Spotlight Read: The Book of Speculation - Erika Swyler

“Once you’ve held a book and really loved it, you forever remember the feel of it, its specific weight, the way it sits in your hand.” 

Every once in a while, I'll come across a book, get a few chapters into it, and realize that this was exactly the book that I was meant to read in the time I chose to pick it up. This is one of those books. Erika Swyler crafts her words so precisely, so delicately, it feels as though she is caring after a centuries-old tome, much like that of her protagonist.

The only reason I picked this up was when I asked a coworker about magical realism titles. As a library worker, I have to say I'm particular about the way certain library protocols are handled. Granted, I'm part of a larger library system spanning two counties, but still. There's not a lot of glorious spare time to go on genealogical goose chases. Which is why I'm glad certain plot points happened as they did. Like I've said before, my aim is to keep this blog spoiler free, so I am going to try my hardest not to get into the particulars.

I'm almost positive I was a fortune teller in a past life. 

Another thing I'm protective of is weird arcane things, like tarot. If someone dramatically flips over the Death card as lightning strikes, I'm going to pull a grumpy face and be all salty for the rest of the story. That is not the case here. Swyler did her research with hidden meanings and symbolism with tarot cards and readings, which I very much appreciate, although . Coupled with the mysterious Slavic woman who interprets the cards, mermaids, and you've got the makings of a classic tale. But that is just the part of the story that takes past in the centuries past. There's a contemporary story, one that surrounds a mysterious book arriving in the mail and a possible family curse. Intrigued yet?

“Something is very wrong. What began as a passing fascination with the book has turned into something darker.”

On the modern day side of the tale, we have Simon. He and his younger sister Enola are orphans and while Simon spends his days filling grant requests and curating the whaling history collection of his library, Enola is off reading tarot cards for a traveling carnival with her cephalopod-inked boyfriend. Simon himself is an interesting character. We don't see many hints into his personality outright, and to some readers he may come across as rather boring. I took a shine to him and his introverted, introspective self. Hmm, an introverted librarian living an a coastal town, why would I relate to that? (Hint: because it's me.) His relationship with his fiery younger sister is incredibly real and Enola is so interesting that I did find myself half-wishing that the book was from her perspective as the coincidental deaths in their family follow the women. But Simon as a protagonist is a quiet one, which adds a low-key energy as he begins to uncover the past and mysteries from his family's history.

“We carry our families like anchors, rooting us in storms, making sure we never drift from where and who we are. We carry our families within us the way we carry our breath underwater, keeping us afloat, keeping us alive.” 

I'm a huge sucker for dysfunctional family stories. While I wouldn't consider my own to be such, we are certainly not without our quirks. One things that makes this book truly special is the complex dynamics between the characters. We see Simon's interactions with his sisters boyfriend, as well as the weighty realization that his baby sibling is, gasp, having sex, something I'm sure no older brother would want to be aware of, my own included. In the sections taking place in the past, we see a much different type of family, one that people are capable of choosing of their own accord. We follow a mute young boy, Amos- a name given to him by the Russian fortune teller, Madam Ritzkova, through the course of his life from abandonment to finding his way into a traveling carnival, where he is adopted as a sideshow spectacle- "The Wild Boy", and further as he enters adulthood, falling in love with a woman whose sudden appearance changes everything for the troupe, setting into motion events that will ripple into the future. Being mute, Amos communicates mostly through the pictures and details hidden in the intricate hand-drawn tarot cards Madame Ritzkova uses in her trade.

One of the many interesting traits of Simon's family is that they are swimmers. Not "doing a few laps at The Y" swimmers; Simon himself can hold his breath upwards of ten minutes at a time, something his mother taught him. There's so much about symbolism and beautiful imagery that I want to get into about what that means for the family and their fates but I just cannot do that without breaking my "no spoilers" clause. If you'd like to go into it further, feel free to message me here or on Goodreads!

Now, the ending of this book doesn't have a huge shock reveal, at least not to me. It felt rather obvious that the direction it was taking was leading to it, but for others this may be a surprise. Others may be disappointed. But I feel that the point of the story follows the idiom "it's the journey that's important, not the destination" and family reminds us that we're more than just ourselves. And love is just as wild, unpredictable, and all encompassing as the ocean's waves.

"Because there are things you do for people you’ve known your whole life. You let them save you, you put them in your books, and you let each other begin again, clean.”