Better Late Than Never
A behind-schedule newsletter (will this be a series?!) about my recent reads, and whether or not you should read them, too.
Late AGAIN, god I suck. I am behind schedule with this newsletter, and I know you all are furious (you’re not), and your impatience is growing by the minute (it’s not). I've been blaming this on the fact that my life has been all over the place in recent weeks, and of course, by that, I mean things have been only slightly different than normal and thrown me into a tailspin, fragile creature that I am.
Luckily, despite my tardiness in delivering this to your inbox, I have still been reading (phew). Since I last wrote, I’ve finished six books, most of which have been excellent. So, I’m going to take this opportunity to talk about them here. If you’re thinking, “that’s boring, don’t you usually have a piece about literature laced with your trademark stunning intellect, ultimately delivering us readers to a higher plane of consciousness with the uniqueness and profundity of your thesis?” you’re 1000% correct, thank you so much for those kind words.
But look, as much as it may seem to be the case, I don’t have great ideas all the time!!! And great ideas take nurturing and patience, which, let’s be honest, I possess very little of either of those things. Alas.
ANYHOW, for this installment, I’ll be borrowing/adapting the brilliant
Here’s how the system works: BUY indicates I recommend buying the book, it’s that good. BORROW means it’s worth reading, and you should borrow it from your local library. BUST means just that– it sucked.
So, finally getting down to it: here’s what I’ve been reading lately, what I thought, and whether or not you should read it too.
Dancing On My Own: Essays on Art, Collectivity, and Joy
I love a good essay collection. Essay collections often end up being the books that get under your skin and seep into your synapses, forever altering your brain chemistry and, by definition, you as a person. This collection is one of those. I heard about this book originally from a post by CJ from
, and scooped a copy from my local library.This is Simon Wu’s first book, and it is spectacular. An art critic, writer, and curator, Wu wields his expertise to beautifully render essays on art, culture, fashion, family, belonging, and identity. Using his lived experience as a jumping-off point, he reaches beyond himself and into the greater sociocultural moment, seeking to elucidate and understand the space that he occupies, as a son of immigrants, as a gay man, as an Asian person, and as a consumer of culture.
Wu’s talent, in part, lies in his ability to articulate nuance. He is adept at providing criticism without deriding his subject. His examinations of cultural phenomena and his complicity in capitalism's systems are shrewd yet thoughtful, showing the reader that most things are not black and white but rather black, white, gray, and a host of other colors.
The other part of Wu’s talent is less of a talent rather than a fact– which is that he’s interesting and has sought to shed light on artists and collectives that have not been given their flowers for their immutable impact on the art world. In every one of these essays, I learned something new and was fascinated by what brilliant, intelligent, creative, cool fucking people there are out there doing remarkable work.
I love this book so much, and while I originally borrowed it from the library, I need to own my own copy since I will be returning to this book often. This book is a BUY. Grab a copy here.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
I read this one for my book club, and it was fun! It’s about a troubled teen who goes missing from a summer camp in the middle of the woods. The kicker is that this teen also had a brother who went missing about ten years ago from those same woods. Part mystery, part old-money family drama, God of the Woods is a propulsive read told from multiple perspectives with compelling characters and a nostalgic setting.
The book deftly jumps between the timelines of the disappearances of two siblings who never had a chance to meet. Moore crafts a precise web of characters connected throughout time and space to iterate how family secrets can come back to haunt us. And these secrets, if left unfaced, will cause the worst of our histories to repeat themselves.
I will say that while this is definitely an engaging read, there were parts where I struggled a bit to suspend my disbelief. There were also so many character perspectives that it was borderline excessive– not to mention one was a cop, which, like, please, haven’t we all had enough of cop-hero stories? Let’s sunset that one.
Ultimately, this is a BORROW for me. It’s a fast, gripping read that’s not too difficult.
The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells
I can’t remember how I came upon this one, but I’ve had it on my list for a while. Translated from German, this is a short but moving story of a man named Jules and his life following the death of his parents.
Jules’ parents die in an accident when he is quite young, and from then on, he is irrevocably changed. The book follows Jules through his his childhood, his time in boarding school with his siblings, his young adult life post-school, and finally, into his adult life when he becomes a husband and a parent. Throughout the book, Jules reflects on the person he could have been if the accident had not happened, as well as defining moments in his relationships with his siblings, friends, and wife.
This book is subtle in its approach yet profound in effect. It is devastating but also rings true– Jules is a fully realized character, and his joy, loneliness, contentedness, and suffering are intimate and relatable. Benedict Wells crafts a story that comments on the beauty of life, but it also its unavoidable pain– and how the way that we contend with these things (and all the emotions in between) is what makes us who we are.
The writing is understated but has stuck with me since finishing it. I think this is a BORROW, but it could easily be BUY. Somewhere in between? I’d recommend it regardless.
Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi
This one was wild. I read it in a day– it’s that kind of vibe. People feel strongly about Akwaeki Emezi; they have legions of ardent fans. They’re an artist who works across several mediums, including videography, music, visual art, and writing. As a writer, they’ve published six novels, a book of poetry, and a memoir. To say they are prolific is putting it lightly. This is my third book of theirs, having previously read Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji. Their work is bold and subversive– exploring themes of heritage, gender, mental health, belonging, and sexuality.
Little Rot is set in New Lagos, Nigeria, and takes place over the course of a weekend. It starts with a breakup– Aima and Kalu have called it quits. Both go their separate ways to blow off some steam: Aima, typically pious, goes to a club with her best friend, Ijendu, and Kalu goes to an underground circuit sex party run by his best friend, Ahmed. What should have been a night to let loose ends spirals out of control. The friends wake the next morning to find that one of the most powerful men in Nigeria has put out a bounty on Kalu’s head.
Aima, Kalu, and their friends are swept into the dark underbelly of New Lagos, and lives are at stake. With unbridled powers of corruption at their heels, they’ll have to reckon with what precious pieces of their humanity they’re willing to surrender to save the lives of those they love.
This is a fast-paced, heart-pounding thriller that also has a clever plot. The characters are fun and eclectic– it’s easy to imagine hanging out with them; they’re such real people. This one was a BORROW for me, just because I am not a huge thriller head, and I like books to be a bit deeper and more emotionally moving. Nevertheless– I definitely recommend it if you need a quick, intense read!
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
It’s hard to write about Joan Didion’s work because Joan Didion was THEE writer (in the same sense that Megan is THEE Stallion). What is there to say that is smart or insightful about Didion’s work that she hasn’t already brilliantly, subtly, poignantly, and starkly articulated Didion herself? I’ll try.
Didion is a writer’s writer. For those who are moved by the art of the written word, compelled by the quality and structure of writing above all else, Didion is for you. This book is about grief. In December 2003, Joan Didion’s husband, John Dunne, died at the dinner table of a massive heart attack. During this time, her daughter is in the hospital with septic shock, which has come about from a case of the flu. Didion is alone, coping with the acute tragedy that is John’s death while trying to get through the current, ongoing tragedy of her daughter’s life-threatening illness.
The Year of Magical Thinking chronicles the year in the aftermath of John’s death, how it affected the very fiber of her existence, and how her mind, in an effort to protect itself and to“bring John back,” went to extreme lengths of storytelling.
With clear, exacting prose, Didion lays her innermost heartbreak and devastation bare, holding it to the light for close inspection. Didion is at times humorous in the starkness of her truths, but most of all, she is exactly that: true. I can’t think of anyone who should not read this book.
The Year of Magical Thinking is an absolute BUY. You will never look at loss the same way. Grab a copy here.
All Fours by Miranda July
Miranda July is another art freak like Akwaeke Emezi (I say that with utmost admiration), and All Fours is her second novel. She’s published four books– a book of short stories, an essay collection, and two novels. She’s also a filmmaker, performance artist, and sculptor, and she has done a million sweet-ass works of art, as I guess you would call them. She’s just one of those people who exist in another realm of creativity and thought; I’d love to be her, but I’m far too boring and straight-laced. Ah, well.
This book is easily the best of this bunch, I loved it so much. Her writing is so fucking funny and adroit– to quote my friend,
, who perfectly captures the way I feel about July, “Her sentences fall perfectly into the grooves of my brain.” That’s exactly it.All Fours is about a woman who, at age 45, sets out on a cross-country road trip to New York City, leaving her husband and child home for 3 weeks– the longest she’s been away from them. About 30 minutes into her journey, she ends up at a motel– where she abandons her road trip entirely to pursue a bizarre and intense relationship with a much younger stranger. What follows is an insane, hilarious, razor-sharp foray into one woman’s desperation to find and embrace her truest self– even if that means living outside societal norms.
This book will make your breath catch in your throat with its accuracy. It will make you ache with pangs of recognition. This book was so funny, so painful, and made so much sense to me. It is 1000% a BUY, and I hope you read it and text me every thought you have. Grab a copy here.
That’s all for recent reads! Have you read any of these? What did you think? Definitely buy or borrow some of these and curl up in your favorite place to read. Let me know what you think, and what you’ve read and loved lately in the comments!
Books of the moment:
✨Heads up fam! I’m using my Bookshop affiliate link for all titles recommended in this newsletter. If you buy them through these links, I earn a commission.✨
📖 Currently reading: Ubik by Philip K. Dick
📚Recently finished: See above
👉🏼You should read: A Smart, Sinuous Espionage Thriller Brimming With Heat
💌 Email me book recs and other literary thoughts at emilygatesjohnson@gmail.com
🛍 Shop all Point of Departure recs (and more!) from my digital bookstore here.
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I’m honoured to have inspired the format of this post! It also acts as a reminder for me to read ‘Little Rot’ (and I can be a bit of a thriller head at times so I think I’ll love it) and ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ which I have ALWAYS intended to read but I just haven’t quite got there yet. It’s also interesting to read more love for ‘All Fours’. When a book becomes as popular as it has done this summer, I always feel a great desire to avoid it. I’m not convinced I’ll ever pick it up, but maybe one day! All round a v successful bunch of recent reads!
The year of magical thinking is like one continuous gut punch, but so beautifully written