Jan Priddy > Recent Status Updates

I am on page XX of the excellent introduction, 42 pages that are aside from the 208 of Gilman's fiction.

This: "we remember the people we hurt so much more clearly than the people who hurt us."

So. I got it. The ending, about 15 pages ago.

The use of the word "crazy" and the choices about parenthood.

I laughed all through the discussion in chapter 10 when how her daughters insist Lara absolutely could not use the word "crazy" to describe her ex, and the struggle to find a way for her to define his mental state, and then she does "without judgement" tell and crazy does seem about right. I had the same discussion with my DE editors about my characters using "crazy" in my novel. But people do say that word even so.

Now I understand about the cherries. Good research.

So far, this is a notably cinematic novel. In fact, I believe it would work better as a movie than it does on the page. "Tim Lake" is a place, not a person. The persons are Lara, her husband, and their three daughters who live on a fruit farm—they only talk about the cherries so far, but apples and peaches have been mentioned in passing. The other character is a famous actor Lara knew when she was young.

Her recognition that so-called heroes were "parasites" who relied on others to take care of the ordinary necessary details of life, or they did it all themselves, all the time.

There are only two novels I have read several times. This is one.

Why have the airport toilets continued to fiction for 20 years? They add water so they will flush, but . . .

Blueberries! The first mention of food other than meat in the After. [Or I missed it—I likely did.]

This is a fascinating novel, and I am particularly enjoying the structure.

My one objection to the After stories—not nearly enough attention to water and food. The travelers seem to hunt and eat meat, which we now understand was not typical even of the so-called hunter-gathers. They gathered more than hunted. Where are the farms? The Gardens? The gathering? The work and treatment of the wagon horses doesn't fly.

I can't believe I never read this. Mandel's catastrophic pandemic results in dystopia, but it is deeply humane.

I should have read this a long time ago. The scenario/situation is the same as my novel ALL THE DAUGHTERS SING. Well, close enough. In my novel 12 people survive in the world—all women. I am grateful to Beth Russell of CALYX for urging me to read it.

There is no jetty near Seaside's beaches. I've known people who drowned here, but not by being "swept off a jetty."

electric wires probably wouldn't "spark"—maybe for an instant, and then not. And it never occurs to her to find shade? How does she know Gretchen's skin is "sticky"? And other obvious questions. And then, instead of going home, which is where he'd be going . . . stupid. They went to classes and never discussed a meeting place? That's a key issue for after a disaster. You have a prearranged meeting place.

Who wears a feakin romper when they are pregnant? I was wearing found-clothing in my first pregnancy, and I would never have worn a romper to shop anywhere! Unbelievable.

The voice is what's pulling readers through this novel. Beyond that, some details are working and some aren't. The husband is still blurry, the death doesn't ring quite right, her traveling . . . . Offers of assistance seem spare for Portland.