A spooky season read
Yesterday was Day of the Dead, so I’ve been in the mood for art featuring skeletons, ancestors, and just a touch of the unexplained. Unfortunately I have been known to lose sleep after reading or watching almost anything scary, supernatural, or even a bit tense—for days, weeks, years (I’m looking at you Yellowjackets). So I have to choose carefully and be sure to read it only in the morning.
I’m glad to say that this year I chose the perfect book: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss. It’s almost unbearably on-brand for me, concerned as it is with archaeology, ritual, sacrifice, and whether or not we can—or want to—get inside the lives and minds of people in the past. As well as who might want to do that, and why.
Ghost Wall had the vibes I was after without pushing me into nightmare territory (although one could certainly get there, if your personal triggers are slightly different than mine; there is barely suppressed violence that becomes, well, less suppressed). It even has just a touch of the ~political~ if you can stand it at the moment. And best of all, it’s only 130 pages long, perfect for getting so wrapped up in you finish it before you really mean to.
The short length was crucial this week, as I’ve had visitors and my book’s copy edit to work on. And so not a lot of time for reading, or newslettering! In lieu of deep thoughts, please enjoy a piece of this year’s national ofrenda in the Zocalo.
