ju

Strawberry Hills Forever

I read this chapter, coincidentally, at Prince Alfred Park, in clear view of the Strawberry Hills post office where I work. I always thought this place was a stray corner of Sydney, tbh. The way strangers picture Strawberry Hills makes me smile. I don't blame them- I pictured it the same before I started working here 3 years ago. More heritage-y, more shrubby and warm with lots of cats and bakeries. Instead I'm surrounded by bin chickens and their garbage stench. I'm in and out of this post office all the time, but now I think of Vanessa while I tediously stand in line to collect my parcels. I wonder if she still visits. I know nothing of her but I bought this book a couple years ago at a zine fair in Marrickville, largely because of the name and because I buy anything with strawberries on it.

Violet Slaughter

This is what I dreamt my teenagehood to be.

Sometimes You Just Feel Like Spending Two Days as a Rabbit

How sweet to know teenagers were walking the streets dressed as animals even before I was born. I have a strong visual of these two days in my mind

Objects

And another reason I was drawn to buying this book was Vanessa telling me at the stall that the book was no longer in print. I wanted to look after it, like a museum archivist. I've always stubbornly held onto things to preserve the memory that they hold, whether mine or a stranger's. This chapter speaks to my sentimentality for objects.

The Velodrome and the Olympia

I google Olympia. Google suggestion: Olympia milk bar. Click.

Olympia Milk Bar. Permanently closed.

Facebook: Olympia Milk Bar Fanclub. For lovers on the Olympia Milk Bar on Stanmore Road.

Sydney Morning Herald, published 3 hours ago: Inside Plans to restore Sydney's iconic Milk Bar in Stanmore.

Sometimes I think I have psychic powers.

Laughter and the sound of teacups

Saw Vanessa Berry mentioned in a reddit thread today, I feel genuinely psychic
Finding Strawberry Hills Forever on a random day out in Marrickville had to be cosmic

Admittedly I thought Yellowface was going to be another case of stale diaspora fiction (which the booked called me out on) but was pleasantly surprised- June's monologue is funny and the pacing kept me hooked. Reading an Asian-centric story from the perspective of a white woman was also a refreshing twist. It was fun, I just didn't love the ending- it's like the story took a surreal and cartoonish turn and I couldn't reasonably believe any of those events took place in the same universe as the rest of the book. I was waiting for the author to go “sike, it was just a dream” but it wasn't. It was also so repetitive at points. Anyway, this book still got me out of a reading slump and I haven't read a book this fast since I was a kid, so that says a lot.

i didn't connect much with the audiobook so switched to hard copy when it was gifted to me (thank u aditi!) i enjoyed the way this was written. i never really followed britney spears' career so the pre-conservatorship portion was interesting to me too. the voice felt authentic. i was exhausted just reading the ways life continued to wear her down throughout the book and felt really sad. i wanted more on the Free Britney movement as this was a pretty big pop culture moment from the public's perspective. i'm also disappointed there was no word on the VMAs lipsyncing scandal :(

Parts of the book felt validating and I know I can reference them when I'm struggling. Beyond the kind words though, the only tangible thing it changed for me was how I feel about environmentalism/activism and outsourcing. Realistically I don't think I'll be implementing any of her systems- they're mostly not for me as someone with physical barriers as opposed the the cognitive barriers the author deals with. I disagree with the sweeping ‘laziness doesn't exist' philosophy and the repeated idea of care tasks being ‘morally neutral' is not something that really clicked for me, I mean, I don't think anyone is claiming having a sink full of dishes is morally charged, it's just...objectively gross and non functional? Still glad I read this- the mindset shifts were compassionate and refreshing even if they didn't change my life right away

This book reads as if the entire thing is Act 1, except like, Act 1 of about 5 different books. That is to say, the characters show no growth and the author loved to go on tangents. Take, for example, the fact that she spent 4 pages explaining how Ichigo is definitely not appropriation, as to (one can assume) not get her characters cancelled IRL and effectively taking the reader out of the fantasy of a novel set in the 1990s.

I had to suspend a lot of disbelief to buy the relationship between Sam and Sadie, especially while it was platonic. If I bumped into someone at 21 who I used to play games with as a primary school kid, the interaction probably wouldn't go further than a 'hey' and 'what are you up to now'. It's unclear why they cared so much about each other, which then didn't give the rest of the book much of a leg to stand on. Things I also did not like:- The book not giving weight to Dov's sexual assault of Sadie (and his Israeliness) - Torturous repetition- Awkwardly placed sex stuff- Marx's death: forced, random, motive ridiculous.- Sam in general. the loner thing got tired and annoying

One star, because I did devour the first chapter, and the writing was beautiful at times.