A Gay/campy chronicling of daily life in NYC,with individual kernels of human truth. copyright 2011 by The Raving Queen
Friday, October 26, 2018
This Is A First, Darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With Elizabeth Strout's "Anything Is Possible," I now have done something I haven't, in my entire life.
I read a book that I did not realize I had already read.
Always, when I re-read a book, I have a special craving for it, or a need to revisit it, like I did this summer before viewing "Sharp Objects.'
I never would have re-read "Anything Is Possible." But I am happy to say, the book does hold up.
Part of the reason lies in Strout's narrative technique, which is to interconnect characters and their stories. As I hit certain details in this book--a man caught masturbating behind a barn, a sibling visit that turns sour, and results in the traumatized one having to be driven back to the security of the city, where she feels safe, and a sequence, which I cannot interpret as being real or hallucinatory, where a man of means goes backstage after a holiday performance of "A Christmas Carol." to retrieve the stuffed pony his granddaughter left, and converses with the embittered, gay actor, playing Scrooge, prior to the man's passing away--each struck me as familiar. Had I read all this before? Or was I just recalling things referenced in Strout' earlier books--"My Name Is Lucy Barton," and "Oliver Kitteridge"--which have a similar narrative flow?
David kept telling me to check my book lists. I was so mired in the book, fascinated both by the characters, the writing quality, and my own, personal mystery, that I could not be bothered, wanting to see things through, to the end.
Still, once done, I checked my lists, and--lo, and behold!-- I had read the book, in hardback; I recall taking it out of the library, last year in 2017!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Am I losing it, darlings? Let's hope not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But I am telling you--the book holds up! So it is worth reading, even if you haven't already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Or, like me, if you have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment