#852 Dedicated- David Leavitt

#852 Dedicated- David Leavitt

Celia has two best friends, Nathan and Andrew. They are really her only two friends. The three of them have known each other since college. They were both, independently friends with her at first, but later things got a bit more complicated.

“Publicly, they are ex-lovers and enemies: privately (but everyone guesses) current lovers and (occasional) friends.”

She is the woman in the middle, always keeping them together or apart. As they bicker and deal with the problems of their own relationship, she wonders why the only men she has ever cared for, will never care for her that way.

“When all the men you love can only love each other…you can’t help but begin to wonder if there’s something wrong with being a woman.”

Friendship is wonderful, anyway you can get it.

Rating: 7-7-8-7 Total= 29

#330 The Neutral Zone- Kate Braverman

#330 The Neutral Zone- Kate Braverman

Zoe and Clarissa are unconventional friends. Once best friends, first loves, and inseparable companions, they have taken different paths in life, but see each other as deep, meaningful soul mates. There is no vocabulary for their connection:

-“They meet episodically. Conventional friendship, with its narrative of consensual commitments and behaviors, has proved too intimate and demanding.”

-“Human perimeters are collective background razor wire. We’re too hip for that shit.”

-“We’ll invent rituals appropriate for our circumstances.”

-“Sporadic moments of illumination in extreme altitudes requiring oxygen masks.”

-“They communicate by email, fax, and newspaper clippings. The telephone is unbearable…it would be too disturbing and intrusive if they could actually perceive one another without artificial mediation.”

Like many passionate relationships during childhood, that fire is never the same. Though the meaning of it may stay strong, paths diverge, and any attempt to go back will lead to resentment and pain.

Notable Passage: “The bay is a liquid representation of fall. It’s in continual transition. It’s a form of treachery. All fluid bodies are autumnal and promise betrayal.”

Rating: 8-7-7-6 Total= 28