BLRB 3: If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
Posted by Saffron Morter-Laing
On Monday 31 August, we collected in St John (the cafe next to the bookshop) clutching red wine and books. The book in question? The Employees by Olga Ravn. The book arose from correspondence between Lea Gulditte Hestelund and Olga Ravn. Ravn was asked by Hestelund to describe pieces (or objects) which were to be featured in an upcoming show. What arose was a book, fractured, sticky, eerie and, at some points, just plain disgusting. Ravn, though, acknowledges this last point. For her, the book needs to be sensory, needs to be read through the body. Hence, the primary sense is not sight but instead smell.
Within all of this, is a meditation on the human and more-than-human, the boundaries between human, machine and the living. One bookclub member noted that it is often quite difficult to isolate the narrative viewpoint (which switches between humans and humanoids). This slippery storytelling can leave the reader feeling quite disorientated, though we did agree that the plot solidifies towards the latter half of the book (to the disappointment of some members.) The night took us through a winding, redoubling, and weaving discussion much like the structure of the book. It was a true joy to discuss with everyone and I am sure our next book will lead to equally fruitful avenues...
Thank you to everyone who came, who RSVP'd early, and who queued up afterwards to ask when the next one would be. Given how quickly places went this time, we'd encourage anyone hoping to join future sessions to sign up to our newsletter here (scroll to the end of the page), where updates on future book clubs will be sent. In the meantime, go to this link to sign up for our next meeting which will be on … If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin.
This is Baldwin's fifth novel and the only one narrated by a woman. If you want to read around the novel you can read The New York Times review, there is also this paper, and this.
How to attend
Please RSVP by following this link. Places are limited and we ask that if you can no longer attend you let us know so we can give your ticket to someone on the waitlist.
While tickets are free we do ask that you buy the book from us where you can to support the continuation of this book club.
It will take place Monday 28 September at 6.45 p.m.
Looking forward to seeing you then!
Saff
