3 cheers to Heather O’Neill … shout-out to my Dearest Wolfe … yo to all bookworms ;-D …
Let’s Freakin’ Lose It ;-D
This post is written to an audience of 1 (Dave) !! The images above will have shaken off the masses, so now we’re down to “just us” !! ;-D Kudos to any “lurkers” who might be here and are intrigued enough to read on !! ;-D We’re here to discuss one of the most talented and outrageous authors I have had the pleasure to read: Heather O’Neill !! ;-D
Dave … have you finished When We Lost Our Heads ?! I finished it awhile back. I stuck w/ it but must admit that I was surprised by just how sinister it got … doh !! :-0 To dive back into it, I sought out a book promo discussion. These are like the bonus features of a DVD !! ;-D
Now. I find that Heather (if matched w/ a savvy interviewer) is an awesome interviewee !! ;-D The one below was held at the Toronto Public Library. ‘Tis a smartly-LOL-irreverent discussion, which — for me anyhoo — exposed layers of the book that I hadn’t picked up as a reader:
Bastille Day +
Alright Wolfe. We all know that you’re an expert on Things French but as I’m not, I learned heaps from the interview above. Sheesh !! I’ll do my best to pack the bits below in this tidy little post but let’s unpack them together … ideally in-person … @ or near the beach (you know which coastline) …
- Sadie
Did you know that Sadie (probably my favorite character ;-D) was inspired by the Marquis de Sade => a man w/ the gift of the gab … but so odious as to be the namesake of the words sadism, sadistic … ?!
Wow !! To know that Sadie’s stem cells were somehow derived from this dude, I had to learn more about him. My curiosity led me to this Smithsonian Magazine article, which I read yesterday …
And now I’m totally tripping b/c I just just just looked up a Kate Winslet film that horrified me @ the turn of the millenium (aka. Y2K era) … and it turns out that it’s about Mr. Sadistic …
Oh my !! As horrifying as it was, I’ve always remembered it and wondered if I would ever watch it again for historical reference … e-gads perhaps perhaps perhaps …
– Sadie
page 30- George
Right. Whether or not it’s clear, I remain hopelessly fond of Sadie, despite her dubious origins!! ;-D I now need to purge my brain of Mr. Sadism … so let’s please chat briefly about George !!
Heather says (in the interview above) that George came to her “fully formed.” She then goes on to describe a bit of her childhood that I find so touching and revelatory that I dare not say more here. I’ll simply state that b/c George turned up on the scene (pg 208) to break up an attack on Sadie, I was an immediate fan. ;-D
George — à mon avis — is the resident healer / protector of that Squalid Mile brothel. Solid, quiet, available. Kinda like a trusty frying pan, doorknob, light switch … a humble everyday accoutrement that one can easily take for granted. That’s my George … an unsung hero.
Because George doesn’t get to say lots of cool things, I’ll share a dog-eared page of Sadie speaking:
– Sadie (to George)
page 247- Jeanne-Pauline
OK Cap’n Dave !! To wrap this up, I’m now going to delve into a character that doesn’t come up in the interview !! If you feel like a wee challenge, please try to recall the professional and marital situation of this diva …
– Jeanne-Pauline (to Mary)
page 100If you can also cite which Mary was on the receiving end of JP‘s words, the universe will surely usher you another level … like what happens in Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc … !! ;-D
That’s a Wolfe-Wrap !! ;-D
Dave !! ,-D I’m going to wind down this wee book discussion here and let you respond in whatever way you see fit. You know my love of snailmail so do please put pen / crayon / pencil to paper (“best revenge is yo paper” -Beyonce) if that suits you best. ;-D
Many thanks as always to Quentin T for Kill Bill … I love Lucy Liu … and Winona … et al !! ;-D How fun that Heather O’Neill is a Heather … hello … I loved the film Heathers in case that’s not already clear from the SuicideLand lawn image above !! ;-D Finally, if this book had a playlist, Lil Jon would provide the opening track …
– Lil Jon