Where have I been hiding?
Stuff follows that may be spoilery for Louise Penny’s Gamache series, around the edges. I don’t think so; I doubt anyone will even remember what I’m writing here if they decide in a week or even a day to pick up Still Life and start reading, so really, don’t let those knickers get too twisted up. Nobody ever died from running into a decontextualized spoiler.
Yes I’ve been out of commission for a few months, and while that hasn’t stopped me from reading, it has changed the way I’ve been reading. Because things have been, well, fraught lately I sought refuge in the familiar. I decided to reread Louise Penny’s Gamache series. A new one was coming out in September so I figured I’d have ample time to get through the series before it dropped into my library.
But I was also having trouble reading hard copy. While I’ve been having sleep problems, one of the guaranteed ways for me to fall asleep is to start reading. So I opted for audiobooks because I could be up and around as I listened. And in fact I often enjoy reading both formats for books I truly enjoy because they give me different perspectives on what I’m reading. I also experience the book as performative art, particularly if the narrator is good. And in the case of the Gamache books, both Ralph Cosham, who read the first ten books, and Robert Bathurst, who took over as narrator after Cosham’s death, are both excellent narrators, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. As an aside, I have to say neither man consistently narrates Ruth’s dialogue in ways that I like. Both manage to make her sound, on occasion, like she’s swallowed sandpaper. Still, that’s a small thing.
I finished the first listen-through in very good time, much too early to move on to the new book, so I did something I haven’t done in a long time. I went back to the beginning and read through them again. Wasn’t I bored? Nope, not for a moment. Well, okay, maybe a moment here or there. And in fact that was one thing I discovered as I read through the second time. Each time I began a book I felt that it was probably my least favorite of the series, but by the time I was a couple of chapters in, I was riveted and couldn’t figure out why I’d ever thought that it was in any way inferior to the others. I have to say I think that Penny does tend to start a bit slowly in each book, then she picks up speed until she’s unstoppable.
A few other things I discovered: She doesn’t hold her PoV but after the first book it ceased to matter. She’d learned how to break PoV without confusing the reader. Learn the rules before you try to break them. She also is a bit fast and loose with names. Ruth’s ducklings are Rosa and Lilliom in the first book in which they appear. Later they’re referred to as Rosa and Flora. An editor should have caught this. Ditto the renaming of a horse from (name I can’t remember) to Gloria. Again, small things, but where were her editors? She also has a mania for presenting tiny mysteries within the books, like is Gloria a horse or a moose? (clearly a horse, but you get the idea) and what on earth is Gracie? Is Bean a boy or girl, though after having read the series 3 times I don’t really believe that matters. Bean is Bean.
One thing I truly enjoyed as I listened a second time, was getting a stronger feel for how the characters are developing. For my money, Jean Guy makes some of the greatest strides in the series, but if you watch carefully, even people you think might prove to be throw-aways turn out to not only be important, but to fit into some of the odd spaces of the Three Pines community. It’s that community that really makes the series as inviting as it is. We come to know them well, and learn that there’s nothing about human behavior that is consistently consistent. She’s so good at giving us those paradoxes and contradictions that to read the books only once sometimes leaves us wondering what we missed. How did Character E end up being a godparent to Character X? But it’s there if you look closely enough. And it’s mostly the sort of thing that warms the heart and underscores Gamache’s belief in the decency of most people, a belief that is surprising given the amount of death and misery he’s seen in his career.
Penny is also not afraid to show us the rough edges of the regulars. I spend a LOT of time wanting to slap Clara, and just lately wanting to shake Myrna and shout “open your eyes!” And I’m always a little cautious about Olivier’s motivations. I love the character, but I don’t entirely trust him. Essentially she lets us be part of a community of people who are fascinating, creative, and very human. And I love it. I wouldn’t have read the series three times in the last 2 years if I didn’t.
Then, because I’m still not really sorted in terms of health/sleep problems, I started relistening to The Fellowship of the Ring narrated by Rob Ingols. Autumn is a time for Tolkien, I think, and it was hitting most of the right notes for me until I realized 1) It was a bit more cartoony than I wanted. Ingols is a good narrator, but a bit out there in some passages. It wouldn’t have made much difference except that 2) There is another version which has just become available, and is narrated by Andy Serkis. I have so much respect for Serkis’ talents that it seemed almost irresistible especially when I realized that 3) I had one Audible credit left. (Money issues forced me to suspend my membership for a few months, and that’s fine, I have more than enough books to keep me going for a long time to come.) So I started over again with Serkis, and in some ways it’s like a whole new book. His straight narration is excellent, and of course his dialogue is creative and unique to the characters, a real plus in audio format, though not all narrators are capable of so much variety in their voices.
Ultimately much of what I’m thinking about as I write this, harks back to the old argument, if you’re listening to the audiobook are you really reading? I recently ran into a smug, self-important woman who was so absolute about it not being “real” reading that I had the desire to slap her. (Yes that’s how heated such a silly argument can be.) Of course it’s real reading. Tell a blind person it’s not. Tell them their Braille isn’t real reading. Tell them that because they don’t use their eyes to read, they can’t read at all. Tell me what the point of being abelist is? Is that the hill you really want to die on? Denying someone the right to say that they’re a reader? Heaven preserve me from ever having my mind shrink down to that size.
Listen to audiobooks. Seriously. Listen to the books you love in audio format and find a whole new perspective on them. Listen and read at the same time. Listen then reread or reread and then listen. If you love reading, this is an immersive experience that, at least in my opinion, enhances the experience of reading.
And don’t ever be afraid of disappearing into a book or series again and again. If it’s what you need, it’s what you need. Reading is for you, not for anyone else. Autumn is here, winter is around the corner. You don’t get much better reading weather than that. Make the most of it. Let it lift you up, ease your heart and mind, comfort you when you most need it, and bring you joy every day of your life.
