Cyn Vargas 'On The Way' / Rey Andújar 'Saturnalia'

So.

First off.

There's not really too much of a reason to lump these two books together. Other than the fact that they are both collections of short stories written by authors living in Chicago, put out by Chicago presses, and I finished reading both on the same day. And the settings for both alternate between various locations in Latin America and the United States. Other than that, there's not much of a connection, and I'm writing about them together solely based on my timing of reading them. Let's start with On The Way.

I picked this book up at City Lit about a month ago. I'm always game to try anything Curbside Splendor puts out, even if the epigraph is a Radiohead lyric. But a blurb on the back from Bonnie Jo Campbell meant I would pick it up anyway.

Let's start with this: these stories are not uplifting. They're not always tragic, but they are often heartbreaking. It's not the fact that death always awaits us (it does sometimes), but that more often, bad things happen and the devastation permeates itself in its wake throughout a life; lucky are we who don't have to identify with many of these stories. The protagonists are generally women. They've been abused, they've been cheated on, they've been divorced, they've been abandoned in physical and existential ways. Vargas writes about women young and old, who've experienced a lot and who've experienced a lot of pain. Rarely do they find redemption. In an interview with Kati Heng, Vargas revealed her personal connection with some of these characters, how she identifies with them, and why they need their voices to be heard: "To appreciate the joy, you have to have the pain too. I think I am able to write bittersweet stories because I have lived through it."

Literary Chicago - Bonnie Jo Campbell, "Women and Other Animals"

Literary Chicago is series where I try to capture the essence of the city by how it is described in fiction, primarily from books that don't take place in Chicago.  

via Calumet 412

"Hal always said Chicago didn't have anything that mattered. The Sears Tower is there, Bess had said, and Hal said the Sears Tower was just another tall building."

pg. 44 "Women and Other Animals" short story collection by Bonnie Jo Campbell. (1999)

The Lit Log: Sophie L. Nagelberg

This is the fourth in a series called the Lit Log, where I ask people to document what and how they read. If you would like to contribute to the Lit Log, hit me up at andhertz [at] gmail.

Sophie is an editorial publication assistant at Agate Publishing as well as the singer/bassist in Videotape, who released the shoegazy / noise-pop This Is Disconnect earlier this year.

How many books (approximately) do you read a year: I generally read 2-3 books per month, so, if my math skills are correct, around 24-36 books per year. But who's counting?  

How many books do you read at a time: I prefer to read one book at a time, but that never happens! Never. It bothers me to start something new when the first is not finished. Even if I don't like a book, I hate to put it down because I feel as though I'm cheating—like I don't deserve to put it on my bookshelf(s). I'm currently reading Songdogs by Colum McCann, but I've completed two novels by Shay Youngblood in the mean time. I'm also currently reading a lot of old newspapers and a published journal from the early 1900s.   

The last great book you read: The last book I read that I will not shut up about is Bonnie Jo Campbell's Once Upon a River. One of my former professors gave me her two short story collections: Women and Other Animals and American Salvage, both of which I really fell in love with. I saw Campbell speak at Printer's Row this year and she told a story about a woman, whom she based a character off of, coming up to her and saying something like, "I had no idea you understood my struggles until I read it." I can't think of a better compliment to an author. That was very inspiring.

Your desert island book: The dictionary.  

Book to read while cooking: Sometimes, I read recipes and directions in cookbooks with absolutely no intention of cooking. I really wouldn’t read a novel or anything of that sort while cooking. I need to concentrate—on both tasks—separately.   

Autumn book: What is an autumn book anyway?  

Do you ever judge a book by its cover: Yes! And why shouldn't I? I work at a book publishing company. The fact is--people judge books by their covers all the time. A cover should convey a message. I think it should be a representation of the writing. But then again, I have misjudged…Really though, I'll judge a book by the paper it's made out of. Sorry.  

Are you satisfied with your literary intake: No, I'm not satisfied with anything.   

Thoughts on contemporary state of literature: Clearly, the way people are reading is undergoing rapid transition. At first, I was hesitant of e-books and e-reading devices, but I've really had a change of heart. I mean, Agate makes ebooks, in-house, so I better like them. We're partnered with the Chicago Tribune, so we use content from their digital archives, and you know, make books! It's really fascinating. I'm extremely excited to be a part of the process. I've gotten to work on biographical ebooks on Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz, to recipe books, to popular column collections. Also, as far as the whole paper vs. digital thing, some content just makes more sense in digital form. So, there.

Another thought on the state of literature: I'm a big fan of short (short) fiction and flash fiction, something that has been on the rise. I hope this kind of fiction will become more widely accepted. And by widely accepted, I mean, I want that quirky collection of flash fiction to be on the best-seller's table at Barnes & Noble. A particular writer that comes to mind is Lydia Davis. I tried to emulate basically all of her collection, Almost No Memory. Most of these stories are only one paragraph, but each one is unique and complete.