'Particulate Matter'
By: Felicia Luna Lemus - Akashic Books, $19.95
Description: 'Particulate Matter' is the story of a year in Felicia Luna Lemus’s marriage when the world turned upside down.
It’s set in Los Angeles, and it’s about love and crisis, loss and grief, the city and the ocean, ancestral ghosts and history haunting.
Nature herself seemed to howl. Fires raged and covered the house Lemus and her spouse shared in ash. Everything crystallized.
Verdict: A moving book, part memoir, part a collected stream of thoughts, all gelled together with ideas taken from one of her very trying years on Earth, 'Particulate Matter' by Felicia Luna Lemus is a quite wondrous work of written prose.
Furthermore, and in what turns out to be an undeniable, and for the most part, unforgettable meditation on her life and experiences (let alone those brought to the fore here, Lemus' words, experiences and conceptual thoughts really to hyper resonate when read aloud.
Relatable in more than one way, when read by more than one person - this is actually a proven fact, as two of us have now read the book and we have had quite a few discussions on certain experiences within it that have taken two different discussional stances between us now - some may well go down a rabbit hole, but most others have a way of working themselves out for the better.
Trust me when I say that from the author who has already brought us the novels 'Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties' and 'Like Son,' Lemus' writing is intelligently, and easily relatable, whilst at the same time allowing the reader extended periods of time (whilst still reading) to empathize with her.
In closing, 'Particulate Matter' is a woven together tapestry of emotive experiences, from the heart and soul of the One, that, taken as a whole, are incredibly heartfelt and honest entries that paint a picture of how we get through times that can seem completely soul crushing.
Felicia Luna Lemus is the author of Particulate Matter (Fall 2020), and the novels Trace Elements of Random Tea Parties and Like Son.
Her writing has been anthologized in numerous collections, and has appeared in publications including BOMB, the Believer, ZYZZYVA, and the California Sunday Magazine.
She is currently the Visiting Writer at Pitzer College. Sharpie Ultra Fine black markers and crossword puzzles are among her favorite things. She lives in Los Angeles with her spouse and their wild one.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.AkashicBooks.com