(Far from a review of) Heroes & Villains by Angela Carter

There’s a book on my desk that I finished but can’t quite put away.  I want to blog about it but have not had time to be thoughtful, and the tapestry of its pages is still sinking into my soul.  It’s Heroes & Villains by Angela Carter.    My husband recommended it–he thought it would inspire me as I work on my new novel, because it’s  also about a young woman who loses (and maybe finds) herself in a world very different from the one she’s known.  (In my case, the protagonist has amnesia, so she doesn’t know what she’s known.)  And both lost/found young women get pregnant.  Reading this novel confirmed what I knew: I need to read much more Angela Carter.

As I read, I saw that my husband’s recommendation was eerily right on.  I am not comparing my work to Carter’s writing, but there are some similarities between my book and hers. How could I have known that the novel I’m working on has this kind of root source essence to dig into?  I read this novel too quickly; I didn’t give it the time and attention it deserved.  Now it sits prettily on my desk, wanting more of me, and me of it, but there’s no time right now.

All I can say is that it deserves more of me, and we will both have to wait.  But it will be worth the time, at least for me.

Reprinted with permission by Rebecca Kuder
Original post: http://rebeccakuder.com/2012/07/07/far-from-a-review-of-heroes-villains-by-angela-carter/