Dead Collections

A Novel

256 pages

English language

Published Dec. 28, 2022 by Penguin Publishing Group.

ISBN:
9780143136910

View on OpenLibrary

5 stars (2 reviews)

A whirlwind romance between an eccentric archivist and a grieving widow explores what it means to be at home in your own body in this clever, humorous, and heartfelt novel.

When archivist Sol meets Elsie, the larger than life widow of a moderately famous television writer who's come to donate her wife's papers, there's an instant spark. But Sol has a secret: he suffers from an illness called vampirism, and hides from the sun by living in his basement office. On their way to falling in love, the two traverse grief, delve into the Internet fandom they once unknowingly shared, and navigate the realities of transphobia and the stigmas of carrying the "vampire disease."

Then, when strange things start happening at the collection, Sol must embrace even more of the unknown to save himself and his job. DEAD COLLECTIONS is a wry novel full of heart and empathy, that celebrates …

1 edition

Is for me? is for me!

5 stars

I knew I would enjoy this, but I didn't realize quite how much. As soon as I heard it was about a trans archivist librarian I was sold, but the additions of it being a book about fandom and about how queer people discover themselves on the internet, with a little SF-specific flavor... this book is For Me, truly. I read some other people's reviews of it who didn't love it, and I get why--it's niche, and sometimes the gender politics of it aren't clean or nice. The writing felt luxurious to me, and I love a book that uses different kinds of prose formatting (scripts, chat logs, forum posts, etc.) to tell its story. I don't think it's a book that will work or even be pleasurable for most people, but god I really liked it

avatar for bluestocking@sfba.club

rated it

5 stars

Subjects

  • American literature

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