MADreads

A relationship up for auction

July 23rd, 2009 Rebecca - Monroe Street

Relationships have their key moments.  There’s the first kiss, the first night, meeting the parents, and if things go sour, the getting rid of each others stuff.  But what if the love letters and toothbrush holders didn’t have to go to the cardboard box or bonfire?  Instead, say, Sotheby’s?  Leanne Shapton’s new book imagines this, presenting a fictional auction catalog of a failed couple’s possessions, complete with photographs, descriptions, and estimated value.  When Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry first came across the counter, it took me a few minutes to realize that it was, in fact, a work of fiction and not a real catalog.  What a brilliant concept, and it turned out to be endlessly fun to read.

The clues to Lenore and Harold’s love seep through the photographs and descriptions presented here.  Lenore writes a column for the New York Times entirely about cake, while Harold travels the world as an in-demand photographer.  They’re a sophisticated, eclectic, and witty couple who go to chic New York parties, scribble song lyrics in paperback books, and pose for photos with a stuffed squirrel.  They also exchange quite a few handwritten notes, which provide the greatest clues to the dissolution of their love.

After finishing this, I was charmed by how much one can learn about someone from his or her possessions.  This book may inspire me to start Nancy Drew-ing my friends and neighbors.  Next up for me is Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You.  Beware of where you toss your grocery lists around me.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction