#zigzags

Zig zags. Excelsior fresco stencils. 1924.

In Zigzags by Kamala Puligandla, Aneesha goes back to Chicago for the summer knowing it will be complicated. Her ex Whitney has moved in with her boyfriend, and she's going to be sleeping in their extra room. But ultimately, she just wants to sink into her friend group again—gathering at the Heartland, rolling her eyes at Richard, letting Georgie ground her. And maybe this summer her messy love life won't be...as messy? 

I was really really conflicted about this novel. I thought this was an intriguing book that really gets at that painful moment where a dive bar crew, that wild group of friends, is suddenly growing up and moving away and committing themselves to big jobs or serious issues or families. They are changing, reassessing, and settling, and it's a wistful, nostalgic feeling. You know that even as you'll stay in contact, things are changing in a way that's irrevocable—your small little traditions will fade, your nights will end earlier. 

There were some strange stylistic choices which I found distracting. (Spoilers ahead.) While Whitney’s trans boyfriend was compelling, I felt the development with him was completely out of tune with the rest of the novel. Whitney was allowed to keep all her flaws, and her boyfriend’s “being a dick” was often (not always) him being annoyed at Whitney being irresponsible (ex. driving home drunk in his car and running over a mattress). The rest of the book was largely about the group of friends growing up and it being ok, and I thought them growing to allow this man to be responsible vs. let Whitney be the worst was a weird storyline. 

In the Beginning | 160 x 180 (2015)