Book Review 2019-003
And So We Die, First Having Slept by Jennifer Spiegel
2018 by Bosco's Going Down Press, LLC, 257 pages
(I purchased a copy of this book).
A quick note to begin this review--we know Jennifer and had a hand in publishing her debut with Dzanc Books. That said, we've not read everything she's written (still need to dig into her first novel), but this one both caught our eye with its cover, but also a quiet bit of story behind it--the book was acquired and went through editing and layout process, and even printed up with a standard publisher. That publisher also shuttered its doors the week the book officially published. Leading to Jennifer's need to decide--quickly create a publishing house to continue her book's presence in the world, or allow it to disappear with maybe a couple of hundred copies in the world. We're happy she decided to go with the former option.
And So We Die, First Having Slept is a love story. Not one like say The Princess Bride, where aside from an outside force or two, it is clear the duo involved are wildly in love. This however, the love story of Cash and Brett is messy. And that is a wild understatement. The novel begins with a prologue that briefly puts Cash and Brett together and then it jumps back close to 30 years to Brett in college and with a boy/young man named Miller. Their relationship is an example of that first quasi-adult relationship--both border on pretentious with their reading habits, their discussions, the images they believe they are projecting. It's also where Spiegel introduces religion into this novel, as Brett has a lot of faith and Miller believes this will eventually force them apart.
The novel moves along from there chronologically and in chunks. Spiegel writes in bursts, lots of short to very short chapters which allows the writer to easily continue moving forward and not put the book down (we read it in two sittings). It jumps around, from Part I told mainly in 1987 and a bit from 1990 to Part II in 2001, to Part III in 2005, when it jumps to Part IV in 2012, ending with Part V in 2015. That first bit is setting up Brett as a person, mainly via her relationship with Miller. But also through their friendship with another couple, Lawrence (Not Larry) and Cadence. This friendship of couples led to a lifelong friendship for Brett and Cadence. The quartet ends up travelling through Europe after their junior year with Brett and Miller sliding apart, and Cadence and Brett becoming tighter. Spiegel continues to develop her characters through this trip as they wander streets, and touristy places, and eat in restaurants, and hit up museums and churches. These lead to conversations about relationships, about sex, about their faiths and organized religion and family.
Part II mainly tracks Brett and Cadence living together in New York, which continues to develop each of them as Cadence continues schooling on toward becoming a Psychologist and Brett gets involved in film, moving out west. Brett is hit by a car and suffers brain damage. She works like mad to get to a point where it's probably really only noticeable (in terms of how she moves around) by people that haven't known her and her movements for much of her life. Move to Part III in 2005--Upon recovering to this level, she moved to Phoenix. She teaches film studies at a community college and lives on her own up until attending a day of panels. It is there that she meets Cash, a man about a decade younger than her own 36ish. Within minutes of sitting down for a drink they are sharing things they rarely do (Brett tells him about her disability, for instance). The first thing that drew them to each other was that they both had a strong faith in God. Two months later, Cash is moving to Phoenix to marry Brett. They really aren't prepared for this in terms of what they really know about the other, but both also have somewhat of a What better is coming around? attitude. Things go off-kilter during their Alaskan honeymoon--aside from having sex each evening of their cruise, they don't share very much time together. Cash also ends the cruise on a low note that give Brett some insight into his past that he'd not really shared very well.
Jumping forward to 2012 and 7 years into what is a rough marriage any way you might look at a marriage. Brett and Cash have a young daughter and son, she's working part-time from home doing some movie reviews and essays, Cash has a job and a fairly big Dexedrine addiction which leads to his not sleeping regular hours, spending his nights sorting screws and stacking papers, and generally avoiding Brett. Meanwhile, Brett's living pretty much on hatred and that comes through in her actions, her personality, and the reader doesn't completely question Cash's attempt at distance. The two both have quite a bit to work on--the one thing they both agree on, and it's almost frustrating to read at times, is that they won't give up on their marriage.
We won't spoil section V, the jump to 2015 and how exactly the novel ends for you. We'll say that this book delves in brutal honesty. Spiegel shines a light on marriage and the behind the scenes discussions, maneuvers, trials and tribulations. She doesn't allow for simple answers. Cash working his ass off to understand his addiction and get it behind him and his new (better) job and working out might find him improving, but that doesn't necessarily mean his life has gotten better, or that his relationship is fixed. Spiegel also doesn't shy away from religion or faith, while not making it a focal point. It's there from the beginning of the story until the end, both in good and in bad times.
It's ultimately an extremely interesting look at marriage, with characters that have earned their struggles with life through Spiegel's development of them. Her voice is also something that shines through--there's a wit, a bite, behind every sentence. There is a large quantity of pop culture snuck in but never slapping the reader in the face. Everything Spiegel includes from attitude, to culture, to snarky humor all combined together to help propel the story. A story very well worth your time to read.
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