Psyche in a Dress (original 2006; edition 2008)

I'm not entirely sure what I thought of this. I think this is the first time I've tried anything by Francesca Lia Block, and it just sort of caught my eye. It's quite powerful, powerful images and an interesting way of retelling several different mythical stories.

It's made up of poetry, mostly, and some prose. It's a very fast read if it sounds interesting to you -- but I'm still not sure what I think, having stared at the screen for a while trying to put together a more incisive review. ( )

In true FLB form, PSYCHE IN A DRESS packs a raw, sexual, emotional punch via vivid, lush prose, set against the backdrop of Hollywood.

Enter Psyche, in the form of a teenage girl. She stars in her father's brutal films, being mutilated and dying, over and over again. She fancies herself her father's muse, taking over where her mother lapsed after she left the family. In the middle of the night, Psyche is visited by a man called Love, who sounds like the ocean and tastes like citrus, makes love to her, and tells her stories of the old Gods. He comes to her ever night, under one condition: she must not turn on a light. But under the advisement of her half-sisters, Psyche lights a candle, and find a beautiful god of a man in her bed. Is beauty monstrous? Psyche banishes her lover because of some serious self-esteem issues.

We follow her through the rest of her life as she tries to win him back. Through the course of her journey we meet Persephone, Orpheus, Narcissus, Eurydice, Aphrodite, Hades, and Demeter. Psyche outs herself through physically and emotionally grueling relationships, sometimes to the point of abuse (Hades, in the form of Marilyn Manson.) All of this in the name of Love (Eros.)

The story is written in delicious free verse -- which I believe is Francesca Lia Block's strength. Through sparse words, vivid, luscious, colorful imagery comes to life. The salt spray of the ocean on your lips, the heady scent of the fields of poppies, the crunching of gravel under hooves, your moth wings shredded to dust. It's beautiful.

The ending -- full of self-love, healing, and joy -- is perfect and uplifting. We watch Psyche become Persephone, Eurydice, Demeter. It's a perfect full-circle ending.

PSYCHE IN A DRESS, and 113 pages is a quick, engaging read, and like most FLB books, written beautifully and colorfully. It contains mature themes (it is FLB, though) but nothing to vivid. Definitely a recommended read. ( )

When I was in high school, I edited a zine of sorts. It was mostly comprised of teenage confessional poetry, the kind that prominently features rain and heartbreak and slashed wrists. People were always on me about improving the quality, being more selective about the contributions, elevating the tone. I knew full well that the zine mostly sucked, and yet I had no desire to improve it. I felt that these crappy, clichéd, maudlin outpourings of adolescent angst were just as vital, if not more so, than the smaller number of truly talented submissions we printed. I believed that not only did they give the writer a much-needed outlet, but they told other kids that they were not alone.
'Psyche in a Dress' has something of that feel of teenage group therapy about it. As poetry, it’s not much of a success, surprising from a writer whose prose is so lyrical. Perhaps the poetry of Weetzie Bat or The Hanged Man succeeds because it is grounded in the narrative, and flows with the characters and the plot, whereas Psyche feels much too abstract to be effective.
That being said, I believe that this, too, is an important book, and can’t be judged strictly in terms of its technical merits. Block is attempting to give a rootless generation a life-saving infusion of mythology, stories to help and to heal. And as such, it has to appear in the form of a poem: mythology delivered as poetry has a ritual force that not even the most poetic prose can approximate.
Where her better-known Weetzie Bat novels paint a picture of a sunny fairyland filled with promise, Psyche delves instead into the dark underside, into a world filled with demons, vengeful goddesses, and self-destructive heroines. It tackles body image, bad relationships, the vacuousness of western culture, poor role models, broken homes, drug use – everything a young woman faces in the world, punk rock diva or not. It’s the work of a woman who has emerged from the other side of despair, sadder but wiser, and as such provides an invaluable story for an entire generation of American girls looking for a path out of the darkness. For all its sorrow, Psyche is Block’s most hopeful, and possibly useful, book yet. ( )

In true FLB form, PSYCHE IN A DRESS packs a raw, sexual, emotional punch via vivid, lush prose, set against the backdrop of Hollywood.

Enter Psyche, in the form of a teenage girl. She stars in her father's brutal films, being mutilated and dying, over and over again. She fancies herself her father's muse, taking over where her mother lapsed after she left the family. In the middle of the night, Psyche is visited by a man called Love, who sounds like the ocean and tastes like citrus, makes love to her, and tells her stories of the old Gods. He comes to her ever night, under one condition: she must not turn on a light. But under the advisement of her half-sisters, Psyche lights a candle, and find a beautiful god of a man in her bed. Is beauty monstrous? Psyche banishes her lover because of some serious self-esteem issues.

We follow her through the rest of her life as she tries to win him back. Through the course of her journey we meet Persephone, Orpheus, Narcissus, Eurydice, Aphrodite, Hades, and Demeter. Psyche outs herself through physically and emotionally grueling relationships, sometimes to the point of abuse (Hades, in the form of Marilyn Manson.) All of this in the name of Love (Eros.)

The story is written in delicious free verse -- which I believe is Francesca Lia Block's strength. Through sparse words, vivid, luscious, colorful imagery comes to life. The salt spray of the ocean on your lips, the heady scent of the fields of poppies, the crunching of gravel under hooves, your moth wings shredded to dust. It's beautiful.

The ending -- full of self-love, healing, and joy -- is perfect and uplifting. We watch Psyche become Persephone, Eurydice, Demeter. It's a perfect full-circle ending.

PSYCHE IN A DRESS, and 113 pages is a quick, engaging read, and like most FLB books, written beautifully and colorfully. It contains mature themes (it is FLB, though) but nothing to vivid. Definitely a recommended read. ( )

Absolutely beautiful in a thought provoking way. Each time I re-read this book I find something different, and take away something new. It's an incredible read for fans of Greek mythology, epic tales and poetry. ( )