Mini Reviews: Klara and the Sun; Detransition, Baby
not as mini as I meant to be, but like, short(ish)
Hi y’all,
I did it! I saw Don’t Worry Darling, and I’m happy to confirm that yes, indeed, it is a movie. In fact, I think Harry Styles actually hit gold with that much-derided description. Like, tbh, there’s not too much more to be said about Don’t Worry Darling. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible. It was predictable, but I was entertained.
You know my favorite thing about the movie? Like, it feels like a movie. It feels like a real, like, go to the theater film movie, that, you know, you kind of... the reason why you go to watch something on the big screen.
And like, Harry is right again! My theatre was fully packed with women, all of whom I suspect were well up-to-date on the rumors and drama surrounding the production of the film. There was a low key sense of camaraderie in that, kinda like the feeling you get standing at a crowded concert, waiting for a band to preform, surrounded by strangers who share the same understanding and anticipation as you.
There’s one point in the last 20 minutes of the film which made everyone in my showing break out in giggles, which we struggled to control through the remainder of the movie—and honestly, that feeling, that kinda goofy togetherness, makes the movie worth seeing in theaters. (I should note that giggles were def NOT the intent of the film, lol). The drama and scandal surrounding Don’t Worry Darling has made it a cultural *moment.* But, until now, we’ve watched the scandal unfold by ourselves, through our phones, on Twitter and TikTok—so it’s kinda fun to put the whole saga to rest in a collective setting.
Dana and I spent a long time debating if all the drama was incredibly savvy, intentional marketing for the movie. We decided no, it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. That doesn’t seem to be Olivia Wilde’s style.
But like, if Don’t Worry Darling is a success—and I think it could be because of, not in spite of, the drama—will we see more movies that do intentionally stir this type of behind-the-scenes whispers? I mean, obvi some directors and actors already do thrive off the notoriety of their messiness and bad behavior—but this sort of very-public, whole-cast fall out seems fresh. Idk. Lmk what you think.
Okay, so today I’m backtracking a lil to cover Klara and the Sun and Detransition, Baby—two books that I read and wrote about back in January. I don’t know why I sat on both reviews for so long.
But I’m glad I did! Because ya girl needs a rest week. I started writing the “book report” sections to give myself a break, but they’ve become kinda taxing in their own way. I think a return to form—ie, a focus on writing more reviews—will be good for my sanity, lmao. As much as I love to gossip, I’m here to talk about books, not bitches!!!!!!
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara and the Sun is the second book I’ve read by Kazuo Ishiguro—Never Let Me Go being the first. Klara and the Sun had many of the same themes & ideas as Never Let Me Go, but it wasn’t as good. If you gotta chose one, chose the one that’s got the Andrew Garfield adaptation, ya know?
But, of course, you don’t have to chose one, which is a good thing, because Ishiguro is a total master and Klara and the Sun is really fantastic. In the near future, rich thirteen-year-olds buy “Artificial Friends” (AFs), emotionally-intelligent, humanoid robots. Kids of the future are isolated, attend school remotely, and most don’t even know other children—AFs serve as companions, easing loneliness but also socializing kids who otherwise don’t know how to interact with peers. Klara is a particularly observant and empathetic AF. She lives with Josie, a fourteen year old girl who is terribly, perhaps terminally, ill, and Josie’s mother, who can be cold, caring, and often confusing. There’s two small mysteries at hand, of the nature of Josie’s illness, and the role Josie’s mother believes Klara should have in their lives.
I read most of this book in one sitting—and the rest I read the next day, a little stoned. It’s easy enough to follow while you’re high, especially because of Klara’s dreamy, childish voice.
It’s kinda hard to put my finger on why I think Never Let Me Go is better. Klara and the Sun suffers from having a talented writer who knows how to hit the mark. I know! What a burden! And Ishiguro’s mark is love, mortality, sacrifice, and the quiet horrors of the world. Klara is a little too polished, with plot points and paragraphs that are sure to jerk tears at just the right moments. It’s surprising in a predictable way. Klara doesn’t fully understand humans, which makes sense, but it has the unfortunate effect that neither does the reader. I wish I knew Josie better.
Honestly, the most damning thing I can say about Klara and the Sun is that a few months later, I haven’t thought about it all that much.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
On the other hand, Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters keeps coming back to me.
Detransition, Baby follows three women—a trans woman (Reese), a cis woman (Katrina), and a trans woman who recently detransitioned (Ames, f.k.a. Amy). Reese and Amy (now Ames) dated, until Amy detransitioned. Now living as a man, Ames gets his girlfriend Katrina pregnant. Ames doesn’t think he can take on the role of fatherhood—but perhaps he could be a parent… that is, if Reese becomes a third parent to this child as well. The novel follows the trio as Reese and Katrina decide whether this set up will work for them as well.
The novel alternates between Reese’s and Ames’ POV, and alternates in time as well, between the “present day” of the novel (around 2016) and eight years prior, when Reese and Amy dated. Ames’ name and pronouns seamlessly change based on how he identifies in each period—which sounds like it would be confusing, but it really isn’t. It’ll probably be more confusing in this review than it is in the novel.
Although its subject matter can be serious, Detransition, Baby is really, really fun. It’s the perfect beach read, a modern comedy of manners about relationships and love. It’s a book that takes femininity and the performance of femininity seriously. It’s sexy. It’s bourgeois. It’s Brooklyn in the late teens. This book contains some of the most delightful and accurate descriptions of female friendship that I’ve ever read.
I will say, some of the marketing material for Detransition, Baby is a little misleading. If you read the flap copy, you’d think this novel is about the logistics of what it means to raise a baby as a trio, or a rebuke to the nuclear family. It’s not. (Thank God! I’m sure that would be interesting, but what Peters actually writes is far more compelling.) Rather, it’s a character study of two women—Reese and Ames—and their relationships to motherhood, womanhood, and gender.
#tbt my last Book Reports, where I described the fun of looking at playlists people make for books on Spotify. Here’s a nice one for Detransition, Baby, and one for Klara and the Sun.
Alright gang, I’m bouncin’.
ily & yrs 4ever,
Book Notes
Thank you for suggesting Detransition Baby to me. I loved it, especially the last chapter (or like last 5 pages really) where they really get into what it means to be a woman. I keep thinking about it. I think it’d make a great book club book.