New #Wikipedia article: Applesauce by June Arnold ✅
Published in 1966, this experimental #feminist novel was June Arnold's first book. Highly autobiographical, Arnold wrote it to process the upheaval of her early thirties: already a mother of five, she divorced her abusive husband and lost her son in a tragic accident shortly after. She moved to New York to study writing while raising her children. In Greenwich Village, she became involved in the women's liberation, housing rights, and feminist separatist movements. Arnold founded the independent feminist press Daughters, Inc. and the national Women in Print conference, with the goal of creating outlets where women were free to write, publish, and create their own woman-centered cultures.
Applesauce is a nonlinear narrative of the protagonist Liza's life. The pressure of traditional gender roles and several traumatic events, including the death of her son and possible suicide of her brother, cause Liza to fracture her sense of self into multiple identities: Eloise the sex kitten, Rebecca the intellectual, Lila the earth mother, and a male alter ego called Gus.
This was a fun one! It was certainly a challenge to synthesize all the context, influences, and interpretations of this very strange book. I'm now planning to read and create articles for the rest of Arnold's works.