I don't know if it's fear of the apocalypse finally kicking in or what, but I've been sick since Thursday and have been obsessed with taking my temperature. Even with regular Tylenol dosings, I can't get it below 100. Just checked now, and it's 100.5. Don't worry, though...I went to the doctor this morning, she agreed with me that it is a raging sinus infection, and prescribed me some industrial strength antibiotics. How does that happen so quickly? One minute you're nonchalantly hawking up stuff, the next you're curled up in bed trying not to think about The Stand.
Anyway, I discovered that Paula Spencer is an excellent book for reading under those circumstances. A sequel to The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, it's about ten years on and Paula's been sober for four months. Her kids have grown up and had varied levels of success in the world. Ireland has also changed dramatically in the last decade -- for the record, probably more so than any other country in the EU. This comes up throughout the book, in subtle and not subtle ways. Paula herself, however, is all about small victories. Like getting a 30 euro a week promotion, like opening a bank account, like becoming a fan of the White Stripes, like buying her son a computer, like helping one daughter and being helped by another, and like staying sober. James Hynes says it better than I ever could.
I think I've told this story before, but since it's relevant here: I saw Roddy Doyle read at Barnes & Noble in Union Square about ten years ago, when A Star Called Henry was a work in progress. (I was surprised that he's a bit of a mumbler since I think he's been a teacher and written for the stage, but anyway...) After he read, they opened the floor for Q&A. He picked me, and I asked "Do you miss your characters when you're finished writing their stories, or are you glad to be done with them?"
He said that it depended on the character, and he gave two examples on either end of the spectrum. He was absolutely done with Paddy Clarke in Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha. But he still missed...Paula Spencer. So there we go, I guess.
If I can get my temperature down to 99 tomorrow, I might reward myself by tracking down my copy of The Barrytown Trilogy. More than once, I've wondered what the Rabbittes are up to these days...
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