Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver; of willpower and friends

Book cover of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, a modern retelling of David Copperfield set in Appalachia.

I finished Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. A very good book that reminds me of multiple books for multiple reasons.

A modern classic?

Demon Copperhead has a theme and style very much similar to Nick Cave’s The Ass Saw the Angel (alcoholic boy and the atmosphere) and Salingers Catcher in the Rye (a dive into the adolescent mind), for example.

Demon is the son of a junky mother and a father that died when Demon was still young.

The boy ends up in child care and lives with foster parents who are only interested in the allowance that comes with the care. He finds his loving grandmother, who finds a better home for him. The boy is talented in sports and drawing. He has some luck but makes the wrong decisions and ends up addicted to pills himself and with a girlfriend who is addicted to any substance, including heroin.

Will-power and friends try to drag him out of a downward spiral.

My, what a read!

Why This Book Stays With You

It’s not the drama that gets you in this book. It is the quiet, aching truth of it. Kingsolver doesn’t soften the edges. She doesn’t give you a neat ending or easy answers. Instead, she hands you a story that clings, like the scent of rain on dry earth. You don’t just read about Demon’s life, instead you feel the weight of it. It refuses to look away. And neither can you.

Candy Crush lady

The lady is always already on the train when I board. She has an iPad on her lap. Earbuds in her ears. She plays Candy Crush. Always. The full hour the trip takes.

Why Cats like boxes

cat in box
Our cat Stanley in a box

I caught our cat jumping in one of the boxes under my desk. Why do cats do this?

One theory is that they feel safe in a box. But just the image of a square on the ground seems to also attract them.

All recent articles on the topic seem to refer to the same study.

More research is required.

Oh, they jump in other boxes and crates, too.

cat in crate
cat in crate

Hans Aarsman on Garry Winogrand’s Rattle

Hans Aarsman wrote about Garry Winogrand, and also created a fantastic, expressionistic monologue about the chaos he recognizes in his photographic works.

You can download the monologue on this page in English and Dutch. The links are sort of hidden. Hoover the mouse under the text “ARCHIEF”, where you see a large faint “X”. I think the original thumbnail has disappeared. The monologue is called Ruis in Dutch and Rattle in English. Rattle, I can imagine, is the noise in the streets, but I do not understand Ruis (noise, static). The monologue reads like a train-of-thought rattle. Very much how like Winogrand talked in a very Rattly manner.

Listen to this except:

You can find the full interview here.

Garry Winogrand
Garry Winogrand

Indexed

The Indexed blog by Jessica Hagy just just freaking great!

I mean, this can only be created by a beautiful mind:

Indexed

San Sebastian beach – in print

Work

San Sebastian, 2022

Blind man

At station Z, the blind man boards the train. Usually, he can sit in his regular window seat. But sometimes, that seat is occupied, and he has to find another seat, somewhat awkwardly. Bladderman immediately stands up before the blind man to offer him his seat.

The blind man listens to something on his smartphone, which he operates with a special device.

He gets off at the same station as me. With sure strides, his cane in front of him, he finds his way down the platform, up the stairs, and into the crowded station.

Then he is gone.

Ray Bradbury and the coin operated typewriter

I can not resist sharing this Boing Boing article about Ray Bradbury and how he wrote on a coin-operated typewriter.

Ray Bradbury used 98 dimes to write the first draft of “Fahrenheit 451” on a coin-operated typewriter

Pee time predictability

Bladderman keeps his briefcase on his lap. He uses it as a substrate for his Sudoku. A bag and a coat lay on the small table before him. He puzzles intently and fills in the numbers with concentration.

Every day, between stations C. and Z., he gets up. He takes his coat over his arm and takes his bag and briefcase in his hand. Packed, he walks out of the compartment and to the restroom. After a few minutes, he returns and sits back in his seat. Every day. Between stations X and Y.

Sometimes, he makes an uncomfortable chat with the Candy Crush lady.

All Things Are Photographable

The documentary All Things Are Photographable about Garry Winogrand is mandatory yet enjoyable homework for every (street) photographer (ignore the sometimes soggy commentary). You can view this film by Sasha Waters Freyer for free here.