Stay

Aud Torvingen #2

by Nicola Griffith

Aud (it rhymes with "shroud" ) Torvingen is six feet tall with blond hair and blue eyes. She can restore a log cabin with antique tools or put a man in a coma with her bare hands. As imagined by Nicola Griffith in this ferocious masterpiece of literary noir, Aud is a hero who combines the tortured complexity with moral authority.

In the aftermath of her lover's murder, the last thing a grieving Aud wants is another case. Against her better judgment she agrees to track down an old friend's runaway fiancée--and finds herself up against both a sociopath so artful that the law can't touch him, and the terrible specters of loss and guilt. As stylish as this year's Prada and as arresting as a razor at the throat, Stay places Nicola Griffith in the first rank of new-wave crime writers.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian, Crime, Thriller

303 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 1999

About the author

Nicola Griffith has won the Los Angeles Times' Ray Bradbury Prize, the Society of Authors' ADCI Literary Prize, the Washington State Book Award (twice), the Nebula Award, the Otherwise/James Tiptree, Jr. Memorial Award, the World Fantasy Award, Premio Italia, Lambda Literary Award (6 times), and others. She is also the co-editor of the Bending the Landscape series of anthologies. Her newest novels are Hild and So Lucky. Her Aud Torvingen novels are soonn to be rereleased in new editions. She lives in Seattle with her wife, writer Kelley Eskridge, where she's working on the sequel to Hild, Menewood.

Series:
* Aud Torvingen

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good sequel to The Blue Place. If you have not read The Blue Place yet, do not read this one until you do. For those who have, know how heartbreaking The blue Place ended. Stay is about Aud picking up the pieces and staying present in the world. When she would much rather hide or destroy it all.
Anyone who reads Griffith, knows how talented and beautifully she writes, this book is no exception. My heart absolutely breaks for Aud, and while you can see her getting her life on track as the book progresses, you know there is more to be done.
I'm looking forward to reading book 3, and hope Aud gets a happier ending.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm never quite sure how to classify the Aud Torvingen novels, probably because they're a kind of book I would never have picked up if they weren't written by Nicola Griffith. A lot of reviews call them 'modern noir', so let's go with that. As with the first book in this trilogy, The Blue Place, the draw in Stay is not the familiar plot (bad guy needs to be stopped from people trafficking), but Aud herself, who remains a brilliant character study. She's still most of the things she was in the first book - former police lieutenant, lesbian, six-foot tall martial arts practitioner, Norwegian-British-American, carpenter - but her social manipulation is dialled right down in this one, probably because she's dealing with personal trauma. Instead, even more so than before, she prefers to solve problems with violence. Such a brilliant antidote to all the books like this I've read about troubled straight men, and, as ever, if Griffith wrote the back of a cereal packet I'd shoot out to buy it. Another classic early 00s cover, as well!

[Ulf Kastner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read Nicola Griffith's previous book featuring the same protagonist, Aud Torvingen, about seven years ago and couldn't recall much in terms of plot or mood as I began to read this one.

That is until a scene of climactic violence by ways of superhuman ferocity courtesy of the protagonist suddenly erupted about halfway into the book. Things began to fall into place and I remembered what I'd liked and what left me feeling ambivalent about The Blue Place. Aud is a noir superheroine and I'm not too keen on superheroes. Fortunately, her ambiguous, conflicting, yes her "noir" qualities serve as sufficient reconciliation to sustain my interest.

Even though superheroes bore me I still enjoy characters that take charge in an intuitive, self-assured manner. Aud Torvingen is full of self-defeating flaws and compulsive deficits, but she's probably the protagonist least likely to allow herself to get side-tracked by self-doubt when there are things at stake. And that may be the quality I relished most about both books - at their core there are journeys of a guarantor for impulse, movement and momentum. She is a beast, an avenging angel, a force of nature...she is personified, miraculous, entropy-reversing fate.

Nicola Griffith writes unselfconscious lesbian fiction. All her novels (and I believe to have read all of them excluding her most recent Aud Torvingen opus, Always, published earlier this year) feature female queer protagonists. None of them are preoccupied or stifled by worlds that are prejudiced against their sexual orientation (whether that is a result of inexplicably more tolerant worlds or protagonists that are somehow not affected by such prejudice is never entirely clear.) That earns her a predictable share of criticism from folks that would rather read about the struggles, victories and defeats arising from queerness. I, however, am glad that Griffith doesn't heed those calls to change her game to sophisticate-lesbian, fantasy literature equivalents of Chick tracts (and I mean Chick as in Jack Chick, not as in chicks.)

[MargaretDH · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read anything by Nicola Griffith I didn't like, and this didn't break the streak.

Aud is a noir hero, and after the last book in the series, just keeping her head above grief water. When her friend tracks her down and asks her to find his missing fiancee, she decides to help, taking her across the country and into contact with some terrible people, but also redemption.

Griffith makes Aud and her thoughts and actions so immediate. Aud is measured and graceful, and Griffith tells us almost every time she sips her mineral water, or how her leather gloves smell and feel against her finger tips. Aud is so immediate, and you're so close to the action, that this was easy for me to read in long stretches. I got through it in a day, and the intimacy was comforting and immersive (even through the violence). Plus, even though Aud isn't invincible, she is a BAMF, so if you need to read about (an earned) win, this is very satisfying. Griffith does a good job of balancing the violence and the intellectual, and the pacing is just right.

Don't pick this one up without reading The Blue Place, but if you like modern noir, these are excellent.

[Dide · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again the writing is worth the marvel. The major theme in this book is pain and in many ways the author expresses and eases it in admirable words.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am empathetic towards Aud in "Slow River" (Aud Torvingen #4) and "Always" (Aud Torvingen #3), less so with Aud in "Stay" (Aud Torvingen #2). A compelling and ending. Wow!

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

...The climax of the first book was absolutely heartbreaking. In this novel you are left with the feeling Aud has managed to crawl out of the hole she found herself in. There is trouble brewing on the horizon of course but she has made great strides towards finding her balance again. Griffith does amazing things with this character, who in the hands of a lesser writer could easily have turned into a clichéd badass former police officer. Stay is a worthy sequel to The Blue Place. I'm looking forward to reading the third book. It will be interesting to see if Aud can hang on to her new found humanity.

Ful Random Comments review>

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really a mystery.

[Sam (Hissing Potatoes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I read the majority of this book in one sitting, because any time I put it down to eat or something, I felt inexorably pulled, like a magnet, to dive back in.

I love how the author took the pronunciation of Aud's name to a whole new level and made it a legit, meaningful recurring theme rather than just inserting a one-time "this is how you pronounce it" example.

The character growth throughout the book, not just with Aud but with the people around her, is extraordinary. The motif of Aud growing from larva into imago is beautifully, painfully, laboriously executed as she works through her grief, breaks out of her protective armor, and comes to an understanding with the world and people around her.

Griffith is in a league of her own. Also, her descriptions of nature are so exquisite I have the strongest desire to run off into a forest and never be seen again.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROTAGONIST: Aud Torvingen
SETTING: North Carolina
SERIES: #2 of 3
RATING: 4.25
WHY: After the death of her lover, Julia, for which she was partially responsible, Aud Torvingen retreats into an isolated life in the mountains of North Carolina, where she is building a cabin. Although she’d like to, she can’t refuse when her oldest friend, Dornan, asks her to find his fiancée, Tammy. Aud finds that Tammy has gone to New York and is in a truly abominable situation. She removes Tammy from the threat, but only at great cost to herself when she suffers an incident involving white hot rage. There are links to an immigration scam involving children, which Aud tries to set right. Beautifully written, almost poetic. I had a real problem with Aud talking with her former lover. At times Julia appears on the scene as if she is still alive; I couldn’t buy it.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 4 out of 5]

With gritty writing that binds you to the sounds, smells, and sights of each scene's surrounding, Griffith has her character struggling not only with grief, but how to stay a real person after being smacked down the first time she tried (see the previous book).

Less a mystery than a revenge tale combined with a story of re-connection, I really liked it.

[Jeff Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a very dark book for much of the time, with little shafts of light here and there. You know her already; you know her strength and her depth; you know the joy that she’s shared with others, so you stick with her… through thick and thin. You need to see her survive this.
There were tears at the end.

[Rahnuma Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arrgghhh I didn't read the first part first...

[Jane Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series. Gripping and moving.

[Eli Poteet · Rating 4 out of 5]

i enjoyed it, i would reread it under the context of rereading the trilogy buuuuuuut it is a heavy sequel. it is a lot of trauma processing and heavily relies on the blue place to secure its plot and protagonists character build. i anticipated the sequel to be a genuine opportunity for the main character to heal ffom the trauma of the blue place, i expect the third installment to be a big grand new adventure.

words i didnt know: abattoir, gimcrack, gestalt, insovciance and chiaroscuro.

also, i want to make note that it feels trite when authors combine the storys villain with bdsm fetishes and psychotic behavior. i think this practice often reinforces a demonization of kinky sexual preferences as immoral, insane or dangerous.

[Althea Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Griffith has written a couple of excellent sci-fi novels ('Ammonite' and 'Slow River'). 'Stay is more of a thriller/crime novel, but since I had liked her other books so much, I decided to pick it up.
What I didn't realize is that it is also a sequel (to 'The Blue Place'). It does work as a stand-alone, but I wish I had read 'The Blue Place' first.
In 'Stay' we meet Aud Torvingen - a Scandinavian ex-policewoman & private detective, who is in the middle of reclusively renovating an Appalachian cabin, and dealing with the emotional trauma and guilt of the death of her lover, a woman who had hired her to protect her from assassins.
However, an old friend shows up at the cabin, saying that his on-again off-again girlfriend has disappeared, and he suspects she may be in serious trouble - can Aud help find her? Even though Aud had never liked this woman, she feels obligated to help - and soon is off to New York City to try to find out where she went... uncovering a web of violence, psychological torture and exploitation in the process.
Quite a good thriller - a bit of a slow start, but the writing and characterization really transcend genre fiction. (Although Aud's detecting skills and ninja-type abilities stretch believability just a tiny bit.)
The atmosphere of the novel reminded me just a little of 'Smilla's Sense of Snow,' which is one of my favorite books in this genre.

[Sharon Mensing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this second in the Aud (rhymes with crowd) Torvingen series. I'd already read the first and third, somehow missing this one. Griffith does an amazing job of making her characters, and especially Aud, real people. So much so, in fact, that any description of them (her) here sounds cliche. Aud is a martial arts expert, tuned into both nature and spirituality, lesbian, essentially fearless ... the combination of which makes her sound like a cartoon character. However, in this series, she is decidedly not cartoonish. This book has her recovering/recuperating from the last book (The Blue Place) at the cabin she is building in the Smoky Mountains, and traveling to both NYC and Arkansas to rescue a friend's wife and an immigrant child. This sounds like a formula thriller, but again, it is so much more in Griffith's hand. The sad news is that this series' last book is the 2007 "Always," which I've already read. Griffith needs to write another book in this series!!!

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW! Aud the backbone of the story is quite the woman. Her change in personality from the blue place is quite interesting to watch unfold. "We won't always know whose lives we touched and made better for having cared, because actions can sometimes have unforeseen ramifications. What's important is that you do care and you act" C. Lunsford. Look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Baxter Clare Trautman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent sequel, in which Aud's heart, alluded too in The Blue Place, shines through. Crafty Nicola Griffith set Aud up beautifully in this taut, richly written mystery.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok really like the aud torvingen series.

[Kerry & naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became aware of Nicola Griffith when I read her first book, Ammonite, a feminist separatist dystopia. I moved on to Slow River, her second book also in the science-fiction genre. I expected The Blue Place and its sequel, Stay to follow suit, but Griffith has moved them into mainstream fiction. I have not yet read The Blue Place, mainly because I could not find it as readily as the more recent Stay and the Nebula-award winning Slow River, but I believe Griffith does an excellent job of letting the new reader know what happened in The Blue Place so as not to detract from the story.

The Plot

Aud (rhymes with loud) Torvingen has retreated to the cabin her father left her in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina to grieve after the death of her lover, Julia. Aud spends her days rebuilding the cabin and wandering in the woods, having cut herself off from her friends, family, and civilization in general. Her friend, Dornan, drives up from Atlanta and begs Aud to find his erstwhile fiancée Tammy, who seems to have run off to New York City initially on business, but has not made contact for two months. Dornan fears the worst and wants Aud to find her and bring her back if Tammy is still alive. Aud, a former cop, reluctantly agrees to take the case.

Aud locates Tammy fairly easily in New York City where she has fallen prey to an abusive, controlling man named Geordie Karp. Aud rescues Tammy and takes her back to North Carolina to do some healing of her own, but then returns to New York City to retrieve a particularly incriminating video tape and the files on a child from Mexico that Karp had bought and was having raised by a foster family in Arkansas as his “perfect wife,” i.e., submissive and obedient. Aud runs into Karp and things begin to unwind. Or maybe repeated sightings of Julia are pushing Aud too far into madness.

Elements of Style

From what Griffith relates through Aud in Stay, Griffith seems to be developing her main character: in the previous book, Aud enters “the blue place” when she faces an adversary and time begins to slow down although she retains a startling clarity of thought and sense; in the sequel, Aud enters “the blue place” only once, and her manner of fighting to survive, fighting to kill, is undergoing a transition into something else, though exactly what remains rather ambiguous at this point (which is also why I hope Griffith plans a third book detailing the adventures of Aud Torvingen; another reason are Aud’s steps toward understanding her relationship to her mother).

One of the things I like best about Griffith’s writing in general is her forthright approach to lesbian relationships and sex. Griffith is a lesbian herself which lends a feeling of authenticity to the erotic scenes in her writing. Although I believe authors should not be limited to writing about their own scope of experience, sexual or otherwise, I find heterosexual authors writing gay and lesbian sex scenes fairly transparent, as easy to spot as men with female pseudonyms writing romance novels. Griffith’s unapologetic and unexplanatory approach to writing lesbian characters is very refreshing. She’s also not afraid to take ownership of words that other writers shy away from like vulva (heh-heh-heh, let’s see if that gets through the censor).

Griffith’s writing is very physical. The reader learns the play of muscles in the characters’ arms, the feel of slight shifts in weight, the pain from a broken rib. Her characters are very much inside their bodies and glory in their physical capabilities, though I must note that this does not signify a paucity of intellectual capabilities on the part of the characters or the author calling the tune.

I do have a single (minor) nitpick: if Aud drives from Little Rock, Arkansas back to North Carolina, with a stop in Memphis, what is she doing in Mississippi? I-40 goes straight from Little Rock to Memphis without touching another state. The route doesn’t make sense; if she was driving from the southern part of Arkansas through Mississippi back toward North Carolina, why swing up through Memphis? And going from Little Rock in the center of the state, there’s no reason to go through Mississippi at all. On the bright side, this is the only remotely sloppy detail I encountered.

[Stefanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stay is a book about a woman undone by grief who must slowly come back to the world. There are more than a few left turns further into darkness before the book is through. Griffith doesn’t really write straightforward plots (I’m okay with that) but she does display her top strength: she knows how to create and carry a mood. And because of it, this ends up being a deeply realistic portrayal of the swerving and never-quite-finished process of grief, with just enough of a mystery/thriller story to distract.

**spoilers for the first book, The Blue Place, follow**

At the start of this book, Aud has retreated to a half-finished cabin in the mountains outside Asheville, NC to deal with the death of her lover, Julia. Her friend Dornan comes to check up on her and also ask her a favor: track down his missing fiancée, Tammy. Aud reluctantly agrees, and in the process sets in motion a cascade of events that will forever change her life.

In case you were worried, this book isn’t all the way a character study. Aud still gets to use her detective skills in tracking Tammy and others. But these do tend to play a lesser role in service to Aud’s interactions with the people she meets along the way.

One of the surprises was how much time we got to spend with Tammy. She wasn’t my favorite (or Aud’s) in the first book and it’s to Griffith’s credit that she’s deepened here, to the point that Tammy and Aud can challenge each other and force some kind of growth.

As far as plot, there was an “oh shit” moment in this book just the same as the first; the difference is in this one it’s roughly halfway through rather than at the end. It changes the course of the narrative, and rather than be worried about others, it makes the reader worried for *Aud*.

I don’t want to give too much away but the question is if Aud can “stay in the world” as Julia requested, which of course means being connected to people, and not reverting to violence or isolation, her vices. Aud finds her way to a satisfying and in-character response to this; even the end is equivocal. But that makes it perfect. I really enjoyed Griffith’s exploration of Aud’s journey, and I’m glad there’s another book that follows to see where Aud continues to go.

Small nitpicky note though: why didn’t any grammar editors catch that “swang” is not a real word??

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aud’s lost love’s dying words were for her to stay in the world, but it’s hard. Aud Torvingen is waking up, changed by heartbreak, and all she wants to do is hide. An old friend needs her and he refuses to go away. His own love has disappeared, drawing Aud into a dark mystery that is deeper, involving more victims than the one she’s looking for. Aud has the skills to deal with this, but she’s no longer the detached observer and hunter that she once was. She’s raw, hurting, reacting to the world with all of her old skills, yet responding to people in a way she never has. Not even she knows how she’s going to react. All of the while the ghost of her dead beloved refuses to let her hide away.

This is a beautiful sequel to The Blue Place, giving Aud a chance to process her grief and the changes she’s gone through. She’s still strong, still powerful, yet she lacks her previous detatchment. Readers experience this change with her in Aud’s beautiful, visceral, witty narrative, along with how others change with her, are saved by her, and find opportunities to save her.

It’s a highly charged story of a strong woman learning to cope with her vulnerability, her grief, and to stay strong. This emotional journey parallels the suspense story of Aud crossing the path of a predator who’s both like and unlike her, rescuing his victims, and helping them to discover their strength. Characters that were in The Blue Place get fleshed out more while new ones enter Aud’s orbit, brought into three-dimensional vividness by Aud’s highly developed senses. It’s a rich and satisfying odyssey of watching Aud evolve, survive, and thrive even as we ache for her, mourning the loss of Julia and her former self.

Aud Torvingen is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever been fortunate enough to encounter in literature. I’m glad we readers got to experience more of her in another book. I’m glad there’s more to come.

[Paul Magnussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, I was wrong. This is the sequel to The Blue Place, and on finishing that, I was not expecting its successor to be particular good. In fact, in my opinion anyway, it’s a lot better. The stylistic excesses that characterised the previous work are here more subdued, allowing the author’s skills to evince themselves much more clearly.

Among these are the abilities to produce an absolutely spine-chilling portrayal of grief; and to produce a villain who is utterly repulsive but still convincing. This last-named is a task that even as good a writer as Peter O’Donnell found — as the Modesty Blaise books progressed — increasingly hard, and finally impossible.

It seems I guessed wrong, too, about the author’s influences (see her introduction to The Blue Place on its Amazon listing); although perhaps I may say that what led me to the Travis McGee books was someone’s describing them to me (I remember the event clearly) as “just as violent as Mickey Spillane, but more intelligent”.

To make your protagonist a homicidal lesbian lunatic*, and further, to write the story in the first person, is something not many authors would attempt; even fewer could bring it off.

I’m now glad I read both these books. I await the next one with interest.

You definitely do need to read the first one first.

*If visual and auditory hallucinations are any indicators.

[Claudia Putnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written from the point of view of a very complex monster. Intriguing.

However there were a couple of jarring aspects grammatically and stylistically. What was with the use of swang as the past tense of swing? It was consistent throughout (she seems to swing a lot of things), so she had to fight autocorrect the whole way through. And her editor has to go along w it. I honestly have never seen it before. I looked it up and it is totally incorrect, as I thought, except in “certain”unspecified dialects. And as slang in car racing. But despite her Norwegian background, Aud spoke a dialect. And slang did not fit. Sorry for going on about it but it snapped me right out of the story—kept thinking this author doesn’t SEEM like an idiot, so ???? This usage went on more than I highlighted.

Otherwise the pacing, specifically the balance of details, was a little off. Sometimes we have to walk across the room, undress, put the clothes away, and turn off the light—too much for me. I went to bed would be enough. Other times, I’m confused and need more detail. It takes a while to figure out sleeping arrangements and the use of the trailer—who is where. Two lines of description re trailer layout up front would have helped a lot.

I would consider this crap mostly par for the course w most genre writers, but because otherwise the writing was so fine, it really bugged me. Definitely several cuts above the usual in this genre. I’ll read the next one. Prob not the first at this point.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Electrifying Journey into the Depths of Grief and Redemption!

"Stay" by Nicola Griffith is nothing short of a breathtaking masterpiece that took me on an emotional rollercoaster, plunging deep into the soul of its complex protagonist, Aud Torvingen. Picking up where the first installment left off, Griffith expertly crafts a narrative that melds heart-wrenching grief with the fierce determination to confront the shadows of the past.

Aud's retreat to a remote Appalachian cabin is beautifully depicted; the isolation mirrors her internal struggle and the weight of her sorrow. Griffith's vivid descriptions of the landscape draw you in, making you feel every drop of rain and the chill of the wind – creating an atmosphere that's both haunting and serene.

The book is rich with emotion, raw authenticity, and unforgettable characters. Griffith’s writing is lyrical yet gritty, pulling you in from the very first page and leaving you breathless until the last. This book is a riveting continuation of Aud's story that will resonate long after you've turned the final page.

If you’re looking for an electrifying read that combines a gripping mystery with profound themes of love, loss, and redemption, look no further! Bravo, Nicola Griffith! You’ve done it again!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't know this was a sequel until putting it in GoodReads and I'll say it reads fine on its own.
It started with a character talking to a ghost and I expected a speculative story ... but it's not a speculative story. The main character, Aud, grieves the death of her lover, Julia, and at first I thought it was a mundane tragedy, one of those lit novels about everyday people dealing with normal life. Then, slowly, it comes out that Aud is something of an international woman of mystery, has killed men, and that her lover's death was tied in with a 'job' of some sort. OH it's a spy/mystery novel. She's contacted to investigate the disappearance of her friend's fiancee. It'll lead to a conspiracy and clues and.. no. Aud competently tracks down the missing fiancee and ... I'm going to start getting spoilery.

Long story short, it challenges your expectations. Doesn't let you sink into any comforting genre, and confronts you with human foibles and consequences. I quite loved it. For all that there is violence and spycraft, it manages to be a quiet sort of book, a woman on her own, figuring her way through her grief, her way back into a world of caring about other people.

[Arinn Dembo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a quick word about this novel, which I sat down to read this year. It's an amazing novel, exquisitely written. And although I've been reading for nearly as long as I've been alive, I can't recall EVER reading a better work of fiction about the immensity and the sheer persistence of real grief.

What I like best about this novel is that the protagonist is given the depth that is usually reserved for straight men, in most of the fiction written on planet Earth. Aud thinks, sees and feels with great intensity and profound passion, and she fumbles with her inadequacies and tries to user her power to make the world a better place--just as I would expect any male protagonist in a noir or crime novel to do.

I'm really glad I read this. It's a fantastic book.

[Rien Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars - "Autumn, like grief, changes everything."

A striking portrayal of trauma and grief unfolding against the background of a bizarre almost-kidnapping (it's complicated) case, this sequel to The Blue Place picks up almost immediately where the first book left off, at least emotionally-speaking. The prose is equally lush and cutting, with Aud followed by the psychological shadow of Julia while facing off an enemy that feels like a more cold, brutal version of herself.

It's certainly a harder read in terms of content while compared to the first book in the series, but I felt the subject matter was taken seriously and dealt with accordingly.

[Zaya Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book so much more than the first Aud book, The Blue Place. I love the way Griffith writes Aud interacting with her grief, I love the way Aud interacts with her sexuality, and I love the way Aud interacts with her own flaws. She's an amazing character. Still, she doesn't interact with any of the world as it might have been presented to her: she doesn't see any homophobia or, really, any misogyny. As such, it's a great book for those who want a little bit of escapism, but might be a struggle for those who are looking for a little bit of realism.