CHAPTER 2
If dating Mason taught me one thing, it was that people who
admired sunsets were super annoying. They thought every glimmer of the sky
deserved applause, like nothing beautiful ever took place on terrestrial earth.
Both of the boys were like that, but Hudson even more so. The three of us were
alike in a lot of ways, but those two never got over their love for sunsets.
The river struck me as a more beautiful and awe-inspiring
sight. Consistent, strong, and dangerous. Unlike the sun, an object we could
never aspire to, the river was right there. A physical place, shared
by generations and people groups, one that we had the privilege of seeing
daily. So many people walked by without acknowledging the simplistic and
incredible. But then again, you could say the same about Little Rush. If the
river was the forgotten treasure of the town, maybe we were the forgotten river
of the country.
My relationship with Little Rush was confusing. I loved the
town. I admired so many streets and views and places. The memories I had were
irreplaceable. The drunken conversations at Mason’s cabin. The time I convinced
Hudson to try a cigarette. All the trouble I achieved in school, even without those
two, and the anxiety leading up to each August. But that summer, right before
our senior year, brought so many questions for us. After high school, what
then? To stay or to go? Build a life here or pack up everything, catch the
first train to anywhere?
The trains didn’t run anymore. They hadn’t in decades. But it
would’ve been cool, and it made for a nice thought.
It’s not like I had some fantastical idea of the town. I grew
up in poverty. My parents were divorced, and I almost never saw my younger brother.
I got a job at fifteen and walked to it each day for the first year. But even I
couldn’t ignore the intrinsic beauty found in this forgotten corner of the
world. The feeling of a magnet, somewhere under these streets, and each day it
pulled just a little harder. Something here wanted me to stay, wanted
desperately. There were days I resisted and other times when I didn’t.
I find it amusing that for everybody in Little Rush, part of
your personality is how you relate to the town itself. As if it’s that friend
with a bit of a reputation, and what you think of them defines you, too. I
guess when put that way, Little Rush is magnetic after all. It’s gorgeous,
witty, layered, and nuanced. None of which I think about on a daily basis.
No, on a typical day at my dad’s apartment, I wake up and
glance outside first thing in the morning. Peering through my window, an
alleyway, and down two intersections, I can just barely make out the Ohio
River. Fog billowing from its surface and covering downtown like a blanket.
A magnet. Just have to give in.
Q:
What book do you think everyone should read?
As
I read more and more books, the one I recommend is always changing. I’ll have
one for a few months that I love and want everyone to hear about, and then I
find a new one that’s just as amazing. For the last few weeks, I’ve been really
high on the book “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. It’s constantly on
the top charts, so likely some of you have already read it, but for everyone
who hasn’t, I highly recommend!
I
will admit the book is tough at first. There’s lots of long, beautiful
descriptions, and the plot is slow at first, but once you get in deep it grabs
you by the throat. Those beautiful descriptions that are laborious at first
become key to understanding the book and its plot. Reading it made me feel more
connected with nature than I ever had before in my life, even though I’ve never
visited the place it occurs. The characters are just as captivating, and you
really become invested in Kya (the main character) and how her life turns out.
One of the best books I’ve read, so definitely check it out!
Q:
If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would
you choose?
For
this answer, I could easily have said “Where the Crawdads Sing” again, but
instead I’ll go with the book that I became obsessed with two years ago. I’ve
written about it extensively on my blog, because I have some really weird/cool
stories to go along with the book review, but “The Little Stranger” by Sarah
Waters is wildly good! It’s the kind of book I wish I could have written.
While
the book is a thriller and a mystery, the beautiful writing takes it from being
great to legendary. The plot itself is slow-burning and unnerving, one of the
most memorable. There are hints of love and of ghosts, the struggle of grief.
It’s all put together perfectly and sticks to your skin even after you’re
finished. The last page is, I think, the best closing I’ve ever read, as
haunting as the whole book that preceded it. There’s even a movie, if you’re
into that sort of thing! So, yeah, this was kinda just another book
recommendation. You’ll thank me later.
Q:
What is your writing Kryptonite?
My
greatest difficulty writing is that I get so caught up in my characters’ heads.
This is a good thing in one sense, because it allows me to fully realize their
motives and actions. However, it makes description tricky because I have to
keep in mind the world outside of my characters, how the setting relates and reacts
to them. That’s one of the hardest parts about writing, especially for me, and
it takes vigilance to keep in mind the world beyond my characters’ view. With
each book I write, I do a better job, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a
struggle!
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