The Bookhive List: 'The Virgin Suicides' by Jeffrey Eugenides

June 4, 2015 Natalie Morath

The Virgin Suicides is extra special to me, even among the other titles on The Bookhive List. I remember really distinctly reading it on an 8th grade trip to Washington D.C., which is so completely random, but it was the best possible escape during loud bus rides. The novel came into my life when I was a very angsty teen, and that was enough of a reason to love it, but as an adult I moved to Grosse Pointe, where it takes place (although I'll clarify even though no one cares -- I live in the cooler, WASPier part of GP, not the part where Catholic girls gets sad and kill themselves and everything is a metaphor for white flight and mid-60s suburban culture and lost innocence). Now when the weather turns warm and the fish flies descend on every possible surface I start listening to the band Air again in the car and I usually pull out The Virgin Suicides for a little revisit. I never get tired of reading about my hometown, especially when the prose is so beautiful and the novel so incredibly structured. Obviously the best place to read it is poolside at the Little Club with a Bloody Mary in hand, but if that isn't possible it's acceptable to read it in a very green suburban park or in the rumpus room of a split-level ranch built in the 1950s.

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books

Summer Reading...

June 2, 2015 Natalie Morath

"Summer reading" isn't really a thing for me because I read all year long and don't make much of a distinction between seasons -- I just read what I'm in the mood to read. But I will happily acknowledge that there are definitely certain books that are just more pleasurable to read at certain times of year, and I have a well-documented history of reading more Southern and L.A.-oriented authors when it's hot outside. I have no specific titles in mind this summer, but I am looking forward to reading some Faulkner this year, and he is both a Southern writer and a man (something I was not allowed to read last summer). Here are some of my recommendations for your summer reading, if you're into that kind of thing:

-The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides: There is a Bookhive List post on this forthcoming, but it's good enough to warrant multiple mentions. An especially relevant novel if your summer will involve any proximity to fish flies or dying trees.

-Anything by Joan Didion (except A Year of Magical Thinking): Her essays on the American West and late 20th century counterculture are spare, essential and sizzling. I recommend her constantly for every occasion and will continue to do so, unapologetically.

-Any of the major contemporary women writers who are writing excellent literary fiction that is often mis-characterized as women's/genre fiction: Megan Abbott, Meg Wolitzer, Sarah Waters, and Tana French, for a start.

-Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee: Not because it will be good, but because it will be the literary event of the year.

-Re:Jane by Patricia Park; I have Roxane Gay's recommendation to thank for this, but Park's debut novel is a contemporary retelling of Jane Eyre, with the protagonist as a Korean-American woman. I already got a copy of this, so expect a longer review soon.

-The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins; I haven't read this yet but it's definitely on my list, as it was recently endorsed by NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, which has never steered me wrong. It's been described as Gone Girl-esque, and it has already made a big splash this year.

-Missoula by Jon Krakauer; I love to read Krakauer in the summer, because it's very intelligent non-fiction that is actually quite easy and quick to read. Granted, this one is about rape at colleges, so not exactly light, but I also read his book on murder in the Mormon community during the summer, perched in a patio chair, so take that as you will...

-Loving Day by Mat Johnson; This was one of 2015 most anticipated works of literary fiction, and while I haven't read any of Mat Johnson's novels yet, I religiously follow him on Twitter and I try to read his essays and nonfiction online whenever I can. He is smart and funny and works issues of race and identity into his writing so seamlessly and effectively.

Books on Books: 'The Marriage Plot' by Jeffrey Eugenides

June 11, 2014 Natalie Morath

On its surface, The Marriage Plot is a novel about romance and in particular a love triangle between protagonists Madeleine, Leonard and Mitchell. The marriage plot (see: most Victorian literature written by and for women) drives the action in a very literal and figurative sense, allowing Eugenides to play with the romantic tropes of literature that feel so second-nature to readers. I would argue that the real romance, however, is between Madeleine (who, let's face it, is the real protagonist, even though the men's perspectives are represented), and literature. Without spoiling anything, the romantic plotlines have their ups and down, but Madeleine's deep connection to fiction is constant. When her life lacks direction, Jane Austen gets her back on course, but not in the way one would expect.