Six Degrees of Separation: Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser

First Saturday of the month and time for the super monthly tag Six Degrees of Separation, which is hosted by Kate at Booksaremyfavouriteandbest, Six Degrees of Separation #6degrees picks a starting book for participants to go wherever it takes them in six more steps. Links to my reviews are in the titles of the books chosen. The starter book this month is:

Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser

The Sri Lankan / Australian author de Kretser is one I’ve never read, and to be honest, I’m not a Woolf connoisseur, so probably wouldn’t pick this up. But I have read plenty of novels by other authors with ‘de’ in their surnames. The ‘de’ often means ‘from’ associated with places, family names, and sometimes titles. So without more ado, here is my first link:

Painting Time by Maylis de Kerangal

Painting Time is all about the highest form of decorative painting, trompe-l’oeil, and is a meditative study on the art of illusion and how it disguises the truth. We follow the career of Paula, who enrols on the course at Bruxelles’ Institute de Peinture, framed by a present day thread in which Paula reunites with her coursemates over the years. If you want a story about artists, their lives, loves and work, then this isn’t a novel for you. If you relish thinking about the artistic process (and want to learn some new vocabulary), all expertly translated by Jessica Moore, then there is much to enjoy in this novel.

House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard

The American-French/Vietnamese author started a new fantasy series with this book. It is set in a post-apocalyptic Paris circa the 1960s after the Great Magician’s war, ruled by the ‘Houses’ who vie to be top dogs, and to own the ‘Fallen’ angels from heaven. I read little fantasy these days, but rather loved this dark vision of a favourite city.

Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan

Again, primarily set in Paris, this novel is a cautionary tale for the YouTube generation. We’re thrust straight into the central story right from the headings of the first page – a Crime Squad document relating to a Missing Child case. The document is a transcript of the latest Insta story posted by Mélanie Diore – the mother of Kimmy, the missing little girl. In it, Mélanie is asking her ‘sweeties’ to help choose a new pair of sneakers for Kimmy. We alternate between Mélanie and police evidence custodian Clara, who is convinced she can find the girl. A thought-provoking and compelling read indeed, if not an enjoyable one. As always, Alison Anderson’s translation is pitch-perfect.

Lightning Rods by Helen DeWitt

One of the most provocative novels I’ve ever read. Thankfully as an office sex comedy it was also very funny. It’s back in the 1990s, and Joe is a salesman who has lost his mojo, but one day, he has a big idea… for forward-thinking companies (that are full of hot-blooded, testosterone-fuelled heterosexual salesmen) to outsource their sexual harassment policies. He will recruit special employees, each ‘a woman in a thousand’ who will be paid a lot extra for anonymously providing services when required, via a specially equipped bathroom cubicle which will present her naked bottom half to the selected male.  They are the ‘lightning rods’. Corporate practices, management programmes, and outsourcing are what this novel is really about, it may be using sex as a metaphor, but it’s never prurient. The author has had such fun with this!

French Exit by Patrick deWitt

The Canadian author is no relation to Helen above. This novel does, however, continue my underlying French feel for many of this month’s picks. This existential comedy features a ghastly mother and son combo, and a cat in which Frances believes the soul of her late husband iives on. Decamped to Paris, she sets about giving away her fortune, The cat runs away and she and her son seem to acquire a flat full of hangers-on. The scene is set for a delicious social satire of high society, brimming with wit and a dislikeable protagonist who we slowly grow to appreciate. It has beaucoup de Wit(t)!

Zero K by Don DeLillo

In Zero K DeLillo confronts death straight on utilising the SF trope of bodies being frozen to be revived in the future once a cure for the thing that killed them is found. However, here those über-rich folk being frozen are submitting to it voluntarily, making a kind of pilgrimage to the secret location deep inside the former Soviet Union. Billionaire Ross Lockhart has put a lot of serious money into the Convergence as it is known, and he plans to take a trip there with his second wife, Artis, who is dying from multiple sclerosis. I found no humour at all in DeLillo’s writing in Zero K – it was all so beautiful and serious, but icy cold. 

So my 6 degrees this month have played around their French connections where they exist with some American influence – where will yours take you?