June Reading Recap

In June, I read three excellent novels:

→ THE VANISHING HALF by Brit Bennett: Identical twins Desiree and Stella grew up in Mallard, a town of Black citizens who prize light skin like that of the sisters. In 1954, the teenage twins ran away together to New Orleans, and then their lives split apart. When Desiree returns to Mallard fourteen years later with a dark daughter, the townsfolk are scandalized. For Desiree, what's more shocking is that when she last saw Stella, her sister was passing as a white woman. The story moves across decades and perspectives to tell the story of the twins who chose different racial identities and their daughters, whose identities were chosen for them.

This ambitious novel delivers even more than I expected from the compelling premise, becoming more interesting with each chapter and new development. Bennett is masterful at handling frequent shifts in time, as she was in THE MOTHERS, and THE VANISHING HALF provides the strong, tense plot that I wished for when reading the earlier novel. That the plot relies on a number of coincidences never bothered me, because I was too caught up in appreciating all the nuances explored in each complicated situation. Bennett excels at portraying the small moments and details that bring characters to life, and she uses this skill to full effect in a story that covers many different ways of passing and taking on new identities.

→ In LITTLE EYES by Samanta Schweblin, translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell, kentuki are the hot new gadget sweeping the globe. Consumers can either buy a cute plush animal containing a camera and some limited movement functionality, or the software that provides control of a single kentuki's camera and wheels. Upon registration, one device owner and one software user are permanently linked, creating an unusual asymmetric relationship between two strangers. Many pairs work out a way to communicate, and some develop close relationships. The novel follows a variety of characters in locations around the world as kentukis shape their lives in ways that are positive, negative, or just plain confusing.

I love novels that present an inventive premise and play out the many ways it could influence individuals and society. Schweblin does a fantastic job of this as she develops the complicated kentuki situations of five main characters and occasionally throws in a one-off chapter showing yet another possibility. She delves into everything that's weird, disturbing, and compelling about the idea of watching a stranger's life, or letting a stranger see in. Very little in this story went in a direction I expected, and I would have happily observed for many more chapters.

→ FRESHWATER by Akwaeke Emezi opens in the plural voice of ọgbanje spirits who occupy the body of a human child, Ada. The spirits tell the story of Ada's childhood and family in Nigeria and early college days in Virginia, until a traumatic sexual experience brings out a new self in Ada. Ada's multiple inner selves trade off the story, and control of Ada's body, as she learns how to shape her life and identity to her own desires.

While this novel is sometimes difficult to read because of upsetting content, I never had any trouble with Emezi's lyrical, confident sentences. The powerful language and well-differentiated voices propel forward a story that explores trauma, mental health, gender, and religion. FRESHWATER is unlike anything else I've read, and I appreciated Emezi's essay about their experience writing and publishing a book that doesn't fit into any easy categories.

Good Stuff Out There:

→ Katherine Willoughby at Book Riot writes about rereading HARRIET THE SPY: "This book was an excellent read right now because we are all Harriet as our world changes and shifts around us. I am a teacher, a real creature of habit. I now long for days in the classroom when I can lead my students through all of our classroom routines and procedures. They help us all feel safe. The coronavirus snatched that all away from us, breaking our routines like someone stealing Harriet's beloved tomato sandwich."