The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for music, movies and more
By ELIZABETH BUNT — arts@theaggie.org
Book: “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan (2021)
“Small Things Like These” is the perfect book to break anyone out of their reading slump. Technically a novella, it clocks in at just over 120 pages, making it an easy new project to take on while dealing with spring quarter classes. Based in Ireland in 1985, this historical fiction novel follows the trajectory of a local coal merchant who discovers the scandal of the Magdalene Laundries. Claire Keegan asks her readers to consider the question of individual freedom in a town largely governed by the church. Keegan’s writing is sparse and simple, making the novella approachable and engaging for readers who may not have any historical knowledge of the subject.
Song: “The Bottom of It” by Fruit Bats (2019)
This is my current stuck-on-repeat song. It comes from the Fruit Bats’ 2019 album “Gold Past Life.” As an alternative-indie band, you might know Fruit Bats from other hits like “Humbug Mountain Song” and “You’re Too Weird.” “The Bottom of It” is a short, catchy tune with the band’s characteristic dreamy sound. Lead singer Eric Johnson’s unconventional voice turns this song from good to addictive. Anyone unfamiliar with Fruit Bats should definitely give them a listen, and this song is a great start.
Movie: “V for Vendetta” dir. James McTeigue (2005)
“V for Vendetta” is one of my all-time favorite movies. I have probably seen it six or seven times. The film takes place in a dystopian England that has been taken over by a corrupt government after a world war. V, an unnamed vigilante, fights against the fascist police state using terrorist tactics, eventually gaining an ally in a young woman named Evey Hammond, played by Natalie Portman. Equal parts action movie and social commentary, “V for Vendetta” explores the topic of government overreach and anarchy as a human requirement.
Book: “Paradise” by Toni Morrison (1997)
“Paradise” is the third novel in Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s Beloved Trilogy. This unofficial trilogy consists of “Beloved” (1987), “Jazz” (1992) and “Paradise” (1997), each of which deals with the larger theme of dangerous love. “Paradise” is the culmination of this topic, dealing with the interplay between love of self and love of community. It takes place in fictional Ruby, Oklahoma, an isolated all-black town. Seventeen miles away is a closed-down convent, now inhabited by five women of different backgrounds and beliefs than the inhabitants of Ruby. The novel tracks the five generations of familial history that ends with an act of violence committed against the convent by Ruby men. This act both begins and ends the novel. As perfect and intricate as the more widely read “Beloved,” “Paradise” is a book that should be on every reader’s list, both because of Morrison’s writing prowess and because of the often-forgotten history it covers, starting with the Reconstruction Era and ending with the Civil Rights Movement.
Written by Elizabeth Bunt — arts@theaggie.org
