In Episode 26 Gen and Jette talk about Paper Houses by Dominique Fortier. Translated from French by Rhonda Mullins, Paper Houses cleverly intertwined the life of Emily Dickinson with that of the narrator, blending fact and fiction.
We absolutely fell in love with this one. We loved the writing style and the way it was told in series of vignettes. It had us thinking about poetry, gardening, and our own writing.
Thank you to Coach House Books for sending us and advance reading copy of Paper Houses. It comes out October 8, 2019.
Show Notes
Dickinson died of Bright’s disease and heart failure. It seems medicine in 1886 may not have been all that conclusive.
The French title, Les villes de papier, more directly translates as “paper towns,” which is a reference to the fictitious towns map makers used to copyright their maps.
You can find Emily’s herbarium online at Harvard Library.
Emily’s sister-in-law is Susan her friend is Sophia.
The word Jette couldn’t pronounce is fascicle.
The song Jette was thinking about is “It’s Been a Summer” by New Found Glory.
Books and Authors Mentioned
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Space Opera by Catherynne M Valente
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Chuck Klosterman
