3 REVIEWS: Grief Is for People, Robot Dreams, and The Book of Love
2 books and a movie!
Book Review: Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley
In the latter half of 2019, Sloane Crosley’s New York apartment was broken into. Luckily she wasn’t home, but the burglar(s) had ransacked her bedroom and made off with several pieces of jewelry, much of it handed down from her maternal grandmother. That neither she nor her mother were particularly fond of said grandmother was neither here nor there, they were still Sloane’s things and now they were gone. Dealing with such an intrusion and the material loss that went along with it would be hard enough, but only one month later her best friend and one-time boss Russell Perreault hanged himself.
This sudden shock sets her adrift as she struggles to come to terms with the reality of it. He had been a constant in her life for so many years and the mere act of accepting that he was gone was challenge enough, let alone learning to live with it. In a way, having the robbery to focus on proves to be a blessing, as investigating it provides at least some brief moments of distraction. When COVID-19 sends the city into lockdown a few months later, she is left with little but time to reflect on the loss and finally try to make peace with it.
Much of this book was written essentially as it was happening to her, though of course edited and rewritten later, which gives it a confessional tone. Crosley’s writing is eloquent and often funny, but still down-to-earth and easily relatable. The affection she has towards Russell is obvious as she takes us through several fond memories, but this isn’t a hagiography, and she delves into some of his faults in an effort to try and understand what could have led him to take his own life. Despite the weighty subject matter this brief book is a joy to read. As someone who has experienced the loss of a best friend and also the suicides of others who were close by, the emotions and thoughts documented within ring true, and reading about someone else going through them is a surprisingly cathartic experience. ★★★★★
Movie Review: Robot Dreams
It can be interesting to pick up common themes among the movies nominated for Academy Awards each year. Sometimes it’s something as simple as an actor or actress appearing in multiple nominees, as is the case with Sandra Hüller giving memorable turns in Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. Or perhaps a preponderance of donkeys, like last year when EO and The Banshees of Inisherin both featured the animals (and delivered them to similar fates). Or the stories can share common themes, which surprisinlgy turned out to be the case between this year’s nominees Past Lives and Robot Dreams, a small-budgeted animated film that proved remarkably adept at exploring the ways we can move on after the end of a relationship without forgetting what made it special.
The film opens on Dog, who lives a lonely life in New York City during the 1980s. One night, he sees an advertisement for a robotic companion and immediately places an order. It arrives, with much assembly required, and so Dog gets to work, ultimately leading to the creation of Robot. As promised, the two hit it off immediately, with Robot’s wide-eyed enthusiasm at his new surroundings causing Dog to stop and appreciate more of the world around him. This first Summer that the pair spend together is one of the most joyful sequences ever put to film, and it’s near impossible not to have one’s spirits lifted while watching it.
As the saying goes however, all good things must come to an end, and so as the season nears its end the pair head to the beach where exposure to water causes Robot to become rusted in place. Dog isn’t strong enough to move him and the crowds have all left, so he is left with no choice but to come back the next day with tools in hopes of getting Robot working again. Unfortunately, when he returns he finds that the beach has closed and barricaded for the season, with some very zealous guards on hand to keep him away, and so the formerly inseparable duo must now wait to be reunited.
Over the Fall, Winter, and Spring, we watch what happens to the pair through a series of vignettes that highlight the loneliness they both feel without the other. Robot dreams (see what I did there) of being reunited as he remains helpless on the sand and Dog attempts to make connections with his unique fellow citizens, like Snowman, whose face takes on the color of the frozen drinks he consumes and who uses his own head as bowling ball. It all leads up to a bittersweet ending that feels true in a way that will resonate deeply with anyone who has loved and lost and still went on loving from afar, at least a little.
The animation style is utterly charming and features lots of cute flourishes and nods to classic cinema. The soundtrack delights as well, with a mix of jazz and hits (going forward I will forever think of this movie when I hear Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September”). This is especially important as there is not a single line of spoken dialogue to be found, instead using imagery and sound to tell the story to wonderful effect. The central relationship between Dog and Robot is one of the most endearing friendships in movie history, and this story will hit viewers directly in the feels in all the right ways. ★★★★★
NOT RATED. CONTAINS MILD VIOLENCE AND A RUDE GESTURE.
Book Review: The Book of Love by Kelly Link
High school students Laura, Daniel, and Mo have died. They don’t remember how and they certainly don’t know what they are now doing standing in their music teacher Mr. Anabin’s classroom, with a fourth young man they don’t recognize, who doesn’t even seem to know who he is. Upon detecting their presence, Anabin verifies that they have each indeed perished and have spent a year trapped in the realm of Bogomil from which people typically don’t return. Bogomil himself appears and the pair agree to let the quartet return to their normal lives as if nothing had ever happened, under the condition that while there they must complete a series of tasks, including discovering what caused their deaths, and at the end of the assignment, only two of the four will be allowed to remain alive.
Laura finds herself back at home with her single mother and sister Susannah, with whom she shares a sort of love/hate relationship. Daniel returns to his large family just across the street from Laura, and his on-again/off-again relationship with Susannah. Mo finds himself back at the home of his grandmother, a successful romance novelist who basically raised him, only to discover that while the trio were missing she had passed away, leaving him in the care of her long-time assistant. Everyone believes that the group had simply been studying abroad for the past year and each finds that they have memories of doing so despite it not being true, and so they attempt to assimilate back into their previous existences while trying to solve the mystery of their demise and learning to use the magic that allowed them to return.
As you would expect from the title this book really is about love in all its many forms, and the ways it shapes and guides us through our lives. Family, friends, and lovers all come into play, as does learning to love and accept oneself, and Link’s often gorgeous prose brings the many intertwined relationships to life. She has a talent for developing people that feel real, imbuing even minor characters with enough personality to make it hurt a little when they suffer. There are moments that feel slightly hokey every now and then, but they are easy enough to look past.
Link mostly handles the plot of her sprawling, supernatural, small-town saga well, making it easy enough to keep track of everyone and everything, though some events can occasionally feel repetitive. Rather than use chapter numbers the breaks are delineated with headings reading “The Book of Daniel”, “The Book of Laura”, and so forth, highlighting some of the religious subtext scattered throughout. Despite the fantastical events that surround the story, a lot of the little moments the characters experience feel eminently relatable, and there are several moments that pack an emotional punch, though none of them are allowed to really live long enough to settle in. I really enjoyed The Book of Love and would happily spend time with these characters again, but I was left with the weird feeling that I should have felt something more than I did. ★★★★