This Week in the Mercury
Friday, November 20, 2009
Books Love in Infant Monkeys
Posted by Alison Hallett on Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Lydia Millet's new story collection, Love in Infant Monkeys, is one of my favorite books of the year. Each story is about the relationship between a celebrity and an animal, either directly or obliquely—an internal monologue from Madonna after she's shot and killed a pheasant; a melancholy profile of the professional dog-walker who cares for David Hasslehoff's dog; an account of Nicholas Tesla's romantic feelings for a pigeon. It's a weird, moving collection; I read it a few weeks ago when I was sick, and it made me cry, but I couldn't really breathe in the first place so the crying caused like a vacuum effect that sort of had me worried my eyeballs might get sucked into my skull. But they weren't. Anyway, it's absolutely worth picking up. Largehearted Boy just posted a Book Notes with Millet, where she pairs each story with a song:
"Chomsky, Rodents" is a fictionalized anecdote about a real-life episode when my husband ran into Noam Chomsky in a town dump on Cape Cod and Chomsky was trying to give away a gerbil cage. It's a lot about mothers too, women and men and parenting, so though I'm not much of a Sinead O' Connor fan in general I think I'd recommend "Emma's Song" to go with it.
The Chomsky story is particularly good.
Most Commented on Blogtown, PDX
-
Mandatory French Fries on Sandwiches: CONDEMN OR ALLOW? by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey
-
Win Valentine's Dinner for Two at Central by Alison Hallett
-
Let's Play the Game of
LoveThrones by Erik Henriksen -
In Which Bobby Roberts Attempts to Ruin the One Thing That Made Me Happy Today by Erik Henriksen
-
Should Portland Ban Cops From Using Horses and Pepper Spray to Bust Up Protests? by Denis C. Theriault
-
New Paris Laws Give Bikes Okay to Run Red Lights; Ooh-La-La! by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey
-
Tonight! KATU Wants Everyone to Be Afraid of Marauding Crazy People! by Denis C. Theriault
-
"I Have Chickens Too!" by Alison Hallett
-
CAT BREADING UPDATE: Which Mercury Employee Succumbed to the Pressure? by Bobby Roberts
-
THE ROCK IN 2012 by Erik Henriksen
Our Friends
- UrbanHonking
- Culture Shock
- Portland Roundball Society
- Steph Cassano
- Cort and Fatboy
- Street Roots
- Powell's Books Blog
- Portland Transport
- Portland Afoot
- Bike Portland
- Eater: PDX
- Portland Food and Drink
- Mr. Movie
- Sunday Softball
- BlueOregon
- Sightline Institute
- Ultra: Arts Portland
- Bitch Magazine
- Blazer's Edge
- Reading Local: Portland
- Portland Food Carts
- Stumptown Vegans
Our Enemies
The Handyman Pro - Your Honey-Do Specialist
Don’t let our name fool you. The Handyman Pro, LLC is a repair and remodel service provider with over 25-years experience. We cover all aspects of construction and repairs for residential and commercial clients.
About Portland Mercury
RSSGoing to Seattle?
Comments (0)