Molly

Molly by Blake Butler (2023) 316 pages

I confess that I didn't know about the writer Blake Butler, who has published 9 full-length books, until I heard a bit of controversy over whether he should have "told all" in his memoir about his late wife, Molly Brodak, who took her own life in 2020. 

Molly was a college teacher and a poet who had been published widely, and may have been best known for her memoir "Bandit," in which she went into the effects her father‒a bank robber‒had on his family. Molly was a perfectionist in both writing and baking, but never seemed to trust that she was good enough or worthy enough. Blake has a strong work ethic, too, and is a devoted son to his parents, but he admits to having a temper and to drinking to a blackout state regularly.

Blake lets us into his relationship with Molly, starting on the day she kills herself, and then details how they met and gives the often-bumpy, but not fully chronological trajectory of their 10-year relationship, as well as the time after she has died, when he finds out things about Molly that he never would have suspected. Blake's writing is engaging, in spite of the difficult topic. Sections are separated by lots of white space, which makes it more readable. He quotes Molly's work frequently, and includes many photos.

 

The Poet X

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (2018) 361 pages

This audiobook on Libby is less than four hours and narrated by the author. It is full of powerful slam poetry. It is a novel, but it feels like it could be a memoir. It has been reviewed on this blog a couple times before. We follow Xiomara Batista, a child of Dominican Republic immigrant parents in Harlem, through her 10th grade year of high school. One of her poems introducing herself repeats the phrase "Pero, tu no eres facil." The first words to describe Xiomara were "You sure ain't an easy one." Through her diary and poetry we get to know her mother, father, twin brother, best friend, boyfriend, and English teacher. I love that she questions her parents' religion. She struggles with the way boys and men treat her now that she has developed curves. She deals with strict parental rules on dating like many teens. Ms. Galiano, the English teacher, encourages her to join poetry club and perform at NYC wide poetry slams. She finds her voice by keeping a diary and writing poetry. The climactic scene with her mother, who goes through her diary and considers the thoughts expressed in her poetry as sinful, gave me a strongly visceral feeling. Thankfully she continues to be empowered by voicing her words through poetry for everyone at the big spring poetry slam to hear.