Holiday Book Swap: Jennie, Anjanette, & Lee Discuss the Books They Got Each Other for Christmas!

This year we paired up to choose one book to give to the other to celebrate the holidays. It can be hard to choose a book for someone else, and it can be hard to agree on one book! We’re sharing our thoughts on why each of us agreed to the choice and then what the receiver thought of the book. This is a fun way to get to know each other. Whether a book is a hit or a miss, it’s fun to talk about what we’ve read. We decided that we wanted to pick character-driven novels for adults that tended to be short, perhaps just longer than a novella.

Anjanette and Lee’s choice for Jennie: WE HAD TO REMOVE THIS POST by Hanna Bervoets, translated by Emma Rault (HarperCollins, 2022)
 
Why Anjanette chose WE HAD TO REMOVE THIS POST for Jennie
While deciding what to post on Dunham Literary’s social media, and while advising our authors about their own platforms, we’re always trying to consider all of the potential implications of our actions. It takes a high level of intentionality to be a good online citizen, and when we come across someone with conspicuously different goals – a troll on our socials, someone in the news for bad behavior – our instinct as a team is both to try and understand their motivations, and to set safe boundaries. It can be a time-sink to deal with this tiny portion of our jobs. So the premise of this story – that a group of people spending their entire day on moderating dangerous online content might be negatively affected by it themselves – felt very believable. Jennie enjoys true crime, sociology/anthropology, and thinks deeply about these issues, so I hoped it might hold her interest.

Why Lee chose WE HAD TO REMOVE THIS POST for Jennie
Earlier this year, I was able to see the play JOB on Broadway, which deals with very similar subject matter to WE HAD TO REMOVE THIS POST. This sparked an interest for me in the realities of content moderators, and when it came time to choose a book for Jennie, this topic immediately sprung to mind. Jennie has a love of true crime, and I wanted to find her something that lived in that world but would still feel fresh and unexpected. We often find ourselves having discussions about the digital world and navigating an online landscape during our staff meetings, which also brought WE HAD TO REMOVE THIS POST to mind as its themes seem to be a topic Jennie has a demonstrable interest in.
 
What Jennie thought about WE HAD TO REMOVE THIS POST

Any thoughts about we might choose for you before you opened your package?
When I thought about what Anjanette and Lee might choose for me, my first guess was something related to true crime because I enjoy it in my free time, possibly nature since I’m an amateur nature photographer, and maybe a story with a fantastical or speculative element to it. But, I couldn’t think of any specific book I thought they might pick for me.
 
What was your first impression on opening the package and seeing the book?
It looks great! It seems current because of its focus on social media. It seems to be akin to true crime because it addresses the dark side of human nature online. And, it’s got a very human element at its center since it’s about how difficult content affects people, so I expect it to be character-driven.
 
What did you think about the book?
I enjoyed the book. I expected the story to involve a lot more time with the protagonist, Kayleigh, while she was working at her job, but instead, most of the story centered around her free time and relationships when she wasn’t working. Instead of specific details about the flagged posts, Kayleigh talked about the specific parameters she was given in order to review the content when deciding to remove it or to allow it to stay up. The story specifically avoided delving into increasingly gruesome content. By focusing on the characters’ relationships, the author avoided the trap of the story turning into a gimmick with shock value.

The majority of the characters were employees at that same company which allowed the author to concentrate on how the objectionable content affected the various employees. The valuable service of protecting the rest of us from hate speech, porn, and violence came at a personal cost for each of the employees. The interesting part was how each character changed because the effect of viewing the objectionable content depended on the character’s pre-existing vulnerability before starting the job.

Kayleigh tells her side of the story to a lawyer who is putting together a class-action lawsuit against the company that didn’t protect its employees or provide care for the harm they were exposed to. This quasi-documentary style works well as a character study, and it also avoids an epistolary format which would feel old-fashioned considering the modern topic. But, this confessional format is one sided, and places the reader in the position of the lawyer receiving the information which forces the reader into a judgmental role. The reader is charged with figuring out what is the truth and what is subjective as if the reader were reviewing objectionable content and must decide if Kayleigh is guilty of coercion against her lover and fellow employee, Sigrid, or innocent because Sigrid might have mistaken her actions having been overly sensitized to the same content. During her explanation to the lawyer, Kayleigh talks about sessions with her therapist, which underscores the gravity of the legal repercussions in Kayleigh’s situation, not just her mental health.

For me the climax is not climactic enough. Kayleigh’s allegedly “coercive” offense on Sigrid is described as a possible attack long after the fact, and by this time Kayleigh seems like she may not be a completely reliable narrator. I probably would have felt more satisfied if I could have heard more about what Sigrid thought happened, but doing this would have undermined the author’s intention of forcing the reader into an experience that mirrors their experience on the job. Still, this ambiguous ending felt unsatisfying to me, not just because I didn’t feel like I knew enough about the events in the climax but also because the end result is that Kayleigh refuses to join the class-action suit. Just revealing what Sigrid accused her of doing doesn’t have a strong enough impact on me without seeing it in a bigger pattern. Ultimately, being the viewer wasn’t unsettling enough to read about; I would have had to see the actual content to feel jarred by hearing about it showing up in a relationship.

I would have liked the author to expand this to a novel to show how these different characters’ lives changed from prolonged exposure to doing their jobs. There’s a lot of potential to explore how Kyo’s life got derailed after he became a Flat Earth believer. Kayleigh relays some awkward conversations in which Kyo is confronted about it, but the reader doesn’t see any real consequences in his life because he starts believing the conspiracy theory. Considering the scope of this story, wanting the story expanded is a minor quibble to an otherwise interesting exploration of the content we are all exposed to, new professions and vulnerability as tech expands, and the responsibility of big tech to both its users and employees.

Jennie and Lee’s choice for Anjanette: BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Hanover Square Press, 2020)
 
Why Jennie chose BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD for Anjanette
Since Anjanette has a Bachelor’s in Japanese Studies and spent some study-abroad time in Japan, I thought the setting would appeal to her. I also love the idea of being able to go back in time but very briefly to understand and perhaps change a crucial moment, and I thought she’d find that slightly fantastical element intriguing. Also, even though I haven’t read it, I expect this book has a positive, uplifting ending, the sort that leaves someone with a good feeling at the end, and I wanted our gift to Anjanette to give her that.

Why Lee chose BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD for Anjanette
Like Jennie, Anjanette’s degree in Japanese language and previous experiences living in Japan were also an influence for me in finding her a book translated from Japanese. I always find translations fascinating when I have familiarity with the original language, and I suspected Anjanette would, too. While I haven’t read BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD, the research I did on it indicated it would be a cozy, uplifting story with light fantasy elements, which are all attributes I associate with Anjanette and her reading tastes.

What Anjanette thought about BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD

Any thoughts about we might choose for you before you opened your package?
I definitely wondered if this one might be on their list! It started making headlines just after we discussed our parameters for choosing this year’s stories, but it was an obvious choice for my personal tastes even before it was making the waves it is now. I guessed that there might be a multi-cultural and/or faith element to anything they chose for me – and sci-fi/fantasy is always a safe bet!

What was your first impression on opening the package and seeing the book?
I actually laughed and laughed! I was slightly confused for a second, wondering if it was a mistaken double-order, because I had another copy of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD sitting next to my bed, ready to be picked up next! I ordered it this summer while making a list of books for the World Literature class I’m leading my teens through. It’s slim length and reputation for being feel-good made it a nice compliment to the weightier books on our list, but because we’re reading it second semester, I hadn’t gotten to it yet. The cover is just lovely though, isn’t it? And it’s a great slim trim size. Now I have a copy for each of my teens so they don’t have to share!

What did you think about the book?
Books in translation are fascinating. Every once in a while I’ll read a book that I didn’t realize was written in a language other than English first, but that’s a rare and shocking occurrence. Much more often, if I didn’t know something was translated, I still get a “vibe” before I’m many chapters in and then confirm my suspicion. Translation is such an intense art form! In fact, I abandoned plans to become either a translator or linguistic anthropologist when I realized just how difficult it is to do those jobs well! It’s one thing to be conversational in a language, and an entirely different thing to be able to bring the beauty and nuance of a culture into the rigid parameters of a language that belongs to a different culture.

All that being said, reading works translated from Japanese is a challenge for me because I’m so familiar with the language. I studied Japanese for five years and lived in Nagoya, Japan for a school year. I am not fluent in Japanese, but I’ve spent enough time with it that I’ve internalized the cadence and colloquialisms of modern Japanese conversation and when reading English translations of Japanese works I still “hear” the Japanese. This took me out of the novel for the first quarter or so. I kept analyzing the choices the translator made and thinking about what I would have said to convey what I think the original Japanese was expressing.

BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD is told in a series of vignettes/episodes with characters that all get page-time in each one. Their stories are intertwined and connected to a cozy basement café – where patrons have the option of sitting in a special seat and traveling through time for just as long as it takes for a cup of coffee to go cold. By the time I was half-way through the second vignette of four, I’d forgotten to pick apart the translation and I was thoroughly immersed in the drama at FUNICULI FUNICULA (the name of the café, taken from an Italian folk song - which is a delightfully Japanese thing to do).

This book epitomizes both the Japanese fiction market and the trend in the Western world toward uplifting fiction. It’s the beginning of a series of five (so far), and they all have adorable covers, so it’s a great candidate for tsundoku (the act of buying books for comfort/to display rather than actually reading them). But the fact that it is short makes it more likely to get read, and makes it a great choice for anyone who is currently overstimulated by information (isn’t that all of us?). It sped by for me as soon as I got my bearings with the narration style.

Overall, I found it charming. And it’s appropriate for my teenagers, so I’m looking forward to hearing their thoughts on it in the spring.

Anjanette and Jennie’s choice for Lee: A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT: A Monk and Robot Book by Becky Chambers (Tordotcom, 2021)

Why Jennie chose A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT for Lee:
The perspectives in this book seem unusual and quirky to me, and I thought this would resonate for Lee given their deep interest in character, story, and theatre. Most books that feature AI becoming sentient warn of the dangers technology becoming aware, and frequently they involve scary suspense if not full on horror. This book, however, seems to take a more philosophical approach because the story starts when a sentient robot returns to reconnect with humanity. Lee is the youngest member of the DunhamLit team, which perhaps means the most ready and accepting of AI, and I wanted to hear their opinion of the connection, acceptance, and peace that can come from a bond with this generative form of tech.

Why Anjanette chose A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT for Lee:
A colleague from another agency suggested this one to me when I asked for new-ish shorter novels. She said that is would appeal to all kinds of readers, and the premise hooked me right away. I know that Lee reads fewer speculative novels than I do, but this whimsical-yet-deep storyline felt like a potential infusion of coziness that might end Lee’s year on a hopeful note.

What Lee thought about A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT:

Any thoughts about we might choose for you before you opened your package?
I didn’t have any specific titles in mind, but I assumed the book Jennie and Anjanette chose for me would center around identity, social issues, and/or the digital age in some way. As the resident Gen Z-er of the Dunham Lit team, I expected something hypermodern and timely to appeal to the perspective I bring to the agency. If not that, I was also anticipating a translated title from a Korean author, as I speak some Korean and have an extensive familiarity with modern Korean literature; or a title relating to the theatre in some way due to my history working in the NYC theatre industry.  

What was your first impression on opening the package and seeing the book?
The cover intrigued me immediately! The art is gorgeous, and (now having read it) is a perfect illustration of the book itself. I was surprised to see it was a speculative novel as opposed to one grounded in our reality; while I am a big fan of fantasy/sci-fi, that's not something I've talked about often with Anjanette and Jennie, so it was a welcome surprise for sure! Upon inspecting the book jacket, my understanding of the choice increased—its central theme of philosophizing about AI and technology resonated with my guess that the book chosen for me would deal with social issues and the digital age. On a personal level, I was also excited to see the author (Becky Chambers) is queer, and that the protagonist of the novel, Dex, is nonbinary. Rarely do I see those identities centralized in this genre, and I was excited to see how they were explored in the world of the book. 
 
What did you think about the book?
What initially touched me about PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT was the atmosphere Chambers created with her descriptive prose and steady-yet-gentle pacing. The novel has been described widely as "cozy," and I immediately understood why. Diving into the pages was akin to diving into bed after a long, exhausting day. While I'm usually a bit of a speed-reader, Chambers' style had me consciously slowing down and basking in the story as it unfolded.

The heart of the society (Panga) in the story is one built up from a place of compassion. It is a world where, one day, robots developed sentience, asked to leave, and humans allowed them to. A difficult thing to imagine occurring in the reality we live in, Chambers distinguishes Panga from Earth by daring to create a world led by the heart. That seminal act of grace by humans for the sake of the robots carries through the entire story and colors the systems and characters who live within them. Unlike another of my favorite sci-fi novels, PLAYER PIANO by Kurt Vonnegut, which the author himself described as a society led by "indifference," PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT dares to showcase what the world could be when its guided by compassion.

As I'm entering my mid-twenties myself, there was much of Dex's journey I connected with and expect most folks in their 20s/30s would as well. Their search for purpose, for significance, even when—on paper—they have everything they "should" want is painfully familiar. We see Dex quit their job at a monastery to become a traveling tea monk, bringing peace and empathy to their customers as they get to travel all over Panga and develop a beloved reputation. Despite this, they still long for something more, which brings them to abandon society and venture out into the wilderness, where they encounter the kindly robot Splendid Speckled Mosscap (Mosscap for short) who asks the core question the novel sets out to answer: what do people need? 

This triggers the start of the philosophical discussions that will fill much of the novel's latter two-thirds. While I enjoyed much of the philosophizing, the conversations between Dex and Mosscap on the nature of reality, on sentience, and on purpose did not grip me one hundred-percent of the time. I am not the biggest philosophy geek in the world, but I found some of their discussions and subsequent conclusions somewhat elementary and not as groundbreaking as I would have hoped. That said, I understand why Chambers might have opted for simplified arguments in pursuit of the novel's ultimate goal of providing a sense of comfort and serenity, and appreciate the direct approach she takes towards these big ideas she introduces. The banter-filled, love-hate relationship between the flustered Dex and the serene Mosscap is also a welcome and entertaining aspect; even when the contents of their arguments did not excite me, their witty back-and-forth kept me engaged.

One last element I would like to shout-out is the treatment of gender and sexuality in the novel. Not often do books of any genre treat non-binary characters in such a natural, inclusive way. Dex uses they/them pronouns, and, while doing their monk duties, is referred to as “Sibling Dex” rather than Brother/Sister/Father/etc. This touch is never highlighted by Chambers, but instead presented as something entirely natural and organic, which made me feel incredibly at ease as a reader who uses they/she pronouns myself.

All and all, PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT was a captivating and delightful read, and I look forward to reading the second "Monk and Robot" installment as soon as my order for it arrives.