Three recs, psychic follow-up edition

The best film I've ever seen about recovery, possibly the best book about the Troubles, a batshit tropical island podcast

Earlier this summer, I wrote a little thing about psychics, after my sister told me she’d gone to see one at her friend’s insistence. It was all very funny to me. I thought, Who goes to see psychics for real? (Apart from my friend’s mom who was trying to get a curse lifted, of course.) I tried to give some meaning to the whole thing for the sake of an essay, but it really was just a funny anecdote. I had plenty of British friends bugging me about it after, finding the whole thing outlandish and entertaining.

And then I went home to the US for a few weeks.

You guys, what is going on in the US? Why are you all seeing psychics?!

Seriously. What was a funny anecdote in the UK was revealed to be normal thing in the US. Several of you who are reading this now told me that you have a psychic, or your sibling/friend/parent has a psychic, or that, yeah, of course you’re very into mediums or tarot or something. I’d let one or two of you get away with it, but I was honestly stunned to discover it was a trend on this scale.

Okay, look. It’s probably not that complicated. Life in the US feels extra chaotic. The notion of truth has been so distorted that everyone’s grasping around for something to hold onto. Between climate change and daily gun violence* and loneliness and late-stage capitalism – to name just a few – people just want hope, meaning, and something to make it all make sense.

Enter: Psychics.

I don’t know why we’ve skipped straight past religion, the standard historical go-to in times of chaos, but maybe we’re on the cusp of a renaissance of new religions. Or maybe every psychic is starting their own religion? Certainly, psychics are giving people some measure of the reassurance that the religion traditionally has. I do wish they also provided the (in-person!) community aspect, though.

None of this is to dismiss your psychics. For those who go to them, I want to know what it is you get from them. Do you take their advice? When they predict your future, do you believe them? Or is it more like (casually) reading your horoscope, where it maybe gives you a framework for reconsidering a current situation? And what keeps you going back to them?

I’m entirely serious. I want to understand this psychic trend.

Until then, enjoy this week’s (much less light-hearted, sorry) recs.

*You’re all deeply traumatized, btw. I didn’t realize I was until I’d been out for several years. I remember the moment it dawned on me that I no longer strategized for where I’d hide from a shooter every time I took my seat in a movie theater. That’s incredibly fucked up.

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Rec 1
The Outrun (film)

I feel like I should start by saying that I knew very little about this new, Saoirse Ronan-starring film from German director Nora Fingscheidt when I went to watch it last weekend. Which I think was a good thing. Because I’m not really sure how to prepare you for it other than to say that it’s an incredible emotional and storytelling experience.

The always-impressive Ronan plays a character based on memoirist Amy Liptrot (the book The Outrun is her memoir), as she journeys out of alcoholism and addiction on Scotland’s rugged, far-north Orkney Islands. Saskia Reeves (you might recognize her from Slow Horses) is similarly impressive as her mother, Paapa Essiedu puts in an excellent turn as her ex, and I was genuinely shocked to learn that some of the locals were first-time actors. But Orkney is as much of a star as the performers, and seeing such a distinctive place captured on screen contributes to the magic of the whole thing.

Because that’s kind of what I mean when I talk about the whole experience. The Outrun is an emotional ride that pulls you in and takes you with it using every tool in its arsenal. The sound, the cinematography, the structure, the performances – everything comes together to tell a fundamentally difficult but hopeful story that only works because it is firing on all cylinders.

Honestly, it’s a lot. It’s also one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time.

Where: In cinemas in both the US & UK now!

Rec 2
Say Nothing (book)

I’ve been meaning to read (everyone’s fave New Yorker journalist) Patrick Radden Keefe’s game-changing book on Northern Ireland and the Troubles practically since in came out in 2018. With the TV adaptation due out soon and the audiobook finally available from the library, I at last made the time. And oh man did it live up to the hype.

The book is framed as a real-life murder mystery: Who killed Belfast mother-of-10 Jean McConville in 1972? But to get that answer, Keefe has to dig into the Troubles and, in particular, the IRA as it existed at that time. He has to get to know the kids, really, who were the backbone of the Provisional IRA, and who would go on to be international names, like Gerry Adams and Dolours Price. He has to understand the way people thought and behaved then – but he also has to follow them as they change, grow, and age out of that moment in history.

Like all good books, this one is about so much more than its story. There’s a reason Keefe is so good at what he does, and his empathy for and curiosity about his subjects simultaneously allows us to get inside their heads without passing judgment or “picking sides” – apart, of course, from the side of humanity. As a longtime fan of Keefe’s work, I think one of his great strengths is that he is always looking for our humanity, and trying to understand where and how we could lose it.

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 Price of Paradise (pod)

Every so often, you read a longform article or listen to an investigative podcast where you’re like, there’s no way this is true. I just binged this Wondery series in the last two days and, at every twist, my jaw dropped.

It all started in 2001 when a British former Playboy bunny decided to trade in rainy Hampshire for a tropical island off the coast of Nicaragua. Which she conveniently bought online, in the early days of the internet, before up and moving her husband and three kids there. Except, it turned out that maybe the island wasn’t something that could be sold. And that drug smugglers used it as a stopover. And, also, they maybe hired a mercenary to build their house/future dive resort (never mind that, somehow, none of these Brits can swim). And that there’s a huge legal case being brought against the sketchy dude who sold the island by the local community. Did I mention that there’s also a TV crew there filming them for a British reality show? The list goes on and on.

Seriously, I’ve barely scratched the surface of the craziness. It’s stranger than fiction and I (figuratively) couldn’t put it down. Please listen so we can discuss!

Where: Wherever you get your podcasts

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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

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