In the past two years, only a handful of newly published literary novels have grabbed my attention. The latest, My Sister's Continent: A Novel by Gina Frangello (Portland: Chiasmus Press, 2005), thoroughly enchanted me. Why?
First, here are some of the others I've enjoyed reading and pondering: Zoe Heller, What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal: A Novel (2003); T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Inner Circle: A Novel (2004); Mary Gaitskill, Veronica (2005); and, as supplemental reading, Hitomi Kanehara, Snakes and Earrings / Hebi ni piasu, translated by David Karashima (2005) and Marcy Dermansky, Twins: A Novel (2005).
What do they all have in common? All are entertaining and well written; more interestingly, they all explore identity, social boundaries and existential choices with vigor and excitement. They uniformly tread where many fear to go -- into unconventional (and often taboo) social interactions and notions of self. Indeed, they all delve into edgy psycho-sexual relationships (i.e. mature readers preferred) that develop into something deeper.
To compare Frangello's narrative approach in My Sister's Continent with filmmakers, imagine a blend of Woody Allen drama, David Lynch imagery, and character development a la Audrey Wells' Guinevere (1999) and Ingmar Bergman's Persona (1966).
When exploring identity, what could be more intriguing than identical twins? Especially two "women in trouble" who are beautiful and identical in some ways, vastly different in others? Set them (Kirby and Kendra) in the interwined, completely enmeshed milieu of the Braun and Kelsey families, frame them with Freud's "Dora" (Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria, 1905), and set them (mostly) in Chicago, with flashbacks and other time shifts, give the father AIDS, follow several transgressions of the status quo, and there you have it, one gripping psychological journey. My Sister's Continent also reminds me of Sue Kaufman's Diary of a Mad Housewife (1967) -- but from the perspective of Bettina Balser's daughters Sylvie and Liz, in their twenties, and with more elaborated detail.
For more on Chiasmus Press, here's a link to their website.
Today's Rune: The Blank Rune.
Bon voyage!
5 comments:
You're really smart. I love these books.
Another book I'm going to have to chase down. I just wish the libraries and book stores nearby were as diverse as yours seem to be - but this one looks great, so I may have to scour the city for it ^_^
Great writing, keep it up!
Anomaly
I loved Zoe Heller's book, Erik. Creepy that teachers can be so depraved.--AP
Thanks for the comments! You may have to "special order" some of these titles, or go online.
Cheers,
Erik
AP, how about Disgrace, Election, or Blue Angel?
Election is good - and perhaps a bit depraved on his part, yes.
Post a Comment