#caucasia

Book Review - Caucasia by Danzy Senna

I've been tumbling this book over in the dryer of my mind since finishing it a few days ago. I don't really know where to start. I mean, I loved it. The story was so compelling I just wanted to keep reading, it was difficult to put on pause when I had other things to do. What struck me at first was the relationship between the two sisters. I love a sister story. Birdie and Cole speaking their secret language was such an adorable sisterly bond. It was really heartbreaking when they got separated because that was the best part of the book, the two of them together in the beginning.

I loved the narration through the eyes of someone almost looking back on her childhood memories as an adult. Birdie describes things that happened to her when she was eight the way a thirty year old might. Although since they're old memories, she doesn't always have the full context for things.

The idea of being separated from half your family, not just because your parents aren't getting along, but also because your parents are on the run from helping political radicals in the 1970s setting makes for quite a wild ride.

I rate this book 5/5 horses 🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

[spoilers start here] [spoilers start here]

I just finished reading The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I think sometimes it's hard for professionals who have a niche job to jump the gap into writing a book to help people who may never be able to afford their services. Hiring a professional organizer is "rich people stuff" to me and so reading Marie Kondo's book is the closest I can ever come to grasping her concept. With this in mind, the only people who are going to hire her are going to have a lot of money and be highly motivated to reorganize their home. Not that she couldn't do it, but I doubt Ms Kondo has run into a classic hoarder situation because most hoarders fall into two categories of either not thinking they have a problem or being so ashamed that they don't know how to ask for help.

Why do I bring this up? Because I have struggled with hoarder tendencies my whole life related to unstable living situations in my childhood. I have tried different methods of cleaning and organizing, with varying levels of success. I even skimmed this book a few years ago without fully paying attention because a friend of mine didn't like it.

The first 3/4 of the book felt like being scolded because it seemed like it was all about getting rid of things and eliminating your possessions. I can admit this is an emotional reaction based on my relationship to physical objects. It reminded me of bare minimalism — sounds like nothing will be left in the home.

However, the last 1/4 of the book put it in perspective because it was all about curating your home and only keeping items that you like. Surround yourself with things that make you happy. It's true because earlier in the book when Ms Kondo describes the process of sifting through everything you own, she emphasizes that you should keep things that make you happy (or spark joy) and get rid of things that you don't use and don't make you happy.

I also appreciate that her process includes speaking aloud and thanking the items you are getting rid of for helping you when you needed it, teaching you that you didn't need it, or any other number of ways you can release an object in a thankful manner. I'm someone who bonds easily with inanimate objects, that's one reason why throwing things away has always been difficult, because I think they have feelings. So reframing getting rid of items as "thank you for [serving your purpose]" could be very helpful when I try to tackle clutter.

I rate this book 3½ out of 5 sparks of joy: ✨️✨️✨️½

Gün gelir hesap sorar,

Sitare'yle Natalya.

Tbilisi, Georgia as night falls

Street art and graffiti in Tbilisi, Georgia

Sulfur baths in Old Tbilisi, Georgia

Architecture around Old Tbilisi, Georgia