An Untamed State has just been released and I'm on the reserve list at Seattle Public Library. I've been following Roxane Gay on Twitter for some time. Have you heard of her? She writes a lot, and teaches at an Illinois university, and did I mention she writes a lot? She's smart, articulate and provides a perspective I have not seen before. She always makes me feel smarter, because she's clearly intelligent and I understand what she's writing. You can read an utterly heartbreaking essay about loneliness and love and reality television in yesterday's NY Times here, a pointed criticism of bell hooks criticizing Beyoncé's feminism here, and a spirited defense of unlikeable female protagonists here.
In her new novel, Gay is gathering glowing reviews for her writing, characters and honesty. Mireille is a wealthy Haitian woman who is kidnapped. This is, apparently, kind of business as usual in Haiti -- people are kidnapped; their friends and family pay the ransom; everyone wins. But that doesn't happen for Mireille. Her father refuses to pay and, oh dear. Now it's bad. Privilege and power, wealth and class, how to overcome devastating trauma -- Gay addresses some weighty issues here. It sounds utterly harrowing, and I don't usually do harrowing, but it also sounds too good to miss.
On a lighter note, Rainbow Rowell's fourth book, her second novel for adults, is due out in July. Landline follows a couple having marital trouble -- like who doesn't a few years and couple kids down the line? -- but Georgie may have busted the relationship for good this time. Until she stumbles on an unusual way to communicate with her husband that can maybe make a difference. Rowell's characters are true to life and they have great (and believeable) conversations. The books are funny and wise and sexy. I'm going to click on over to SPL right now and see if it's too early to put Landline on reserve.
What's on your summer reading list?
