Welcome to Litsy!

My second to last #10BeforetheEnd book. I think I might make it!

This was an interesting look at art, capitalism, privilege, racism, etc. A lot of big ideas but Kunzru pulls it off, IMO. Jay was a performance artist who disappeared at the height of his career. Now, delivering groceries during the Covid pandemic, he encounters former friends from his art school days. We flash back to their friendship and then catch up to their uneasy present.

I read this a bit ago and just realized I forgot to review it. Another for #tob25 and I feel meh. A community of Ethiopian immigrants in the US, focused on a young journalist who relocated to Paris and started a family. He returns home and learns about Samuel, his father (maybe??) who made a living by driving. I regret not reviewing this sooner because I‘m struggling to remember much about it, apart from the sense of seeking/loneliness.

@ShyBookOwl Here‘s the “geode” simile done better!

This was a bit hard to follow on audio. It is a bit hard to distinguish what is actually happening from the MC‘s imagination. That said, I‘m still thinking about it, which surprises me and took it from a so-so to low pick.

An Ethiopian immigrant returns to the US from Paris where he has a family. A death causes him to reflect on his childhood, relationships, and his family‘s immigration story. #tob25

This dreamlike book explores an Ethiopian-American man‘s relationship to his family through his life, plus the things kept from him and why. It explores family, identity, race, and hints at mental health. It didn‘t knock my socks off, but it feels like something that might stick for a while. #ToB25

Beautiful writing in this book from the #TobLonglist but a very confusing timeline. It was very difficult to work out if you were in the past, present or future, and who was alive and who wasn‘t.

I guess that‘s the whole point and I gave up trying to figure it out and just went with it, but it still made for a rather confusing read. (As did the MC‘s wife being called Helen in the blurb, but Hannah throughout the book 🤔)

A light pick.

“And just like sugar in milk, we will sweeten your lives with our presence.“

Great message!

A story within a story about welcoming different people into your country (and an immigrant perspective). Due to a language barrier, a king tries to show a group of refugees that his country is full by pouring a glass of milk. The refugees' leader uses a sugar cube (that dissolves in the milk) to show that their presence would make their country sweeter, and not cause issues. Thrity Umrigar, the author, is an Indian-American immigrant.