Comments on: Dark drops

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:44:52 +0000

Well, I’m not so much annoyed by the lack of female characters as by their shallowness – there were a couple girls, because their presence was necessary as procreation vessels, and that was it. Both girls, by the way, lived alone with their father, and seemed to have serious Daddy issues. To me that’s pretty disturbing, as if the token black guy’s role in your example was limited to munching on fried chicken and playing basketball (and, I guess, lived with his adoptive white family!)
OK, now I’m not being serious.

By: Stella Polaris

Stella Polaris — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:55:32 +0000

Isn’t it funny how our teenage reads shape us? I’ve never been hardcore goth (something to do with a hatred of uniformity – being in a room full of people in black clothes makes me want to wear pink and yellow – and liking other kinds of music too) but I certainly hovered around that subculture because of books.
Let’s see… I’ve read Brite’s shortstories, novels “Exquisite Corpse” (about serial killers, much in the same style as “Lost Souls”), “The Heart of Lazarus” (part of the series of books by different authors set in the world of “The Crow” – I have a certain fondness for this one) and also “Liquor” in which she leaves the horror/fantasy genre for something more general-literature-with-a-hint-of-thriller. It’s about a gay couple opening an alcohol-themed restaurant in New Orleans. Unfortunately I don’t remember much about it because I was still in my “want more vampire novels!” phase at the time, so was slightly disappointed. I might have to give it another try someday.
Anyway, I do agree with you that the lack of female characters gets annoying: it’s the same in all her books. I hate to say that because I don’t think a writer should shoehorn a certain type of character to please his readership or whatever (like the token black character in many movies…) but I can’t help feeling that way.

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:22:33 +0000

I’m pretty sure you are right about needing to be a teen for this one — I somehow never found “dark” literature as a teen, or I am pretty sure I would have been pretty gothy instead of being just the brooding bookish type. I actually regret that!
Have you read more recent work from Poppy Z. Brite? For a first novel it shows really strong promises, so I am curious to see how she has evolved, especially as she seems to have let her audience grow with her.

By: Stella Polaris

Stella Polaris — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:53:52 +0000

I’m pretty sure you have to be a teenager to fully appreciate “Lost Souls”. I read it when I was about 15 and it made a lasting impression on me with its heady mix of sex-blood-sugar-magick. It’s without a doubt one of the defining books of my crazy, lonely, sex-obsessed, dark adolescence. This book was, really, my dreams and fantasies put on paper, as silly as it may sound. I haven’t read it for years though and I suspect that I wouldn’t like it as much now.

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:20:17 +0000

Hi Grad! I don’t think I’m quite ready for the Slaves yet, but I’m looking at it with interest, for sure.
I also have a ton of books sitting around, though this new house has large built-in bookshelves that would make it possible to keep everything in order: I think I just like having books around in every room.

By: Grad

Grad — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:44:56 +0000

And although not a black liquid, don’t forget this month’s selection for Slaves of Golconda, Woman in Black by Susan Hill. I still haven’t gotten around to ordering it, but I’d better hurry and do that. I do what you do. As I blog-cruise, I write down the names of books in a little notebook I keep with me, which is the reason I have so many books on my night stand, I have to put the alarm clock on the desk.

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:50:35 +0000

Oh, but from what I read I’m not sure that it’s a very positive vision of recent motherhood! If you read it anyway I hope you’ll write a post, though, I’d love to have your opinion.

By: verbivore

verbivore — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:50:06 +0000

I saw something recently about Lait Noir and am very interested – especially as it focuses on the author’s experience as a new mother.