Welcome to Litsy!

“If it's really true that singing and writing can transgress the borders between the real world and someplace else, then there's no point in wrapping it all up in convention and corsets. Why should you not question, not doubt or go forth in chaos, not scream or bark or howl? You have to open up to the strange. You have to say something new.“

With its rebellious, nervy energy, this compelling horror novel reminds me of the work of Kathy Acker.

The author's feminist analysis is extremely 101-level and white, which would be less of a problem for me in this context if the book wasn't riddled with seemingly extratextual paragraph asides on it. I'm too bored and irritated to finish.

I wish either the story was less abstract, or the protagonist's intellectual journey was rendered in less vague terms. So far there's very little to capture my interest here, and it sucks to get off work and the book I'm reading continue to be such a drag.

"It‘s 1990, and I‘m the Gloomiest Child Queen."
Today in notable first sentences.

A crazy experimental novel that blends time-travel/horror/feminist theory into a book packed with witches, artists and black metal. Maybe I read this at the wrong or didn‘t dedicate enough time to unpacking it, but I didn‘t enjoy this as much as I was expecting to: it sounded exactly like the sort of fiction that I am normally thrilled for. Definitely want to check out Hval‘s other work.

(Yes, this is a print and not the actual book 😂)

One of my black Friday orders came in. I can't wait to read Jenny Hval's new book! I loved Paradise Rot.

#bookhaul #versobooks #bookmail

At times I was mesmerized and completely sucked into this bizarre and unsettling novel. So much about this was exploratory. The style, the writing, even the themes are a radical blend of feminism, horror, art, gender and queerness. The translation is excellently done. If you enjoy something unexpected and foreign I definitely recommend checking this one out. #bookreview #bookstagram