Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth made me reflect again on reading and writing.
Serena says: “Creativity wasn’t something I worried about. You pulled a book off the shelf and there it was, a fully formed world, a spark...”
But then I wonder: what is that spark?
Who or what ignites it?
For McEwan? For Serena? For us?
Still reading, still wondering.
#McEwan #SweetTooth #Creativity #Writing
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/416165/sweet-tooth-by-mcewan-ian/9780099578789
'A web of spying, subterfuge, deceit and betrayal... Acute, witty...winningly cunning' Sunday Times The year is 1972, the Cold War is far from over and Serena Frome, in her final year at Cambridge, is being groomed for MI5. Sent on Operation Sweet Tooth - a highly secret undercover mission - she meets Tom Haley, a promising young writer. First she loves his stories, then she begins to love the man. Can she maintain the fiction of her undercover life? And who is inventing whom? To answer these questions, Serena must abandon the first rule of espionage - trust no one.
McEwan’s Nutshell is more than a retelling of Hamlet, it’s a 21st-century tragedy.
An unborn child narrates betrayal, fear, love, complicity, and unbearable awareness.
We admire him more than we pity him.
Perhaps empathy is reserved for those who remain silent.
This is Hamlet, reimagined, and the tragedy of being born into a broken world has never been told more brilliantly.
#Nutshell #McEwan #Hamlet #Literature #ModernTragedy
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/434635/nutshell-by-mcewan-ian/9781784705114
**Sunday Times Number One Bestseller** A classic tale of murder and deceit from one of the world's best storytellers - 'a masterpiece' The Times Trudy has betrayed her husband, John. She's still in the marital home - a dilapidated, priceless London townhouse - but not with John. Instead, she's with his brother, the profoundly banal Claude, and the two of them have a plan. But there is a witness to their plot: the inquisitive, nine-month-old resident of Trudy's womb. 'An astonishing act of literary ventriloquism unlike any in recent literature. A bravura performance, it is the finest recent work from a true master...' Daily Telegraph
In a world where women are often told to be strong, Loveable (2024) paints a powerful portrait of emotional vulnerability, childhood trauma, and the desperate need for connection. Maria’s inner journey resonates with anyone who’s ever felt silenced by the expectations of others.
A personal reflection on the wounds we carry and the voices we mistake for our own.
https://open.substack.com/pub/denizece/p/is-it-a-desire-to-be-loved-or-just?r=5fi2hc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
#FilmEssay #ChildhoodTrauma #Feminism #Loveable #Cinema #Healing #Relationships #Substack
Posts about medicinal herbs hardly ever include the side effects or any negative reactions. It's always, "drink chamomile tea to relax and sleep" and not, "15-20% of people are allergic to ragweeds, which includes chamomile, so it might give you a scratchy throat."
-Drinking mint tea regularly can cause acid reflux and exacerbate other GI issues.
-St. John's Wort calms you, and is good for depression, but it can also dangerously lower your heart rate if you take beta blockers.
-Sure, fennel is great for "digestive issues," but don't schedule a date that night, you will be very gassy.
-All members of the Poplar family, which includes Willow, contain the same chemical as modern aspirin within their bark. Don't give it to your kid if they have the flu or chicken pox, it can cause a deadly reaction.
-Rosehip helps with painful menstruation, and is a great source of vitamin C. So great, in fact, that you can overdose and give yourself kidney stones if you take too much.
-Dear white people, taking turmeric every day will literally turn you orange.
In countries on fire, art can still help us breathe.
My latest Substack essay explores shame, guilt, and the need for inner space—through writing, film, and memory.
🔥 Survival Through Writing and Art in a Country on Fire
In countries on fire, art can still help us breathe.
#writing #art #resistance #feminism #innerjourney #mastowriting
During the pandemic, I rediscovered writing—not as a cure, but as a mirror.
This is the English version of my original Turkish essay on trauma, writing, and self-awareness.
Writing Journey: Discovering the Self
🖋️ Translated with the support of ChatGPT 4o.
https://denizece.substack.com/p/writing-journey-discovering-the-self
#writing #healing #trauma #pandemic #selfdiscovery
Cat
