My New Friend, "PIRANESI" by Susanna Clarke

 

Me and my new friend, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. So, for example, if I were in a mysterious, magical house where I only ever talked to statues and birds, so long as I had books, I would probably be fine. 

Probably. 

Which brings me to my new friend, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. This was a long-awaited comeback novel for Clarke, since her very successful (and very big) Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell arrived in 2004. Piranesi, for most folks, was worth the wait. Much slimmer than her previous novel (Piranesi clocks in at 245 pages), but not less magical. For me, it created a different impact I wasn't expecting. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

It is difficult to talk about Piranesi in heavy detail without giving too much away. It concerns our narrator, who tells us his story through journal entries marked in a calendar he created, who lives in a strange, magical house that is his entire world. To his knowledge, there is only one other living person in this universe who he calls "the Other". The Other calls him Piranesi, but our narrator is pretty sure this is not his name. 

This magical house is filled with statues, but it also has an Ocean and Tides, and Clouds and rain. Piranesi, as he is called, survives by fishing, gathering seaweed both for food and fuel, and spends his days wandering the almost infinite rooms and hallways, keeping notes. He meets with the Other twice a week, who he believes is a scientist, and who is working on cracking the code for the Great and Secret Knowledge. 

The house, like the book, is a labyrinth and a puzzle. The book engages the reader by slowly and precisely unravelling the mystery of the House, and of the man called Piranesi. 

TAKEAWAYS

Piranesi won the Women's Prize for Fiction, and I can understand why. It is brilliantly written, incredibly smart and creative, and Clarke is both a top notch storyteller and writer (which, yes, are two different things). 

I was told that the book was very enjoyable and magic and fun and that I should read it. And yes, I found it magical in many ways, and enjoyable in many places... 

But I think it hit me differently than it did many people. Stop reading here if you don't want to hear my emotional response to the ending. I will not spell out what happens, but I am going to be very specific about how it made me feel.  Okay? So stop reading if you worry this may spoil things for  you---

I ultimately found Piranesi to be a tragedy in a way. Not a full-blown tragedy. There is hope, I suppose, and there isn't a bit ol' body count or anything. But the ending made me incredibly sad. The message, for me, ultimately was about how sometimes people must completely disassociate to survive, completely lose themselves and their very identity, as well as their memories. That in specific, traumatic situations, you must almost start over with a blank slate if you are going to make it. In short, you get lost. And even if you're found, you are never completely the same. There is a part of you that is still lost, and will always be lost. 

And that made me sad. 

Still, it is a masterful book and you should read it if you get a chance. 

My New Friend, "CONCRETE ROSE" by Angie Thomas

 

Me and my new friend, Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Hi. I'm Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. Don't feel bad about that. Books always got my back. 

And today, I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas. Published in 2021, Concrete Rose  is a companion piece to Thomas's brilliant The Hate U Give. I say companion piece, though one would be correct to call it a prequel--- I just truly think people should read The Hate U Give first.  

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

Like so many other humans, I read The Hate U Give and was blown away by the writing, the characters, and, of course, the importance of the topic. When I heard Angie Thomas had written a book about Maverick Carter, the father of Starr Carter from Hate, I knew I had to check it out. Maverick is a great father to Starr, and while we learn somewhat about his past in Hate, it is a whole new experience to go through the events of his life with him in this first-person narrative as he navigates the rough waters of being seventeen, a reluctant gang member, and a young father. 

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Angie Thomas proves once again that she is a master of creating a compelling first-person narrative voice, as well as humanizing characters that many people would simply leave as stereotypes. In this book, she also evokes a precise sense of time and place. 

It is so easy for us --- especially white politicians is seems---- to condemn the choices of poor communities populated by people of color. These same people making judgements project expectations, and label people as though they were nothing but a product to sort. What Thomas does with Maverick is give a us a very human view of what causes the desperation that leads to choices that others so easily judge with a dismissive wave of the hand. Thomas show us how society creates the very mold of these stereotypes and willingly shoves a large portions of the population into it.

In many ways, this story is about Maverick Carter starting to believe he has worth, starting to believe he does not have to fulfill the expectations that the outside world has thrust upon him. We see him understand what it means to become a father, even as a teenager, and how that gives him a sense of purpose. We see his reaction to death and tragedy, and to the hope from those willing to give him a chance. 

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

Go to the bookstore, or your local library, and pick up both The Hate U Give and Concrete Rose and read them back to back. Both books are likely to be challenged in several areas of our United States, which should tell you just how important it is to read them. 

Thank, Angie Thomas, for using your gifts to change the world one reader at a time. 

My New Friend, "CARRY ON," by Rainbow Rowell

 

Me with my new friend, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I'm on the left. 

Hello. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. It could be worse--- at least I'm not living out some kind of Chosen One plot requiring some grand sacrifice with my story living on. 

Speaking of which, I would like you to meet my new friend Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. This is Rainbow Rowell's take on a Chosen One story, and I have read many people refer to it as the "Queer Harry Potter".  In this story, our hero is Simon Snow, who first appeared as a fictional character in Rowell's novel Fangirl (which I have not read). The lead character in that book writes fan fiction about Simon Snow, and, according to Rowell, she couldn't stop thinking about him and his world, so she had to write Carry On. 

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

A long while back, I read Rowell's book Eleanor and Park and really enjoyed it. Rowell knows how to create a realistic teen love story that sticks with you. 

I wanted to read some good stories this Pride Month with LGBTQIA+ characters, when I heard this was as much a queer love story as a "magic Chosen One" tale, I wanted to check it out. 

QUICK NOTE ABOUT HARRY POTTER, J.K. ROWLING AND TERFS

Like so many people with a pulse and breath, I loved the Harry Potter series and devoured them as they came out--- and I was in college. It is impossible not to see the influence of Harry Potter in any chosen one story since. 

Like so many people, I was disgusted when J.K. Rowling came out with her stance against the transgender community, particularly transgender women. I hoped she would evolve the on the issue, but instead has used her platform to spew transphobic bile, promote transgender misinformation and businesses, and, frankly, to ruin her legacy and the legacy of her work as something to embrace and include everyone. 

J.K. Rowling is a TERF. 

Fuck TERFs. 

So, yeah, I won't lie--- I jumped into the world of Simon Snow so I could recommend other magical stories that does not put money in TERF pockets. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Carry On is told from multiple first-person narratives, with our major protagonist being Simon Snow, the "chosen one" who is entering his final year at Watford, a school for magic children. Simon's mentor is "the Mage" (which is more like a title than a name), the current Headmaster at Watford, who is ruffling a lot of feathers in the magic world. Simon had always assumed he was a "Normal" (someone without magic), but it is clear he has magic that builds up and "goes off", magic he has a hard time controlling. 

Simon's best friend is Penelope Bunce, who is near the top of their class. She has been a part of many Simon adventures, and is a true confidant and brilliant wizard herself. Simon's girlfriend, Agatha, would rather be a Normal, or at least have a normal teenage experience, and is tired of losing herself in being a character in Simon's story. 

When Simon gets back to school, he is anxious for the scones (sour cherry--- he is an orphan and doesn't eat as well when not at Watford), anxious for his senior year, but not as anxious to be around his roommate Baz. The crucible chose them as roommates back when they were 11, and they have been at each other's throats ever since. They see each other as sworn enemies, and if Simon is really the Chosen One, he knows Baz will be on the side that wants to take him down. Baz comes from one of the old families, he is a snob, he has strong magic, and he is... a vampire. 

But for the first few months of school, Baz is nowhere to be found. Is he out plotting something against Simon and Watford? Is he joining an army against the Mage? Is he a victim of the Insidious Humdrum (the main monster in the book, who sucks up magic, leaving holes all over England)?

Or is he the love Simon Snow never even knew he wanted?

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

I have to confess, the first 150 pages of Carry On are not as good as the rest of the book. Don't get me wrong--- they are fine, they establish the world and a few of the main characters and conflicts, but it isn't until Baz shows up that the narrative really takes off. 

Baz is a well-drawn character, and feels like a believable teen even though he is a vampire. 

And the love story between Simon and Baz is surprisingly believable. I only say "surprisingly" because the trope of "sworn enemies constantly fighting then falling in love" is pretty tired, and, for me, not always believable. But Rowell pulls it off. I think the first-person narratives help, as we get deep inside each character's head. It becomes easy to see there was love all along. 

TAKEAWAYS

Though Carry On feels complete in itself and appears to end where it ends, there are two sequels that I will check out in time. Must admit, I'm curious to see where Rowell takes these characters. 

It's a good book for representation and a sweet romance. 

My New Friend, "BECOMING NICOLE: THE TRANSFORMATION OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY" by Amy Ellis Nutt

 

Me and My new friend, Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt

Hello. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. Don't feel bad for me. I like who I am. 

Which leads me to how important my new friend, Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt can be to readers. It is a book about how we should all be free to be ourselves and to love ourselves. To know ourselves. It is also about how family are the people who should always stand behind you and fight with you to make sure you can be your true self no matter what anyone else might think. 

Let me introduce you...

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

I live in the state of Maine, and knew about the court case that becomes a major element of this book. And while I have never met Nicole Maines or any member of her family, I have been a fan for quite some time. Her advocacy is inspiring, and, these days, she is probably most widely known for being the first transgender superhero on television, playing Dreamer on Supergirl. It makes me so happy for her that this has been her journey, a journey of such great success, when it wasn't all that long ago she just wanted to use the school bathroom that corresponded with who she was, and wasn't allowed to do it. 

Strangely enough, even though I am a fan of Nicole's, I never knew this book existed until recently. When I did learn about its existence, I immediately checked my local library, was excited they had a copy, and checked it out. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Amy Ellis Nutt tells us the story of the Maines family, starting with married couple Wayne and Kelly who adopted identical twin boys, Jonas and Wyatt.  

A note before I continue:  Nicole was born a boy and named Wyatt. The book, telling the story from her infancy until her graduation from high school and gender affirming surgery, starts with the birth of the twins. Amy Ellis Nutt said in an interview that she discussed with Nicole extensively how to use the names and pronouns. I would NEVER misgender or use a dead name, but, according to Nutt, Nicole agreed that they should use the name Wyatt in the story up until the age of nine when Nicole started living her true self as a girl and changed her name.

From the beginning, the twins were close (as twins tend to be), but very different. Nicole states from the age of three she knew she was a girl. And as she was growing as "Wyatt", she always felt like she was girl, and was eagerly waiting for when she could be a girl. Her parents noticed it, too. Kelly encouraged her children in all things, even though Wayne wasn't sure how to deal with it (and would therefore just leave Kelly to deal with it). 

Wayne, you see, was a conservative man who grew up with certain expectations. He figured with twin boys, he would take them hunting and fishing, and have father-son bonding adventures, just as he always dreamed. When the truth about "Wyatt", became too much to ignore, Wayne knew he would have to change, too. 

In many ways, the books is just as much about Wayne's journey, and the journey of the entire family, as it is about Nicole becoming who she is. 

I think it would be difficult to read this book and not gain an incredible admiration for Kelly, who literally seems heroic in her quest to make sure her kids are safe and happy. She is a marvel throughout this book. It is nice that Wayne realizes his own hang ups often left Kelly alone to deal with things by herself, and tries later on to make up for it. 

Jonas always accepted that his identical twin was his sister and never had a problem with it. In fact, he is the one who told Wayne, "Face it, Dad. You have a son and a daughter." 

And it's true. 

People who don't understand, don't understand the science of gender or the science of sex. Nicole always knew she was a girl. When she was still barely past toddler age, she told her father that she hated her penis. If we can all just imagine for a second living in a body that doesn't reflect who we know we are inside, if we could all understand how difficult, how heart breaking it could be, maybe we could learn that acceptance and love is key here. 

(And yeah, this recent trend of comics using transgender people for punchlines are asshole bigots and don't know what they're talking about)

We not only get to see the family's growth, but how my home state of Maine treated the Maines family. Things were fine until a new student made an issue of Nicole using the girl's bathroom. The boy's grandfather used his grandson as a pawn, and threatened legal action against the school. He had the support of the Maine Christian Civic League (under the direction of the truly detestable Michael Heath- trust me, this guy is awful), and suddenly Nicole was told she couldn't use the girl's bathroom anymore but had to use a special unisex bathroom. And that's when the Maines had enough and filed a lawsuit. 

Along the way, Amy Ellis Nutt has chapters on the science of being transgender, and the book ends with pages of reading material, a glossary, and a list of resources for parents and kids. There were moments I cried (like the father-daughter dance), and, all in all, it just makes me wonder how people can let prejudice guide them. The Maines are a beautiful family. 

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

I wish everyone who needs to read this book would read this book. I know that is unlikely, but I do still think this book has made a great deal of difference, just as Nicole, and her family, continue to make a difference every day. 

With all of these anti-LGBTQIA+ legislations popping up around the country, particularly targeting transgender children, books like this are needed more than ever. And people speaking up is needed more than ever, too. To be a force of support, to let this community know that they are not alone, that they are loved, that they are complete and wonderful and beautiful. 

Read the book. It's a good friend to have. 

My New Friend, "PLAY IT AS IT LAYS," by Joan Didion

 

Me and my new friend, Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion, and what a brutal, relentless friend it is!

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. That's right. I have seen the nothing, but I keep on playing. So... there's that. 

Speaking of such things, let's talk about my new friend, Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion. I have read Didion's brilliant book of essays The White Album, and her memoirs The Year of Magical Thinking  and Blue Nights. I have only read one other of her novels, A Book of Common Prayer. 

Joan Didion passed away in December of 2021, and in her honor, I started keeping a notebook, something I have never really been able to do with any regularity before, and by some miracle, have actually written in it every night. 

Play It As It Lays was published in 1970, and was made into a movie in 1972 starring Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins. Didion and her husband John Gregory Dunne wrote the screenplay. Interesting, sine the books is unquestionably scathing in terms of L.A., the movie business, and the 1960s. Some compare Didion to Nathanael West with this book, which I think is apt. I can also see how it must have influenced a writer like Bret Easton Ellis, a vocal Didion devotee (he even quoted the opening line of this novel during an interview with Larry King). 

So how about I introduce you?

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

As I said above, I am already a Joan Didion fan, and have made it a point to try to make friends with as many of her books as I can get. This novel was at my local library, The Thompson Free, so I happily grabbed it. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Play It As It Lays is told in a series of short, electric, and often cutting chapters. There are 84, to be exact, some not even a full page in length. I have mentioned how I like this technique, how, for me, it tends to make every moment pop, seem very alive, and this novel is no different. If anything, Play It As It Lays is even more "relentless" as Library Journal described it. 

It tells the story of Maria (pronounced Mar-eye-ah) Wyeth, who we meet in a mental hospital. There are a few short first person accounts, and then the novel dives into a third person narrative as we take the journey to learn how Maria ended up in the hospital. The journey includes her upbringing in the desert with her failed father, her becoming an actress on the East Coast, marrying film director Carter Lang and appearing in a few of his movies (including a documentary about her, unreleased), her Hollywood lifestyle, her hospitalized daughter Kate who she desperately loves, and her eventual divorce. 

What I did not know going in was that an underground, illegal abortion and its subsequent complications plays a huge role in the narrative. It hit me in a big way, especially since the SCOTUS may very well be overturning Roe v Wade, making humiliating, dangerous abortions like the one depicted in the book a very real possibility in this country again. And that makes me sick. 

I am not going to lie: this book is rough. Rough. But, goddamn, Didion writes so very well, and the prose simply crackles. 

IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS

I am not going to spoil the book, but I will say that one of the major themes of the book deals with the question, "What does anything matter?"  And often, one can't help but think that our characters here, and the 1960s themselves, leads to a very chilling answer---

Nothing. 

Nothing at all. 

But this book matters. It's unflinching honesty matters in a big way. 

Thanks for reading my take on Play It As It Lays. Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

My New Friend, "RICK" by Alex Gino

 

Me and my new friend, Rick by Alex Gino. A remarkable middle-grade novel in the same world as their outstanding book Melissa.

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. But with a friend like Rick, by Alex Gino, one can really learn that they belong to a whole community of friends. 

Rick is a middle-grade novel that follows a supporting character from Alex Gino's outstanding novel Melissa (yes, it was originally published as George, but Melissa is a much more appropriate title and I am glad they were able to change it). And like Melissa, I believe it is an important and necessary book, and continues to be more and more as each day passes. Let me introduce you...

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

My friend Michelle is the youth librarian at my local library, and since I write plays for young people, I often ask her about good middle-grade and YA novels--- for one thing, I like to stay up-to-date on the market, but, even more honestly, I just really like reading middle-grade and YA fiction. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am not a snob about books for young people. I like to read a wide, diverse collection of books. 

And frankly, some children's and teen literature is just as, if not more important than much of the mainstream stuff published for adults. 

But I digress. 

My friend Michelle recommended Melissa by Alex Gino to me last year, and I read it and loved it. I highly recommend it. So this pride month, I wanted to read Rick, and I am glad that I did. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

As with their excellent middle-grade novel Melissa, Alex Gino creates a relatable, important read with Rick. Rick, who was a minor character in "Melissa" has been best friends with the mean Jeff for a long time, and often stays quiet when Jeff is being unkind to others, because, as we all know, it can be so hard to speak up.

But Rick is going through some changes. With the start of middle school, and his big sister moving out to go to college, Rick begins to have feelings that he's not like other boys his age. Unlike Jeff, he doesn't find himself checking out the "hotties", and it increasingly bothers him when his Dad keeps bringing up how normal it will be for him to start noticing girls ("Or boys," his Mom adds). But Rick doesn't have those kinds of feelings for boys or girls. He decides to attend the Rainbow Spectrum Club at school, for the LGTQIAP+ community and anyone with questions--- a club for everyone. But he knows he must keep his membership a secret from Jeff.

Alex Gino's story will resonate with every middle grade kid. Their characters are fleshed out and interesting, and the relationships are wonderful--- I particularly love Rick's relationship with his Grandpa Ray. And it's great to see Melissa again, and know that she is being her best self.

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

As mentioned above, I love the relationship between Rick and his Grandpa, as they bond over their favorite sci-fi show. It's a delight to see how they become so close to one another. 

Which is something I think Gino does really well. They always have a couple really cool and supportive adult characters that the young characters can talk to and confide in. It's nice to see that represented. 

Gino makes Rick's struggles to stand up to Jeff so real. And the community they have created with the Rainbow Spectrum club is a delight. 

And Gino provides an afterward about the evolving language of the LGBTQIAP+ community or the QUILTBAG+ , depending on which you prefer. I learned things from this book as well, particularly how the idea of being an "ally" shouldn't be a noun, but a verb, something that we do and not who we are. 

TAKEAWAYS

As I have said, this book is important. As more and more hateful bills targeted at LGBTQIAP+ children, and specifically transgender children, we need books like this. I am not exaggerating when I say that representation saves lives. 

Read this book with your kids. And if you know a kid who is struggling, give them these books. 

And if you are a young person under 25 who is confused, needs support, someone to talk to, consider the Trevor Project, and their TrevorLifeline, 866-488-7386, or TrevorChat at thetrevorproject.org

Happy Pride Month. Feel free to comment below. 

My New Friend, "TUESDAY MOONEY TALKS TO GHOSTS" by Kate Racculia

 

Me and my new friend, Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia. My new pal is set in Boston, giving me an excuse to show my Red Sox pride here. 

Hi. I'm Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books... well, and sometimes the occasional binge watch of Twin Peaks, or favorite horror movies. In this way, I am much like the title character of my new friend. Shall I introduce you?

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

Another loner who loves books once recommended Kate Racculia's second novel  Bellweather Rhapsody, and I read up on it and it sounded like a book that I would enjoy and that would speak to me. I knew it was at my library, but the day I went to check it out, it had just been culled for their annual book sale. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts was still available, and after reading the blurb, I decided it would be fun. 

I have since purchased and received a reasonably priced copy of Bellweather Rhapsody from an independent bookstore. I look forward to it. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Tuesday Mooney fancies herself a loner. She enjoys her work researching rich people for the purpose of fundraising at the hospital, she enjoys tutoring her teenage neighbor Dorry, and enjoys the occasional night out playing karaoke roulette with her friend Dex. But the prospect of being needed makes her feel uneasy, ever since her best friend Abby disappeared when they were teenagers, and subsequently started talking to her in her mind. 

Tuesday also loves puzzles and mysteries, so when an eccentric billionaire named Vincent Pryce dies, after setting up an elaborate treasure hunt for the city to play, Tuesday is sucked into the excitement and the adventure of it all. And while she becomes a bit of a local celebrity when she discovers the initial clues, her world gets intertwined with that of a billionaire family, with one brother who might be dangerous, and another who might be a potential boyfriend. 

And, after years of silence, Abby starts talking to her again. 

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

I could talk about the fun literary and pop culture references that abound in these pages. I could talk about the fun banter, the quirky set ups, and the love letter to the city of Boston. I could talk about the little twists and mysteries along the way.  

But for me, what really hits me in the imagination here are the characters, especially the main characters, who Racculia creates with such care. Tuesday Mooney is a complex character who isn't always likeable, but who you like and root for anyway. She has practiced cutting herself off from the world, especially since the disappearance and presumed death of her best friend. It is easier to be alone, to need anyone and not be needed. To remain a mystery, even to herself. 

Her friend Dex is a great creation, and it is refreshing, in my opinion, that the character is informed by but not defined by being a gay man in Boston in 2012. Dex dreamed of being a musical theater performer, but found himself rising in the ranks of finance, a job that he is very good at even if it makes him feel awful a good portion of the time. He is also longing to know his true self. 

Dorry, the young woman who Tuesday tutors, is another wonderful creation, perhaps my favorite. She has lost her mother, and does have desperate need for connection, to the extent that the first she really met Tuesday, she hugged her. She wishes she could talk to ghosts. 

The side characters are fun too, especially Lyle, the widow of the eccentric Vincent Pryce. 

TAKEAWAYS

I had a fun time reading this book, and also, as a performer myself, appreciated the journey of the character Dex. It is not easy to navigate this life, and the book explores this theme, and comes to the conclusion that it is easier to do so with people you love, need and care about--- and while this might sound simple, it is actually deeper and more complex than one might think. 

Could 20 pages have been cut along the way?  Maybe, but in doing so, it might take away from the great character stuff that really made the book for me. 

Thanks for reading my thoughts on Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts. Please feel free to share yours in the comments below....