahlen hat der liebe Gott gemacht, alles..."

Image by Unknown authorUnknown author

7th December 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Ambrose "Ambrose of Milan (Latin: Aurelius Ambrosius; c. 339 – 4 April 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose, was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promoting Roman Christianity against Arianism and paganism. He..."

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