Book Review: The Book of Dahlia

The Book of Dahlia: A Novel by Elisa Albert

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
It’s funny to me that most of the reviews I’ve read of this novel, the central point of the story, arguably the reason we meet Dahlia – her cancer diagnosis, for the love of god – is glossed over. Dahlia is annoying. Dahlia is a slacker. Dahlia is a miserable fuck who can’t pry her privileged ass off the couch, and I’m glad I don’t know her in real life. Sure, all of these things might be true. However, it is these qualities which allow the real brilliance of the story to shine through. The way the author allows the main character to manage this experience which slams her out of what little control she felt as if she might have had like a car speeding over an unforeseen patch of ice. The reader is almost dared to grant Dahlia the modicum of concern that her humanity might deserve by rubbing the reader’s face in her unlovable qualities.

Dahlia’s reaction to her situation is real. It is raw, bitter, and thusly completely in character. The myriad of issues that a person in the same situation would be dealing with from the simple alteration in day-to-day routine (even if that involves only sitting in front of the television and eating Cheerios) to facing death at a young age are vast and at the very least, difficult to handle. Using the vehicle of this character, the author creates a space where the reader doesn’t question the brazenness of Dahlia’s thoughts, her questions and actions. For instance, her rejection of the cult of positive thinking that so many cancer patients are encouraged to participate in. Because of the way Dahlia’s character is constructed the reader almost expects it which grants the reader a chance to consider what kind of feelings might prompt her thought process as opposed to the reader simply reacting to “unacceptable” thoughts and behavior from Dahlia.

This ultimately leads to the truth of the human condition – that with all of her apparent malice, her seemingly half-assed life, she is still not ready to give it up. This book is an artful treatment of an unlovable character in an impossible and unforgiving situation.

View all my reviews.

election ‘08

election ‘08

Originally uploaded by l@in.

I definitely prefer the paper ballot.

this is old…

oliver consumes

Originally uploaded by l@in

but isn’t it bloody adorable?

recovery – day 5

day 5

Originally uploaded by l@in.

Recovery has been both better and worse than I anticipated. I think I already mentioned that the implant was removed (and reinserted!), which resulted in the increased level of pain that I’m experiencing. And again, the drain didn’t help (although, I know not having it could have been disastrous.) However, I am feeling better quickly. My range of motion is pretty good and while I’m not trying to lift anything of any significance, I can pick up a glass or a plate in my left hand and carry it a short distance without an issue, which is nice. I’ve even been able to knit small projects! I listened to my Dr.’s exercise mantra, “you can walk”, and did 30 minutes on the treadmill today at a really slow pace. It’s better than nothing, and I’m so happy we were able to get that before the surgery.

I’ve done this enough that I feel like I kind of have a system. I try to do whatever I feel compelled to. If I feel like laying down, I do. If I feel like I need more pain meds I take them (and if what I feel I need seems unreasonable, I know there’s a problem). If I think I can tackle some house work I try and if it doesn’t hurt, I do it, and if it does – forget it. It really helps that I’ve been able to work from home this week, and can hang out with the laptop in bed if I need to.

And if I’m hungry, I eat. This is probably the most complicated thing for me because I do love to eat. I’m also trying to be healthy for many reasons, one of which is because I’m, of course, concerned about the cancer returning. So I try to eat healthy, exercise, and do all the things you’re supposed to do to stay in optimum health. Did I mention I love to eat? And I love sweets? I know when I’m exercising a lot, I feel like I can cut myself some slack, but now that I’m struggling with a 28 minute mile (ugh! it hurts just to type), I don’t really have that luxury. So I stocked the freezer with pasta sauce, chili, and soup, and Joanna has been great about getting me out of the house to find yummy healthy things with the occasional flake (like a delicious chocolate cake from whole foods). I am looking forward to being able to handle the damn blender again – I miss my green smoothies!

Chapter 7 – Wherein the author confesses her addiction to plastic surgery

So, I had another surgery today. My left implant seems to be encapsulating slightly. It’s certainly not terrible, but the changes have been noticeable over the past few months, prompting me to see my plastic surgeon. When I saw her she agreed that it looked as if there was some encapsulating going on and told me to wait , and come back in a few weeks to see if things seemed to progress, and they did.

So today I had a revision done to my reconstruction on the left side. Dr. Otero took out the implant, removed some skin, made a revision to the dent (seriously a dent developed around my armpit), and then popped the implant back in. I don’t think I realized that the implant would be taken in and out so I’m feeling a bit more rough than I expected to. And I have a drain, which I was hoping not to have but Dr. Otero said there was a lot of fluid in there, so better safe than sorry. Certainly better than an emergency drain insertion as I’ve had before and it can come out first thing Monday, which is great. Essentially one of my fake boobs needed a lift. WTF?

I didn’t have to spend the night, so I’m home. Joanna is on a prescription run. I feel pretty rough and am in more pain than I expected, but I’m hoping the recovery will be speedy and the pain will dissipate quickly.

Tonight I’m going to watch Wife Swap, eat matzo, drink diet ginger ale, and pill pop. I’m hoping for a weekend of movies and bad tv on cable. Pedestrian as it is, I am okay with that.

Another year…

Herb Garden

Originally uploaded by l@in.

Last Friday was my birthday. I was supposed to go out and have a night of it, but I just was not up for it. Maybe it’s age (I am now officially into my 30s), or maybe I’m just boring, but I like to think of it as just another step in the process of listening to myself a little better and trying to pay attention to what I actually want and need to do. Baby steps, you know? But it was a super nice weekend, full of good food, and good wine, and really low key fun.

Saturday we went out to dinner at my favorite deli, and afterword I treated myself to some local hiking and camping books. I don’t think I’ll manage to get in a camping excursion this year, but at least I can be ready for spring and do some local hiking. Today we went to the National Arboretum, which I’ve never been to and it was pretty awesome. We only ran around about 1/3 of it, but I can’t wait to go back.

Sometimes I really love being in DC. I mean we went to this amazing park, that’s right in town, and totally free. And there’s so much to do, and explore, if you want. DC drives me nuts, too but overall, I’m not sure if there’s a place right now that I’d rather be. So, I’m 31. I’m happy with where I am both literally and figuratively. Who knew?

first soup of the fall

first soup of the fall

Originally uploaded by l@in.

OMG! I have been cooking so much lately. I have lots of new recipes to share, but wanted to post this one today.

More to come, and a real update soon.

Le Alpi Minestrone
-taken from The Complete Book of Soups and Stews, by Bernard Clayton, Jr.

As adapted:
2.5 TB olive oil
Medium chopped onion
Approx ¾ C each:
-string beans cut on bias
-diced zucchini
-diced carrots
-diced potato (I used new potatoes)
several stalks sliced celery
diced tomato (I used grape tomatoes, recipe calls for 1 medium)
1 ½ quart water (6 cups)
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
½ chopped parley
Chopped garlic, maybe 2-3
Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

In a large pot, sauté onions in olive oil, abt. 10 min. At 2-min. intervals, add all the vegetables, one at a time (it’s good to start with the potato).

Cover the veg with water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Halfway into the cooking add salt, pepper, parsley, and garlic. Finish cooking.

This makes 4-6 servings of a simple, healthy, soup.

Nutritional info, according to my calculations, based on 6 servings:
90.6 calories
5.8 gr. Fat (less than 1 gr. Sat. fat)
8.8 gr. Carbs
2.5 gr. Fiber
1.6 gr. Protein

Daily Vitamins
27% vitamin C
25% vitamin A
4% calcium
5% iron

unexpected guests

Today I left work early as I had a bunch of reading to do to prepare for a meeting tomorrow and hate doing that at my desk. My plan was get home, start some chili and read as it cooked. I arrived home about the same time as school was getting out. As I was about to unlock my door, two elementary school-aged kids from a few doors down walked over and asked if they could come in. The kids always ask about Oliver and the turtles because they can seem them through the window, so I assumed that they wanted to come in and attempt to play with Oliver. I told them, not today and moved towards the house. Then the little girl, said, “Our mom’s not home.” I looked at her brother who was walking decidedly towards me, and said, “Really?” He smiled and said no. “…and we don’t have a key.” Great. I asked if there was anyone else at home, and of course there wasn’t. “Well, let’s go inside!” I told them.

So there I was, needing to do work, planning on making dinner and was now host to two elementary school kids for an indefinite amount of time. As they ran into the house I tried to remember if there was anything laying around that shouldn’t be and played out disaster scenarios in my head like if their mom didn’t come home until late and I’d have to feed them vegetarian chili and they found it disgusting and I had to take them to McDonald’s or their mom would freak out when she got home because her kids were in a stranger’s house.

I only had to keep an eye on the kids for 20 minutes or so. During that time I gave the little boy a glass of milk and followed him around the house while he drank it and balanced a too-big-for-his-hands glass in just one hand as he tried to pet Oliver, and not trip over my yoga mat, and my running shoes, and the mail. They watched the Disney channel, called their mom on my cell phone, successfully petted Oliver a few times before he wisely retreated upstairs, “Can I go get him?” they asked, “Um…let’s not.”, harassed the turtles, ran the bathroom sink over and trailed armfulls of bubbles over the wood floors.

Altogether, they’re well-behaved kids. I learned that everyone at school has a cell phone and they use it all the time and found out where all the elementary schools are in our neighborhood. I was glad that they ran into me before they had to hang out on their porch until their mom came home or had to knock on every neighbors door until they found someone home, even with as safe as our neighborhood is. But honestly, they wore me out a little bit. In retrospect, had I realized that they were going to leave so quickly I should have stuffed them full of ice cream and soda and sent them on their way.

help me choose shoes

cute or not?

Originally uploaded by l@in.

These just arrived today and I can’t decide whether they’re keepers. They’re bright blue patent leather. The feel good on, but I’m concerned that the leather is a bit cheap, especially considering that near one heal on the underside there is a big “chip” out of the leather.

Should I keep them, or can I do better?

Thanks!

weekend round-up

Honestly, it’s been difficult to strike a balance between getting things done in the house and taking some time to just chill out and enjoy the summer. This weekend, though, I think we came close to hitting the mark. Friday we went out and tried Sakana in Dupont and then saw Woody Allen’s new film. The sushi was actually quite good, and the oyster roll was excellent. The film was not quite what I expected, but was hilarious. If you get a chance, you should see it. Saturday we went and picked out a treadmill to replace our gym membership, then we finished painting the bedroom. It is a really gorgeous shade of blue now. Today we did the trim after hitting the Takoma Park farmer’s market and having brunch at Mark’s Kitchen. An indulgence, I’m almost embarrassed to say, we’ve succumbed to for the past three Sunday mornings. I also ran into an old college friend while looking for melon’s which was a nice surprise.

So, now the first round of improvements to the house are really finished. Time to unpack, put the books on the shelves, mow the damn lawn, and find some patio furniture so we can finally enjoy that deck we were so excited about.