Review: Alphabetique by Molly Peacock

*I received this copy free from Random House of Canada in exchange for an honest review. See author Q & A below.*

Title: Alphabetique

Author: Molly Peacock

Publisher: McClelland & Stewart

Publication Date: November 4, 2014

ISBN: 9780771070150

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“Alphabetique,” ” or Tales from the Lives of the Letters “is one-of-a-kind, but nevertheless fits perfectly with Molly Peacock’s extraordinary body of work, drawing on the same wellsprings of creativity and artistry as her poetry and her nonfiction, especially “The Paper Garden.” These 26 charming, incisive, sensual stories of love, yearning, and self-discovery are complimented by Kara Kosaka’s layered, jewel-bright collages.

I really liked this book. I can’t say that I loved it, but it was cute, fun, and extraordinarily unique. I’ve never read anything quite like it. Alphabetique brings our alphabet to life, one letter at a time, through quirky stories and breathtaking images. I can’t say that I loved it because, as I’ve stated before, I’m really not a short story person. I enjoy reading new stories like this just to try something new, and I was definitely pleasantly surprised. Alphabatique will have a special place in my home where it can be displayed, whether that’s on my coffee table, or at the forefront of my bookshelves. It’s a book to be looked at, to be touched, and to be studied with an artful eye. Each story can be read individually, but it is best read, um, alphabetically (ha!). The illustrations add a sense of life to the stories, giving you a peek into each letter’s existence. It’s printed on lovely paper and is full of colour. It’s vibrant and beautiful. The stories are light-hearted and enjoyable, but there isn’t a whole lot of depth. Very charming!

Check out what Molly Peacock had to say about it:

 

1. Why do you love tiny things?

I love miniatures because they can’t pretend to be more than they are. The tiny and detailed thing draws your attention because it is a little world in itself. You enter that world without pretense.  That’s why I love the short tales of Alphabetique.  They’re magic, not big and tragic.

 

2. What’s the importance of noticing in our everyday lives?

When you notice something, even if it’s only a button or an orange or the pattern in a sidewalk grate, it’s as if someone has handed you a rarity. Attention creates luxury because it stops time. For a suspended moment you are calmly energized by what you are seeing, hearing, and touching. It brings you back to your senses.  Even the gravel beneath your feet becomes a marvel of a mosaic.

 

3. How did you get the idea for Alphabetique: an Advent Calendar on www.tinyletter.com?

Kara Kosaka, the illustrator of Alphabetique, and C.S. Richardson, the Art Director at Penguin Random House made little morsels of details from the illustrations, and I thought, “I’ve got to share these!” Then I realized that 26 letters = 26 days, almost like an Advent calendar. If I started a very select e-mail list through TinyLetter, for people who have things to say, I could show the list these adorable details & I could excerpt a sentence or two from each story to illustrate the illustrations.

It’s amazing:  every day I have more subscribers.  And even after the Tiny Letters stop on November 26, you can subscribe to see them at https://tinyletter.com/mollypeacock

or go to the website: http://mollypeacock.org/advent.html

 

4. Pencil or pen?

Pencil for poetry on blue lined pads.

Computer for prose!

 

5. Do you get jealous of other writers?

Sure, but then I remember Jean Rhys who said, “we’re all just drops in the ocean of literature.”

 

6. What’s your motto:

Go with the Flaw.

 

7. What words do you try to live by? 

 Only do what you can only do.

 

8. What is the mantra you’d tell a young woman to keep saying to herself?

 In the attempt is the success.

 

9. What’s your practical philosophy for writers?

Keep your expectations low and your standards high.

 

10. Is it ever time to take a break from writing?

Of course—every fertile field has to lie fallow.  The trick is not to think you’ve got writer’s block just because you need a rest.

 

11. Name a single quality that is BOTH your best and your worst quality:

Whining. It’s time to stop thinking that whining is annoying! Whining is like opening a window and having a sea breeze swoop all the stale air out of a room.  Stop whining, I tell myself, and then I think of the greatest whiner of all:  William Shakespeare. He whined about his love life in the greatest sonnets ever written.