Read this for a thoughtful meditation
and thoughts on trauma, grief, and collective sadness
What to Read This Week
The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu
(*Much to my chagrin, this book seems to be out of print to purchase new, so I don’t have a bookshop.org link this week, but you should be able to find ebooks or copies at your local library, or maybe even used bookstores!)
What It’s About
Aside from having one of the most beautiful covers of all time, Haydu also blows you away with her prose. It’s a gorgeous and quiet story set in an alternate-history United States, but only slightly. Instead of the attacks on 9/11, there was a bombing at Times Square, killing many New Yorkers and tourists instantly.Â
But rather than the story focusing on this, it focuses on the lives in the aftermath: those left behind and how they cope with an unexplained and uncontrolled tragedy, and how many ways there are to process grief. Devonairre Street is haunted by people who have lost loved ones, and the legend of the street follows all who live there. Lorna Ryder is a Devonairre Street girl, and when another tragedy strikes, those around her begin whispering about the bad luck and sadness that befalls all who live there.
I also think it’s a particularly good book to read now, in pandemic times, as it’s an exploration of collective trauma and sadness, which is certainly relatable and (somewhat) comforting to read about to know we are not alone.Â
Who Will Like It
This is a quiet novel, not full of dangerous adventures or high-stakes plot. If you enjoy books by John Green or books like My Year of Rest and Relaxation, a character-focused study, this is the book to pick up. It’s also excellent when you want to live in a world of beautiful language for a while and bask in the beauty of words.Â
Next Up
I’m currently still deep in my Halloween reading and devouring The Twisted Ones, a Southern horror novel about a young woman named Mouse who, in cleaning a deceased relative’s house, comes across something much darker than she ever expected. (Bonus: there’s a dog sidekick, and he’s fine, which I think is important to know going in.)
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