Treasure Hunt Tuesday, week seven. You might wonder why I’m keeping track of the weeks; its a way to pleasantly surprise myself with my own follow-through. Sure, we all know that this blog is just for fun, but sometimes its nice to be reminded of what you have achieved. I’m not sure if its all enjoyment, though- where did the weeks go? I’d continue on that tangent, but its early and I’m not certain I’ve had enough coffee for the really deep thoughts. So, on to the Treasure Hunt!
Sullivan's Island by Dorothea Benton Frank
“Yeah, he’s about five-ten and has huge blue eyes, thick blond hair and more teeth than Antonio Banderas. Not skinny, just fit, you know?”
I began to choke on my Pepsi. She had just described her father without realizing it. Christ on the couch of life, Freud breathes and Oedipus did the CPR. She was going to get her little heart broken-I knew it. I struggled to maintain my composure, steadfast at the wheel, as we sailed into the treacherous, uncharted waters of romance.
Every time I read this particular scene- from Dorothea Benton Frank’s Sullivan’s Island– I laugh out loud. Perhaps its because I’m the mother of a teenage daughter as well as someone who can appreciate the ingenuity of including a reference to Christ, Freud and Oedipus in a single, blasphemous quip.
I’ve read several of Frank’s books, all of which I’ve enjoyed. She has an ability to express a picture of the south that rings true even where I live, which is surprisingly similar to the Low Country she writes about in her books. Her characters could have been my neighbors growing up, which makes it that much easier to slip into the world she creates.
Another simple quote from the same book that I love comes during a scene full of grief over the loss of a loved one.
She put her cup on the night table, extended her arms to me and sighed a sigh that sucked in the whole room and then blew it all away. Shakily, I leaned over her bed and kissed her on the cheek. She smelled like sweat and old perfume.
I can’t think of a better reason to choose these words as this week’s Gem- words that can immerse you in a scene- or in a feeling, like the second quote- should always be considered a treasure.
“This was the part he did not like on the road into town. This was really the part he carried the drink for. I drink against poverty, dirt, four-hundred-year-old-dust, the nose-snot of children, cracked palm fronds, roofs made from hammered tins, the shuffle of untreated syphilis, sewage in the old beds of brooks, lice on the bare necks of infested poultry, scale on the backs of old men’s necks, the smell of old women, and the full-blast radio, he thought. It is a hell of a thing to do. I ought to look at it closely and do something about it. Instead you have your drink the way they carried smelling salts in the old days. ”
Today’s Treasure Hunt Tuesday post brings another classic: Lolita, a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. There are so many gems in this book that I found it impossible to narrow things down to only one. For that matter, I couldn’t narrow it down to two. Actually, after a bit of troublesome pondering, I managed to select only five. As you can imagine, I highly recommend you read this book, if not for the story, then for the writing. It flows in a way that just might be the most amazing use of words I’ve ever encountered.
Little Conversations 