Audition
Audition ~ Katie Kitamura
A well known but not famous middle aged actress meets a young man for lunch. Who are they to each other? She thinks they are strangers, he thinks she is his mother. Which is correct?
This is the opening to Audition, an entirely bingeable book about shifting reality, what if, and figuring out how well we actually know someone.
Our unnamed narrator is preparing to open a new play in New York, and is having trouble connecting with her role, as well as with her husband. Xavier is the young man who thinks she may be his mother, and who gets a job as the assistant to the director. Tomas is her husband, who is unhappy with their marriage, but wants to fix it.
This book was really good. The narrator is extremely perceptive, picking up on the motivations and thoughts of those around her. Then again, she is wrong about those motivations and thoughts more often then not, so perhaps she is merely projecting. You can’t talk about this book without talking about the split between the first act and the second. Reality shifts, though it is the same story, same timeline, same characters. But the relationships change, and again we are faced with the question – how well do we actually know each other? Highly recommended.
20 Comments
Sarah
I did not love this book, but it was very clever. I really like yout discussion of it in acting terms (motivation; projection)– nice.
J
Yet again we learn that not every book is for every person, right?
coco
I’m glad to hear that you like this book. this is my favorite book of the year and I gifted it for my BFF’s birthday. I’ve read all her previous books, none as good as this one.
J
Gifting a book is HIGH PRAISE
Nicole MacPherson
I loved this book!
J
I think I learned of it on your blog, thank you!
Tierney
Putting this on hold through Libby! I read a recommendation somewhere else that gave the distinction between act 1 and 2, but I think it will still be a good read with that somewhat spoiler?
J
Absolutely, especially if, like me, you put things on hold and then completely forget whatever you’ve read and go into books blind.
Margaret
This sounds like an excellent discussion book. When I taught I showed a film called, “A la Folie, pas du tout” (He loves me, he loves me not” which has a huge shift in perspectives and in reality.
J
Yes, big shift in reality in this one, and would make for great discussion.
Suzanne
I keep vacillating about whether I want to read this one. Your review has me leaning toward yes.
J
I hope you do read it, I would love to read your review of it!
Ernie
Hmm- sounds really interesting. Reminds of the book where the girl poses as a white girl and lives a life separate from her sister- her twin? I think just her sister. Anyway- not everyone knows grasps the same reality.
J
Oh, I read that book, can’t remember what it was called now either. Were they twins? I can’t remember that either.
Martha
This sounds good. I’m adding it to my TBR list. Thanks!
J
I hope you like it!
Allison McCaskill
I thought it was interesting and the writing was beautiful. I was slightly cranky because I feel a bit like it’s the kind of book people who only read what they think of as ‘literature’ and scorn genre fiction will read and rave about (not you – an imaginary readership which might not even exist, but in my head they exist and are pretentious), when in fact this is, to my mind, exactly what really good speculative fiction does. I thougth it also leant itself very well to what inhabiting a theatrical role must feel like, and also to raising children and having them become whole people, who in some cases it is hard to recognize.
J
LOL on the snooty ‘Literature’ readers. I remember my mom, the most voracious reader one could meet, telling me that she didn’t want to read ‘Literature’, she wanted STORIES. Your last point, about the child growing into their own person and being difficult to recognize, YES, I loved that about this book.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I have not heard ofthis book. I’ll keep an eye out.
you always have slghtly different books to recommend than most people. I love that.
J
I can rarely remember where I heard of them, but I mostly get book ideas from other bloggers, though sometimes I find things at the bookstore too…