I wrote a few years ago about a long-simmering desire to move back to New York. It’s never quite been a burning need – I could have moved a million times by now if it were – but it always sticks in the back of my mind as an option. And, I imagine, an inevitability at some point.
I’m not sure what it is – DC is certainly smaller and cleaner and easier to navigate – but there’s something compelling about the potential to move up north. Perhaps it’s the food above all else. Or maybe I just love that virtually everything is at your fingertips at any hour of the day – comedy, museums, concerts, shopping, any type of food (of course).
And the longing is only exacerbated when you read a book that seems to perfectly encapsulate the spirit of the city and its inhabitants. Neon In Daylight tells a story across three narrators that stretches across a summer in the city – and it feels that way, too. It will make you want to sit on fire escapes and run through the city barefoot and see Manhattan from a Bushwick rooftop. (Do these characters exist in the Girls universe? I think it’s probable.)
The stories are woven together in ways that are at times obvious and at other points gently surprising. I have been known to love a story that shares multiple perspectives and mindsets, especially one in which the reader has a better sense of the full scope of the story than the characters themselves. It’s fun to watch the story unfold before you, right in line with the way summer stretches ahead of you once it starts and before we abruptly tumble headfirst into September (I’ve shared my September scaries here before, too).
The title comes from a line in the book, which states simply that neon in daylight is strange. It’s a fair point. There’s something out of place – maybe even offputting, or unsettling – about it. There’s something not quite right about seeing the bright shine of a neon sign while the sun is out. It’s confusing, until your mind adapts to what you’re looking at.
And perhaps it’s the same way for the complications of our characters. There’s something a little unsettling about knowing all of the ways in which they interact – with the city, with each other, with the world – and understanding that they don’t have the full picture themselves.
You’ll like this if: you love New York, especially in the summer. From a literary perspective, if you like stories in which you can hear from multiple characters as they navigate their messy and complicated lives.
Happy reading!
Other Suggested Content:
– Not really related to the book, but as long as we’re talking about neon: the Neon Museum in Warsaw is one of the coolest niche museums I’ve ever been to. Neon itself has a fascinating history, and the societal implications related to Poland’s Communist history were unexpected. If you find yourself in the area, don’t miss it!
carlyreads 