To Hear The Rest More Clearly
By Anne Victoria Pyterek
Genre: Literary Fiction, Magical Realism
Calliope Braintree has a lot working against her, but the
forces of Nature and Love conspire to make her an instrument in the liberation
of her fellow humans and the Wildness they have suppressed and perverted.
Aided by the Muse of Epic Poetry, an urban coyote, and the
Chicago River, Calliope saves herself from the ravages of abuse, self-loathing
and sexual humiliation. It’s not easy for her to remember the plan she and Muse
had made for this life, but memories do come, in confusing fits and starts. A
homeless orphan, sure of nothing but her urge to write, she ignores the
mind-numbing conventions of civilized society, preferring to listen to her
Muse. She follows Coyote, who leads her away from the degrading and harsh
brutality of her life, into a haven of safety. Calliope goes to live in a
hidden pocket of Wildness alive in the city. Still in the world, she is no
longer of it, and she’s glad.
River is a powerful entity, her world a parallel reality
existing in the cracks of civilization’s façade. And, polluted and tormented as
she is, River is still able to transform the toxins polluting Calliope’s mind,
absorbing what is hideous and making it holy. This process climaxes in a
Trickster-ized version of Revelations, after which Calliope’s life will never
be the same again.
My Review
This book is deep & complex and needs every bit of your attention while
reading it. If you aren’t prepared to fall into the raw and unusual world of
Calliope then you might not be ready for this one. I was ready and so glad to
have experienced this trip.
The author flips us between worlds, sometimes in nature with
the coyotes and other times we are with humans who are less than desirable.
This is Calliope's journey though, not ours. We are merely just voyeurs as Calliope suffers, but soon blossoms from the pain. We watch as she finds her
voice, first small and then booming. It’s a tale of transformation and perseverance.
This story contains sexual trauma that may be triggering, please read with care.
Author Bio
Anne Victoria Pyterek is as much the product of her
protagonist, Calliope Braintree, as she is her producer. For in the ten year process of bringing
Calliope into being, she ended up completely re-writing the story of her own
life.
Very much a daughter of Daniel Burnham, Anne left the City
of Big Shoulders—at Calliope’s request—driving off into the sunset in a big
blue bus with her then 11 year old son, a managerie of animals and no
income. She did this for the
adventure, the learning and to find out about Calliope’s childhood. She and her son live in Colorado now,
still in the bus, on 120 acres with a pack of semi-feral dogs, surrounded by
coyotes.
Author Blog: Anne of Blue Bus Books
(http://blue-bus-books.com/)
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1qrqkRr
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