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notesofacrocodile's Reviews (257)
lighthearted
a series of vignettes of the narrator's dreams featuring very short but vivid descriptions of her encounters with various men, primarily identified by their occupation (eg. 'the butcher', 'the mailman', 'the geographer' etc). it's erotic with a literary indulgence, never becoming sexual and rather satiating itself with prose that is heatedly sensual and teasingly suggestive. there's a lot of erotic metaphors and a lot of playfulness, but i think the only reason i continued was because of corinne hoex's beautiful prose. most of it felt almost like poetry, and had a rich, lyrical touch to it. i cannot really rate this one since i realised that i simply wasn't the target audience for the book as i read on: i don't usually read erotic fiction (i only meant to try this form of it to see if my tastes would change) and most of it was just excessively heterosexual for me. however, i also read that the author is popular in belgium for her poetry, so i am willing to explore that side of her work more!
dark
tense
so this was an interesting read. i had seen that it was labelled as y.a., but due to the mature themes present, it's probably more accurate to say that it is meant for readers who are aged 15-16 and above.
a fast-paced, dramatic novella, eve out of her ruins is set in the island of mauritius, although not the mauritius that probably springs to the mind of a tourist. we see the grimy, dark, and poverty-ridden underbelly of its capital port louis through the eyes of four teenagers: eve (a girl who learns to trade her body for small favours), saad (in love with eve and rimbaud's poetry), clélio (an angry, hardened thug with a sweet voice), and savita (the lover and emotional anchor of eve). the cogs of the plot begin to move with the seemingly meaningless murder of one of them.
the themes touched upon included the loss of childhood innocence and the shaping of femininity and sexuality amidst the ravages of poverty. it explores how poverty leaves you with no choice in multiple avenues of life, and how it twists into a vicious cycle that is determined to keep the individual and community trapped within it through the weaponisation of social and political structures.
i had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the prose. on one hand it was incredibly poetic, making me want to underline many portions. on the other hand, it sometimes bordered on purple prose; all aesthetics without having any actual purpose and/or meaning. i also found saad's perspective to be almost redundant in how it contributed towards the story.
overall, i found the story deeply immersive, and i could feel the depressive atmosphere of grime and violence that enveloped the world of the four main characters.
a fast-paced, dramatic novella, eve out of her ruins is set in the island of mauritius, although not the mauritius that probably springs to the mind of a tourist. we see the grimy, dark, and poverty-ridden underbelly of its capital port louis through the eyes of four teenagers: eve (a girl who learns to trade her body for small favours), saad (in love with eve and rimbaud's poetry), clélio (an angry, hardened thug with a sweet voice), and savita (the lover and emotional anchor of eve). the cogs of the plot begin to move with the seemingly meaningless murder of one of them.
the themes touched upon included the loss of childhood innocence and the shaping of femininity and sexuality amidst the ravages of poverty. it explores how poverty leaves you with no choice in multiple avenues of life, and how it twists into a vicious cycle that is determined to keep the individual and community trapped within it through the weaponisation of social and political structures.
i had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the prose. on one hand it was incredibly poetic, making me want to underline many portions. on the other hand, it sometimes bordered on purple prose; all aesthetics without having any actual purpose and/or meaning. i also found saad's perspective to be almost redundant in how it contributed towards the story.
overall, i found the story deeply immersive, and i could feel the depressive atmosphere of grime and violence that enveloped the world of the four main characters.
hopeful
sad
la bastarda is a novella that is tiny, but with a quiet fire in it. it puts us in the perspective of a sixteen-year-old of the fang ethnic group, okomo: a bastarda (or bastard) left orphaned from the death of her mother while giving birth to her and the mysterious disappearance of her father soon after.
the themes touched upon the stifling, patriarchal structure of gender roles, as well as freedom from the restrictions of compulsory heterosexuality. gay men in her tradition are often derogatorily referred to as 'man-women', but lesbians are not referred to at all; in fact there's no word for it and so the nonlesbian characters in the story are also slightly skeptical of such a phenomenon. this also makes it all the more refreshing to see okomo refer to herself directly as a lesbian without any hesitation.
i saw a couple of reviews referring to how unrealistic it was for the characters to fall in love so quickly, after having known each other for less than a day. but honestly, i sort of get it- these girls found each other unexpectedly amongst a deeply queerphobic and misogynistic society, finding refuge in each other as individuals who wished to be free of the restrictions on their gender and sexuality. okomo herself is unsure of her attraction for women at the beginning, but there is an exhilaration as her sexual desires are realised; a feeling of liberation that most people she knows wouldn't experience themselves, or even understand. why would it be so unrealistic to fall in love as a sixteen-year-old who has not known affection of this kind till then, especially when it's this rare?
i cannot speak a lot about this book since it's small enough that i would end up giving the plot away, but i do think that as a novella it ties itself up decently by the end.
this is the first spanish story from equatorial guinea that is about lesbians and also the first story by a woman from equatorial guinea to be translated into english. incidentally, it also happens to be banned from the country. all this is to say that if you're looking for a short and insightful read for women in translation month, then look no further!
the themes touched upon the stifling, patriarchal structure of gender roles, as well as freedom from the restrictions of compulsory heterosexuality. gay men in her tradition are often derogatorily referred to as 'man-women', but lesbians are not referred to at all; in fact there's no word for it and so the nonlesbian characters in the story are also slightly skeptical of such a phenomenon. this also makes it all the more refreshing to see okomo refer to herself directly as a lesbian without any hesitation.
i saw a couple of reviews referring to how unrealistic it was for the characters to fall in love so quickly, after having known each other for less than a day. but honestly, i sort of get it- these girls found each other unexpectedly amongst a deeply queerphobic and misogynistic society, finding refuge in each other as individuals who wished to be free of the restrictions on their gender and sexuality. okomo herself is unsure of her attraction for women at the beginning, but there is an exhilaration as her sexual desires are realised; a feeling of liberation that most people she knows wouldn't experience themselves, or even understand. why would it be so unrealistic to fall in love as a sixteen-year-old who has not known affection of this kind till then, especially when it's this rare?
i cannot speak a lot about this book since it's small enough that i would end up giving the plot away, but i do think that as a novella it ties itself up decently by the end.
this is the first spanish story from equatorial guinea that is about lesbians and also the first story by a woman from equatorial guinea to be translated into english. incidentally, it also happens to be banned from the country. all this is to say that if you're looking for a short and insightful read for women in translation month, then look no further!
emotional
reflective
sad
as i finished this novel i found it extremely difficult to summarise how i felt while reading it; so many emotions and thoughts, all bursting and tinted with the mist and green of the forests in kalluvayal, the setting where most of the story takes place. i cannot emphasise how important this book is, even as adivasi communities continue to suffer in wayanad and across india for wanting to protect their land from capitalist greed and exploitation which disregard the ecosystem and the people who live in it.
thommichan and sara are a young, hopeful couple who elope together to kalluvayal, where they meet and interact with a host of colourful characters within the lush, verdant landscape. all of this is narrated by susan (thommichan and sara's daughter) in a diary preserved for her own daughter, tessa. if you're looking for a plot, then look away because this book isn't going to give you one- it simply does what literary fiction does best, with explorations of complex characters and themes.
an important theme is relating to the dynamic between the oppressor and the oppressed, within the context of the adivasis and the jenmis (or the landlords). we see how what is violence and what isn't is dictated by those in power, how the media is twisted to comply with the narrative of the ruling class. we see how the oppressor inflicts cruelties and is shocked when that isn't met with grace: they're shocked when the adivasis react with protests when the latter aren't paid as promised, and we see how they're shocked when the people of a land protest deforestation and environment degradation. is poverty, deforestation, and cultural hegemony not violence too?
another important theme lies in the close relationship between the land and the women, both being explored as sites of violence, exploitation, and resistance. they two are also explored in relation to displacement and erasure of identity: the kabani (a river that is an important landmark in the area) dries up from rapid urbanisation, while sara is banished and forgotten from her home town due to her elopement. susan goes to a completely different country for work, and finds that the idols in the shrines of kalluvayal still call for her, except she cannot go back immediately because her life trajectory took her elsewhere. meanwhile, the culture of kalluvayal is rich, but suffers from being overshadowed by the dominant, mainstream language and practices that threaten to completely replace it.
there is an intimacy in the co-existence with the land that the adivasi people here possess:
thommichan and sara are a young, hopeful couple who elope together to kalluvayal, where they meet and interact with a host of colourful characters within the lush, verdant landscape. all of this is narrated by susan (thommichan and sara's daughter) in a diary preserved for her own daughter, tessa. if you're looking for a plot, then look away because this book isn't going to give you one- it simply does what literary fiction does best, with explorations of complex characters and themes.
an important theme is relating to the dynamic between the oppressor and the oppressed, within the context of the adivasis and the jenmis (or the landlords). we see how what is violence and what isn't is dictated by those in power, how the media is twisted to comply with the narrative of the ruling class. we see how the oppressor inflicts cruelties and is shocked when that isn't met with grace: they're shocked when the adivasis react with protests when the latter aren't paid as promised, and we see how they're shocked when the people of a land protest deforestation and environment degradation. is poverty, deforestation, and cultural hegemony not violence too?
another important theme lies in the close relationship between the land and the women, both being explored as sites of violence, exploitation, and resistance. they two are also explored in relation to displacement and erasure of identity: the kabani (a river that is an important landmark in the area) dries up from rapid urbanisation, while sara is banished and forgotten from her home town due to her elopement. susan goes to a completely different country for work, and finds that the idols in the shrines of kalluvayal still call for her, except she cannot go back immediately because her life trajectory took her elsewhere. meanwhile, the culture of kalluvayal is rich, but suffers from being overshadowed by the dominant, mainstream language and practices that threaten to completely replace it.
there is an intimacy in the co-existence with the land that the adivasi people here possess:
"Basavan did not understand what his son told him about the government looking after the forest. His son was studying about the forest. But how could he do that far away in town? Should he not be in the forest to learn about the forest? Basavan knew all about the forest, when each tree unfurled its leaves, when it flowered, when it shed its leaves, where the birds nested and which nest belonged to which bird, when they brooded their eggs, which ones roosted in the westering light and which ones took off to catch the worm, which ones went on long flights across the world. He knew where the elephant trails were, and the tiger dens, the names of the creatures that lived in the rivers, the time when fish spawned, the whirlpools in the waters and the crocodile nests. What more was there to learn about the forest!"
a criticism of academia lurks within the prose too. who really are the experts on a land? who deserves to be seen as one? who decides that? the forests of kalluvayal is of interest to researchers in studies relating to culture and history, and they come to take and take and take, upon which they leave and them become self-styled experts on the subject. but what kind of knowledge is that?
this story is also a collection of love stories. the love between thommichan and sara, between basavan and rukku, between peter and lucy, between james and susan, and so on. it's also a love letter to a land, a land that all these characters care for, weep for, and rest on the pulse of.
the prose was abundant and lyrical. there were careful, loving descriptions of the flora, which felt like the meticulous brushstrokes of a painter painstakingly attempting to ensure that you can see his vision because he loves it so; makes sense, since sheela tomy herself is from wayanad and her love for it shows in her work. i would suggest that for anyone who doesn't understand malayalam, it would be best to keep google open nearby because there are many words and terms that are preserved in the original language. it feels deliberate, as the words themselves become important in becoming grounded in the story.
one of my favourite reads of this year, my heart overflowed, broke, and mended itself many times over.
dark
mysterious
tense
much needed breath of fresh air in the haunted house genre; although, of course, to keep the haunted house as the defining feature of this novel would be a reductionist view of it. it's more grounded in reality in how it considers the very real horrors of systemic racism and generational trauma. the protagonist, who is the one mainly contributing towards the narrative, is tired and dissociative, and we feel xer exhaustion seeping through xer words.
usually, when we read horror novels with some sort of mystery and suspense at the center (as is often the case), reviewers may often feel compelled to point out that the twist was predictable, that they saw it coming from miles away. the thing about the ending of this novel is that it doesn't really care about whether you saw it coming or not because it still manages to devastate and drive the point home, that it's always going to be terrifying, regardless.
model home examined the themes of white supremacy and it's impact on black individuals with pronounced references to the need to understand it and it's effects structurally. it talks about abuse and abusive behaviour, and also intergenerational trauma: how even when you swear to not pass it on, some of it could still slip through the cracks because in the quest to not be like a person, you end up still defining yourself in relation to that person anyway. the protagonist also happens to be queer and genderqueer (using neopronouns), and autistic with chronic pain, and we see how those factor into daily interactions.
it's heart-wrenching, depressing, and tense. rivers solomon's prose keeps it raw and also lyrical, in turns and together, which ties together the stories and the characters really well.
usually, when we read horror novels with some sort of mystery and suspense at the center (as is often the case), reviewers may often feel compelled to point out that the twist was predictable, that they saw it coming from miles away. the thing about the ending of this novel is that it doesn't really care about whether you saw it coming or not because it still manages to devastate and drive the point home, that it's always going to be terrifying, regardless.
model home examined the themes of white supremacy and it's impact on black individuals with pronounced references to the need to understand it and it's effects structurally. it talks about abuse and abusive behaviour, and also intergenerational trauma: how even when you swear to not pass it on, some of it could still slip through the cracks because in the quest to not be like a person, you end up still defining yourself in relation to that person anyway. the protagonist also happens to be queer and genderqueer (using neopronouns), and autistic with chronic pain, and we see how those factor into daily interactions.
it's heart-wrenching, depressing, and tense. rivers solomon's prose keeps it raw and also lyrical, in turns and together, which ties together the stories and the characters really well.
unsettling ambiguity marks the atmosphere and motives of nearly all of the characters in this novel. the primary theme tackled is the perverse disconnectedness inculcated by isolation and ostracisation. the choice of merricat as the protagonist is unique and even more so is how her voice is fleshed out; the first person account allows us an inroad into her thought process which is focused on questionable manifestations of safety and protection, for herself and her sister. overall, it was a pleasure to read shirley jackson again; the sense of uneasiness that her writing provokes is truly unique.
what a resplendently rendered indian classic! the writing, the characters, the relationships between them, and even the descriptions of scenes all had a glow from attia hosain's masterful writing. the writing captured and described laila's interiority and her manner of thought with an engrossing ornateness without being excessive. it had a thoughtfulness to it that brought out the richness of what could have otherwise been mistaken for uninteresting observations.
the major themes were of class and classism, memories and their haunting presence, social conventions and the way it limits a person in more ways then one would think. family and one's duty to it is central tenet that we see come forward often, intertwining with the abovementioned themes. there's also the search for one's own identity as an entire nation figures itself out in the background, and, of course, love in all its forms and manifestations.
the major themes were of class and classism, memories and their haunting presence, social conventions and the way it limits a person in more ways then one would think. family and one's duty to it is central tenet that we see come forward often, intertwining with the abovementioned themes. there's also the search for one's own identity as an entire nation figures itself out in the background, and, of course, love in all its forms and manifestations.
more than any other sentiment, what engulfs the reader (as it does the women in the story) is the helplessness of the women. their circumstances are such that we begin to feel helpless ourselves from not being able to leap through the pages and get them out (or even to give the men a punch in the head). the women in these stories are not perfect themselves, but we understand that they are simply functioning for survival amidst a highly classist and patriarchal society that demands who they should obey and how.
all books have a context to them within which they are written, and this short story collection is no different. the origins of this collection can be traced back to the author's efforts during the bandaya sahitya (sahitya meaning literature, and bandaya meaning dissent/resistance), a progressive literary movement based in karnataka that is worth reading about. it places the stories and the author's endeavour in a new light, one which makes you appreciate them all a lot more. i would also suggest not leaving out the translator's note at the end, as it highlights some of the translation context and the process better.
some of my favourite stories: be a woman once, oh lord!, red lungi, the shroud, black cobras, and the arabic teacher and gobi manchuri.
all books have a context to them within which they are written, and this short story collection is no different. the origins of this collection can be traced back to the author's efforts during the bandaya sahitya (sahitya meaning literature, and bandaya meaning dissent/resistance), a progressive literary movement based in karnataka that is worth reading about. it places the stories and the author's endeavour in a new light, one which makes you appreciate them all a lot more. i would also suggest not leaving out the translator's note at the end, as it highlights some of the translation context and the process better.
some of my favourite stories: be a woman once, oh lord!, red lungi, the shroud, black cobras, and the arabic teacher and gobi manchuri.
read this because i wanted to know more about the source material for the film sabrina (1954) which i had watched recently! safe to say, audrey hepburn and william holden really added the charm to their characters.