Misery
The Bay wakes up covered by a blanket of fog. Often the fog clears to reveal beautiful blue, comfort and warmth, opportunity: things that make me go “today, a day to remember!” and walk outside with my chin up. Sometimes the day stays gray, or it starts to rain (to pour), or the wind is really blowing, and it’s hard to press open my apartment’s front door. Misery is fog burned off by red fire, to reveal evil shapes I don’t understand … I’m not where I think I am … and I walk outside to go reluctantly about my day as the realization “I’m not safe” settles in.
By “The Bay,” I mean the bay with San Francisco, the one where I live in Berkeley.
This is a COOL BOOK and I had a lot of fun reading it. Each of the three acts starts calm and locks you into a roller-coaster with invisible tracks. And I mean it when I say “locks you into.” I was turning pages frantically, experiencing vividly Paul’s battles with Annie, himself and addiction.
The pilings - still there, even if covered by water - as a metaphor for painkillers is really creative. It aligns well with how I experienced pain and morphine after my surgery, too.
Telling such a rich story with only two characters is impressive. Annie is a freakin’ maniac.
I thought that the ending was super satisfying (rare!). Endings are always tough, because you don’t really want a good story to end. And, regardless of length or depth, the end is always the same: .
I ought to watch the movie; most of the people to whom I mention the book say it’s also fantastic. This includes those who read the book first! You ought the read the book and let me know whatcha think about it.
With love,
-Ryan.