February reading wrap-up 📚
where I read controversial books about love
Hi there!
In February I read a few romance books which have very controversial takes on love. Themes include BDSM, incest, non-traditional love tropes among others. I did not plan this. It just happened. Let's dive right into it shall we.
Everything I Read in February
Djinn City by Saad Z. Hossain
I read this book at the end of January as part of my Let’s Read Asia challenge and this doesn’t really jive in the theme I mentioned earlier but anyway..
Indelbed is a lonely boy living in a big, dilapidated mansion in Dhaka, one of the world's most densely populated city. His life is turned upside down when he learned that his dead mother was a djinn princess and his father is a great magician emissary to the djinns. His father went into a supernatural coma and Indelbed himself is kidnapped and thrown into a supernatural prison that defies space and time. Back in Dhaka, his cousin Rais tries to make sense of it all while his Aunty Juny is furious that something atrocious happened under her nose.
This book started really great. It was funny and I was hooked on the world-building and Djinn lore. I was fascinated by the mythology of it all. It gives us a peek into the richness of ancient Bengal. If you want something similar to The Iliad but from a non-Western Eurocentric story, this might be your cup of tea. A part of this book is a retelling of the ancient city of Gangaridai, also known as the kingdom that refused to be conquered.
But as the novel progressed, I feel like it was trying to be too many things at once. First, there were so many plots going on. It's like the author was trying to squeeze all his ideas in. They're not conflicting plot points but they weren't complementary either. There were so many unnecessary side quests, characters, and dialogues that the story could truly progress without them. All the characters here became unlikeable to me eventually. The most frustrating part was that the only character I liked was killed of in an unjustifiable way. Additionally, I really hate the first books in a series where the initial problem in Book 1 doesn't get resolved. It's like those Netflix shows now that purposely leave you in a cliffhanger by the end of the last episode just so the show could get more hype. I want something to be resolved!
Despite all that, I think it's a good book to get to know Bangladesh. It gave me a vivid picture of Dhaka. I'd like to believe that this book is also a satire in corruption and of Bangladesh politics.
Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture by Doreen G. Fernandez
This book is a collection of essays by Doreen G. Fernandez published in many Philippine publications. I started reading this back in September, a couple of essays at a time, in between books. It is wonderfully written and tugs at your heart, especially if you're like me who loves reading about food so much. Every essay makes my heart full. It makes me proud to live in this country with a rich and varied cuisine and culture. I will surely reread this book time and time again.
This book evokes so many childhood memories living in our small, provincial town. It made me so happy reading about our street food. Who knew we had so many kinds? There's the "walking" street food — food that is carried, pedaled, and barked throughout the streets, weaving in between traffic, like peanuts or taho. There's the "sitting" ones like banana cue, camote cue, and rice cakes. There are those found early morning at the market or at the churchyard. There are also those found near schools. There's so many I can't name them all!
Then there's fiesta food, restaurant food, and everyday meal food. Some are indigenous while some brought about through colonization but have been thoroughly indigenized. There also some brought about through trading and immigration. I love that the author also explores the different pathways of how certain food came to be.
I also discovered things that I never knew before like how each region have different kinds of wine fermented from native fruits of that region. This book also pays tribute to mothers and housewives because "who can really think about food without thinking about their mothers?".
Tikim is just a taste in English. The essays here in the book are just to give us a taste. There is more to explore. I am so glad to have meet this book.
You made a Fool of Death by your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
This book is about a woman trying to be happy after losing their husband. Because I am not on Booktok, I didn't know this book is a romance nor it had been very controversial at the time of release. I picked this book up because I loved Emezi's The Death of Vivek Oji and I wanted to read more of their work so I picked the one with the prettiest title. I think this book has been controversial at that time because of its non-conventional love troupe. Even though I don't typically gravitate towards romance, I loved this book and despite of not really rooting for the romance ship here. I also didn't believe that our two characters here were in love. There was no build up and everything was sudden. I came in here for Emezi's writing and they didn't disappoint. The prose is wonderful and lyrical. It makes you feel things. It makes you hope for things.
Our main character, Feyi, and their best friend, Joy come alive in my eyes through their banter. I love their friendship. Emezi wonderfully combines proper grammar and slang to give us a solid picture of girl friendships. I think one of the reasons this book has been controversial is because Feyi's actions in the end challenges society's expectations. I remember that Rory Gilmore meme about asking for more complex female character but can't even handle her. Emezi didn't come in here pleasing people by creating Feyi. Feyi is walking-talking main character vibes that may be unlikeable to some.
Like Vivek Oji, this book has spice. I like that Emezi included consensual conversations at the point of sex that we never get to see in movie's or other media. For example, there was a sex scene where both parties asked if they recently got tested or if they’re using birth control. I think it's important to include real conversations like that in literature.
I can't wait to read more of Emezi's books. Even though they're not mostly available here, I will keep a look out. I can't wait to read her debut novel, Freshwater, which received so many praises.
Intimations by Zadie Smith
This book was gifted to me by one of my favorite booksellers during my birthday in 2022. I tried to read it then but wasn't really in the mood for it at that time. I saw it a couple of weeks ago and decided to try it again. I still wasn't in the mood for it but I wanted to clear it off my and TBR plus its a really short book that I can finish in one sitting.
The book is a collection of six essays, three of which I liked. The others, I couldn't relate to it. The first one that I liked was entitled "Suffering Like Mel Gibson". The title refers to that Mel Gibson meme during the early days of the pandemic where we were all in lockdown with no boundaries between work and home life. The meme was captioned "explaining to my friends with kids under six what it's been like isolating alone". The essay talks about our varying degrees and loneliness. That suffering is not relative. It is absolute no matter our circumstances. Suffering is suffering and is absolute in our own mind.
Another essay that I liked was titled "Contempt as a virus". This refers to the systematic racism in America. I think it was wonderfully articulated and that the virus was a good metaphor.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Last February 13, I was feeling all the love that I decided to reread my favorite parts of my favorite romance book — Persuasion. Next thing I knew I was rereading the whole thing.
Persuasion is Austen's last completed novel. It has been tagged by many as her most "mature" novel in terms of writing and in choice of heroine. Our main character, Anne, is already 27 years old. Austen's other novels feature characters who are much younger in age. Persuasion is a love story about Anne Elliot and Frederik Wentworth who were engaged several years ago when they were younger. The engagement did not push through because Lady Russel, Anne's trusted friend, "persuaded" Anne to call off the engagement on the account of Wentworth being a nobody. Fast forward to eight years later, the two meet again, and turns out, never stopped loving each other. I am not one to reach for romance books but stories of longing and pining for another person for years is right up my alley. It is my favorite Austen precisely because of that.
I loved the minor characters in this book especially the Musgroves. Anne's family are vain people whom we can recognize a person or two in our own lives. Austen's writing wonderfully delivers this. I love Anne's "long suffering character" which is exactly the type of character I am always drawn to.
I read this accompanied by an audiobook because I can focus more with that setup. Persuasion is a great book but I can't stand Austen's writing for long periods. I am also reading Emma and stopped because of this. Her sentences are long and each point arrives slow. The observations of human behavior are funny but sometimes I'd rolled my eyes at them because of its ridiculousness. I know I am saying this through the eyes of a modern reader but I try my best to grasp her books.
My edition had wonderful illustrations which I included below.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Middlesex hooked me immediately at the first sentence. It's about an intersex man of Greek descent with a genetic mutation causing him to have female traits. Cal, our narrator and protagonist, was raised as a girl but transitions after learning about his intersex condition. Middlesex is written in the form of a memoir with a first person narrative. Sometimes the writing shifts to third person when Cal is describing Calliope, the female identity in which he was raised. In the first part of the novel, Cal writes about his family starting from his grandparent's migration from the Greek village of Bithynios in Asia Minor, now part of modern Turkey. He said in the book that in order to understand him we must first understand the generation before him which reminded me of the narration style of Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.
Cal's grandparents were forced to leave their village because of the Greco-Turkish war. They went down to the city of Bursa to await a ship that will carry them to America. While they were in Bursa, the city was being burned down by the Turks and reading it was such a harrowing experience. Because of his grandfather's cunning skills, they were able to pass as French residents and was allowed to board a French ship. Thus the start of their migration story. We follow how his grandparents build a life in America and raise children. After that we follow his parents struggle towards the American dream and slowly abandon their Greek roots. Cal's story itself doesn't start until the middle of the book which received a lot of criticism because it took the focus away from his narrative and how he embraced his identity. I didn't mind it though, I loved it even. Like what Cal said, in order to understand him, we have to understand the generations before him. I've learned so much about important historical events in Eastern Europe that I wouldn't know if I hadn't read this book. This reminded me again of Pachinko where I discovered a lot about the Japanese occupation of Korea and World War II.
In the book, we also see Detroit in the 1920s, a once booming industrial city and home to several car manufacturers. We get to follow the 1967 Detroit riot in Cal's eyes which is a pivotal moment in Cal and his family's life. It's an epic book in which so many things happen. It's a coming of age story but also a family saga. It's a migration story that discusses what it means to be American and the pursuit of the American dream. It's 500 pages long but I have thoroughly enjoyed my time. I just have one teeny tiny problem with this book though. I had discovered something about the female genitalia that I could never unlearn. I also keep thinking how Cal's parents never discovered her intersex physical traits when he was just a baby. Weren't they cleaning his private parts enough?
There is a controversial love story here too which is a spoiler so I will leave it to you to find out.
I keep thinking that this book is a perfect example of Chekov's gun because everything that is introduced in the first parts will ultimately make a comeback at the latter parts. Good storytelling.
Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch
I am silent member of a book club in my area and I say silent because I don't attend the in-person meetings but I look forward to every book of the month announcement. This book was their February pick under the theme erotica. Hmmm, interesting.
Venus in Furs is about a European nobleman, Severin von Kusiemiski, who desires to be enslaved to a woman. He tells Wanda von Dunajew, the object of his affection, to treat him in several degrading ways — whip him, choke him, all those BDSM things. At first, Wanda is appalled by this request but later on finds power in it after being persuaded by Severin. The book is a slog at first but having learned the premise beforehand, I was invested on how the story will end.
There are some scenes where both Severin and Wanda are inconstant with what they want. For example, sometimes Severin pleads with Wanda to whip him but sometimes he thinks of Wanda as an evil person. Similarly, sometimes Wanda will declare his love for Severin but the next moment treats him like nothing. I keep thinking of how crazy and toxic this relationship is but I don't know maybe I'm just not understanding the topic of desire fully or I am judging this through the eyes of a modern reader.
The BDSM and erotic scenes are mild. The 50 Shades books are more graphic even. There's mention of kissing and embracing that implies sex but that is it. I find this book to be more about the exploration of the psychological state of the person who wants to be dominated more than the actual BDSM stuff. This book is significant in the realm of psychiatry. It's a groundbreaking literature about a topic that was still a taboo at that time. In fact, the word "masochism" is derived from the author's last name.
Venus in Furs is a strange book but I'm glad I found it. Glad to have read something different from what I'm usually drawn to. I had planned to read White Nights by Dostoevsky after this but that's not going to happen as both books are about obsession and I don't want to read one after the other.
Short Stories by Substack Writers
I found myself reading and loving these three short stories I found on Substack.
PODs by
What I Want to Read in March
The International Booker long-list was recently announced but none of the books are available in my area. Then I remember picking up Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree last month, the 2022 winner, so I got it off my shelf and started to read it. I also want to continue reading Emma and Don Quixote in March. White Nights is also on my line up. However, I kind of want to read only women authors in March because it’s National Women’s Month so let’s see.
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I loved Middlesex so much but I read it quite a while ago so I’m glad to hear it holds up, I love when we get a characters historical backstory it makes things so much richer.
I’ve only read White Teeth by Zadie Smith and I loved it, thought it was hilarious and interesting so maybe don’t give up on her yet!! I think you have the right sense of humor for her earlier work.
What a great reading month. Middlesex is on my list too! I read that Zadie Smith collection when it first came out and had similarly mixed feelings. I like her early work SO MUCH but her more recent books have been just ok for me. I think I hype myself up too much for her and then, of course, I am disappointed.
I am reading White Nights this month, let's chat about it if you do too!