Chouette

Chouette; Claire Oshetsky (USA): ECCO, 2021.

Towards the end of this incredible tale, the protagonist Tiny, is on a bus observing people outside her window and thinks, “…I can see them all out there being themselves, with no one in the world to tell them to be someone else instead.” This quote encapsulates this feminist story about motherhood, society’s push for conformity, as well as its active destruction of nonconformity, and the endless struggle for survival. Oshetsky presents a much dismissed view of motherhood, far from the ideal of bliss often placed on this role. Tiny is questioned at every turn in her mothering of her ‘nonconforming’ child and there are very few individuals who understand her or assist her along the way. The story is the battle she faces in honoring her child, honoring her own needs, and struggling to not become someone else. The story also plays with the intersection of humans and the wild world and this theme is a great accompaniment to the problems Tiny and her child face.

Man Gone Down by Michael Thomas

I first read this book when it was published in 2007 and was blown away by it. Unwisely, I sold it along with my entire book collection in 2019. During an unrelated book reading at the wonderful Hopscotch Reading Room in Berlin I found a used copy of the book and purchased it with no hesitation. I recently finished reading it and am still quite impressed with the writing and the story. In short, it is the story of a black man, married to a white woman with three children, on the verge of losing everything. It is an astute telling of how difficult it is to make it in America, especially considering the “myth of an integrated and racially normalised America” (quote from Dublin Literary Award 2009). The pain and frustration of the narrator is palpable and propels the narrative along at a brisk pace. I love Thomas’ writing style with internal monolog, flashbacks, links between history and the present, and the presentation of common suffering in American society. A great book I will keep on my shelves and read again in the future. Thank you Michael Thomas!

Alpe Adria Trail: Part 2

Sarah and I finished hiking our sections of the Alpe Adria a couple of weeks ago but the high I experienced lingers. While there were a few issues on the trail, mostly due to poor or inadequate markings, the trail was overwhelmingly a pleasure to experience. It is amazing that three countries can coordinate a cross-border trail with such efficiency. I know there are complaints out there, but with GPX we managed just fine and the trail goes through wonderful villages and towns, incredible scenery, and a good mix of wilderness and closer to home. I felt so at home on the trail, each step a pleasure, and I miss the daily exertion and reward of each daily grind. Overall, a wonderful way to spend two weeks. Only 25 stages to go if we want to walk the entire Alpe Adria. We do!

Alpe Adria Trail

We are four days into hiking Stages 20-31 of the Alpe Adria Trail. We started in Ossiach, Austria and are now in Trenta, Slovenia. The hiking has ranged from casual to challenging ascents and descents. But along the trails there are fantastic views and the effort is well worth it.

All Yours by Claudia Piñeiro

All Yours by Claudia Piñeiro; translated from the Spanish by Miranda France; Bitter Lemon Press.

I searched out this book based on how impressed I was with Piñeiro’s more recently translated Elena Knows. I do not usually read crime novels or thrillers but I really enjoyed her work so I wanted to give it a try and I am pleased that I did. Based on a husband’s ongoing infidelities, his wife Inés goes to great lengths to keep him safe and present in her life after an accident with his supposed lover. This fast-paced novel includes many twists and turns as Inés manipulates reality to fit her positive outlook of how her and Ernesto’s life will turn out. I like what the author was doing with the daughter Lali but I didn’t feel her story meshed with the adult’s shenanigans very well. Still, I enjoyed this dark and sometimes humorous story.

Breach

This collection of short stories explores the worlds swirling within the Calais refugee camp. The narrators toggle between smugglers, volunteers, and immigrants and deliver a blistering account of the border town. The authors expertly portray the sensation of living on the border, not knowing what will happen, when it will happen, and if it is even for the best. Short on plot and narrative development, this is more of a wake up call to the conditions people are living in within our midsts.

Dirty Work

Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America by Eyal Press is a disturbing and enlightening read. Through his analysis of kill floor workers, drone pilots, and prison psychologists he reveals the dirty work we accept in America: work that needs to be done but is unpleasant enough we do not want to know about, or pay for. It is this hypocrisy of our society I found most intriguing. We do not say “don’t do this” to the work, but instead, “do it out of my sight.” He mentions this civilising process throughout the narrative and it is very disturbing. I am not sure that the moral injury he discusses fits the bill for teachers, but certainly I saw my time as a teacher carrying out dirty work for society: low paid, high expectations, looked down upon, and seen as the problem in education. And to this day, like the characters he portrays, I feel like I should have, could have, done more for those in my care.

Javier Marias

Very sad to see this. I have spent years reading his work and waiting for the newest translation, like the forthcoming (I hope) Tomás Nevinson. I was introduced to his fiction through a New York Times review of Fever and Spear from his Your Face Tomorrow trilogy. I loved it and went on to read all his translated novels. It is amazing work and completely mesmerising. I will miss his contributions to the world of literature.

Thank you Javier Marias.

Brandenburg Hiking: Brieseweg & 66 Seen Weg

I had a fantastic weekend hiking in Brandenburg in preparation for my September Alpe Adria vacation…clearly not enough elevation gain but there was some. Saturday was spent hiking the Brieseweg and then being a bit lost in the surrounding area. A very pleasant and calm place to get lost in though.

Last November, I walked the Briese part of this hike and the vast differences in seasons can be seen in the photos below.

On Sunday, I walked part of 66 Seen Weg which is a long distance hike in Brandenburg going completely around Berlin. This short section is a mere 40 minute train ride from my apartment. There are plenty of isolated trails along the way, but being so close to the city there is also a great deal of urban influence, adding color to another great day hiking.

Brandenburg Hiking: Bad Belzig

There is a great hike in southwest Brandenburg, one which I have done several times in the past, that I revisited over the weekend. The times I hiked it before, it was the middle of winter: cold, dreary, grey, and even a bit spooky. This time, the trees were full, farmers were working their fields, and the trails were a pleasure to be on.

I walked the south trail from Wiesenburg to Bad Belzig but there is a north route connecting the same two towns. The north and south can be combined to make a nice 40 kilometre hike. Combined, these trails are considered an art path with many sculptures scattered along the way. One of my favorites: the wolf sculptures, rebar and wood, about a quarter of the way into the south route and shown below.