Perpetually catching up
— What I've been reading: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab- This was a much-anticipated sapphic, century-spanning vampire novel that came out last spring to much acclaim. I've never been much of a fan of Schwab's works, but for multiple reasons- including morbid curiosity- I picked up a copy. I ended up hating it. This is a book that had some interesting ideas, but was overwritten, repetitive down to the sentence-by-sentence level, and was completely bloated. The first 200 pages are devoted to two of the main characters effectively going through Vampirism 101 after they've been turned. This could be an interesting idea, but as Schwab's vampires use the bog-standard vampire tropes from a century of popular culture, we the readers already know that sunlight is bad for them and that a stake through the heart will kill them. And sure, dramatic irony can be a useful tool, but not for something so basic and so utterly drawn out. Another point of aggravation for me is that Schwab has stated that the book is supposed to be all about a toxic relationship, yet that relationship doesn't begin until about 320 pages into this 535 page book. There are so many pages that could have been cut to make this a more effective story. I think it could have made for a solid novella, but as a self-indulgent, 535-page novel, it absolutely does not work. I have more to stay about this book, so keep an eye out for it in the coming weeks. I Am You by Victoria Redel- I received an advance copy from NetGalley for this book, and I'm glad for that because it was a breath of fresh air after suffering through Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. I Am You is a story of two women painters in 1600s Amsterdam. Maria van Oosterwijck was one of the most celebrated still life painters of her time, but little is known about her life. Redel worked with van Oosterwijck's slim biography and developed a story based on it. Gerta Pieters' parents cut off her hair and dressed her as a boy when she was seven so she could more easily be put to work as a servant. As she grew up, she became fascinated by the eldest daughter, Maria, who was always drawing and painting. When Maria went to a school for artists, Gerta went back to wearing skirts to continue being Maria's servant, and learned to draw and paint on her own- ultimately becoming as skilled as Maria. In adulthood, these two characters become confidantes, lovers, and rivals as their skills and works blend and it becomes difficult to tell who has done what. This was a gorgeously written book that asks so many questions about gender, love, identity, and the desire to be known beyond the span of one's life. The Incandescent by Emily Tesh– This is a campus novel about a magical school, but told through the perspective of one of the teachers. Chetwood Academy is a venerable institution for young magic users. It has produced some of the finest sorcerers in the world, as well as perfectly ordinary people who have perfectly ordinary jobs. Dr. Saffy Walden teaches the older students, completes administration work, and does her level best to keep the literal demons at bay. It's not a glamorous job, but it keeps her busy and mostly happy– until the high-level demon that has lurked around the school for a century or more breaks through and changes everything. This book is less of a 'demon hunters happen to live at a school between adventures' and more of a meditation on academia, identity, and the consequences of living with your mistakes- with the occasional major demonic incident. There are little demons, too, that help ground the magic in what is otherwise our everyday world (it's set in modern England, after all). For example, the demonically possessed copy machine feels natural, as such machines normally seemed cursed. The middle section of the book is a little slow, but as it's building on the foundations laid down in the first hundred pages and sets up an excellent payoff, it was worth the slowness. Overall, I loved this book and would definitely recommend it. Traveling in Books is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Traveling in Books that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments.
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Sunday, 7 September 2025
Three Things #5
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