Well, this book ages really, really poorly. Some spoilers below. It reads exactly like the time it was written (1989): “progressive” enough to include, at least superficially, a cast of characters including a same-sex couple and people of color in mixed-race relationships, as well as treatment of the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse that leans more sympathetic than condemning. However, it’s not exactly “woke” enough to avoid stumbling into some major Don’t Do That’s. Weetzie, pixie bohemian darling protagonist, is signified as being creative and […]
“The beauty of it cannot be understood, either, and when you see beauty in desolation it changes something inside you.”
I’m a sucker for a book that promises to be a mind-bender and has a bunch of people talking about how weird it is. Enter Annihilation, the first book of the Southern Reach trilogy. The series is about Area X, a strip of coastline that’s been reclaimed by nature and is being shielded from the general public as a military-protected “ecological disaster site.” In the decades since Area X was formed, various expedition teams have gone through the border with the mission of documenting just […]
Creepy Meets Crazy Meets Comical
I should start with a couple disclaimers. 1) I am recovering from ankle surgery so I’m loaded with Percocet right now and might either get loopy or fall asleep before I’m done writing this up, but I also happen to have free time so here I am. 2) I am internet friends with the author of this book, but I think I can objectively tell you it’s a fun book even if I also know she’s a fun person. Kathy has written for Cracked and Mental Floss, […]