Odyssey Book Club (Science Fiction & Fantasy)

205 West 6th Street,Georgetown TX 78626

09 March, 2023

Description

Join us for a discussion of I KEEP MY EXOSKELETONS TO MYSELF by Marisa Crane! "There’s a lot going on in Crane’s hard-to-classify, hard-to-put down debut novel, but at its heart, beneath the gorgeous sentences and gallows humor and speculative-fiction machinations, it’s a survival story." —Patrick Rapa, The Philadelphia Inquirer About I KEEP MY EXOSKELETONS TO MYSELF by Marisa Crane Dept. of Speculation meets Black Mirror in this lyrical, speculative debut about a queer mother raising her daughter in an unjust surveillance state In a United States not so unlike our own, the Department of Balance has adopted a radical new form of law enforcement: rather than incarceration, wrongdoers are given a second (and sometimes, third, fourth, and fifth) shadow as a reminder of their crime—and a warning to those they encounter. Within the Department, corruption and prejudice run rampant, giving rise to an underclass of so-called Shadesters who are disenfranchised, publicly shamed, and deprived of civil rights protections. Kris is a Shadester and a new mother to a baby born with a second shadow of her own. Grieving the loss of her wife and thoroughly unprepared for the reality of raising a child alone, Kris teeters on the edge of collapse, fumbling in a daze of alcohol, shame, and self-loathing. Yet as the kid grows, Kris finds her footing, raising a child whose irrepressible spark cannot be dampened by the harsh realities of the world. She can’t forget her wife, but with time, she can make a new life for herself and the kid, supported by a community of fellow misfits who defy the Department to lift one another up in solidarity and hope. With a first-person register reminiscent of the fierce self-disclosure of Sheila Heti and the poetic precision of Ocean Vuong, I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself is a bold debut novel that examines the long shadow of grief, the hard work of parenting, and the power of queer resistance. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ **The Lark & Owl Book Club policy** In order to balance the continued interest in our book clubs with the frequent no-shows, we have moved to a $5.00 fee for all book club events. At the book club meeting, all registered attendees will be given a $5.00 voucher to be used towards the next book club book, or a future purchase. Any individuals who register but do not attend will have 1 week from the event date to pick up their voucher from the bookstore. If the voucher is not claimed, it will be considered forfeited. Please be mindful of this policy as you are registering!