Three recs, psychic edition
A swashbuckling alt-history series, a modern New York novel, a politics-is-personal pod
The other week, while I was in the middle of nowhere in rural southern France, my sister went to a psychic.
Since this is her first issue as a KUK subscriber (!) and I don’t want to scare her off, I should reassure her that I won’t be spilling her secrets. I should also say that she’s not actually someone who goes to psychics, and that, of the two of us, I’m probably the one more likely to do so. In fact, the only reason I’m even sharing this at all is because pretty much the last thing you expect while basking in the sun by the side of a river in the Cévennes is a text from your sister informing you that a psychic has some stuff to tell you.
This is now the part where I tell you that I have, in fact, been to a psychic before.
It was about a year after I graduated from college and I was with some friends on the Jersey Shore. We’d been laughing for years about how our friend’s mom had a psychic there who was, for a hefty and regular fee, lifting a curse put on her by her ex-husband. Perhaps because we suddenly found ourselves significantly less self-assured and significantly more aimless than in previous years, this was the summer when we ponied up our $50 each and went to said psychic ourselves.
I didn’t give whatever much credence, but, like astrology and tarot, it seemed like a fun way to get a different perspective on my life and decisions. Did it help me find my way? Was she right about anything? Who can say.
However, I do remember one thing. The thing that made me sit up and pay attention.
She said I wasn’t supposed to be there.
She wasn’t wrong. I’d had a weird year. I’d set off in January on a mad-cap, around-the-world adventure. I had this plan that started in Hong Kong, took me through Southeast Asia, bopped me around India, jetted over to Tanzania and Kenya, and then involved working my way up to the Middle East, North Africa, and, finally, Europe. Things went well for a few months. Until, after a week of throwing my guts up in India, I had a meltdown and changed my plans.
After that, I sort of flew by the seat of my pants. It was like something had broken in me and I was suddenly free. I made decisions and changed plans at the last minute left, right, and center, often not knowing where I was going to be until the day before. Days before I was supposed to leave India, I changed my mind, stayed for another two weeks, and then went to visit a friend in Spain. We could go to San Sebastián (arguably the global culinary capital) for the weekend and stuff our faces on pintxos, she suggested. Sure, why not?
Here’s where it gets weird. On that five-day jaunt to Spain (en route to elsewhere in Europe, not back to India), I met my now-husband. That’s a story for another time, but, even then, I was struck by the fact that, had I gone with my original plan, we might never have met.
So, by the time my flying by the seat of my pants landed me across the table from a Jersey Shore psychic a few months later, I hadn’t been where I was supposed to be for a while. It had been paying off for me wonderfully. And I was impressed that she knew, or guessed, or intuited, or whatever it is psychics do.
Honestly, I’ve barely thought about that psychic in over a decade. I’d all but forgotten about her until my sister texted. And I should warn you now that I’m not going to tell you what this most recent psychic had to tell me. After all, that’s not really the point, is it?
What I am going to tell you is that, just a few days after I received that text from my sister, my husband and I arrived in San Sebastián. It was the first time I’d been back since the weekend after we met. We’d planned the trip months earlier.
Sometimes, I suppose, you’re just where you’re supposed to be.
Welcome back from summer vacation! We didn’t have internet while in France, which was divine. I highly recommend it. I didn’t work at all, which is basically freelancer heaven. I read a lot, ate a lot, walked a lot, and just generally… relaxed.
Don’t worry, though. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming, where I stuff my face with as much content as possible and process it for you on a bi-weekly basis.
Rec 1
My Lady Jane (TV)
History nerds may remember Lady Jane Grey, known also as England’s “Nine Days’ Queen” for when the 17-year-old was reluctantly made queen after (Henry the Eighth’s only son) Edward VI’s death, before being beheaded nine days later in favor of her cousin Mary* (later known as Bloody Mary). Obviously, this is sad for many reasons, including that Jane was apparently very smart and educated and generally humanist in her beliefs, so she might have been a half-decent queen had she had the chance.
This punchy, highly entertaining alt-history Amazon series takes that premise and runs with it. Following in the tradition of shows like Dickinson and The Great, it makes Jane a more modern type of feminist and wonders: What if Lady Jane Grey were less of a pawn and actually, you know, fought back? The result is a swashbuckling adventure with A+ banter, caricaturish villains, and a decent love story. And, also, a hell of a lot of veteran British actors clearly having a blast.
Now, there’s one more thing: There’s some light fantasy that was absolutely nowhere in the marketing campaign and that I did not see coming. It’s not a big deal – it’s basically The Princess Bride levels of fantasy, AKA limited and not something people can “wield.” However, its absence in the marketing is indicative of a trend I’ve noticed recently where the marketing teams mis-advertise a show/film and then viewers end up unhappy. I know I’m not the only one who was thrown by the sudden appearance of a fantasy element and the revelation that it’s not religious differences that has people killing each other in the world of the show. So, now you know. Go forth and enjoy!
*(Mary, a devout Catholic, subsequently had a lot of Protestants killed during her five years on the throne, before herself being killed in favor of her half-sister Elizabeth, whom you know as Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, etc etc.)
Where: Amazon Prime
Rec 2
Olga Dies Dreaming (book)
This 2022 breakout debut novel* by native New Yorker Xochitl Gonzalez follows native New Yorker and wedding planner to the super-rich Olga Acevedo as she navigates the very relatable experience of realizing she has no idea what she’s doing with her life at the same moment that Hurricane Maria hits her ancestral home of Puerto Rico and also that her narcissistic freedom-fighter mother reappears in her life to tell her everything she’s doing wrong. And then there’s her rising-star-politician brother, always the golden child, suddenly finding himself mired in political corruption and a hell of a lot of secrets. And don’t forget the questions of identity, community, love, power, and, well, you know, all the stuff that makes up a good story.
This one had been on my to-read list for ages, and I only regret waiting so long to get to it. It’s propulsive and fun, with a snarky voice that had me laughing out loud regularly on French and Spanish trains. That entertainment, though, is cover for real emotions and thoughtful explorations of how to be a good person in a world where little is straightforward. It lives in the discomfort and the nuance in a way that we all probably ought to learn to do a bit more.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go put her second book on hold at the library.
*For an added bit of encouragement: It was published when she was 45, which just goes to show that you don’t need to be 25 to publish a breakout debut hit.
Where: Borrow it for free from your local library, or buy it from your non-Amazon bookseller of choice. (Here’s the Bookshop US link, and here’s the Bookshop UK link.)
(In the name of full transparency: I’ve included affiliate links to Bookshop.org – if you’re going to order from them anyway, please use my link so I can make a little extra cash! If you want to see/order any/all of my book recs, I’ve made lists on Bookshop, too: US version, UK version.)
Rec 3
The Runaway Princesses (pod)
If fairy tales and folklore from around the world (and also the iconic film Roman Holiday) are anything to go by, humans love a story of a runaway princess. A plucky young woman escaping an oppressive father or husband, bravely facing danger in her quest for freedom and a life lived on her own terms.
Now, what if that story weren’t relegated to the realm of the mythical?
This four-ep podcast from In The Dark (an investigative journalism podcast) and the New Yorker tells the story of two of the daughters of the sheikh of Dubai, who went to extraordinary lengths to escape their – you guessed it – oppressive father. It’s got scaling the walls of rural compounds, it’s got skydiving and capoeira, it’s got hiding in car trunks to cross borders, it’s got torture palaces, it’s got boats in international waters… Seriously, you couldn’t make this shit up. And at the heart are desperate young women, tired of their lives being controlled.
That would be a fun story. But the thing is, the world now isn’t quite so easy a place to disappear into. So this is also a story about international politics and the failures of justice systems. About people both brave and craven. About money and media and power.
I binged all four eps in one day, and then promptly went and read the long-form NYer piece from last year that inspired it. And I have to wonder if, someday, there will be a part two.
Where: The NYer, or wherever you listen to podcasts
That’s all for this week! What are you reading/watching/listening to that I should be aware of? Drop me a line (or comment) to let me know if you check out any of my recs and what you think.
Please spread the word and I’ll see you in a couple weeks.
xo
Kate
Did someone share this with you?
I am listening to Lost HIlls. crime podcast. Listened to season 3, then 2 and now 1. She is a New Yorker writer as well and very good. So enjoy your writing but now I want to know all about the psychic Tess went to and what they said. San Sebastian is on my bucket list.