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Drifts
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
9 posts | 7 read | 18 to read
A restlessly brilliant novel of creative crisis and transformation Beguiling and compulsively readable, Drifts is an intimate portrait of reading, writing, and creative obsession. At work on a novel that is overdue to her publisher, spending long days alone with her restless terrier, corresponding ardently with fellow writers, the novel's narrator grows obsessed with the challenge of writing the present tense, of capturing time itself. Entranced by the work of Rilke, Drer, Chantal Akerman, and others, she photographs the residents and strays of her neighborhood, haunts bookstores and galleries, and records her thoughts in a yellow notebook that soon subsumes her work on the novel. As winter closes in, a series of disturbancesthe appearances and disappearances of enigmatic figures, the burglary of her apartmentleaves her distracted and uncertain . . . until an intense and tender disruption changes everything. A story of artistic ambition, personal crisis, and the possibilities and failures of literature, Drifts is a dramatic step forward for one of our most daring writers.
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review
BekaReid
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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Pickpick

This book had such a strong start, and I was sure it was going to be a top read for me this year. But Part 2 fell flat for me. It felt more rushed. Overall it's still a solid pick that both inspired me and sent me on tangents with references to other writers and art.
(Image from the book 😺)

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BekaReid
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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I'm enjoying meandering through Kate Zambreno's writing. I have so many one-liners highlighted.

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RebeccaH
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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I‘m starting a new venture: a newsletter on Substack devoted to charting my reading life with a focus on independent press books and translations. Subscribe here if interested! https://readingindie.substack.com

batsy Sounds great! Just signed up :) 4y
RebeccaH Thank you so much @batsy!!! 4y
Nute You mentioned three descriptions that I love: ‘independent‘ presses, ‘weird‘ nonfiction and ‘translated‘ books. Signing up immediately!🙂 4y
RebeccaH Wonderful, thank you @Nute!! 4y
16 likes4 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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Pickpick

A novel about a novelist writing a novel that reads like an inner monologue. Beautiful writing. No plot to speak of, and very navel gazing. I‘m not sure I would have liked this as much as I do if I weren‘t in my house and my head all the time! But, as it is, I adored this one. Great pandemic reading. #ARC #Edelweiss

keithmalek It's a pet peeve of mine how often writers write about writing. I think they're following that hackneyed piece of advice to "write what you know about," but it comes across as boring and self-indulgent. 4y
Hooked_on_books Love that cover! 😍 4y
63 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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merelybookish
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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Pickpick

Autofiction about a woman writer trying to write a book called Drifts. She meditates on her creative process, her teaching, the life of Rainer Maria Rilke, the cats in her neighbourhood, her friendships, her pregnancy, etc. It is languid and meandering. A writerly book and totally my jam!
AND YET!
The white privilege is glaring. I wondered how many BIPOC writers get the time/space to write such a novel. And if anyone would publish it if they did?

batsy Nice review! And a super pertinent question that I have also been thinking about.. 4y
Emilymdxn Great review and very thought-provoking question. There‘s been so much coming out online recently about how publishers treat authors of colour and it‘s clear how much needs to change. Publishers are so desperate to define people of colour‘s work into specific boxes I feel like they would not want to let it be genreless and weird 4y
merelybookish @batsy @Emilymdxn Thank you! It is hard not to think about now, no matter what I read these days (which is a good thing!) Makes me curious to dig deeper into African American lit. I feel the same books appear on all the reading list. 4y
Emilymdxn You're so right @merelybookish - I read an article recently about the current trend for anti racism booklists and how they all recommend the same books. I'm really keen to read deeper stuff leading me to a wider range of books than Beloved and the Color Purple (fantastic books, but there's so much more to read!) 4y
kspenmoll Live your review and thoughtful processing. 4y
63 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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RebeccaH
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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Pickpick

My god did I love this book, so much. Just brilliant.

catiewithac STACKED! 4y
11 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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RebeccaH
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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I decided to post on my blog again after over a year of ignoring it: https://ofbooksandbikes.com

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RebeccaH
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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20 pages or so into this, I know it is very much my thing.

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Liberty
Drifts: A Novel | Kate Zambreno
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! My favorite part of being awake at midnight is cracking open a brand new book when the clock strikes twelve. This year I chose the Kate Zambreno novel coming in May to be my first book of 2020, because her writing is incendiary and inspired, and floors me over and over again, and that‘s what I want from my new year, too. 🎉📚❤️

Bookzombie Happy New Year! 🎆 🎉🥂 5y
CarolynM Happy New Year! 5y
batsy Oooh, I'm so excited for this one! 5y
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Texreader Happy new year!! 🎊🎈 5y
Redwritinghood Happy New Year! 5y
Linsy Love that tradition! Think I‘ll steal it next year 😁 5y
RebeccaH Oh, I‘m starting this and it‘s so good! 5y
92 likes7 stack adds7 comments