Ep. 78: Winter (A Winter in New York + Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead)Summary: Bundle up and stay inside with us for a very topical episode today; Holly and Devin sip hot coco and discuss books set in the Winter! Whether you love the cold and the snow like Devin or have moved as far away from the season as you reasonably can like Holly, books set in winter create the perfect vibe for our host’s respective wheelhouses. Nothing is cozier or more ominous than this season, where being stuck inside can be perfect for smooching or for bodies being found. Topics Discussed: The Heart (4:30): Devin discussed A Winter in New York by Josie Silver, a romance following Iris, a British woman restarting her life in New York City from London after the death of her mother and the end of an abusive relationship. At a street fair in Little Italy, Iris recognizes the characteristic door to Belotti’s gelateria as a place her mother spent time with a mysterious young man. A secret gelato recipe, an uncle fallen ill, and a gorgeous and kind Belotti’s heir Giovanni and Iris is in over her head. How can she reconcile her family’s past while struggling so much to build her own future? Devin’s key takeaways were: This story begins in the fall but spends the majority if the time deep in the New York winter; there’s romanticization of the city but the coziness of Iris’ tiny apartment and the back kitchen of Belotti’s where she and Gio work on the recipe was enjoyable to read, if not totally accurate to what NYC is like in the winter. Similar to other works by Silver, this story has a lot of layers to it, some of which work better than others. The guilt that Iris feels about having Gio’s family recipe from her mother and the romantic implications from teenagers goes a bit far and creates a false sense of strain between Iris and Gio, who otherwise could have had a totally normal, non-dramatic romance. One of the main themes through this book is family - how we’re connected, what our families teach us, what a legacy means, and what happens when you step outside that comfort zone and get hurt by strangers. Iris has just escaped an abusive relationship and the connection to her mother drives her to take sometimes unnatural steps to stay involved with Belotti’s. The Dagger (17:12): Holly discussed Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, a literary mystery following Janina, who lives a solitary life in a rural Polish village. Quirky and eccentric, Janina is deeply connected to nature and obsessed with astrology and William Blake’s poetry. Awoken in the middle of the night by her neighbor (who she calls Oddball) banging on her door, she discovers that her other neighbor, Big Foot, has died painfully. Unable to reach the Czech police, they take care of his body and things escalate after another community member is found dead. Holly’s key takeaways were: The novel challenges traditional notions of morality, presenting animals as equal agents deserving of justice and respect. Janina's belief that animals can take revenge for human cruelty questions the ethics of hunting, poaching, and industrialized animal exploitation. Janina is portrayed as an eccentric outsider, dismissed by her community for her unconventional views and behavior. Janina's character challenges stereotypes about older women, portraying her as intelligent, independent, and driven. Her alienation underscores the marginalization of those who challenge societal norms and the way society dismisses women. This book is perfectly atmospheric for winter; to give a taste of how winter is depicted from the first pages: “We left the house and were instantly engulfed by the familiar cold, wet air that reminds us every winter that the world was not created for Mankind, and for at least half the year it shows us how very hostile it is to us. The frost brutally assailed our cheeks, and clouds of white steam came streaming from our mouths.” Hot On the Shelf (32.35): Holly: All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall Devin: Truly Madly Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur What’s Making Our Hearts Race (35:34): Devin: Our Little Secret with Lindsay Lohan on Netflix Holly: John Williams Documentary on Disney+ Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.
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