Rachel Kushner, Creation Lake. Reminded me of Elizabeth Hand. A moody, philosophical novel, but on the whole meadering writing and for me not very inspiring. Eventually, I gave up about p. 270 with 100 pages left. At some point I realized nothing was happening nor was anything going to happen, so why continue. Plodding. The idea here seems to be to make the reader go through 350 pages without any compelling character, plot, or writing, and with a string of fairly banal philosophical observations mixed in throughout.

Mohamed Mbougar Sarr. Silence du Choeur. An earlier novel of his- very competent polyphonic voices about African migrants in Sicily. I’m not a lit studies person, but can I presume riffs/references to The Aeneid, which would make it more fun to discuss? (Google search reveals nothing…)

Film

• Emilia Perez – great first half then it (and I) wandered off
• Beanpole – beautiful Russian film about two women in Leningrad right after WWII. Harrowing and quiet.
• Caravaggio (by Derek Jarman) – self-indulgent and ridiculous. Probably “daring” in its time but a yawn now. Contrast (aesthetic, intensity, attention to detail) with Beanpole couldn’t be bigger.
• Saturday Night Live. A re-creation of “first night.” You are definitely better off seeing Birdman.