Um fuck that friend in your first paragraph. "it was appropriative for a man to write about female friendship" - good grief, this creature is a reader?
Anyway, I recently read your book and thought it was very thought-provoking. Personally resonant to me as well, in a surprising way. Definitely a different kind of experience! I wrote a review of it on Goodreads, if you're interested.
I mean if you remember 2019 that's just how people were then. This exact same friend is a yoga teacher and emailed me three years later to ask if it was appropriative for a white woman to teach yoga. I thought about being snotty but instead I was like...whatever, who cares? Hinduism is a dumb religion anyway that enshrines caste oppression.
I think her objection wasn't merely to my positionality--she thought my portrayal of women and female friendship was reductionist and redolent of the male gaze. But I'd argue that unless you give people the freedom to write something that's troubling or uncomfortable, there is no point in them writing about it at all.
FWIW, literally every reason you claim makes this book is a hard sell has only made me more interested in it! I'm excited to read it, and very excited to maybe meet you when you're on the East Coast :-)
A piece after my own heart. Literary rejection - check. Drinking and drugs - check. Searching for meaning - check. Life is worth it - check. I’ll be buying your book now. Cant wait to read!
Naomi, every time you have a new book, I basically take the day off from working and binge it (and I'm a pretty slow reader, so it's a pretty long binge!). I just bought the kindle edition and am now about to dive in. I hope I can make it to the Bay Area again sometime in the next few years so we can make fun of Burning Man in person ;-) Or maybe you'll do a book tour in Montreal!!
Um fuck that friend in your first paragraph. "it was appropriative for a man to write about female friendship" - good grief, this creature is a reader?
Anyway, I recently read your book and thought it was very thought-provoking. Personally resonant to me as well, in a surprising way. Definitely a different kind of experience! I wrote a review of it on Goodreads, if you're interested.
I saw! Thanks for the review! I appreciate it =]
I mean if you remember 2019 that's just how people were then. This exact same friend is a yoga teacher and emailed me three years later to ask if it was appropriative for a white woman to teach yoga. I thought about being snotty but instead I was like...whatever, who cares? Hinduism is a dumb religion anyway that enshrines caste oppression.
I think her objection wasn't merely to my positionality--she thought my portrayal of women and female friendship was reductionist and redolent of the male gaze. But I'd argue that unless you give people the freedom to write something that's troubling or uncomfortable, there is no point in them writing about it at all.
FWIW, literally every reason you claim makes this book is a hard sell has only made me more interested in it! I'm excited to read it, and very excited to maybe meet you when you're on the East Coast :-)
Congratulations! And good luck with your events! Sadly I'll be out of town when you hit NYC.
A piece after my own heart. Literary rejection - check. Drinking and drugs - check. Searching for meaning - check. Life is worth it - check. I’ll be buying your book now. Cant wait to read!
Naomi, every time you have a new book, I basically take the day off from working and binge it (and I'm a pretty slow reader, so it's a pretty long binge!). I just bought the kindle edition and am now about to dive in. I hope I can make it to the Bay Area again sometime in the next few years so we can make fun of Burning Man in person ;-) Or maybe you'll do a book tour in Montreal!!
Thank you for sharing this. You're awesome, and I can't wait to read your book!