pickLacey‘s novel makes the reader complicit. The superiority you may feel because *you* don‘t need to know the MC‘s gender, age, or race is short-lived. You‘re still demanding something of them simply by entering their orbit. You want them to open up, to talk, to remember, to bond, to escape, to find home, to find friendship, to find freedom. And, by proxy, you want things of the author, too — like narrative momentum. 👇🏻
monalyisha 1/7: It brings up the meta-question of how an artist can create art *purely* without considering its reception. This novel feels like intentional obstinance and a cry for independence. As Pew sits on Tammy‘s porch, silent, in the dark, she says (and then quietly repeats), “Alright, well, I can‘t make you do nothing… nobody can make you do nothing.” It‘s a novel about freedom, violence, and attention. 7h
monalyisha 2/7: The question is: do we need forgiveness because we have needs? Do our needs fundamentally *harm*? The answer, as always, is nuanced. Want may cause suffering but it also makes meaning. As humans, we help, we better, we improve, we hurt, we harm, we destroy. In short, we impact. The best we can do is be aware and act in accordance with that awareness. 7h
monalyisha 3/7: As soon as you make a choice, you‘re doing violence to its opposite. As soon as you are one thing, you are rejecting another. Lacey writes, “I am only one person, ruined by what I have and have not done.” But that‘s living. We can do important work in breaking binaries but we can‘t avoid making choices. In fact, breaking the binary is freeing *because* it‘s making a choice. 7h
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monalyisha 4/7: Avoidance and disassociation equate to pain *not* freedom. But we cannot choose for other people, we cannot define and limit for them what it is they‘re choosing between, and we cannot demand *when* they choose, or how often they choose and choose again. 7h
monalyisha 5/7: We have to look at others. It‘s part of existing in community. The author asks what our gaze *does.* Explicitly, Lacey asks how many different kinds of respect there are. Implicitly, she asks how many different types of looking there are. And how do the two relate? How can we look at others and at ourselves with kindness? How can we best inhabit our bodies and our minds? 7h
monalyisha 6/7: I‘m not convinced this text will make my list of favorites this year, in terms of style and prose. I almost liked thinking about it more than reading it! But there are moments that will stick with me; Pew staring out at the fireflies, flickering, being then not being, ad infinitum. What I appreciate most is that it gave me plenty to ponder. Interesting and expertly structured. 7h
monalyisha 7/7: I‘d read another book by this author — ironically, to try to pin them down: what is Lacey *about*? Thanks, @billypar, for including this book on your #AuldLangSpine list, and for kicking my brain into high gear in the New Year! 7h
sarahbarnes Great review! I loved this book, the first of hers I read. All her books I‘ve read are very different, but I‘ve really enjoyed each of them. I feel like a theme of her writing could be the fluid nature of identity - that it‘s hard to pin down who someone “is.” 6h
Billypar Great review and exploration of the novel's themes! It was a strange reading experience hopping from one lengthy one-sided conversation to another, and everyone seems to have a slightly different response to the core 'problem' of Pew's inexplicable presence. On one hand, you see their perspective: they're trying to help, not getting a response. Yet, they're also taking the first step towards oppression or violence based on gender or race. 4h
Billypar What you say about people causing harm to others, sometimes inadvertently is spot on. It does seem like when Pew does speak, it's in response to those who try to control them the least. Like they don't consciously know what they want to protect but can sense who may wind up causing them harm. 4h
monalyisha @Billypar That sinister, locked attic staircase. Shivers. 4h
ReadingRachael Fantastic review! 3h
ReadingRachael @Billypar So well put, I agree 💯 3h
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so-so
