the life of man [and woman] [is], solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short--Thomas Hobbs

  Emily St. John Mandel is the author of one of my favorite books Station Eleven, so I'm trying to read her backlist. The Glass Hotel is a bleak story of two step-siblings and the far-reaching consequences of poor choices. One review said the book was about how we search for meaning in our lives, but I didn't see it that way. It was more how we try to escape from responsibility for our actions. Mandel is a gifted writer and tells the story on a non-linear fashion shifting in time and perspective and employing magical realism. 

  I found the book difficult to get into because I didn't connect with the main characters (they were unlikable--greedy, and selfish) but was drawn into the well-told story.

  I listened to the Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead. It is considered historical, literary fiction. It has a contemporary message or sensibility regarding LGBTQ and reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reed. The primary character is Marian Graves, and the main story thread is her life from conception to death to beyond death. Hadley Baxter is an actress who portrays Graves in a movie. Her story weaves in and out of the Grave's narrative--a contemporary contrast of lost parents, neglectful upbringing, and a desire for connection. Shipstead creates a life so genuine that I was surprised to find Marian Graves wasn't an actual person. Great Circle is vibrant with realism and is deeply researched. The writing make me feel I'm experiencing Marian and Hadley's lives as they do. 

I enjoyed the book--it is impressive in its scope and power, but at its core, I found nihilism--the rejection of all moral and religious principles, in the belief that life is meaningless. Marian's struggle to fly and to find freedom felt pointless to me because her solitary life brought nothing to her or others. The star of the book is the writing and not the story.

  Both of the books I read this week are a product of our time in that their main characters are rootless drifters who are incapable of finding or giving hope. They have surrounded me in a miasma of depression. I need a spritely rom-com to clear the air.