Sara Gran

I am not someone who reads horror! But now... I am?! What is happening? That sense of uncertainty and displacement is at the core of this novel, which incorporates many elements of the domestic thriller. To my surprise, there are even some almost sapphic elements (I am always on the fence about sapphic characters/stories that depict violent or murderous figures, because it puts lesbianism firmly in the other category). But it was fascinating to witness the main character's relationship with show more the demon taking over her life/body/self. This is a quick listen (under 4 hours) and I actually found myself enjoying it! show less

I read [b:The Infinite Blacktop|38532150|The Infinite Blacktop (Claire DeWitt Mysteries, #3)|Sara Gran|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523631136l/38532150._SY75_.jpg|58137013] on the basis of strong reviews when it was first published in 2018. I enjoyed it, but when I was done I realized that I very much wanted to read the first book in the series, [b:Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead|9231999|Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead (Claire DeWitt show more Mysteries, #1)|Sara Gran|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1312909281l/9231999._SY75_.jpg|14112168]. Infinite Blacktop was laced with references to Claire's personal history, and I had an idea that it would all make more sense if I started at the beginning.

Well, I've just done that, and although I can't say that "making sense" is something Sara Gran is going for in the Claire DeWitt series, I can say that I enjoyed City of the Dead even more than Infinite Blacktop. Her descriptions of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the impact of the storm and the broken levees (the worst engineering disaster in the history of the US, according to Wikipedia) not just on the physical structures of New Orleans but on the mental health of the survivors, is nothing short of amazing. It is not a conventional rendering in any sense, but I would venture to say that it is far more compelling than 90% of what you've seen on broadcast news or social media.

The mystery that brings Claire back to The City of the Dead is both tied to the storm and its aftereffects, and separate from them. And as is so often the case with books set in New Orleans, the city itself is something of a character.

Gran is an author of unique talents, one who stimulates us to consider issues related to The Meaning Of Life and other equally weighty topics through Claire's musings, her search for omens, her interest in the I-Ching and her ingestion and inhalation of all manner of illicit and unhealthy substances. It's easy to feel connected to her even if you share no life experiences simply because she challenges you at every turn and presents you with realities that, as she would say, you may not want but you definitely need.

I look forward to reading the middle book in the series, [b:Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway|15814401|Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway (Claire DeWitt Mysteries, #2)|Sara Gran|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368071910l/15814401._SY75_.jpg|21540836]. I guess at the end of the day I just enjoy being in the reading company of difficult women who challenge me to think beyond the mystery they are ostensibly attempting to resolve. show less

Sara Gran’s Come Closer is one of those rare horror novels that understands possession is most frightening when it arrives quietly. It sounds like your own thoughts. It feels like relief at first. It wants Amanda isolated from the people who love her. It wants her ashamed. It wants her to mistake destruction for freedom.

It reads less like a supernatural spectacle than a private confession from someone realizing she is no longer alone inside herself. By the end, you feel less as though you show more have read a demon-possession story than overheard someone losing a war they were never equipped to fight.

It is a short novel, but it leaves a stain.

Sara Gran proves that the most terrifying monster is not always the one outside the door. Sometimes it is the voice that knows exactly what you want to hear.

Absolutely terrifying. show less

The Book of Sex Magick
Review of the Dreamland Books paperback edition (February 8, 2022)

'Books about books' is my favourite genre-crossing sub-genre. I'll read non-fiction literary criticism, analyses of authors and their works, documentaries about libraries & books, biographies of books, top listings of books to read (i.e. 1,000 Best, etc.). I'll read fictional fantasies of imaginary books, historical fictions about real-life books, searches for rare books, searches for lost books and yes, show more even erotic fiction about cursed sex magick books.

I came across Sara Gran's The Book of the Most Precious Substance through one of the always entertaining and informative author interviews organized by the Poisoned Pen Bookstore on their YouTube channel. I was also interested to learn that it was the debut work of the author's own publishing venture Dreamland Books, having previously published with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Harper, etc. I love supporting independent and/or small press publishers and bookstores in principle.

Our protagonist is Lily Albrecht, a former author known for one breakthrough novel, who now works as a rare book dealer in order to support herself and her husband who was struck with early onset dementia and requires constant care. Lily is put on the trail of tracking down the title book, an infamous occult rarity from the early 17th century, of which perhaps only 6 handwritten copies ever existed. Various rich and powerful individuals have owned or are seeking the book and will perhaps pay $Millions to own it.

Lily's quest causes her to ally with Lucas, another rare book buyer/seller and their journey takes them from from New York City to New Orleans to Los Angeles to London to Munich and to Paris. At each stop they are finding someone who once owned or once saw a copy of the book. One has only a partial copy, one has a likely forgery, but someone somewhere must have a complete authentic copy for their mission to succeed. To throw even more mystery into the mix, some of the searchers are murdered along the journey.

During the search, Lily and Lucas become quite bewitched and obsessed by the idea of the book and the power that it apparently will grant if one is able to complete its rituals which involve increasingly frenzied sex acts generating various bodily fluids (modesty prevents me from going into further details on those points). There is an early revelation about the final stages of the rituals which will allow some readers to guess the ending of the book, which I was also happy to have confirmed, as flattery of the reader by the author is always a winning formula as far as I'm concerned.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Book of the Most Precious Substance with its varied cast of book and/or sex obsessed characters. Sara Gran did an excellent job of combining the quest genre with the cursed book genre with murder and betrayal lurking along the way.

Trivia and Links
Reading The Book of the Most Precious Substance reminded me of Arturo Pérez-Reverte's The Club Dumas (1998) [translated from the Spanish language original El club Dumas (1993)] which has a slightly similar plot, i.e. a quest for a cursed book. The latter made for an unfortunately terrible movie The Ninth Gate (1999) with Johnny Depp, which I hope is not the fate of Sara Gran's novel. show less