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My favorite novel of the last year. Once begun, this one is impossible to put down yet you will want it to go on and on. It's about love, sex, family, fame, identity and yes, pain. With an ending so transcendent and full of hope it made me cry.
Feb 17, 2023
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A really unique perspective on the fluidity of pain (primarily in relation to chronic illness) and navigating the shifting mindset to cope with the pain.
Also a really interesting take on āfriends for certain activitiesā - a friend you go to gigs with vs the friend you go for a morning jog with. How these friendships change us.
A fantastic quick read!
Apr 15, 2024
I mean first of all look at that cover.
But second third fourth fifth sixth seventh and beyond -
I have never read a book like this. Heady, tender, animated, fascinating, deeply sad, a strange hodge podge of fonversation and dreamlike occurrence.
For anyone who needs to be reminded that itās ok to be in chronic pain - especially chronic physical pain - and your way of coping is a heroic act. It is a part of you. Also hates on the ultra rich atheistic establishment in a way that rocks.
This writer is so brilliant. Weāre lucky to have her.
Mar 12, 2024
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My favorite read of 2024. Ive always been a fan of Miranda July and this novel is quintessentially her: tender, funny, weird, perverted and so in her own head.
one of my favorite excerpts:
"But to be clear, I had not, at any age, desired a specific male body in the way I did now. While all my boyfriends and crushes had been reasonably good-looking, my attraction hovered up near their face, where they kept their talent and power. Lusting for the whole length of a person, head to toe, was what body-rooted fuckers did, Jordi, and men. Now, for the first time, I understood what all the fuss was about. How something beautiful could strike your heart, move you, bring you down on your knees and then, somewhat perversely, you wanted to fuck that pure, beautiful thing. Sex was a way to have it, to not just look at it but to be with it. I suddenly understood all of classical art. The endless carved nudes, Venus in her shell, David. And sexy clothes. I had worn them without really understanding why, thinking of sexy as one of many styles, not realizing it was the only style. You should always be emerging from a shell if possible. Without knowing it, without really understanding it, I had been a body for other people but I had not gotten to have one myself. I had not participated in the infuriating pleasure of wanting a real and specific body on Earth. I lay in the center of the bed, unblinking. Wanting a body had a seriousness to it. When you said you might never recover, you really meant it. This kind of desire made a wound you just had to carry with you for the rest of your life. But this was still better than never knowing. Or I hoped it was. Because in truth it was like a bad dream, a nightmare. Life didnāt just get better and better. You could actually miss out on something and that was that. That was your chance and now it was over. I wondered if I would continue with my work and then I realized that my work was all I had now. I had gotten it completely wrongāI thought I was laboring toward a prize, but the prize was right there, I already had it, and work was something I could do afterward, after I was no longer young enough to be beautiful and could no longer be wanted by someone beautiful."
Jan 29, 2025
Top Recs from @michael-imperioli
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I have found some of these creatures to be as noble and true as many human beings.
Feb 17, 2023
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This rather obscure 1969 b-side would later become a huge hit in 1971 when it was recorded by The Carpenters with some of its risque lyrics (as well as its title) changed. Written by the great Leon Russel and Bonnie Bramlett and featuring Clapton himself on guitar, this song moves and haunts me everytime I hear it. One of the great melodies in rock history.
Feb 17, 2023
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Do not watch this film if you are depressed, sad or melancholy becauseĀ it will severely compound those feelings. But if you want to see how a genius filmmaker can create spectacular moods and atmospheresĀ of real despair and pathos then this film is for you. It's a visceral experience and a challenging one at that...more like a cinematic occult ritual. Take particular note of Volker Spengler's fearlessĀ performance and also the "Frankie Teardrop" scene for an example of what I mean about creating a sensory poem of anguish using sound and visions.
Feb 17, 2023