March Reads
A month for unremarkable literary fiction
When I am in a reading slump, my favorite genres to turn to are fantasy or crime fiction because the fast-paced nature makes it so hard to put them down and I find myself immediately finishing and looking for the next book to start.
But after this month, I’ve decided I actually don’t mind it when I read “unremarkable literary fiction”, in that it’s good enough that I continue reading it and enjoy the process, but there’s nothing mindblowing or brilliant enough about it that I forget most of its contents about a week after finishing. I guess it’s my version of reality TV or netflix binges. I read 3 books this month that solidly fit into that category and it very much suits the liminal feel of a grey and sprinkling march afternoon in case anyone else is interested in following suit.
Perfume and Pain by Anna Dorne
Perfume & Pain follows the en vogue trend of a crazy lesbian protagonist (think Big Swiss, Milk Fed, the Adult) and her inability to keep her life from unraveling, but it’s not nearly as clever as the others. Following a controversial LA author and her attempts to revive her career post cancellation, the book is a fun way of living vicariously through a messy friend.
As someone who was actively on tumblr for much of middle school I enjoyed the way the protagonist felt familiar as Dorn successfully captures the older chronically online world, while also leaving a subtle reference to the more current celebrity book clubs that have become so prolific and simultaneously synthetic in feel.
The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan
I actually suggested my book club read this for our current book club pick given my obsession with Irish literature (Sally Rooney, Tana French, etc) extended to Naoise Dolan’s first book, Exciting Times. Following a messy couple (Luke cheats regularly, Celine cares more about piano than the rest of her life) and their close friends, the book observes the way their lives interact leading up to the wedding.
I listened to the audio book which is a nice quick 5 hour listen (with lovely accents as a bonus) and while it has some of the yearning and terrible communication I traditionally enjoy in an Irish millennial novel, I didn’t find it particularly insightful, nor did it reach a satisfying ending. I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Sweet Fury by Sash Bischoff
This book had the potential to be really good but I still think it’s a pretty good debut. When a famous actress is cast in a feminist adaptation of a Fitzgerald book, she decides to visit a therapist to work through her past. There are some fun twists here that make me think it could be a great mini series adaptation with Reese Witherspoon etc reminiscent of Big Little Lies, but something about this was just trying to do too much without doing anything really well.
Also the characters were just bland enough that when the plot twist you are expecting occurs, there isn’t really much shock value and then it kind of falls away into nothing without a very exciting conclusion. Still enjoyed.
Current Read
Orbital by Samantha Harvey