Childhood, Youth, Dependency

Finished October 6

Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen, translated by Tiina Nunnally and Michael Favala Goldman

The first two parts of this memoir, Childhood and Youth were first published in 1967, and the third Dependency in 1971, with the translations in 1985 and 2019 respectively. Here, they have been brought together in one volume. 

Ditlevsen was born to a working class family in Copenhagen with a father involved in unions and socialism and a mother who valued reputation and looks. She was close to her brother, who was a few years older. Despite her teachers' encouragement, she was not able to go on to high school, leaving at the age of fourteen to work, first as household help and eventually in officework. 

From a young age, she wrote poetry, inspired by the world and people around her and her own imagination, writing beyond her own experiences, "lies" as her brother put it, and hoping to become a published writer someday, despite her father telling her that women weren't poets. 

She found a couple of men that encouraged her, but it was only with the third, the editor and publisher of a small literary newsletter that she gained success, as well as her first husband. 

She was very focused on her own life and needs, and the men that cared for her, living an insular life of sorts, surrounded by literary people and academics, and not largely affected by greater world events. 

I found it interesting that despite being a young woman during World War II, when Denmark was occupied by the Germans, she seemed hardly affected by their presence or their actions. The men in her life continued to go about their normal lives, with some entering the world of the resistance in small ways. 

She is very frank about her relationships and her personal life in general including her addiction to drugs that arose through her fourth husband, and her choices around him. 

This is not a happy book, despite her success as a writer, but it is a compelling read and one written with skill. 

Your Truth or Mine?

Finished August 14 

Your Truth or Mine? by Trisha Sakhlecha

This book is set mostly in England, near London, but the main action in India. Roy Kapoor is there filming a travel documentary and his wife Mia is arriving imminently to host his sister-in-law's wedding. The book begins with a brief scene in London at Roy and Mia's house, where police arrive to question Roy about the disappearance of a young woman Emily, who he has worked with. It quickly jumps back in time three months to Jaisalmer, India where the wedding of Mia's sister Addi and her soon-to-be-husband James. Mia's father died when she was a child, and the family moved back to India from London, renting out their home in London. Roy and Mia have been married for a few years, but they've been on rockier ground lately as Mia wants to start a family, but Roy wants to invest more time and money in his career. Mia has planned Addi's wedding in the traditional Indian style, making it the wedding that Mia herself didn't have as Roy's family didn't approve of her. 

Through the wedding and its aftermath, the story of Roy and Mia is gradually revealed. Also revealed is the story of Roy's relationship with Emily. Are they more than coworkers? Were they having an affair? Mia is an ambitious young woman in the fashion industry, taking risks and trying to move up in her company. She travels a lot for business, sourcing material and meeting with both vendors and buyers. Roy also travels a lot, but he is still freelancing and trying to create his own shows rather than working for others. 

As their history is revealed, so are the fault lines in their relationship and each of their weaknesses. I was definitely more sympathetic towards Mia, even though she made some bad choices. Roy seemed to me like he never really grew up and took responsibility for his life. He just did what he wanted when he wanted and expected others to support him either before or after the fact. This is a story of families, of lies, and of how the truth will eventually be revealed. 

Tiny Little Thing

Finished June 6
Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams, read by Kathleen McInerney

This book is one I grabbed to listen to because I so enjoyed the author's Along the Infinite Sea. This book actually occurs in time just before that one, and features Tiny, the sister of Pepper, the main character of the other book. Pepper has a large role in this one too, displaying all the moxie she showed in the companion novel.
Tiny is less fearless than Pepper, and her life has been spent pleasing others, doing what's expected of her, even when she doesn't actually want to. Tiny cares about what people think of her, and she wants to be the daughter her mother has wanted her and raised her to be.
The novel moves back and forth between the summer of 1966 and two years earlier, when Tiny was reconsidering her choices. Which brings us to the other main character of this book, Captain Caspian Harrison, a career soldier, and a cousin to the man that Tiny is about to marry in 1964. Because of the two timelines, we know that Tiny did indeed marry Frank, but we don't know what happened between her and Caspian back in 1964, and we do know that Tiny is once again unhappy with her situation and considering her choices.
I was appalled at the actions of some of the characters, and feared for Tiny at one point. I enjoyed meeting Tiny's unconventional mother, and the character of Caspian. I liked seeing Tiny develop into a more independent woman, and take her life into her own hands.
This is a novel of secrets, of ambition, and of love.
Now I'm hoping to read more about this interesting Schuyler family.