In between my interviews I sat on park benches and waited for time to pass, alongside homeless people drinking cider from cheap two-litre bottles. They didn’t ask why I didn’t have furniture or how old I was or why my English was so good.

The translation deserves particular praise given how much of the novel revolved around Norwegian words and vowels, even dialect, which Idriss needs to make read naturally to the English-language reader: Water the plant correctly to ensure the fertilizer seeps into the soil. Move the plant to a spot where it can get adequate sunlight. 5. Brown edges/tips Book Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Lesbian, LGBT, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, Novels, Queer I felt a little reading slump coming on but after reading Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval, translated from Norwegian by Marjam Idriss, I remembered why I love reading. Dakota Warren recommended this book via her YouTube channel and I was promised Sapphics, weirdness, pee, and very descriptive passages about rot, scents, sounds, and colors. It is safe to say this book isn’t for the faint of heart or squeamish because it details things you might not want to read about.Rotate the plant to correct the leaning caused by the uneven distribution of light. You should prune your plant with sharp shears, loppers, or pruning saws. Prune the old leaves and stems at the beginning of spring. 8. Legginess/growing too tall In Paradise Rot, Jenny Hval creates a parallel world that's familiar but subtly skewed. As intriguing and impressive a novelist as she is a musician, Hval is a master of quiet horror and wonder.

Common problems with the bird of paradise plant include leaflessness, root rot, curling and yellowing leaves, brown edges, leaf splitting, top heaviness, legginess, and failure to bloom. You can fix these problems with proper care that includes feeding the plant adequately, providing bright direct light, and watering once every 1-2 weeks. Lots of interesting stuff in here about the history of witch craft and how it relates to the patriarchy. There is a tendency for female eccentrics to be treated with more derision than their male counterparts, or at least not get as much exposure... and maybe less encouragement. Also it gives me more insight into Jenny Hval's songs which are all of a spiritual and ego driven nature "I am Oedipus" etc. May and I spoke a little after the others had gone out shopping. Her handshake was soggy and her skin felt smooth like the peanut butter on the white bread in front of me. She had served herself a huge plate of Coco Pops, a large mug of hot chocolate, a glass of milk and some bread. growing under my skin, letters forming flesh bubbles. Spores, sex, stain, a snake, a mushroom, an apple. They want to be known.Jo’s scientific tendencies are shown early on in her awareness of the specific textures of food, and this hypersensitivity becomes a defining feature. She notes how breakfast here is “slippery and fluid: silky soft white bread slices that dissolved like candy-floss” – a meal where “only the sugar crunched,” – and contrasts this against Norway’s familiar “whole-wheat bread with hard crusts and coarse liver paste, the feeling of grains and fibrous meat” – breakfasts with the consistency of “wet gravel.” Ensure you water frequently to cater for the water lost by transpiration. Fix low humidity by misting the plant or using a humidifier to prevent drooping and the death of leaves of bird of paradise. 4. Yellowing leaves I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. I reviewed this book in conjunction with a blog tour with Bewitching Book Tours.

Buy more mature plants if you want a speedy bloom. However, mature bird of paradise plants cost more than young ones. I had barely recognised them when I entered the breakfast hall, as if their faces had been wiped clean overnight along with the plates, eyes and lips scrubbed clean of honey stains and breadcrumbs. The themes of alienation, queerness, and the unsettling nature of desire align Hval with modern mainstays like Chris Kraus, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Maggie Nelson. Inadequate sunlight is another reason for the yellowing of the leaves. Bird of paradise requires direct sunlight for at least 6 hours.Another running theme was that of the fallen women. Sexual encounters and imagery feature throughout. Are we witnessing Eve falling from grace all over again? Or is this new Eve gorging on her apple, taking her fill, and feeling anything but desiring of forgiveness?