This week: The Gone Literary Universe
OK, it's a stretch.
It’s EELS! Thanks so much for coming back! I endeavor to not disappoint you, like possibly I did last week when I implied the current British state doesn’t provide for poor children. Honestly, I have no idea if it does or doesn’t, but one has to imagine British social services have improved since sooty Victorian times.
🐕 The Gone Dead
Chanelle Benz, 2020
A Philadelphia woman who is kind of stagnant after the death of her mother returns to the Mississippi Delta to find out more about her famous poet father—particularly, his own mysterious death. Oh, also he was Black, and she is multiracial, and the Mississippi Delta is full of (figurative and literal) snakes.
The Gone Dead fits in a “sad mystery” genre I just made up, where the mystery isn’t really the point. The setting and the characters are the point—a concept which actually reminds me of a story about the rise and fall of Twin Peaks in a book I’m reading, but more on that next week.
Recommended to: Those who like multigenerational dramas, chapters told from different characters, and kudzu (looking at you, Alex).
Recommended format: Audiobook was great! Different voices, different accents, and some poetry read aloud.
⛄ The Gone World
Tom Sweterlitsch, 2018
In 2019, I asked a bunch of my favorite book pals to recommend a few books each, and that would become my syllabus for the year. The Gone World and The Gone-Away World (below) both ended up on the list (thanks, Gabe and JM!). Both were fantastic, and both instantly needed nicknames because…what on earth!
The Gone World—or Frozen Crosses, as I prefer to call it—kind of involves some time travel but also some other sci-fi things. It’s another Sad Mystery, where the setting is the thing! Is this my genre??
Recommended to: Those who liked True Detective but also Mare of Easttown and It Follows.
🐖 The Gone-Away World
Nick Harkaway, 2008
Elsewhere in the Gone Literary Universe: it’s The Gone-Away World, which exactly one person has nicknamed British Tank Girl with Pigs. I’ve never seen Tank Girl actually, but I imagine it’s a little like this dusty post-apocalyptic setting. BTGwP is a drily humorous wild ride. Like if that most recent Mad Max movie was any fun. Wait,Tank Girl is fun, right? I should probably find out.
Think dirt, oil drums, trucks, flamethrowers, pubs, pub brawls, ninjas…I think I also remember mimes? Is that possible? I’m making this all sound extremely macho, but it’s actually very sweet. Which is probably a Tank Girl attribute too, but at this point I think I’ll just never watch it so I can keep the mystery alive.
Recommended to: Those who love very British humor and can handle some gritty, Britishly humorous action.
Book I read lately that I was unable to rate
🍆 Ejaculate Responsibly! - Gabrielle Stanley Blair, 2022
This little book evolved out of a viral blog post and uses many analogies to demonstrate that men are responsible for unwanted pregnancies and therefore abortion debates should take this into consideration. I think this is probably eye-opening for those who are just starting to think about these things and need conversational ammo for when they get hit with pro-forced-pregnancy arguments. It’s also probably useful for teen boys to read (Archie, we’ll discuss at a later date). So in that sense, I’m glad it exists—judging from Goodreads comments, it’s doing some good somewhere.
But I found it to be a big duh. If you’re already aware that men police women’s bodies and should not do that, I think you’re safe to skip.
And now, a bonus recommendation
🕰️ Children of Time — Adrian Tchaikovsky, 2018
Recommended to: "Science fiction and space opera fans curious about the difference between sapience and sentience, how non-human societies might be structured, like threaded narratives, and aren't afraid of giant spiders."
Recommended by John Matthew, an old friend—the one who recommended British Tank Girl with Pigs (above)—and longtime SFF nerd using AI to hasten the downfall of modern society. He's currently job searching but found time to enjoy The Broken Earth Trilogy, The Knockout Queen, and Children of Memory, the concluding volume of the Children of Time trilogy.
That was the fourth EELS! I really hope you like it! Send any and all questions, feedback, and shouted book recommendations to me by hitting reply.
– Susan