Post-Traumatic

by Chantal V. Johnson

Vivian loved Jane but she’d never understand how truly disorganized Vivian’s family was. How could she, she grew up middle-class.

A woman in a kitchen raised her hands to her face while holding a spatula wet with pancake batter.

“But you can’t create ideal outcomes out of unideal conditions,”

I guess your brilliant critiques are limited to movies and not, like, your own life.

Such a big statement, in one sentence, oof. Succinctly sums up one of the core conflicts the novel introduces.

As she walked through the apartment and took in all the mostly white faces of people in their late twenties and early thirties prattling about what they had consumed online, she felt like she was dodging enemies in an aquatic video game.

This is why it's hard for me these days to hang out with people who ONLY talk about nerd shit.

“It’s a thankless job in some ways,” Vivian said. “But I’d rather do something about injustice than, like, tweet about it.”

she was the one who had been talking about sexual violence for years when no one else was talking about it, she had the best opinions on it, she was an expert, she should be a talking head on TV discussing these matters, she should be writing internet explainers on these matters and now she’s standing at a party completely unheard, unappreciated, and unrepresented!

I think we fixate on the ethics of aesthetic consumption because it’s easier than dealing with the moral trespasses of real life. It’s easier to denounce an artwork than a family member, right?

really, really strong and important observation

Vivian couldn’t wait to start seriously working on her novel, and she spoke about it with the excessive exuberance of someone who hasn’t started writing yet.

too relatable

That, or she could articulate her theory that grunge was not a real music genre. (Nirvana was a noise band, Alice in Chains played metal, and Pearl Jam? That was just rock music.)

One of the best tangential hot takes about music in a novel I've ever read.

It feels very much like a class thing to me. You’re a professional now, honey, and it’s time to leave those losers behind—is that it?

I wonder, too, about the work you’ve been doing. Altruism doesn’t square with your personality. It’s as if you’re atoning for your own selfishness, a reaction formation.

If all the upwardly mobile people of color abandon their families then we will never get anywhere.

Making a great case for the other side of one of the big arguments the novel revolves around.

Her feelings on the matter had clarified. She didn’t have to stay in painful situations. What does an adult child in a toxic family system owe that system? For Vivian, the answer was “nothing.”

“See, this is why I miss college,” Vivian said, when Pauline was out of earshot. “I miss making mixes for people and sitting around talking about music. Now all anyone wants to talk about is Netflix.”

The best writing was like a good friend, in the way that it gave you permission to be yourself.

“Like, what if a little kid tells a yo’ mama joke and then the other little kid is like, in a little-kid voice, I don’t believe in the nuclear family, so this joke has no effect on me.” Jane joined in: “Or the little kid is like, But I have two moms, so which one are you talking about?” “Or the little kid is like, Because of the toxic dynamics in my family, I’m actually parenting them, so is it really me that you’re insulting?”

one example of what I love about this novel's sense of humor