Worthy of the Event: An Essay

Essayist Blaxell debuts with an astonishing seven-part “essay” that blends memoir, criticism, speculative fiction, and reportage. While ranging across subjects as varied as religion, motherhood, and her own gender transition, Blaxell remains a confident, nimble narrator, pulling together disparate threads to form something greater than the sum of its parts. In “Disappointments,” Blaxell reflects on her postvaginoplasty doldrums, and quotes a friend who told her, “There are better things to be disappointed about than vagina. Some people are disappointed with God... why don’t you try that?” “Mouse Eats Communion Wafer” imagines Nietzsche in the afterlife, sipping lattes and carrying on conversations with David Bowie and Maria Callas. Blaxell dedicates significant space to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, attempting to wrap her mind around the horrors of its 200,000-plus casualties before describing a darkly whimsical vision of phosphorescent cats “dancing among the pre-dawn trees and pulsing green each time they waltz close to radioisotopes decaying reluctantly in the dark soil.” Teeming with wonder and wicked humor, Blaxell’s dispatches offer a boisterous trip through a formidable intellect. At one point, quoting Voltaire, she asks, “What is the purpose of beauty if it’s not shared?” Readers craving a break from the mundane will be grateful Blaxell has shared these stunning explorations. (Apr.)