November in review
Including Sally Rooney, Wicked, and fried alligator
Hello and happy December,
This is the last week of my fall semester, so I’m keeping my introduction short as my writing energy has been zapped by the six to nine-page papers I’ve been churning out. November was a big month — the election, Thanksgiving, the release of Wicked the movie (part 1) and its batshit press tour. I still somehow managed to read a lot in November, although I’ll give the caveat that I listened to the audiobooks of both nonfiction books listed (and started them earlier this fall). I also started teaching myself how to knit this month, so if you have any tips, tricks, or educational resources, send them my way.
Reading
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Martyr! tells the story of Cyrus Shams, an Iranian writer grappling with his family’s legacy of violence and loss. His mother died when her plane was gunned down in Tehran, an accidental target of faulty American intelligence, and his Dad, after immigrating to America, spent his life killing chickens in a factory. Newly sober, Cyrus becomes obsessed with the idea of martyrdom and decides to write a book of poems about it. He travels to the Brooklyn Museum after hearing of an artist who is spending her final days (she has terminal cancer) sitting in an exhibit and talking to visitors. He has a big question for the artist: what gives our life and, more importantly to Cyrus, our death meaning? He leaves with no clear answer, though I think the quote he includes on the final page tells us something: “My God, I just remembered that we die. But—but me too?! Don’t forget that for now, it’s strawberry season.”1 I loved this book so much. Akbar is a poet, and his writing is beautiful and precise, comedic and devastating — I can’t recommend it enough.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
After feeling disappointed by Rooney’s last book (Beautiful World, Where Are You), I was hesitant to pick up her latest. But when my Aunt told me Intermezzo was her favorite Rooney yet, I decided to take the plunge, and after finishing it, I think I agree. Intermezzo is told from the perspectives of two brothers, Peter and Ivan, in the months after their father dies. I initially found Peter’s chapters to be a bit of a slog (they’re told in a stream-of-consciousness style), but by the end, I found much to be moved by in his sections. In typical Sally Rooney fashion, she writes about both brothers’ romantic relationships, but I was most compelled by the relationship between the two of them — their competitiveness and devastating misunderstandings, their enduring love, and crippling mutual grief. I, of course, wept at the end. You can’t give me a novel about siblings and grief and expect it to go any other way.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD.
Okay, this is a hard pivot from the more literary books I typically share here, but I’m sharing it because I think it is really, really useful. If you’ve struggled with parents or caregivers who are “emotionally immature,” this book does an excellent job of laying out what that looks like, how it affects you, and what you can do in response to your parent’s behavior. (Don’t worry Mom & Dad, I didn’t read this because of you!),
Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski
This is another decidedly less literary book that I think is incredibly useful. It’s a deep dive into women’s sexuality and all of the things they didn’t teach us in sex ed. It’s the book I wish I’d read when I was 16, and I’d recommend it to any woman hoping to better understand her body. The writing was a bit cringe at times, but the writing isn’t really the point.
Israel’s Revenge: An Interview with Rashid Khalidi
An excellent interview with Rashid Khalidi, the author of The 100 Years’ War on Palestine. I will read pretty much anything Khalidi writes or says about Palestine, not only because he is Palestinian, but also because he offers an impressive combination of historical context, nuance, and moral clarity.
Death Qualified by Gary Indiana
The author, artist, and critic Gary Indiana died in October, and I’ve since fallen down the rabbit hole of his writing. I loved this more recent piece he wrote on aging, but his 2015 essay on the brothers responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing feels particularly relevant today. He writes,
“As everyday existence becomes more punitive for all but the monied few, more and more frustrated, volatile individuals will seek each other out online, aggravate whatever lethal fairy tale suits their pathology, and, ultimately, transfer their rage from the screen world to the real one.”
Watching/listening
Wicked, dir. Jon M. Chu
Okay… I think Wicked was maybe always meant to be a movie musical and not a stage musical. Part 1 was, admittedly, too long, but I enjoyed every second (except for when I took a bathroom break during Something Bad, sorry Peter Dinklage). Cynthia Erivo? Incredible. Ariana Grande? Just as good as every other Glinda on Broadway before. If you’re going to watch it, I think you should see it in theaters. If you’ve already seen it, what did you think??
Muriel’s Wedding, dir. P.J. Hogan
My family watched this movie on Thanksgiving after we returned from dinner at my Aunt’s house. A young Toni Colette plays Muriel, a socially awkward misfit who wants nothing more than to get married. She moves from her small town in Australia to Sydney with her friend Rhonda in an attempt to re-invent herself (and meet the man of her dreams), and, as you can imagine, hijinks ensue. This movie is a Toni Colette special — both really funny and really sad at the same time. Highly recommend.
Anora, dir. Sean Baker
I almost forgot I went to see this movie at the beginning of the month, which I suppose says a bit about how much it stuck with me. Anora tells the story of a young sex worker from Brooklyn who impulsively marries a young oligarch from Russia. I utterly enjoyed the first three-quarters of the movie, largely because of the actors who play Anora and Ivan (when he slides across the floor in his socks??), but like most Sean Baker films, I was left with the bitter taste of exploitation in my mouth by the end. I agree with some of Richard Brody’s points here, and I laughed out loud when reading this review on Substack.
A comfort show that I also get unreasonably stressed by while watching — I literally had to close my eyes during the finale as one of the contestants was f**cking up. Paul Hollywood is weird. Prue is an angel with an amazing rotation of glasses. I love it all so much.
Eating
Fried alligator
Consumed in Jacksonville, Florida while visiting Gabby’s family. It tastes like fried chicken, but will I order it again? Probably not.
Gabby made Samin Nosrat’s buttermilk brined and spatchcocked turkey for our Friendsgiving, and I am now fully of the belief that it is the best way to cook turkey. We also made Samin’s cilantro-date chutney to pair with the turkey, and it was so good.
Mediocre apple pie
I made apple pie for Thanksgiving, and I found it a bit disappointing. Does anyone have an apple pie recipe they absolutely love? Or is this a me problem and maybe I’m just not actually that into apple pie? I love apple tarts, apple things, and tarte tatins, but is a deep-dish apple pie simply not for me? If you’re an apple pie aficionado please let me know your secrets!
Vietnam Cafe, I can admit, is not the BEST Vietnamese restaurant in Philly, but it is the best one within walking distance from my apartment. I went with my best girl Kathy who was home visiting family for the holiday. She got wonton soup and I got a spicy lemongrass noodle soup. Talking to your BFF over steaming bowls of soup on a cold November day?? One of the best times you could possibly have.
That’s it for now. I may or may not skip a long-form letter in December, but I’ll be back in January with an interview with a dear friend and amazing writer. I will leave you with this photo my childhood friend sent of us right before we saw Wicked on Broadway in the 5th or 6th grade. Happy holidays!
Clarice Lispector
Thanks for the book recs! I meant to read “Martyr,” and now I will. I was surprised how much I loved “Wicked.” It is truly a story for our time, and Cynthia Enviro was amazing.