Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
To Read: Atmospheric Disturbances, by Rivka Galchen
Review
Early in Rivka Galchen's debut novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, the narrator, Dr. Leo Liebenstein, explains the Doppler effect and thereby introduces the novel's extended metaphor. Leo laments that trying to make sense of his suddenly uneven life is "like trying to determine the actual frequency of an object moving away from me at an unknown speed and in an unknown direction, and not knowing whether it in fact was me or the object doing the moving."
The object in question is Leo's wife, Rema, a vaguely mysterious Argentinean woman more than a few years his junior. At the start of the novel, Leo is convinced that Rema has been replaced with a "simulacrum," — a woman who very much resembles Rema physically (she even stands the same way, with her hips tilting slightly inward) and temperamentally, but seems to be just a bit off. Ever the calm, reserved psychiatrist, Leo quietly accepts this simulacrum's arrival, but internally, he is baffled and ungrounded — for once, he cannot reason any deductions from the observable facts. Where is the real Rema? Was she abducted, or did she leave willingly? Is this permanent, or temporary? Instead of confronting the problem head-on, Leo follows a series of bizarre clues that amount to an investigation of the inner workings of the Royal Academy of Meteorology, and specifically one of its researchers: Tzvi Gal-Chen. This investigation, he presumes, will lead him to Rema. The resulting story develops into a beautiful meditation on the nature of observation and perception.
Leo's quest to understand the language and ideas of meteorology stands as a complex, thought-provoking metaphor for his quest to understand the course of his relationship with Rema. Gal-Chen's research, it turns out, centers on the one fundamental problem with meteorology: accurately describing present conditions is exceedingly difficult, making future forecasts almost impossible. Mirroring that, Galchen — the author — suggests that interpersonal relationships are equally challenging to describe and thus predict. And, considering the stylistic, intellectual, and empathetic authority with which she writes, it's very hard to disagree with her.
- Tom Roberge
Early in Rivka Galchen's debut novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, the narrator, Dr. Leo Liebenstein, explains the Doppler effect and thereby introduces the novel's extended metaphor. Leo laments that trying to make sense of his suddenly uneven life is "like trying to determine the actual frequency of an object moving away from me at an unknown speed and in an unknown direction, and not knowing whether it in fact was me or the object doing the moving."
The object in question is Leo's wife, Rema, a vaguely mysterious Argentinean woman more than a few years his junior. At the start of the novel, Leo is convinced that Rema has been replaced with a "simulacrum," — a woman who very much resembles Rema physically (she even stands the same way, with her hips tilting slightly inward) and temperamentally, but seems to be just a bit off. Ever the calm, reserved psychiatrist, Leo quietly accepts this simulacrum's arrival, but internally, he is baffled and ungrounded — for once, he cannot reason any deductions from the observable facts. Where is the real Rema? Was she abducted, or did she leave willingly? Is this permanent, or temporary? Instead of confronting the problem head-on, Leo follows a series of bizarre clues that amount to an investigation of the inner workings of the Royal Academy of Meteorology, and specifically one of its researchers: Tzvi Gal-Chen. This investigation, he presumes, will lead him to Rema. The resulting story develops into a beautiful meditation on the nature of observation and perception.
Leo's quest to understand the language and ideas of meteorology stands as a complex, thought-provoking metaphor for his quest to understand the course of his relationship with Rema. Gal-Chen's research, it turns out, centers on the one fundamental problem with meteorology: accurately describing present conditions is exceedingly difficult, making future forecasts almost impossible. Mirroring that, Galchen — the author — suggests that interpersonal relationships are equally challenging to describe and thus predict. And, considering the stylistic, intellectual, and empathetic authority with which she writes, it's very hard to disagree with her.
- Tom Roberge
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Guilty pleasure
I listen to the radio in the morning. I find that when I don't, my mood turns to homicidal much earlier in the day (around 11am) than when I do (homicidal switch goes on at 3pm).
I usually listen to KMEL online but lately they've been playing absolute crap so I've clicked another HD station on the radio player: Pride Radio.
And I know it's gay, but I love it. It makes me feel like I'm in a club, a gay club, but one where everyone is happy and jumping around.
I usually listen to KMEL online but lately they've been playing absolute crap so I've clicked another HD station on the radio player: Pride Radio.
And I know it's gay, but I love it. It makes me feel like I'm in a club, a gay club, but one where everyone is happy and jumping around.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Yes.
Yes. I'm going to do laundry during flash flood warnings.
My laundry is waiting for me at the laundromat while I'm held hostage by 20 degree winds and intermittent storms.
Yay me.
My laundry is waiting for me at the laundromat while I'm held hostage by 20 degree winds and intermittent storms.
Yay me.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Today: Possibly Hungover
Uhhhhhh. My head is fuzzy and I'm feeling slightly less excited tonight. 3 "French Perfections" and 3 glasses of wine? Yeah, no wonder I was on top of the world.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
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